Can’t persuade your family members and friends to recycle, ride their bikes and do other things to reduce their carbon footprints? Maybe the answer isn’t telling them it’s the right thing to do but showing them it’s the fun thing to do.

That’s the philosophy behind TheFunTheory.com, an initiative of Volkswagen that’s “dedicated to the thought that something as simple as fun is the easiest way to change people’s behaviour for the better.”

It seems to work, too. One video on the site shows how far more people will recycle at a bottle bank that works like an arcade — complete with flashing lights and points awards — every time they put in another bottle. Another features a staircase converted to a giant piano keyboard that actually produces music with each step: the change led to a 66 per cent increase in the number of people choosing to use the stairs rather than an adjoining escalator.

Have a thought for other ways in which to make doing the right thing more fun? The Fun Theory is running a competition to find the best ideas: between now and 15 November, you can submit your ideas — anything from a sketch of a prototype to a video showing your idea in action — via the website. The top idea, to be named in December, will win a €2,500 prize, and the best entries will be put on public display.

• This fuel-saving stove saves lives too
• Could ‘parasite power’ change the world?
• High-tech David vs Goliath: Smartphones beat IT giants
• How to build the ‘world’s greenest car’? Hit ‘print’
• California utility pilot is part smart meter, part Flickr
• DiCaprio, Nasheed join Zayed Future Energy Prize jury
• Zayed Prize offers $4m for energy innovators
• Cash prizes! Smarter energy?
• IBM opens innovation centre in Mexico
• Crowdsourcing a sustainable future