In his new book, SWITCH, New York Times bestselling author Dan Heath shows that successful changes follow a pattern, a pattern you can use to make the changes that matter to you, whether your interest is in changing the world, changing your bottom line, or changing your waistline.

On June 10 in Washington, DC, Dan will share insights into the art and science of behavior change, as well as stories of people using the same successful formula to get results.

Dan will be joined by Brett Jenks, CEO of Rare, an environmental organization training community change agents in 50 countries. Rare has been named one of Fast Company magazine’s Top Social Entrepreneurs four years running.

Rare trains local conservation leaders to work at the community level to change destructive behaviors — behaviors such as overfishing, illegal logging, unsustainable agricultural practices and more. Behavior change isn’t easy but both Dan and Brett know what it takes to change hard-to-change behaviors.

Change often seems complex, threatening, and just plain difficult.  Dan offers a simple, but powerful framework for thinking about change, and a litany of stories that inspire the belief that you can succeed. Whether you’re trying to lose weight or realign your organization, Dan will make it easier for you to begin.

The Washington Post wrote about Switch, Rare and the power of behavior change in a story earlier this year:

In “Switch,” the authors tell a story about the St. Lucia parrot — a magnificent, colorful creature that lives only on that Caribbean island. Biologists were writing the species’ eulogy when conservation activist Paul Butler found himself charged with figuring out how to save the parrot. Butler had ideas: create a bird sanctuary, license eco-tourism and muscle up the punishments for harming the parrot. But he also had a problem. Most people on St. Lucia didn’t know about the parrot, let alone care, and some people even ate the poor bird. What to do?

Instead of making an analytical case, Butler went for the emotional. He appealed to St. Lucians’ national character. The message: We are the kind of people who take care of our own. This bird is ours alone, and we must protect it. He built popular support for new laws, and today, there are seven times as many parrots happily squawking on the island.

Dan and Brett will leave the audience with some inspiring reasons to believe that people CAN really change to save the world.

Where
The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University
Rome Building Auditorium
1619 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC

When
June 10, 2010
Continental breakfast at 7:30 a.m.
Program 8:00 – 9:00 a.m.

Hosted by Rare, SAIS, and Johns Hopkins University

RSVP by June 7 to Alissa Moen at amoen@rareconservation.org or 703-522-5070, ext 133.

Praise for SWITCH:

“The one book to read if you’re trying to change the world.” – Katya Andresen, The Non-Profit Marketing Blog

“An entertaining and educational must-read for executives and for ordinary citizens looking to get out of a rut.” – Publisher’s Weekly

“One of the most anticipated books of 2010.” – BusinessWeek

Yesterday Rare detailed its carbon offset program that is distributing energy-efficient compact florescent lights (CFLs) to communities in China and Indonesia.

So far, Rare has distributed 20,600 CFLs and has offset 744 metric tons of carbon. The villagers were very excited to receive the light bulbs, which will allow them to save money and protect the environment around them. (Many of the CFLs were distributed in areas were villagers use fuelwood, instead of electricity, which is not nearly as efficient and causes habitat loss in areas of high biodiversity. These energy efficient bulbs will allow villagers to switch to electricity easier and reduce their use of fuelwood.)

Below are photos from several of the areas where the CFLs were distributed. The distribution of CFLs is complete in China, and all of the CFLs should be distributed in Indonesia by the end of April. In addition to the photos that were taken, Rare staff members from each area wrote a little something about the distribution of the light bulbs.

Photos from Gaoligong Mountain Nature Reserve, China

By Duan Honglian

We had another very cheerful day as we provided energy efficient light bulbs to three villages in the Gaoligong Mountain area. Many of the local leaders supported us in this endeavor. After the leaders made some opening remarks, I introduced everyone to Rare’s Pride campaign to reduce wood harvesting for fuel and the origin and advantages of the energy efficient bulbs. I also said that I hoped everyone would be able to start using them right away. Since the surrounding villages have already had the lights for a while and they generally think that they are quite good, these three villages wanted to have the lights as well.

I could see that everyone was very excited to receive the bulbs. They all said that this is a very good project!

Photos from Yuhe Nature Reserve, China

By Li Xiaohong

Rare donated 5,700 energy efficient light bulbs and brought them into the hands of the Yuhe Nature Reserve villagers. If these light bulbs are turned on for two hours a day, more than 195 kilowatts will be saved each year. Also, the villagers will collectively save 97,783 RMB ($14,322 USD) per year. Thus, the bulbs are benefiting villagers and protecting the environment in a very significant way.

The powerful little bulbs, bring conservation to our homes, the fees are low but they radiate and glow, flowers are blooming on the mountain and in our souls.

Photos from Dashanbao Nature Reserve, China

By Dao Meibiao

January 1st, 2010 was a market day at the Dashanbao Nature Reserve. The sky was thick with fog and the weather was bitterly cold. The crowds had gathered at one side of the market to pick up the free energy efficient light bulbs provided by Rare. Later they all said, “These energy efficient bulbs were brought to us by the Black-necked Crane, helping save electricity save money and protect the environment. After they have been on for a while, they get even brighter. We love them.”

Shiyang Li, Director of the Rare China office, distributes bulbs to the participants as gifts after a cooking contest.

Rare has distributed 20,600 compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) as part of a program to offset all of our carbon emissions from employee activity, a total of 744 metric tons of carbon.

Rare is a leader in community-based campaigns that inspires people to take pride in the natural assets that make their communities valuable and take action to protect them. Rare leveraged its “negative” environmental impact to make a direct positive impact on the work it does around the globe.

This program is advancing the mission of the campaigns by giving a means to reduce energy use and carbon footprint. By using less fuelwood and being more energy efficient, communities in these areas of high biodiversity are making less of an environmental impact. Rare was able to give communities a means to be more energy efficient and save money, while also offsetting their own carbon emissions.

The bulbs went to Rare Pride campaign sites in China and Indonesia and help local residents use less power and emit less carbon. Rare has distributed 15,600 bulbs in China and 5,000 in Indonesia. In China alone, more than 7,000 households received CFLs.

A woman from Pingzidi village got back from the field with pig’s food still in her hand and was so excited to get the bulbs that she phoned her neighbors.

How Rare’s program works:

• Rare staff voted to use its Employee Activity Conservation Fund to offset carbon emissions.
• CFLs use approximately 75 percent less energy than incandescent light bulbs.
• CFLs have a lifespan about 3-10 times as long as incandescent light bulbs.
• The bulbs are distributed at campaign sites, particularly at community events (like a Rare cooking contests to promote more energy efficient ways to cook that don’t harm local forests).
• The bulbs are distributed with informational flyers that explain that the light bulbs save energy along with other energy saving tips.

Several of the campaigns, such as Rare’s campaign in the Gaoligong Mountain Nature Reserve, are working to protect forests. Since CFLs use less electricity than incandescent bulbs, villagers are more able to afford to use electricity instead of cutting down trees to build fires. Rare is working in these areas of high biodiversity to promote electricity use instead of fuelwood consumption, and CFLs and energy-efficient electric stoves are helping villagers make less of an environmental impact.

In Indonesia, staff selected campaign sites to distribute the CFLs to that are specifically addressing sustainable energy issues and the UN’s Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) program. In addition to handing out CFLs, Indonesia staff decided to hand out tree seedlings to promote reforestation and carbon sequestration and an informational flyer on the link between saving energy during daily activities and limiting global warming.

The final distribution of the bulbs was a tremendous success, not only for Rare but also for the local campaigns working to impact community behavior. The CFL’s were greatly appreciated by the communities and widely adopted.

A local villager was pleased to learn about and receive CFLs in China.

Rare Pride campaign sites where CFLs were distributed:

• Campaign for Sustainable Forest Use/Gaoligong Mountain Nature Reserve, Yunnan Province (Rare’s campaign will protect the White-eyebrows gibbon by inspiring community members to use energy efficient stoves and electric cookers in order to reduce wood harvesting for fuel.)
• Campaign for Sustainable Forest Use/Yuhe Nature Reserve, Gansu Province (Rare’s campaign will protect the Snub-nosed Golden Monkey in the Yuhe Nature Reserve by inspiring community members to use engery efficient stoves in order to reduce the consumption of fuelwood.)
• Campaign for Sustainable Forest Use/Baima Snow Mountain Nature Reserve, Yunnan Province (Rare’s campaign will protect the Snub-nosed Golden Monkey in the Baima Snow Mountain Reserve by working with community members to implement sustainable forms of energy in order to reduce consumption of fuelwood.)
• Campaign for Green Building/Meili Snow Mountain, Yunnan Province (Rare’s campaign will protect coniferous forest on Meili Snow Mountain by training local carpenters and community members in green building techniques in order to reduce unsustainable logging.)
• Campaign for Sustainable Grazing Methods/Dashanbao Nature Reserve, Yunnan Province (Rare’s campaign will protect the winter habitat of the Black-necked crane in the Dashanboa Nature Reserve by introducing grass-cutting to local farmers in order to reduce over-grazing.)
• Campaign for Wetland Preservation/Sungai Putri Swamp Forest, West Kalimantan, Borneo (Rare’s campaign will protect the Bornean Orangutan in Sungai Putri Forest by making the use of a credit union available to local communities in order to reduce illegal logging as a secondary income)
• Potorono Forest, Central Java, Java (Rare’s campaign will protect forest ecosystems of the Potorono Forest by inspiring local farmers to reduce the rate of forest conversion for agricultural use in order to reduce deforestation.)
• Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, East Java, Java (Rare’s campaign will reduce the threat to the national park by reducing fuelwood consumption, while building greater support for park protection.)

Great news! During our inspiring trip to Yunnan Province, China late last year, several of us decided to chip in and help finance the reconstruction of the Tibetan Cultural Center in Yongzhi village. Thanks to Rare trustee Ruth Yeoh, Kenneth Khaw Jin Teck, Jin Ligang and Shen Lei, we succeed in raising $3500 just before the holidays. Here’s a video “thank you note” from Mr. Ma, Rare’s Senior Advisor in Yunnan.

“It is without question the epicenter of marine biodiversity for the planet.”

Mark Erdmann, Senior Advisor to Conservation International Indonesia’s marine program, speaks to Rare CEO Brett Jenks about the importance of the Coral Triangle and how Rare’s methodology is a key factor in helping to reduce threats to this ecological resource.

Laney Thornton, a passionate conservationist and long-time Rare supporter, just returned with his family from a five-day visit to a Rare Pride campaign underway on the island of Borneo.  Laney’s family witnessed first-hand both the beauty and the importance of saving this critical orangutan habitat, and learned what Rare and local partner Yayorin are doing to help this community successfully address this conservation challenge.

Laney poses with Sampson

Grrrrrrggg!  is the sound that a Proboscis monkey makes.  I know that because our klotok was parked for the night along this Borneo jungle river underneath a tree in which a family of Proboscis monkeys were likewise parking themselves for the night not 30 feet above us.  The male monkey made that sound when its child started to wander off towards our boat.  Upon hearing this ominous sound, the child monkey immediately turned on its palms and headed back up to the top to its parents.

A klotok is the name of 40-foot long Indonesian-style sightseeing boats common in Kalimantan that plow up rivers taking people into Tanjung Putting National Park.  It’s in the evening that the top deck of the boat transforms from a communal dining facility into a mosquito-netted sleeping porch.  At night we’ll all go to sleep to the jungle sounds of crickets, gibbons, and the late evening chatter of the Indonesian crew finishing the dishes in their quarters below.

Klotok Laney and his family took through the National Park

Laney Thornton with Togu, Executive Director of Yayorin, Rare’s partner in Lamandau River Wildlife Reserve

World-class primate viewing happens at places like Camp Leakey, where a couple dozen orangutans seem to voluntarily split their time between the camp and the jungle. Unlike viewing the huge but indifferent mountain gorillas in Rwanda, these primates seem ready to invite you into occasional enticing relationships with them.

Whether on the klotok dock of Camp Leakey where orangutans meet and greet you, or on the hiking trail where they will often hike with you as you explore the deep jungle, this trip offered a unique interaction far different than our gorilla experiences in Rwanda.

Our travel companion this morning was Sampson, a 17-year old male who joined our hike 10 minutes into the forest.  He walked in line with us from the beginning of camp, as if he were a new member of our group.  At a couple of points in the hike, the guides allowed us to accept Sampson’s offer to hold hands for the trip for a few moments.  It was obvious from his touch that Sampson knew the strength of a human being, as he did not try to overpower me but instead allowed the lead to alternate from him to me.

Laney pictured with his son, wife, and niece 

This gentle contact was very different from the grip I got a day earlier when an orangutan sprung on me to grab my coconut soda can — a grab that clearly meant to overpower me rather than engage in any kind of mutuality.   While habituated to humans, these are wild animals doing what they want to do whenever they want to do it. Even though some of their activities include just hanging and chilling with humans, some also include things that most humans would not call either polite or gentle.

After an orgy of picture-taking, I found myself just able to enjoy the animals without the need to stow away yet another visual photographic record of this trip.

In the last thirty years, orangutan populations have plummeted due to massive carbon emitting deforestation on the island of Borneo.  And this trip exposed the fragile nature of the forest, where former rice fields that were designated to be converted back to forest in the park simply do not grow back. Instead they remain areas of open low-lying brush constantly at risk of fire during the dry season.

Where the forests have been cleared by logging or fire, low, scrubby invasives prevent an indigenous forest from again taking hold. (Photo by Jason Houston – view slideshow of his visit to Borneo)

My family’s orangutan experience only adds poignancy to the continuing sense of loss of what is visible all around us – precious habitat for the orangutans and global warming for all of us.  In any event, you can’t help a kind of “falling in love” feeling here with this orangutan community. I know we will all feel a pang of regret leaving this enchanted place and our new orangutan friends.

>>Read about the Rare Pride campaign currently underway to help protect threatened orangutans on the island of Borneo

>>Learn about other trips offered through Rare

If you are interested in joining an upcoming trip to a Rare Pride campaign site please contact Lindsay Hower at lhower@rareconservation.org.

Jennifer Thornton Wieland, niece of Laney Thornton, a passionate conservationist and long-time Rare supporter, just returned with her family from a five-day site visit to a Rare Pride campaign underway on the island of Borneo.  Jennifer’s family witnessed first-hand both the beauty and the importance of saving this critical orangutan habitat, and learned what Rare and its local partner Yayorin are doing to help this community successfully address this conservation challenge.

What a wonderful day with the orangutans!  It seems like nothing can describe the experience of sharing the jungle with these beautiful, amazing primates.  Our day started trekking through the forest with a group of nine excited hikers – members of my family, Nigel and Lindsay from Rare, and me.  About twenty minutes into our two hour journey, we were delighted to be joined by a tenth companion, an orangutan named Sampson.  Sampson, a seventeen year old son of Siswi, a very engaging and gregarious resident of Tanjung Putting National Park, was happy to have crossed our path.

Jennifer with her uncle Laney Thornton and Sampson, the hiking orangutan who joined the group on a hike.

After the usual photo opportunities and some proud orangutan posing on Sampson’s part, we continued on our way.  If you have never been on a walk, in the forests of Borneo, with an incredible orangutan as part of your clan, let’s just say that I highly recommend it as an experience of a lifetime that shouldn’t be missed.  The afternoon brought more incredible experiences and interactions with the magnificent orangutan.

Jennifer with Rare staff member Lindsay Hower posing with Siswi, an orangutan who greeted the Rare group on the dock of Camp Leakey, an orangutan rehabilitation center.

After Sampson left us to find his lunch, we headed back to the klotok, our wooden vessel on which we slept, ate and traveled.  Careful to enjoy every opportunity to see the orangs, Togu Simorangkir (Executive Director from Yayorin) accompanied me on a trail as the others walked ahead.  As we approached Siswi, we learned from some of the human residents at Camp Leaky that Tom, the dominant male orangutan of the entire troop in this area, was in a nest in a tree above.  Togu, a former researcher based at Camp Leaky, had not seen Tom in over a year so this was a rare and special opportunity for both him and me.  We called the others to join us.  Tom sat up in his nest then came down to join us.  He was quick to show off his incredibly huge orangutan body, complete with enormous orangutan cheekpads.  If we had not already been told, it would have been a good educated guess that this was indeed the dominant male.  Tom did not disappoint and presented us with great photo moments then sat with Siswi and shared a big bucket of milk presented to them by some friends.

Tom, the dominant male orangutan of the entire reserve’s troop, says hello to Jennifer and the Rare group.

An incredible moment in the wild, with orangutans completely free to do whatever or go wherever they pleased at any time, was happening now.  How lucky I was to have been there and been a part of it.  Now, sitting on the klotok, heading back to a different reality, I cannot help but know that I will forever be changed by this day, in Borneo, with my friends, the orangutans.

Jennifer “doing yoga” with Siswi on the dock before the group left the orangutan rehabilitation center.

>>Read about the Rare Pride campaign currently underway to help protect threatened orangutans on the island of Borneo

>>Learn about other trips offered through Rare

If you are interested in joining an upcoming trip to a Rare Pride campaign site please contact Lindsay Hower at lhower@rareconservation.org.