Green Signal #5 | The Butterfly Effect of Small Actions – Social Impact of Individual Behavior | The Korean Today
The Butterfly Effect of Small Actions
Social Impact of Individual Behavior
✍️ Baek Chang-hee, Columnist ⏱️ 8 min read
“Will my using a reusable tumbler really make any difference?”
Many people ask this question. However, the ‘butterfly effect’ discovered by meteorologist Edward Lorenz in 1963 completely overturns this thinking. This theory—that a butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil could cause a tornado in Texas— scientifically proves just how powerful your small actions can be in changing the world.
Today, I’ll share amazing stories of how one person’s small practices actually transformed families, companies, communities, and even entire nations.
🦋 What is the Butterfly Effect?
The butterfly effect is a core concept in chaos theory discovered by American meteorologist Edward Lorenz in 1963. It’s the theory that small, seemingly insignificant changes can create unpredictably large results over time.
🦋 Core Principle: Small differences in initial conditions → Exponentially expand over time
📊 ESG Application: One person’s small action → Family → Organization → Community → Worldwide spread
✨ Real Proof: Countless environmental and social movements worldwide started from just one person’s action
Your tumbler today can become 100 people’s tumblers tomorrow, and 10,000 people’s change the day after.
📚 Real Case 1: A Miracle Started with One Tumbler
Protagonist: Kim Min-ji (35, office worker, Mapo-gu, Seoul)
📅 March 2023 (Beginning)
Started using a tumbler alone. Though thinking “What difference will I make?”, she decided to take small action for the environment.
📅 June 2023 (Family Spread)
Her husband and elementary school daughter started using tumblers following mom. “Mom always carries one, so I want to do it too!” → All 4 family members practicing
📅 September 2023 (Workplace Spread)
Colleagues became interested in Min-ji’s tumbler. “I want one too. Where did you buy it?” → 8 out of 12 team members purchased tumblers. Proposed water purifier installation at company → Expanded to company-wide campaign
📅 March 2024 (Community Spread)
Her daughter presented ‘Environmental Project with Mom’ at school. Started ‘Our Neighborhood Tumbler Challenge’ with 30+ other parents participating → 5 local cafes joined with tumbler discounts
📅 October 2024 (Present)
Mapo District Office launched ‘Our Neighborhood ESG Action Team’. Min-ji appointed as leader. Now grown into a local environmental movement with 300+ households participating → Saving approximately 150,000 disposable cups annually
📊 Result: 1 person → 4 (family) → 8 (workplace) → 30 (school) → 300 households (community)
In just 18 months, one person’s action created change for over 1,200 people!
📈 5 Stages of Individual Action’s Ripple Effect
Stage 1: Individual Practice (Week 1)
Starting alone
“From small things I can do” → Tumbler, eco-bag, recycling, etc.
💡 Important: It’s okay not to be perfect. Starting is half the battle!
Stage 2: Family Spread (1-3 months)
Family joins in
Not persuading with words, but showing consistent practice
On average, 50-70% of family members naturally join after 2-3 months
💡 Key: “This is what I’m doing” approach instead of “Want to do it together?”
Stage 3: Organizational Spread (3-6 months)
Spreading to workplace/school
Natural spread through curiosity → Interest → Participation
Questions like “Where did you buy that?” signal the beginning
💡 Statistics: When 15% in an organization practice, it influences the remaining 85%
Stage 4: Community Spread (6-12 months)
Community formation
Voluntary spread through SNS, local cafes, apartment communities
Local shops and cafes begin to join → Infrastructure changes
💡 Example: Seongbuk-gu ‘Zero Waste Challenge’ with 3,000 households participating
Stage 5: Social Change (12+ months)
System and cultural change
Reflected in local government policies, promoting corporate ESG management
System-level changes begin in education, media, policy
💡 Reality: Plastic straw regulations started from citizen movements
📚 Real Case 2: The Man Who Changed an Apartment with Recycling
Protagonist: Park Seong-min (42, office worker, Haeundae-gu, Busan)
🎯 Beginning: January 2023
Seeing the apartment recycling area too messy, he started cleaning it alone. Invested 30 minutes every Saturday. With the mindset “Nobody’s doing it, so I will.”
📊 Change Process
- After 1 month: 3rd floor neighbor Kim Young-hee “I’ll help you”
- After 2 months: Saturday cleaning gathering started, 7 participants
- After 4 months: ‘Proper Recycling in Our Apartment’ cafe opened, 120 residents joined
- After 6 months: Resident council officially adopted ‘Recycling Education Program’
- After 10 months: Entire apartment selected as Ministry of Environment’s ‘Excellent Resource Circulation Complex’
🏆 Results (As of October 2024)
• 420 out of 560 households (75%) practicing proper recycling
• Recycling separation volume increased 300%
• Food waste reduced 25%
• Monthly savings of 300,000 won in waste disposal costs
• 3 neighboring apartments came for benchmarking
Park Seong-min’s words: “At first, I was really alone. But as I kept going, people noticed. Now our apartment is known as the cleanest in the neighborhood!”
🌍 Individual Actions That Changed the World
🇸🇪 Greta Thunberg (Sweden, 2018)
15-year-old girl’s solo ‘School Strike for Climate’ → 4 million people worldwide joined ‘Climate Strike’ → Urged governments worldwide to change climate policies → UN Climate Action Summit speech
🇳🇱 Boyan Slat (Netherlands, 2013)
16-year-old boy’s ‘Ocean Cleanup System’ idea → Crowdfunding raised $35 million → Founded The Ocean Cleanup → Currently operating in Pacific Garbage Patch
🇰🇷 Kim Mi-hwa (Korea, 1997)
Comedian started ‘Zero Waste Movement’ → Founded Resource Recycling Society Coalition → Nationwide recycling village movement → Contributed to establishing Korea’s recycling culture
🇯🇵 Marie Kondo (Japan, 2011)
Organizing consultant’s one book → Global ‘Minimalist Life’ boom → Reflection on overconsumption culture → Spread of sustainable consumption culture
💡 Common point: All were ordinary people who started with ‘small actions’, which led to worldwide changes!
🔬 Scientific Research Proving the Butterfly Effect
📊 Stanford University Research (2019)
“If just 15% in a group change their behavior, the entire group changes”
→ Tipping Point Theory: Rapid change occurs when critical point is exceeded
📊 Harvard University Research (2021)
“Behavioral contagion through social networks”
→ Three Degrees of Influence Rule: My behavior influences up to my friend’s friend’s friend (3 degrees)
📊 MIT Research (2023)
“Analysis of social spread patterns of eco-friendly behavior”
→ Result: One person’s consistent practice influences 8-12 people around them within 6 months on average
📊 Seoul National University Graduate School of Environmental Studies (2024)
“Ripple effect of ESG practices in Korean households”
→ Result: Takes an average of 9 months for one household’s practice to spread throughout an apartment complex
💫 Specific Changes Your Small Actions Create
☕ You Who Use a Tumbler Daily
→ Family follows (after 2 months)
→ 3 colleagues purchase one (after 4 months)
→ Regular cafe starts tumbler discount (after 6 months)
→ 10 neighborhood cafes join (after 10 months)
→ Approximately 10,000 disposable cups saved annually!
🚇 You Who Use Public Transportation
→ Children say “I want to take the bus too”
→ Neighbors suggest carpooling
→ Company introduces public transportation allowance
→ Approximately 15 tons of CO₂ reduced annually (direct and indirect effects)!
♻️ You Who Recycle Thoroughly
→ Next-door neighbor asks “How do you do it?”
→ Recycling guide gets posted on apartment bulletin board
→ Management office reorganizes recycling bins
→ 30% improvement in complex-wide recycling rate!
That small action you’re doing right now,
Someone is definitely watching and being influenced! ✨
💡 5 Principles for Creating Butterfly Effect
1. Consistency: Sustain for at Least 3 Months
Change doesn’t happen overnight. You need to practice consistently for at least 90 days for people around you to recognize “they’re really doing it.”
2. Naturalness: Don’t Force
Not “You should do this too” but “This is what I’m doing” attitude. Forcing creates resistance, but natural behavior creates curiosity.
3. Visibility: Make It Visible
Carrying a pretty tumbler or eco-bag naturally catches eyes. Naturally sharing on SNS is also a good method.
4. Dialogue: Share Reasons
When someone asks, that’s your opportunity. To the question “Why do you do this?” answer with your sincerity. Sincerity conveys, not preaching.
5. Connection: Find People to Join
Two is better than one, three is better than two. Connecting with people who share interests can create bigger changes.
🎯 This Week’s Practice: Creating My Butterfly Effect
📝 Writing Butterfly Effect Journal
Starting this week, record the changes your small actions create.
📅 Month __ Day __ Weekday __
Today’s Practice: ___________________________
Who Noticed? ___________________________
Any Reactions? ___________________________
Thoughts: ___________________________
💡 Tip: Record even small reactions. Even the question “Where did you buy that?” is the beginning of change!
🎁 Going One Step Further
- Share naturally on SNS (as daily life, not showing off)
- Suggest to interested people “Want to try together?”
- Propose at family meeting “Should we try this?”
- Suggest small challenge in neighborhood community
✅ Butterfly Effect Creator Checklist
✅ 3 or more: You’re already creating butterfly effect!
💪 2 or less: Start practicing one by one from today!
💚 Columnist’s Final Words
“Will my using one tumbler really make any difference?”
I can now confidently answer this question. “Yes, it will. It definitely will.”
Kim Min-ji, Park Seong-min, and Greta Thunberg whom I introduced today were all alone at first. However, their small actions changed families, neighbors, cities, nations, and the world.
Your one tumbler can change the world. Just as a butterfly’s wing flap creates a tornado, your small action will create massive change.
Now, start your wing flap. 🦋
In the next episode, we’ll discuss “Creating Your ESG Scorecard – Your Own Practice Checklist”
Look forward to learning how to systematically plan your own ESG practices!
Baek Chang-hee, Chief
Gyeonggi Hanam Bureau Chief, The Korean Today
ESG Management Columnist
Sustainable Management Consultant
Director, WIA Press Association
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