We've changed our name to One Small Step: Here's why

Since I last spoke to you, the world has changed dramatically. As we all continue to adjust to the current situation, I wanted to share with you what we have been working on to help you whilst we’re in lockdown and provide some updates on our app launch in May and our new brand that'll be rolling out in the next few weeks.

Firstly, we are changing our name to One Small Step. The “neighbourhood effect” is a phenomenon in behavioural economics that proves our behaviour is socially contagious. Our decisions are strongly influenced by our peers and our environment, much more than we realise at a conscious level. The name ‘Neighbourhood Effect’ summed up the power of leading by example: that if we focus on changing our behaviour and reducing our personal impact on the environment, we can and will influence others to do the same.

Our mission hasn’t changed - our goal is to use behavioural science to help millions of people adopt greener lifestyles, and to support you to reduce your carbon footprint.  But we think the name One Small Step does a better job of capturing the central premise behind the app: that it’s our small everyday actions, compounding over time, that really make a difference to climate change and environmental sustainability. The name is also tied to the behavioural science methods we use to support you to reduce your carbon footprint: in our soon-to-be-released app programs, we break recommended behaviours down into small actionable steps. We do this because a ‘small step’ approach is fundamental in order to successfully adopt greener habits.

Originally published on 15 April 2020 on The Neighbourhood Effect.