Change can come about here and there, sometimes you don't even know where, it's a good idea to lead by example, you don't have to convince or persuade anyone, they can see how you do it in practice :)
Even shallow people can make a change for the better if there's a wide incentive.
A good example might be renewables. Even though having your own generator is still a sign of status in many developing countries, the cost of having solar panels these days is significantly lower, plus you don't have to pay for petrol plus it's totally silent. As a result they're being replaced and it's got nothing to do with those folks being eco-friendly or thinking about bigger picture, they're only thinking about their pockets.