Dilemma questions are great icebreakers to get a conversation going, step outside your comfort zone, and create and share beautiful memories in the process. They can even serve as a productive kick-off for a digital meeting or team-building exercise. We enjoy doing this based on sustainable choices. Because it is quite difficult to make the most sustainable choices daily. The sustainable choice regarding insulation material is one of them for many. Feel free to use these questions with friends, colleagues, and family to discover how layered answers can be. And respect different perspectives. Don't let it lead to too heated discussions. That is counterproductive. Keep it light.
This list was compiled by Joost van der Waal, founder of Isoleerbewust. Years ago, as an architect, I was looking for more sustainable insulation and found ecological insulation. But even among ecological insulation materials, there is a difference in sustainability. I therefore find it an enjoyable game and process to figure out what is more sustainable. And that's where you find, for insulation, options like grass, wood fiber, cellulose, straw, and miscanthus.
Fun questions to ask
Whether you want to use the dilemma questions for team building, to get a deeper connection with someone, or to warm up your conversation partner, they are fun questions to ask and make you think. They are fun questions to ask, but regularly they are also moral questions. Such as about flying and flight shame.
Dilemmas in the form of questions for friends or colleagues are perfect for relieving tension and communicating freely, especially if you are meeting for the first time. The next time you are in a room with a friend or colleague, skip the small talk and use the questions below. They are also fun questions for your crush. This way you get to know each other better. And you discover if your core values match.
In America, "would you rather" questions are popular. In the Netherlands, that means something like "would you rather". Dilemma op Dinsdag became known for this.
My girlfriend would say: don't just look at CO2 emissions, but also at the social component of a choice or dilemma.
What is more sustainable?
Dilemma questions: General
To be a man or a woman? [Men start wars, women bear children]
Have a child or own a Ferrari? [A Western child still has a considerable CO2 footprint]
An existence as a nomad, digital nomad, or a fixed residence? [Don't nomads fly all over the world these days? But working online also costs a lot of energy, just like building houses]
To be an omnivore, vegan, or vegetarian?
A European, Asian, North American, South American, or African diet?
To be Dutch, Belgian, German, or Chinese?
Work to live or live off what the ground offers?
Move for work or travel longer to work?
Live in the city or in the countryside? [In the countryside, you have to drive far by car for groceries and childcare]
Dilemma questions: Home
Energy-efficient new-build home or a poorly insulated existing home? [The rebound effect of saving energy and money is that people buy a new LED TV or book an extra flying vacation]
Energy-efficient new-build home or making an existing home energy-efficient?
Keep the underfloor heating on continuously or turn it off at night?
Insulate an old house or buy a well-insulated new-build home? [Building a new-build home costs as much energy as burning 15 to 20 years of energy in an existing home]
Insulate your home with glass wool, rock wool, PIR or PUR, or with wood fiber, hemp, flax, grass, straw, cellulose? [Do a home scan and have your home ecologically insulated - Small adjustment, big impact]
Net-zero energy home or an existing home insulated according to standards?
Wooden house or stone house?
Light on or a candle? [A candle is more romantic, but not good for your health]
Separate waste at home or at the waste processing plant?
Heat at 15 degrees Celsius when no one is home or not?
Pee while showering or pee on the toilet? [This is a no-brainer, right?]
Shower shorter or eat less beef? [A kilo of beef quickly costs 15,000 liters of water]
Turn on the heating or buy a few thick wool sweaters? [Those sheep also poop]
During colder autumn and winter months, go on vacation to a warm country together or live together in a poorly insulated upstairs apartment? [Definitely better to insulate your roof then, right? Check here]
Wipe thoroughly after pooping or wash underwear more often? [Don't cram too much, eh?!]
Insulate your home with mineral, synthetic, or natural insulation materials? [We think this is a no-brainer. We all want to do ecological good rather than less bad, right? Check here]
After pooping, throw toilet paper in the toilet, in a bin, or use a bidet?
Have fewer pairs of underwear and wash more often, or have more boxer shorts and wash less often? [Nice wet underwear. There's quite a bit of water usage in cotton production, right?]
Leave the light on or turn it on again frequently? [Does it also cost extra energy to turn on a light?]
TV in standby mode or turn it on again every time? [A TV also uses 'startup' energy, right?]
Incandescent bulb or LED bulb? [An old-fashioned incandescent bulb also gave off lovely warmth. Now I have to turn on the light AND the heating.]
Paper made from wood, bamboo, or stone?
Insulate house or purchase sustainable energy? [Insulate with PUR and then turn on the climate control system with solar panels to still achieve a healthy indoor climate?]
Generate sustainable energy yourself or purchase sustainable energy?
Brush your teeth with an electric toothbrush or a plastic toothbrush? [As long as you don't have bad breath, right?]
Vacuum a smooth floor or mop it?
Heat with wood, gas, or electricity?
LED TV or LCD TV?
In hot weather, a warm or cold shower?
Ward off mosquitoes with a screen or a mosquito net?
Rinse brush in the sink or use a new brush every time? [Rinsing a brush in the sink is polluting. Buying a new brush every time also costs raw materials]
Light a fire with matches or a lighter?
Hand in broken clothes or use them for other things around the house? [If you throw clothes in a clothing container, they will surely be used, right? For polishing shoes, an old boxer short with holes is perfectly fine.]
Broken clothing
