Environmental information services - Behavioural change

Title

Exploring the use of a game to stimulate energy saving in households

Reference

Journal of Design Research, 2012

Author(s)

Daphne Geelen, David Keyson, Stella Boess and Han Brezet

Study type

Peer Review Journal    

Abstract

This paper presents a study called the Energy Battle, a game aimed at encouraging home occupants to save energy. Twenty student-households were provided with direct feedback and an online platform with energy feedback over time, ranking of the competing teams, tips and a game. The study showed that the game context strongly influenced the motivation to save energy. Overall, savings averaged 24%, with the highest savings level at 45%. Directly after completion of the Energy Battle, energy consumption increased among most of the households, although consumption levels tended to stay below the baseline measurement level taken before the Energy Battle. Follow-up interviews indicated that some of the behaviours developed in the game had transformed into habits. A game such as the Energy Battle appears to provide a powerful means to stimulate energy saving in the short term. The potential to achieve long term effects appears possible, however further research is required to understand long-term implications for an Energy Battle game.

Policy theme(s)

Climate change and energy >> Climate change mitigation >> Behavioural change
Environmental information services >> Environmental communication >> Behavioural change

Keywords

household energy consumption; energy saving behaviour; social incentives; serious gaming; online games; design for sustainable behaviour; sustainable development; sustainability

Entry Source:

Shortlisted for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

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http://www.inderscience.com/search/index.php?action=record&rec_id=46096
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d.v.geelen@tudelft.nl

Title

The use and usefulness of carbon labelling food: A policy perspective from a survey of UK supermarket shoppers

Reference

Food Policy
Volume 36, Issue 6, December 2011, Pages 815–822

Author(s)

Zaina Gadema, David Oglethorpe

Study type

Peer Review Journal   

Abstract

Both the process of carbon footprinting and carbon labelling of food products are currently voluntary in the UK. Both processes derive from the UK's policy for sustainable development and in particular, the UK's Framework for Environmental Behaviours that strongly advocates a social marketing approach towards behavioural change. This paper examines whether carbon footprinting and labelling food products, borne from an overarching policy imperative to decarbonise food systems, is a tool that will actively facilitate consumers to make 'greener' purchasing decisions and whether this is a sensible way of trying to achieve to a low carbon future. We do so by drawing from a survey exploring purchasing habits and perceptions in relation to various sustainability credentials of food products and particularly 'carbon', using a combination of descriptive and cluster analysis. The data, from 428 UK supermarket shoppers, reveals that whilst consumer demand is relatively strong for carbon labels with a stated preference rate of 72%, confusion in interpreting and understanding labels is correspondingly high at a total of 89%, primarily as a result of poor communication and market proliferation. Three statistically distinct clusters were produced from the cluster analysis, representing taxonomies of consumers with quite different attitudes to carbon and other wider sustainability issues. Whilst the majority of consumers are likely to react positively to further carbon labelling of food products, this in itself is unlikely to drive much change in food systems. As such, the data imply that a concerted policy drive to decarbonise food systems via voluntary carbon footprinting and labelling policy initiatives is limited by a fragmented and haphazard market approach where retailers are being careful not to disaffect certain products by labelling others within the same category. Consumers may want to make choices based on the carbon footprint of products but do not feel empowered to do so and relying on consumer guilt is inappropriate. The paper concludes that the establishment of effective linkages between food policy and food market actors to drive a targeted and coherent carbon labelling policy is needed. This would provide consumers with the opportunity to make informed choices, especially within food product categories and negate the need for retailers to depend on the demand side of the supply chain to achieve carbon reduction targets.

Policy theme(s)

Environmental information services >> Environmental communication >> Behavioural change
Environmental information services >> Environmental communication >> Ecolabelling
Sustainable consumption and production >> Sustainable consumption >> Consumption behaviour
Sustainable consumption and production >> Sustainable consumption >> Ecolabelling

Keywords

Carbon footprint; Carbon label; Food policy: sustainable development; Behavioural change; Consumer demand

Entry Source:

Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

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http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306919211001096
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david.oglethorpe@northumbria.ac.uk

Title

Times for (Un)sustainability? Challenges and opportunities for developing behaviour change policy. A case-study of consumers at home and away

Reference

Global Environmental Change
Volume 21, Issue 4, October 2011, Pages 1234-1244

Author(s)

Stewart Barr, Gareth Shaw, Tim Coles

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

This paper examines the assertion that individuals with seemingly high levels of commitment to the environment at home may also be those engaged in less sustainable leisure and tourism behaviours, including a high dependency on air travel. This potential difference in environmental commitments between different consumption settings is placed within the context of recent policy developments that have seen the rise of segmentation as a commonly applied technique used to understand and encourage pro-environmental behaviours through the notion of 'sustainable lifestyles' and social marketing campaigns. Using data derived from a questionnaire of consumers in the UK, three distinctive, empirically-defined 'lifestyle' groups are identified, based on the respondents' environmental behaviours. Significant differences emerged in reported environmental commitments according to their consumption setting. Those with higher levels of commitment in and around the home also tended to be those who flew furthest and most frequently, whilst those with moderate-to-high commitments 'at home' often failed to transfer these activities to their holiday environments. The paper concludes by arguing that both academics and policy-makers need to address the role of different consumption settings in which behaviours are undertaken and the ways in which these relate to underlying social practices within these settings.

Policy theme(s)

Environmental information services >> Environmental communication >> Behavioural change
Sustainable consumption and production >> Sustainable consumption >> Consumption behaviour

Keywords

Behaviour change; Environmental behaviour; Air travel; Tourism

Entry Source:

Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

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http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959378011001166

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S.W.Barr@exeter.ac.uk

Title

Raising effective awareness for domestic water saving: evidence from an environmental educational programme in Greece

Reference

Water Policy Vol 13 No 6 pp 828–844 © IWA Publishing 2011 doi:10.2166/wp.2011.103

Author(s)

Kiriaki M. Keramitsoglou and Konstantinos P. Tsagarakis

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

This paper looks into awareness of water saving amongst students and their parents, and how it interacts with their intentions to use water saving technology or to adopt water saving practices. To investigate this interaction, surveys were run through educational programmes aimed at eliciting both the intentions of students and the indirect effects of their parents; surveys were taken before and after the education programmes. The results show that parents have a more environmentally friendly approach towards water saving than their children. Furthermore, the educational programmes affected both students and their parents, though not for all actions investigated. Students and their parents seem to be willing to comply with water saving practices that require little effort, such as using an economy toilet flushing button, or fixing a tap when it leaks, but students were not willing to give up wasteful habits related to their body hygiene, such as leaving water running during a shower. The Mann–Whitney U test and Wilcoxon signed rank test were employed to show statistically significant differences before and after the intervention, comparing the stated attitudes of students and their parents. An active participation by parents in school programmes could encourage effective interactions amongst people in the community, facilitating behaviour change towards sustainable use of local natural resources.

Policy theme(s)

Environmental information services >> Environmental communication >> Behavioural change
Environmental information services >> Environmental communication >> Stakeholder/public engagement
Resource efficiency >> Water efficiency
Water >> Water consumption >> Water scarcity

Keywords

Environmental education; Local action; Public attitudes; Water saving

Entry Source:

Shortlisted for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

View this study at:

http://www.iwaponline.com/wp/01306/wp013060828.htm 

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 johnkiki@hol.gr

Title

Community conservation and a two-stage approach to payments for ecosystem services

Reference

Ecological Economics
Volume 71, 15 November 2011, Pages 89-98

Author(s)

Matthew Cranford, Susana Mourato

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

Recent revisions to the theory and definition of payments for ecosystem services (PES) challenge the generally accepted dominance of direct incentives provided in a buyer–seller relationship. The revisionist thinking insists indirect incentives and a cooperative, reciprocal relationship are often more appropriate. Those characteristics, however, hark back to the indirect, cooperative interventions that constitute “community conservation”, which PES was originally designed as an improvement over. In that context, this study revisits the criticisms and potential benefits of community conservation. We analyze a case study of community conservation in Peru and find that it supported an uptake of forest-friendly behaviors. We take up the suggestion of a two-stage approach to PES, but refine it based on our results that indicate an important role for cognitive (e.g. education) alongside structural interventions (e.g. provision of alternatives), and a strong role for social consensus to support conservationist behavior. Community conservation can provide these elements in a first-stage of PES to create a social context conducive to conservation. Without creating that context first, PES could destabilize local resource management norms rather than improve on them. With the social context established, however, a market mechanism can be implemented in the second stage to reinforce the new conservationist behavior.

Policy theme(s)

Biodiversity >> Ecosystem services
Environmental economics >> Ecosystem services   
Environmental information services >> Environmental communication >> Behavioural change

Keywords

Payments for ecosystem services; Community conservation; Incentives; Behavioral theory; Economic valuation; Polylepis

Entry Source:

Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

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http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921800911003405
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m.c.cranford@lse.ac.uk

Title

Environmental citizens: climate pledger attitudes and micro-generation installation

Reference

DOI: 10.1080/13549839.2011.631991

Author(s)

Paul Upham

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

To date, the phenomenon of climate pledging has been little investigated. This paper describes the results of a questionnaire survey of 201 climate pledgers in Greater Manchester (UK), focusing on attitudes and behaviour relevant to environmental citizenship. In particular, attention is given to attitudes and behaviour related to renewable energy and micro-generation, selectively comparing with national UK data. The survey shows that installation cost and lengthy pay-back times have been major constraints on microgen installation not just for the general population, but also for those with a high degree of environmental commitment. Nonetheless, the microgen installation rate among the climate pledgers as of early 2011, before the introduction of feed-in tariffs, was at least 11 times higher than the national average. Using regression analyses, the best model that could be found for explaining installation of the most popular microgen technology, solar thermal, accounted for 27% of variance. Within this model, environmental commitment was of less importance than having given serious consideration to other microgen options. While this was possibly due to group homogeneity, in general, the results do emphasise the limits to environmental citizenship.

Policy theme(s)

Climate change and energy >> Climate change mitigation >> Behavioural change
Environmental information services >> Environmental communication >> Behavioural change
Environmental information services >> Environmental communication >> Stakeholder/public engagement

Keywords

Entry Source:

Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

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http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13549839.2011.631991
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p.upham@leeds.ac.uk

Title

Personally Relevant Climate Change: The Role of Place Attachment and Local Versus Global Message Framing in Engagement

Reference

Environment and Behavior October 20, 2011 0013916511421196

Author(s)

Leila Scannell & Robert Gifford

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

To help mitigate the negative effects of climate change, citizens' attitudes and behaviors must be better understood. However, little is known about which factors predict engagement with climate change, and which messaging strategies are most effective. A community sample of 324 residents from three regions in British Columbia read information either about a climate change impact relevant to their local area, a more global one, or, in a control condition, no message. Participants indicated the extent of their climate change engagement, the strength of their attachment to their local area, and demographic information. Three significant unique predictors of climate change engagement emerged: place attachment, receiving the local message, and gender (female). These results provide empirical support for some previously proposed barriers to climate action and suggest guidelines for effective climate change communication.

Policy theme(s)

Climate change and energy >> Climate change mitigation >> Behavioural change
Environmental information services >> Environmental communication >> Behavioural change
Environmental information services >> Environmental communication >> Stakeholder/public engagement

Keywords

Entry Source:

Shortlisted for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

Referred to in EC doc:

N/A

View this study at:

http://eab.sagepub.com/content/early/2011/10/20/0013916511421196.abstract?papetoc
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rgifford@uvic.ca

Title

National Journeys Towards Education for Sustainable Development

Reference

United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization Report 2011 

Author(s)

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

The UNESCO publication series National Journeys Towards Education for Sustainable Development aims at documenting the way societies engage in learning and education to address the sustainability challenges of our time. It gives concrete examples of entry points for progressing education and learning for sustainable development (ESD) across the sectors. Each issue will summarise findings and identify lessons learnt that will support other countries on their own journey towards ESD. A hard copy of the first issue was released in September 2011 and was edited by Ingrid Mulà and Daniella Tilbury, from the International Research Institute in Sustainability (IRIS), University of Gloucestershire (UK). It showcases national progresses in the area of learning and education for sustainable development from each of the five UNESCO world regions including case studies from: Chile, Indonesia, Kenya, the Netherlands and Oman. It presents how these countries have introduced ESD according to their environmental context, their national history and their own sustainability challenges. The collection seeks to be a source of inspiration for other actors working in Sustainable Development through education.

Policy theme(s)

Environmental information services >> Environmental communication >> Behavioural change
Environmental information services >> Environmental communication >> Stakeholder/public engagement

Keywords

Entry Source:

Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

Referred to in EC doc:

N/A

View this study at:

http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0019/001921/192183e.pdf
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www.unesco.org

Title

Does belief matter in climate change action?

Reference

Public Understanding of Science August 23, 2011 0963662511410268

Author(s)

Annukka Vainio Riikka Paloniemi

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

We studied environmental action and its predictors in a multi-scalar context of climate change politics. We asked how belief in climate change, post-materialist values, trust and knowledge predict people’s engagement in environmental action by testing two alternative structural equation models (SEM). In one of these models all these factors directly predicted climate-friendly action, and in the other the effect of political trust, post-materialist values and climate change knowledge on climate-friendly action was mediated by belief in climate change. The models were tested with Eurobarometer 69.2 survey data of adult people living in Finland (N = 1,004). The SEM revealed that belief in climate change mediates the effect of post-material values, trust and knowledge on climate-friendly action. It is therefore important to recognize the role of belief in the public understanding of large-scale environmental problems. These results help political authorities to develop policies to encourage people’s engagement in climate-friendly action.

Policy theme(s)

Climate change and energy >> Climate change mitigation >> Behavioural change
Environmental information services >> Environmental communication >> Behavioural change
Environmental information services >> Environmental communication >> Stakeholder/public engagement

Keywords

Entry Source:

Shortlisted for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

Referred to in EC doc:

N/A

View this study at:

http://pus.sagepub.com/content/early/2011/08/20/0963662511410268.abstract?papetoc
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Annukka.vainio@helsinki.fi

Title

Building a model of commitment to the natural environment to predict ecological behavior and willingness to sacrifice

Reference

Journal of Environmental Psychology
Volume 31, Issue 3, September 2011, Pages 257-265

Author(s)

Jody L. Davis, Benjamin Le and Anthony E. Coy

Study type

Peer Review Journal 

Abstract

We examined the connection between individuals’ relationships with the natural environment and their environmental behaviors with a focus on commitment to the environment, defined as psychological attachment and long-term orientation to the natural world. Commitment is theorized to emerge from structural interdependence with the environment and to lead to pro-environmental behaviors. Close relationships research has identified three key antecedents to commitment (satisfaction, alternatives, and investments). We developed environment-specific measures of these constructs, and factor analysis verified three distinct factors. A path analysis revealed that satisfaction with the environment and investments in the environment, but not alternatives to the environment, predicted commitment to the environment. Moreover, commitment mediated the effects of satisfaction and investments on general ecological behavior and willingness to sacrifice for the environment. In regression analyses, commitment predicted general ecological behavior and willingness to sacrifice for the environment, even when controlling for ecological worldview, inclusion of nature in the self, connectedness to nature, and environmental identity. Individuals who are satisfied with and invested in the natural world are likely to be committed to the environment and act with the well-being of the environment in mind.

Policy theme(s)

Environmental information services >> Environmental communication >> Behavioural change
Environmental information services >> Environmental communication >> Stakeholder/public engagement

Keywords

Ecological behavior; Investment model; Willingness to sacrifice; Conservation psychology; Commitment to the environment

Entry Source:

Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

Referred to in EC doc:

N/A

View this study at:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272494411000077
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jldavis@vcu.edu

Title

One or Many? The Influence of Episodic and Thematic Climate Change Frames on Policy Preferences and Individual Behavior Change

Reference

Science Communication March 2011 vol. 33 no. 1 28-51

Author(s)

Philip Solomon Hart

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

Drawing from framing theory, this study examines how describing the impact of climate change on polar bears with an episodic or thematic frame may affect predispositions for individual behavior change and support for policies to address climate change. The study finds that participants exposed to a thematic frame had more support for policies that address climate change than participants exposed to an episodic frame. There was no framing effect for predispositions for individual behavior change. Implications for communicating climate change to the general public are discussed.

Policy theme(s)

Climate change and energy >> Climate change mitigation >> Behavioural change
Environmental information services >> Environmental communication >> Behavioural change
Environmental information services >> Environmental communication >> Stakeholder/public engagement

Keywords

environmental communication, risk communication, climate change, framing theory

Entry Source:

Shortlisted for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

Referred to in EC doc:

N/A

View this study at:

http://scx.sagepub.com/content/33/1/28.abstract
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hart@american.edu

Title

Reference

Environment and Behavior
doi: 10.1177/0013916510397757

Author(s)

Stanley T. Asah, David N. Bengston & Lynn M. Westphal

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

A conceptual and operational model examined relationships among childhood participation in nature-based activities, motivations, constraints, mitigation of constraints, and adult visits to Minnesota State Parks. The results support a model in which (a) higher childhood participation in nature-based activities increased motivation and mitigation strategies, (b) constraints decreased state park visitation and also triggered the use of mitigation strategies that in turn increased state park visits, and (c) higher levels of motivation improved efforts to negotiate constraints and visit more. Consistent with the main hypothesis, the more nature-based activities people participate in during childhood, the more they desire such activities and are able to mitigate constraints to participation, and consequently, the higher the level of participation, as an adult. The results suggest a rather indirect association between childhood participation in nature-based activities and adulthood participation in such activities.

Policy theme(s)

Environmental information services >> Environmental communication >> Behavioural change
Environmental information services >> Environmental communication >> Stakeholder/public engagement

Keywords

childhood participation, nature-based activities, motivations, constraints
mitigation

Entry Source:

Shortlisted for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

Referred to in EC doc:

N/A

View this study at:

http://eab.sagepub.com/content/early/2011/02/08/0013916510397757.full.pdf+html
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stasah@uw.edu

Title

Public engagement with carbon and climate change: To what extent is the public 'carbon capable'?

Reference

Global Environmental Change
Volume 21, Issue 1, February 2011, Pages 56-65

Author(s)

Lorraine Whitmarsh, Gill Seyfang and Saffron O'Neill

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

The relevance of climate change for society seems indisputable: scientific evidence points to a significant human contribution in causing climate change, and impacts which will increasingly affect human welfare. In order to meet national and international greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets, there is an urgent need to understand and enable societal engagement in mitigation. Yet recent research indicates that this involvement is currently limited: although awareness of climate change is widespread, understanding and behavioral engagement are far lower. Proposals for mitigative 'personal carbon budgets' imply a need for public understanding of the causes and consequences of carbon emissions, as well as the ability to reduce emissions. However, little has been done to consider the situated meanings of carbon and energy in everyday life and decisions. This paper builds on the concept of 'carbon capability', a term which captures the contextual meanings associated with carbon and individuals' abilities and motivations to reduce emissions. We present empirical findings from a UK survey of public engagement with climate change and carbon capability, focusing on both individual and institutional dimensions. These findings highlight the diverse public understandings about 'carbon', encompassing technical, social, and moral discourses; and provide further evidence for the environmental value-action gap in relation to adoption of low-carbon lifestyles. Implications of these findings for promoting public engagement with climate change and carbon capability are discussed.

Policy theme(s)

Climate change and energy >> Climate change mitigation >> Behavioural change
Environmental information services >> Environmental communication >> Behavioural change
Sustainable consumption and production >> Sustainable consumption >> Consumption behaviour

Keywords

Public understanding, Climate change, Carbon, Low-carbon lifestyles

Entry Source:

Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

Referred to in EC doc:

N/A

View this study at:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959378010000701
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WhitmarshLE@cardiff.ac.uk

Title

Apocalypse Soon? Dire Messages Reduce Belief in Global Warming by Contradicting Just-World Beliefs

Reference

Psychological Science January 2011 vol. 22 no. 1 34-38

Author(s)

Matthew Feinberg and Robb Willer

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

Though scientific evidence for the existence of global warming continues to mount, in the United States and other countries belief in global warming has stagnated or even decreased in recent years. One possible explanation for this pattern is that information about the potentially dire consequences of global warming threatens deeply held beliefs that the world is just, orderly, and stable. Individuals overcome this threat by denying or discounting the existence of global warming, and this process ultimately results in decreased willingness to counteract climate change. Two experiments provide support for this explanation of the dynamics of belief in global warming, suggesting that less dire messaging could be more effective for promoting public understanding of climate-change research.

Policy theme(s)

Climate change and energy >> Climate change mitigation >> Behavioural change
Environmental information services >> Environmental communication >> Behavioural change

Keywords

global warming, just world, framing, political psychology

Entry Source:

Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

Referred to in EC doc:

N/A

View this study at:

http://pss.sagepub.com/content/22/1/34
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Contact the study author at:

matthewfeinberg@berkeley.edu