I frequent the Tiny Choices blog for their green living insights, and as a fairly regular reader, I completed their survey. Tiny Choices featured my survey last Thursday. In it, I mentioned my struggle to speak up in a constructive way when I notice others making less than green choices. In the comments, Nupur of One Hot Stove said, “My suggestion for encouraging others to change their behavior- simply modeling the behavior sometimes triggers others to think about it, more than saying anything about it.”
During a recent work gathering, someone pulled styrofoam plates out for the cake. Knowing that we had a full cabinet of dishes right behind me, I hesitated for a moment, then grabbed a stack of real plates. I swapped them for the styrofoam plates on the table, saying that I would take dish duty. Everyone seemed happy with this arrangement. I plan to look for opportunities to model greener choices, with a hope that over time they will spread.
Her Green Life 
What a great way to set an example! So did you do all the dishes or did others help you?
At my former workplace, a co-worker started getting her own plate to lunch meetings instead of using the paper/plastic plates the caterers provide. Just watching her made several people switch to bring their own. Role models are what we need!
I washed most of them (there weren’t too many). I try to do the same thing as your former coworker — I enjoy the food much more when it’s not sitting on a disposable plate!