WAKE-UP CALL
Welcome to the December 2009 Wake-Up Call, Awake’s monthly
newsletter for research and news about behaviour change for sustainability.
To view this newsletter as a webpage, click here
In this edition of Wake-up Call…
·
Feature Article – Who’s Green?
·
Workshop Reminder– Cultivating Sustainability in
Hepburn Region
·
Upcoming Workshop - Behaviour Change Techniques to
Encourage Green Purchasing
·
Interesting Article of the Month – Put A Lid On It
·
60 seconds with… Kate from Greenpeace
·
Exercise of the Month – Make The Call This Christmas
Feature Article
– Who’s
Green?
Some people claim
that green issues are the concern primarily of rich, educated, left-leaning
liberals – the only ones who can afford the luxury of such considerations. But do these claims stand up to
scrutiny? This months
article takes a look at the research into some of the demographic
characteristics of those who demonstrate concern about the environment.
The results for
age have been mixed over the years, but recent studies seem to reveal that
young people are less likely then their elders to engage in pro-environmental
behaviours. This trend has been observed
in many countries, including China, Australia
and the United Kingdom. One explanation may be that young people are
more focused on getting ahead and establishing themselves financially, and do
not have the “luxury” of worrying about less immediate concerns.
One question
likely to result in dinner-table discussions is that of whether men or women
more likely to do their bit for the environment? The research is mixed, but the most common
finding is that women express greater care and concern for environmental issues
than men. In terms of behaviour, they are more likely to undertake everyday
activities which benefit the environment, such as recycling and making green
purchasing decisions. This has usually
been put down to the effects of socialisation and the established gender role
of women as more caring and nurturing.
Men do, however, shine when it comes to activism and involvement in
environmental issues outside the home.
They are also more likely to read more about environmental issues.
An interesting
piece of research
by Paul Stern and colleagues attempted to explain this gender difference and
identified a pattern whereby women had stronger beliefs that environmental
issues were a threat to welfare, security and health, which explained their
propensity to act in an environmentally friendly way. Where those beliefs did not exist, the gender
difference was absent. The authors
conclude that “when women are more active on environmental issues, it is
because of an increased likelihood to make connections between environmental
conditions and their values, rather than because they have different values
structures than men”. This finding
suggests that making it easier for people to make the link between green issues
and their own values is essential for sustainability promoters.
There is also
evidence to suggest that parents are more involved in environmental issues than
those without children. A major study
in
In terms of
income level, there does not appear to be a strong relationship between income
and concern for environmental issues.
However, some interesting findings have emerged in studies comparing the
attitudes toward sustainability between countries with differing levels of
wealth. Diekmann and Franzen found
that people in poor countries have similar levels of concern toward the
environment as those in wealthy countries.
However, people in the wealthy countries were more likely to rank
environmental protection as a high priority for action. This suggests that, while concerns are
shared, wealthy nations are in a better position to do something about it, and
people are more willing to see resources allocated to dealing with the
issues.
The findings
regarding wealth, and to some extent age, suggest that Maslow’s “Hierarchy of
Needs” has some relevance to the study of environmental attitudes and
action. Maslow’s theory suggests that
people need to meet their lower order needs such as survival and security
before they can focus on high order needs such as achievement and
morality. It appears that environmental
issues have been positioned as a higher order need, something which can be focused
on once the necessities of life are taken care of. For people in poor nations, the priority may
be getting food on the table. For
younger people it may be fitting into the crowd, establishing an identity, or
starting a career. One of the
challenges for sustainability advocates is to “reposition” environmental issues
as lower order needs on the Maslow hierarchy.
While climate change is being touted as the “moral challenge of our
time”, it may struggle to get traction.
According to the theory, morality occurs in the self-actualisation
stage, something which people going about their everyday business are unlikely
to pay much attention to. But if
sustainability is accepted as necessary for our survival, wellbeing and
security, then it may start to capture the focus of a larger percentage of
society and get the action it deserves and demands.
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Awake provides psychology-based services
to support the development of sustainable behaviour in individuals, groups and
organisations. Visit www.awake.com.au
for more info
Workshop
Reminder – Cultivating Sustainability in Hepburn Region
Awake will conduct a Cultivating Sustainability workshop
on Tuesday, February 9th in the Hepburn Region,
This is a public workshop with all welcome to attend.
Cost: For-profits $250pp
Not-for-profit/Government $200pp
Individuals/Community Groups $120pp
More information, including online registration details,
can be found at
www.awake.com.au/cultivating.html
Cultivating Sustainability is a 1-day workshop which
provides sustainability advocates with insights, models and practical tools to
support their behaviour change efforts.
Anybody who has taken on the challenge of influencing others to live and
work more sustainably will find this workshop a valuable addition to their
skills.
Feedback from attendees of the most recent
Cultivating Sustainability workshop (
“The information was really clearly set out, well paced and
interesting. It was engaging and positive”
“This workshop was a well structured program for demonstrating
how to influence positive sustainability outcomes”
”I like the practical content of the workshop and the do-able
solutions for behaviour change”
“A valuable insight into the psychology of behaviour change”
For more information about the Cultivating Sustainability
workshop, see www.awake.com.au/cultivating.html
Upcoming Workshop - Behaviour Change Techniques to Encourage Green
Purchasing
Awake will be
partnering with ECO-Buy to present a
half-day workshop on behaviour change techniques to encourage green purchasing.
By attending this
workshop you will gain valuable insights and skills for
• Understanding the psychological drivers of
green behaviour
• Recognising what people need in order to
engage in behaviour change
• Identifying the biggest barriers to making
green factors a priority
• Changing old habits and creating new ones
• How to influence people and gain their buy-in
• How to appeal to values and use them to
engage people in change
This workshop will
benefit anybody who is involved with promoting green purchasing through their
organisation, and trying to embed a culture of sustainable purchasing.
Date:
Location: 60L
Registrations: Please go to the ECO-Buy
website to register for the workshop or call ECO-Buy on 9349 0400 for further
details.
Interesting
Article of the Month –
Put A Lid On It
Where?
It Matters a Hole
By Sean Duffy
& Michelle Verges
Environment and
Behavior, Vol. 41, No. 5, 741-749 (2009)
What is it about?
This study looked
at the effects of changing the lids on the bins for general rubbish and
recycling bins at a university. The
rates of recycling, as well as incorrect placing of rubbish in recycling bins,
were studied when specially shaped lids were used, in comparison to the
previous situation where only a written label was present on the bins.
What did they
find?
The change
resulted in a 34% increase in recycling rates, as well as a whopping 95%
decrease in non-recyclables being placed in the recycling bin.
What can we take
from this?
Once again, this
study shows the power of simple changes in the environment which make it easier
for people to do the right thing.
The authors
propose several explanations for this significant change. Firstly, that it may be because it forces
people to be more deliberate about an act which is usually done pretty
unconsciously. Secondly, they suggest that
people have become accustomed to specialised recycling bin lids in public
places, so when the bin does not have one, they assume it is for general
rubbish. Finally, they suggest that
there may be a social norm effect, whereby the bin design sends a clearer
signal about the right thing to do, and any non-compliance would be more
obvious.
Whatever the
reason for the effect, the lesson appears to repeated at all levels of society - look at how the
environment or system you have set up supports or discourages people from doing
the right thing.
60 Seconds with….. Kate from Greenpeace
What first got you focused on sustainability?
A concern for what I am putting into my body. You can focus on nutrition, but if you’re
putting genetically modified food in, what’s the point?
What is the sustainable choice you have recently made of
which you are most proud?
No genetically modified
food. It’s actually really difficult,
especially when you go to a café or friends house.
What is a less sustainable choice that you are not so
proud of?
Recycling is not well set up in
my apartment block, so I don’t do as much as I could.
Exercise of the Month –
Make The Call This Christmas
People with a commitment to green
issues often experience angst at this time of year when deciding whether or not
to send out Christmas cards to friends and business associates. On the one
hand, we want to show people we care, but on the other hand we are aware of the
huge eco footprint which is created by the production and distribution of
cards. While an email card is one great
eco-friendly alternative, some people find them a bit impersonal.
One of the best ideas I’ve come
across is also among the most simple. Make
a phone call. It’s personal, it’s real
and it shows people you are wanting to make a
connection and not just tick off a list.
So in the spirit of the season….
1. Decide who you would
usually send cards to at Christmas (maybe start with a simple list of 5
people).
2. Make a deliberate
time to call them and pass on your seasons greetings.
3. Let them know why
you are doing it (remember, role modeling is among the best ways to create
behaviour change for sustainability)
4. Have a safe, joyful
and sustainable festive season!
The exercise of the month provides
a tool to help you get engaged, inspired, aware and in action around
sustainability. Feel free to use it on your own, with a friend, or in
your work. If you do use it with others, please tell them where you got
it!
About Awake
Awake provides psychology-based services to support the
development of sustainable behaviour in individuals, groups and
organisations. Visit www.awake.com.au for
more info
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© Awake 2009