This is creative genius. What's the policy on trying similar things in our own communities? Are there copyright issues? As the US Green Building Council for Kansas and western MO, I would love to engage our membership in thinking about more ideas like these.
Posted by Janet C. Baker

Fun! What a great concept! It has worked for video games, why not for sustainability?
Posted by Regina G. Ford

Love them!!! Please bring these ideas to the US. San Diego, CA to be specific.
Posted by Shelly Stinchcomb

The videos are cool!! but how much energy we really save on this?
Posted by Senthilvel Rajan Kumaresan

Hi Grant, these are really good but is it just me who wonders why people can't do the sensible thing in the first place? But I am the guy you see in stores straightening the displays.

These things in schools would encourage people to do these things automatically - the Pavlov effect.

Can these systems be designed to convert the energy used on them from dropped products and weight on steps, or from solar energy or are they heavy energy users (including manufacture and installation)?

regards
Posted by martin hogan

I love the idea!!!
Fun is a good driver to remember things and to learn and why not changing behavior in the long run.
Changing a behavior (cognitive destructuring, cognitive restructuring, freezing) is a long process and I think that these videos can be perceived as an electroshock to trigger the behavioral changing toward sustainability.
Posted by Maxime Staszewski

We employ this type of fun marketing on our solar referral site, SolarPowreRocks.com.

Check out these two recent posts:

http://www.solarpowerrocks.com/solar-trends/4-reasons/
http://www.solarpowerrocks.com/solar-quiz/solar-seriousness-quiz/
Posted by Tor Valenza

No, not really. Or: yes, the fun theory can help, but these examples are not particularly good ones because they don't lead to new habits. These examples could have been a lot more inspiring if they had taken account of behaviour-change research. But they're certainly fun to watch!!
Posted by Marilyn Mehlmann

Thanks for sharing the video links. I thought all three were good examples of fun ways to change behavior. There was also a secondary benefit beyond the change in behavior which was that it put a smile on most of participants faces.

Having given far too many presentations (to clients and at conferences) over the years I have found that the more I make the presentation interesting and or fun, the more the information is absorbed and retained. I once used a chessboard to represent the different players in the pension fund universe, their roles and how they interact. It was very well received and understood.

Cheers,

Scot
Posted by Scot Kelly

Goes to show that creativity can get us places! Pity such clips are not made available for downloading such that they may be used as examples during formal and informal training sessions
Posted by Kevin Gatt

One word: Fahrvergnügen
Posted by Lee Canel

This artifacts respond with a different kind of response to what people are used to. This experiments try to re-connect adults to the basic feeling of experiencing life second by second. It is easy to take everything for granted, but if technology is used in order to bring awareness of the everyday miracles in life, we would experience life at a different level...
Posted by Miguel Quinones

We should be thinking of creative ideas when ever we can, the fun will translate over into habit.
Posted by Ned Tillman

Respect to the people who created/invented this! I think fun can be a great contributing factor in changing peoples attitudes. It seems so simple but just trying to think of anything new makes you realise that you need great creative minds to achieve this.
Posted by Fred van Zelm

LOL ;-)
Posted by Barry Groeneveld

I've enjoyed reading this discussion and I'm ecstatic about the products that encourage more participation from the greater populous. This should work anyplace, with the right insight and cooperation.

As for the piano stairs at http://www.thefuntheory.com/

The Science Museum in Boston has steps that use "electric eyes" to generate musical tones at each stair tread, much the same as that generated at "piano music" at the web site above. If you haven't seen this, it's certainly time that you visit the museum and experience it for yourself.

Thanks for sharing this insightful information and thanks to VolksWagon for their participation for the greater good !!!

Allan R. Wright
Architect
Posted by Allan Wright

Added the three videos to our collection on EarthSayers.tv, the voices of sustainability and called out series as part of special collection (Piano Stairs) at http://www.earthsayers.tv/collections.php . Also scheduled tweets calling attention to them on three different days, November 3,6 and 9th. Follow @earthsayer.

We are dedicated to the idea that sustainability is so important people ought to be able to hear about it by searching on the word, sustainability and FINDING EarthSayers.tv, the voices of sustainability, topside, in the first three results.

We are seeking Founding Sponsorships, four at $25,000, 6 months presence on site to promote core values and sustainability initiatives and programs. Any help is appreciated in identifying interested sponsors.
Posted by Ruth Ann Barrett

Earlier this year Changents and Timberland produced a viral video for environmental hero Christopher Swain entitled "Dirty for Swain." Christopher is swimming 1,000+ miles through the dirty Atlantic in an effort to raise awareness about ocean pollution. The video asks what will YOU do to show your support for Swain?

http://dirtyforswain.com
Posted by Eleanor Dowling

These came to me a few days ago and as a designer I was quite intrigued. Change the environment to change behavior, kind of a "well of course!". I wonder if the novelty wears off. Do they become annoying over time? Maybe not, or maybe not enough to eliminate effectiveness. Streets can be made more fun for bicycling, and are in some cities, but often at the expense of driving fun. Maybe this is appropriate. The musical stairs don't make the escalator or elevator less fun though. Interesting concepts and surely there are many more opportunities like these.
Posted by Dave Middleton

The laziness virus that is sweeping the human race needs a good antidote. I think this approach is a good start towards helping change the mindsets of people.

I applaud this effort, and look forward to more ideas.
Posted by Austin Arrowsmith

Well done by Volkswagen.

This is the sustainable energy group, right? For saving energy, in most cases you will have to reward people for NOT doing something/switching things off , which requires a slightly different way of thinking.

But that can be done, too: it's not hard to imagine the voice of John Cleese coming out of the ceiling, screaming "Hey, you smelly bastard, you forgot to switch off the light when you left the kitchen! Do you want me to send in the killer rabbits?"

I also recall a design for a vertical axis-wind-turbine which doubled as a nightly advertising medium by adding LEDs on the blades.
Posted by Evert Albers

@ Evert, I understand your point of view, but If people bring more glass to the machine and normally throw it in the normal bin... There will be a point where this lights will be compensated
Posted by Thijs Brouwer

Great blog. Thanks for tip to it.
Posted by Michael Klusek

great fun... but, how does saving electricy factor in with the escalator?; when both the
piano stairs and the escalator are both running on power?

maybe we should just shut down the escalator.