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Increasing recycling in office environments: The effects of specific, informative cues
Abstract
We investigated the effects of prompts on the recycling behavior of approximately 217 faculty, staff, and graduate students in two academic departments of a large university. During the intervention, two signs were posted in each department. One sign prompted recycling (posted above the recycling receptacle), and the other sign prompted proper disposal of trash (posted above the trash receptacle). Results of a multiple baseline design across the two departments indicated that the sign prompt increased recycling behavior. Installation of the sign prompts in close proximity to receptacles in Department A resulted in a 54% improvement over baseline. Posting of sign prompts over containers 4 m apart in Department B resulted in a 17% improvement, whereas positioning the signs and receptacles in close proximity resulted in a 29% improvement over baseline.
... Yet there are nuances to achieving the desired engagement. In recycling newspapers and cans, positioning the recycling receptacles near to where college students and office professionals are working, dramatically increased recycling habits (Austin et al., 1993;Brothers et al., 1994;Ludwig et al., 1998). When the bins were taken away or made less convenient to access, recycling rates dropped. ...
... In addition, the average number of bins per square foot on each floor was not consistent either. For this reason, students placed items in the closest bin despite the label or color of the bins, a behavior consistent with previous studies of recycling behavior where inconvenience and inconsistency reduced participation in recycling (Austin et al., 1993;Brothers et al., 1994;Ludwig et al., 1998). ...
... This is important to our described study, as students commonly eat convenience food within the design studios. Taken with the admission of throwing away all materials in any bin that was convenient to them (a replication of behavior reported by (Austin et al., 1993;Brothers et al., 1994;Largo-Wight et al., 2013;Ludwig et al., 1998) this grouping of bins may satisfy the need for convenience while benefiting the environment. ...
Purpose
This paper aims to explore systematic strategies implemented at the School of Design, X University, to use materials more sustainably and responsibly in the design studios.
Design/methodology/approach
Printing and prototype fabrication are a vital facet of design education. These physical products which consume vast quantities of materials are key to evaluating ideas, and for training students to effectively communicate design intent to their professors and future clients. Despite the University’s initiatives for campus-wide sustainability efforts, waste generated from repeated design iteration is still a big problem in studio culture.
Findings
This effort between faculty, staff and students has initiated a sustained conversation about the excessive landfill waste generated by projects undertaken. Together, this paper aims to find ways in which the outcomes could be self-sustaining.
Originality/value
This research would be beneficial to anyone who plans to raise awareness and understanding of institutional waste management strategies at the university level.
... Affordances can help people perform more of a behavior, but do not ensure they are motivated to perform it or able to perform it correctly. There may be a need for informational prompts to support behavior change (Austin et al., 1993;Osbaldiston and Schott, 2012). Prompts are a communication tool commonly used in social marketing to encourage proenvironmental behaviors. ...
... As we noted, this is in contrast with prior interventions that varied the location of recycling bins (e.g., Domina and Koch, 2002;Miller et al., 2016;Zhang et al., 2016). It is perhaps most similar to what Austin et al. (1993) used in a field intervention comparing two academic departments at a university. One department had co-located bins plus an additional waste bin located in the corner of the room. ...
... We designed the declarative and procedural information to make equal sense separately and in combination. Although prior research has not used this combination of declarative and procedural information in recycling prompts, the general design and placement of the prompts was similar to prior interventions (e.g., Austin et al., 1993;Miller et al., 2016). ...
This between-subjects experiment manipulated the proximity of a waste bin relative to a recycling bin and the presence of information about why and how to rinse recyclables. After completing a yogurt taste test, 272 undergraduate students disposed of their plastic tasting cups in either a waste bin or a recycling bin. Binary logistic regression showed use of the recycling bin roughly tripled when the waste bin was made less convenient by moving it away from the tasting area (p < .001, Nagelkerke R² = 0.54). Univariate ANOVA showed the contamination level of recycled items was lower when an informational prompt indicated how clean recyclables need to be (p < .001, η²p = 0.08), but not when it indicated why rinsing is important. These findings showcase how manipulating the physical environment can be a powerful tool to steer behavior and how tailored information can complement physical changes to promote proenvironmental actions.
... For example, Austin et al. (1993) evaluated the effect of information signs on the behavior of professors, staff, and graduate students at two departments of a Florida university. The intervention involved the arrangement of two signs (one labeled "waste" and the other labeled "recyclable materials"), each indicating the items that could be disposed of in the containers present in the environment. ...
... There was an improvement in the separation of the ferrous metals that were already separated before the intervention. A similar result was observed in the study by Austin et al. (1993), in which signs labeled "Trash" and "Recyclables" (which specified the materials that could be disposed of in the recycling containers) increased the behavior of proper waste disposal in two university departments. The results of the present study are in line with Floriàn et al. (2023) proposal, which characterized waste management in a restaurant and elaborated "an environmental monitoring plan with effectiveness indicators" (p. 1). ...
Objective: To evaluate the effect of a contingency arrangement (environmental rearrangement and feedback presentation) in a metallurgical company to increase the likelihood of proper disposal and separation of industrial solid waste.
Theoretical Framework: The incorrect disposal of solid waste in companies produces a series of environmental damages and significantly hampers the effectiveness of reverse logistics.
Method: Two owners and all employees of a metallurgical company in Paraná, Brazil, participated. The procedure consisted of three stages: (1) analysis and detailed description of the current disposal conditions before the intervention; (2) strategic rearrangement of containers for waste disposal location, accompanied by a weekly record of the types of waste discarded during the intervention; and (3) installation of informative signs providing monthly feedback on the quantity of waste discarded.
Results and Conclusion: The structural rearrangement of the environment, with the strategic placement of containers in easily accessible locations and the inclusion of signs identifying the types of waste in each of them, coupled with regular feedback on the quantity of waste disposal from the metallurgical plant, resulted in a highly effective management of solid waste in the company. We concluded that the intervention improved the company's industrial solid waste management and expanded the reverse logistics practice.
Implications of the Research: The intervention contributed to local-level management, which could inspire similar changes in the socio-environmental management practices of other organizations.
Originality/value: The study contributes to scientific advancement by proposing the contingency arrangement based on Behavior Analysis principles.
... Por exemplo, Austin et al. (1993) avaliaram o efeito de placas informativas sobre o comportamento de professores, funcionários e alunos de dois departamentos de pós-graduação em uma universidade no estado da Flórida. A intervenção envolveu a disposição de duas placas (uma com o rótulo "lixo" e outra com o rótulo "materiais recicláveis"), cada uma indicando os itens que poderiam ser descartados nos contentores presentes no ambiente. ...
... Houve uma melhoria na separação dos metais ferrosos que já eram separados antes da intervenção. Resultado semelhante foi observado no estudo de Austin et al. (1993), em que a sinalização com os rótulos "Lixo" e "Recicláveis" (que incluíam a especificação dos materiais que podiam ser descartados nos contentores de recicláveis) aumentou o comportamento de descarte adequado de resíduos em dois departamentos acadêmicos de uma universidade. Os resultados do presente estudo vão ao encontro da proposição Floriàn et al. (2023), que caracterizaram a gestão de resíduos em um restaurante e elaboraram "um plano de monitorização ambiental com indicadores de eficácia" (p. 1). ...
Objetivo: Avaliar o efeito do arranjo de contingências (rearranjo ambiental e apresentação de feedbacks) em uma metalúrgica para aumentar a separação adequada e o envio para reciclagem de resíduos sólidos industriais.
Referencial teórico: O descarte incorreto dos resíduos sólidos nas empresas gera uma série de prejuízos ao meio ambiente e impede a logística reversa.
Método: Participaram dois sócios e os funcionários de uma metalúrgica do Paraná, Brasil. O procedimento teve três etapas: (1) análise e descrição das condições de descarte vigentes antes da intervenção; (2) rearranjo estratégico da disposição de contentores destinados ao descarte de resíduos, acompanhado de um registro semanal dos tipos de resíduos descartados ao longo da intervenção; e (3) inserção de placas informativas com o fornecimento de feedbacks referentes à quantidade de resíduos descartados mensalmente.
Resultados e conclusão: O rearranjo estrutural do ambiente, com a colocação estratégica dos contentores de resíduos em locais de fácil acesso e a inclusão das placas identificando os tipos de resíduos em cada um deles, aliado ao feedback proporcionou uma gestão eficaz dos resíduos sólidos na metalúrgica. Conclui-se que a intervenção contribuiu para a melhoria da gestão de resíduos sólidos industriais da empresa e ampliou a logística reversa praticada.
Implicações da pesquisa: A intervenção fomentou contribuições de ordem gerencial em um âmbito local, a qual pode inspirar modificações semelhantes nas práticas de gestão socioambiental de outras organizações.
Originalidade/valor: O estudo contribui para o avanço da ciência com a proposição do arranjo de contingências baseado em princípios da Análise do Comportamento.
... For example, Szczucinski et al. (2020) effectively utilized procedures similar to those used to promote recycling to increase composting and decrease contamination. These procedures targeted decreasing response effort by manipulating the distance to the receptacle (e.g., Brothers et al., 1994;Ludwig et al., 1998;O'Connor et al., 2010), clearly distinguishing the receptacle (e.g., Austin et al., 1993), and posting signage that indicates what can be included or should be excluded (e.g., Andrews et al., 2013). Similar to recycling, reduced effort increases the likelihood of composting (DiGiacomo et al., 2018). ...
... Recycling is an energy-efficient behavior, resulting in less water wastage (Franklin Associates, A Division of Eastern Research Group (ERG), 2018). Ten of the 50 articles reviewed by Gelino et al. (2021) focused on recycling (i.e., Austin et al., 1993;Brothers et al., 1994;Fritz et al., 2017;Geller et al., 1977;Jacobs et al., 1984;Keller, 1991;Ludwig et al., 1998;Miller et al., 2016;O'Connor et al., 2010;Witmer & Geller, 1976). Six of these counted the number of recyclable items in a recycling bin, trash bin, or both to assess the effectiveness of their intervention. ...
Climate change, directly impacted by human behavior, has been investigated and evaluated across disciplines. The Six Americas was developed as a segmentation tool to communicate effectively with the United States population about climate change (Leiserowitz et al., 2021) across a spectrum from those likely to act in opposition to climate change mitigation strategies to those actively seeking to remediate the climate change effects. Behavior analysts offer unique skills to intervene at the individual level effectively. Behavior analysts will benefit from learning about this conceptual model and its tools, particularly to inform intervention across the spectrum of the Six Americas. This paper will cover a background of the Six Americas and suggestions on how to intervene for these different segments at the individual level, followed by a brief review of the existing effective literature, particularly regarding changing behavior in the food, energy, and transportation sectors. Specifically, behavior analytic interventions will be suggested for a population concerned about climate change who may also be posed for action. Finally, we will provide suggestions to guide behavior analysts to intervene with those disengaged or actively dismissive of the threats posed by climate change.
... For warning and instructional signage to be effective, it must be carefully designed to increase reader interpretation and compliance with instructions. There is a robust body of evidence that informs the design of warning signs [26][27][28][29][30][31][32][35][36][37][38][39][40] and we believe this evidence can be generalized to signs that guide visitor behavior. We identified several design characteristics that can be used to increase sign effectiveness. ...
... 34 Location Signs should be posted closest to the point of the desired behavior. [38][39] Size Bigger is better. 26 Specificity Specific warnings and instructions are more effective than general warnings and instructions. ...
Previous research has shown that visitors can decrease the risk of patient harm; however, the potential to increase the risk of patient harm has been understudied. We queried PA-PSRS to identify event reports from January 1 through June 30, 2019, that described visitor behaviors contributing to patient harm. Event reports were coded to identify visitor influence on risk of harm, visitor behavior, and event type. A total of 427 event reports were analyzed and we identified five categories of visitor behavior that influenced patient safety by either decreasing or increasing the risk of patient harm. We found that 63.7% (272 of 427) of reports described a visitor behavior that decreased the risk of patient harm and the remaining 36.3% (155 of 427) described behavior that increased the risk of harm. There was a greater variety of visitor behaviors that contributed to an increased risk of patient harm, as opposed to a decreased risk of harm. The visitor behavior most frequently associated with a decreased risk of patient harm was communicating with staff (91.2%, 248 of 272); for example, to inform staff of deterioration of a patient’s condition. The visitor behavior most frequently associated with an increased risk of patient harm was moving a patient (63.2%, 98 of 155). Across the 427 event reports, we found that visitor behavior was associated with seven event types; the falls event type (61.6%, 263 of 427) and medication-related event type (14.8%, 63 of 427) occurred most frequently. This study provides insight into which visitor behaviors are contributing to a decreased risk of patient harm and adds to the literature by identifying behaviors that can increase the risk of patient harm, across multiple event types. Table 6 and Table 7 outline potential safety strategies to consider. The use of warning and instructional signage can be a relatively low-effort and effective strategy to influence visitor behavior and address multiple behavior categories and event types.
... Several performance management strategies have been evaluated in ABA and organizational behavior management (OBM) research outside of human services programs for persons with IDD. For example, signs and written instructions posted as conspicuous environmental cues effectively prompted behaviors such as recycling materials and depositing trash (Austin et al. 1993), eliminating bathroom graffiti (Mueller et al. (2000), storing dishes properly (Rubio and Sigurdsson 2014), and wearing motor vehicle safety belts (Cox et al. 2005). From a practical perspective, environmental cuing has the advantages of being easy to implement, efficient, cost-effective, and adaptable to most settings. ...
... Previous research has shown that visual cuing through signs and similar stimuli can effectively prompt desirable behavior when used alone (Austin et al. 1993;Cox et al. 2005;Mueller et al. 2000) and combined with other interventions (Fritz et al. 2017;Jason and Liotta 1982;Mishra et al. 2019). Delivering feedback through graphs can also improve performance (DiGennaro Reed et al. 2007;Perrin et al. 2016). ...
Many persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities are at risk for injury and physical harm due to unsafe environmental conditions. The present study addressed safety practices among care providers responsible for preventing access to hazardous materials among residential students living in two group homes. In a multiple baseline across settings design, the care providers were first exposed to visual cues intended to prompt access-prevention followed by visual cuing combined with graphic feedback. Care providers in one of the group homes demonstrated a high level of safety practices during baseline which continued throughout both intervention phases. In the second group home, a lower level of safety practices in baseline increased during the visual cuing intervention and remained stable with the addition of graphic feedback. The study demonstrates the contribution of behavioral assessment and intervention toward training and performance management of safety practices by residential care providers.
... "How can we stop the elderly from doing something?" was something that most of the students in the FGD agreed with. The results show how hard it is to step in during real-time events and how much more research is needed to find good ways to stop pollution (Austin et al., 1993) 31% of urban students propose that their mothers separate their trash, while only 4% of rural students would do the same. An interviewee from a rural area said, "We throw all of our trash on empty land or ponds." ...
Environmental literacy (EL) is considered a key skill for primary students who will be responsible for solving the environmental problems that affect Bangladesh and other countries. This study explored the EL of primary students in urban and rural areas of Bangladesh, using the five EL components: knowledge, skill, awareness, attitude, ability to evaluate, and participation, declared in 1977 Tbilisi conference on environment education. A qualitative approach was used, and data were collected through surveys, focus group discussions, and student interviews. Thematic and descriptive analysis was performed on the findings. The results indicated that urban students had higher EL scores than rural students in all components. The study also suggested the implications of the findings for curriculum developers, policymakers, environmental NGOs, local project planners, and future research. Teacher’s World: Journal of Education and Res arch, 50(1): 21-42
... Amongst these major challenges is plastic pollution which has been attracting increasing attention lately (Syberg et al., 2021). While extensive studies exist on how to reduce plastic waste (Austin et al., 1993;Ayeleru et al., 2020;Chow et al., 2017;Luo et al., 2022;Rochman et al., 2013), there is a shortage of materials evaluating the effectiveness of numerous initiatives that have been proposed to tackle plastic waste problems. In addition to that, there is a shortage of literature on how these initiatives are relevant to Africa's unique situations and in transforming Africa's plastic "throwaway" economic model. ...
... Building on the idea that habits involve contextual cues, prompts can be extremely effective in guiding behavior change if they are in the right place at the right time. Prompts are most effective when they are given close to when and where a climate-friendly behavior needs to be performed (Austin et al., 1993;Lehman & Geller, 2004), when they are clear and easy to follow (Werner et al., 1998), and when they are combined with other effective strategies (Delmas et al., 2013). In the marketing strategies section, we discuss how Modo, a cooperative car sharing company in British Columbia, Canada, successfully used prompts to encourage car-sharing. ...
... The literature on waste sorting behavioural change shows that improved written instructions improves recycling behaviours with clear instructions such as labelling at the point of collection (Austin, 1993). Given that most citizens might sort waste and packaging several times per week as they empty consumer products, it is plausible that the matched pictograms on packaging and bins would save citizens' time; thereby, increasing convenience (unquantified) which reduces a common barrier to recycling behaviour (Bernstad, 2014;Di Giacomo, 2018). ...
Separate collection of waste is an enabler for the recovery of valuable materials which can be recycled or otherwise valorised. However, it relies on adequate sorting by individuals, which can be facilitated by relevant information provided on the product packaging (on-pack labelling), and on the receptacles used for waste collection.
Waste from packaging represents up to 40% of municipal solid waste and can drive the improvement in collection of recyclable materials. Meanwhile, as EU deadlines for separate collection targets close in, Member States are implementing various schemes designed to assist sorting, including labelling on products and bins. This often results in a multiplication of labels to be displayed in different jurisdictions, increasing costs for producers and increasing the risk of confusion for consumers.
Harmonised labels to be displayed on product packaging, with matching labels on waste receptacles indicating where those should be disposed of, would address these issues and yield economic and environmental benefits.
The analysis presented herein assesses the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of introducing such a harmonised labelling in the EU over the coming years.
Results suggest that this measure would generate a net benefit as compared to a business-as-usual scenario. It would be expected to yield overall socio-economic benefits, and improvements in environmental performance in all cases considered.
... In an ideal situation, organizations can both ensure they are recycling these company-owned items appropriately and extend the recycling program to employees and clients to recycle their personal batteries and electronics. Antecedent interventions, such as salient signage with clear recycling information and making recycling bins more readily available, can substantially improve accurate compliance (Austin et al., 1993;O'Connor et al., 2010). Human service organizations might also want to have composting options available. ...
Climate change is happening at an escalating rate. Every organization, including human-service organizations, needs to determine how their policies and practices positively and negatively affect the environment and enact a plan for reducing their negative impacts. There is no targeted guidance for leaders of human-service organizations, like applied behavior analysis organizations, to reduce their negative impact on the environment. This article provides 10 initiatives human service organizations can implement toward this goal.
... Across two experiments, counts of waste deposited outside the modified receptacles (i.e., litter) supplemented data collection. A similar body of research uses permanent product counts (e.g., total daily plastic bottles; Fritz et al., 2017, Ludwig et al., 1998O'Connor et al., 2010) to evaluate the efficacy of policyrelevant, sustainable waste diversion (e.g., Austin et al., 1993;Brothers et al., 1994;Chapman & Risley, 1974;Szczucinski et al., 2020). ...
Policy drives community-level behavior change, so behavior analysts should aid empirical policy development. University campus regulation is a useful proxy for broader policy initiatives and thus is a convenient inroad for behavior analyst involvement. This paper examines behavior analytic contributions to the planning and evaluation of a university tobacco-free initiative. We provided resources and guidance throughout early planning, and we then evaluated faculty and student compliance via byproduct (e.g., cigarette butts) counts taken at four high-traffic sites (as flagged by preliminary surveying of campus faculty, staff, and students). Visual analysis and supplementary statistical testing support notions of (a) a meaningful and sustained reduction of combustible tobacco byproducts in all locations, and (b) a demonstrative example of behavior analytic involvement with university policy planning and evaluation.
... On a more practical level, behavior analysts suggest that the solution to many social problems requires a technology of cultural design. Behavioral technology also has been used to manage environmental pollution, encourage energy and resource conservation, increase recycling, enhance green technology and use, and regulate overpopulation (e.g., Austin, Hatfield, Grindle, & Bailey, 1993;Bostow, 2011;Lehman & Geller, 2004;Parece, Grossman, & Geller, 2013;Wilson, Hayes, Biglan, & Embry, 2014). Behavioral scientists have also analyzed the important cultural contingencies that have led to and maintained systemic racism, poverty, and violence and abuse (e.g., Biglan, 1995;Biglan, 2015;Isaacs, 1982; see review Matsuda, Garcia, Catagnus, & Brandt, 2020). ...
... Recyclable materials in the recycling bin (properly sorted recycling) and recyclable materials in trashcan (improperly sorted recycling) are both counted to determine the total number of recyclable materials in the area. The number of properly sorted recyclable items found in the recycling bin is divided by the total number of recyclable items to determine the percentage of correctly recycled items (Austin et al., 1993;Brothers et al., 1994;Ludwig et al., 1998;O'Connor et al., 2010). ...
Improper disposal of recyclable materials continues to impact environmental sustainability efforts. To produce the greatest environmental change with fewest resources, recyclable materials must be correctly sorted, and nonrecyclable materials must not contaminate the recycling bin. Antecedent environmental modifications have been successful at increasing sustainability-related behavior. Most research has focused on increasing correct recycling, and fewer studies have evaluated the effect of these interventions on contamination of nonrecyclables in the recycling bin. In the current study, researchers evaluated the effects of environmental modifications on recycling and contamination in two academic hallways on a college campus. Antecedent modifications in the form of signs, bin placement, and a food and liquid bin or a specialized recycling bin lid were examined. Results from previous research was partially replicated in the current study. Differences between hallways along both measures suggest that contamination rate is an underutilized but important metric in the evaluation of recycling efforts.
... Finally, the 18 reduction tips can be considered as light forms of Prompts, promoting suggested behaviors rather than delivering mandatory instructions. Such information has also proved effective in several studies (Geller 1992, Austin, Hatfield, Grindle & Bailey, 1993. ...
Waste reduction is an important concern for local authorities and could be enhanced by feedback strategies. A field experiment focused on the impact of feedback on household waste reduction is presented. Residents living in single-family houses were sorted by per capita waste generation rate, phoned, and asked their email addresses. The 236 resulting households were then alternatively assigned to one of the two experimental conditions: Feedback and Control. Households in the Feedback condition received weekly emails for two months, followed by monthly emails during the rest of the experimental year. Each email included the household waste generation rate (kg per week), its past generation rates, and, depending on the household size, mean generation rates and objectives of the local authorities; detailed tips about waste reduction were added. The weight data were recorded during collection, using the electronic tags of the wheeled containers, and covered three years: the experimental year, the previous year, and the following year, during which no feedback was provided. Results revealed that the two experimental conditions become significantly different during the feedback year and are still significantly different during the post-feedback year. The results are interpreted through a two-step process combining different theories, suggesting directions to build an encompassing framework.
... Geri dönüşüm, atıkları azaltma gayretinden sonra azaltılamayan ve geride kalan çöpleri/atıkları tekrar hammadde olarak kullanmaktır ve sıfır atık yaklaşımının bir parçasıdır. Bu ayrım ulusal literatürdeki çalışmalarda pek bulunmasa da uluslararası literatürde oldukça vurgulanmaktadır (Austin, Hatfield, Grindle ve Bailey, 1993;Gillilan, Werner, Olson ve Adams, 1996;Jain, Singhal, Jain ve Bhaskar, 2020;Kautish, Paul ve Sharma, 2019). Fen eğitiminin önemli bir unsuru olan çevre eğitimi literatüründe sıfır atık yaklaşımından ziyade ulusal literatürde geri dönüşüm ile ilgili çalışmaların yeri daha büyüktür (Bulut ve Çavuldur, 2017;Çimen ve Yılmaz, 2012;Gönüllü ve Çelik, 2015;Mutlu, 2013;Ural-Keleş ve Keleş, 2018). ...
Bu araştırmanın amacı, 2018 Fen Bilimleri Dersi Öğretim Programındaki kazanımları temel alan, 2020-2021 öğretim yılında okutulmakta olan 5, 6, 7 ve 8. sınıf ders kitaplarındaki etkinlikler “Sıfır Atık” projesinin amacı kapsamında incelemektir. Bu amaç kapsamında Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı Devlet Yayınlarına ait 4 kitap incelenen bu araştırma bir doküman analizi araştırmasıdır. 2018 yılı Fen Bilimleri Dersi Öğretim Programı’nda çevre eğitimine ait konu alanları, konular ve kazanımlar belirlenmiştir. Ardından bu kazanımlara karşılık gelen etkinlikler ders kitaplarının içeriklerinde saptanmıştır. Bu etkinliklerin “Sıfır Atık” projesinin amacına uygun olma durumu “Uygun, Kısmen Uygun ve Uygun Değil” kodları ile etiketlenmiştir. Araştırma bulgularında, çevre eğitimi kapsamında bulunan kazanımlara yönelik olan etkinliklerin büyük bir çoğunluğunda bu projenin amacına vurgu yapan açıklamalar ve hedefler bulunmamaktadır. İlgili projenin amacına en yakın bulunan etkinliklerde ise, atıkların tasarrufu ve kontrolünden ziyade geri dönüşüm konusunun vurgusunun daha fazla olduğu görülmüştür.
... In one study, recycling uptake in an office setting doubled after recycling bins were placed right next to trash bins instead of a short distance-only 4 meters (roughly 13 feet)-away. 35 In another study, placing a personal recycling bin next to each desk in an office decreased the amount of paper waste sent to a landfill. 36 And when recycling receptacles on a university campus were moved inside classrooms, the rate of aluminum can recycling doubled. ...
... Recycling is one step towards zero waste but informing consumers about its significance will encourage individual recycling involvement (Austin et al., 1993, Thogersen, 1994, Nyamwange, 1996. 17.7% of the mathematics-science group teachers were informed about the ‚Zero Waste‛ project, while it was 7% among teachers of verbal lessons. ...
The Zero Waste Project is likely to solve waste problems. This research aims to specify the opinions of teachers regarding Turkey's Zero Waste Project (TZWP). This study was carried out in the 2019-2020 academic year, with 126 participating teachers working in various disciplines, such as science, math, and social sciences, in the primary and secondary public schools. The semi-structured interview was used as a method in this research that covered qualitative data techniques. The obtained data was studied by using descriptive analysis. However, this study's findings suggested that most teachers did not know anything about the project implemented for four years. It was seen that teachers were not well-informed about or ignorant of zero waste. The educators are needed to achieve the goals of TZWP. Thus, it is suggested that environmental education be included in various disciplines and raise environmental awareness among individuals should become one of national education's primary objectives. It is a must, too, for all teachers and teacher candidates to develop environmental awareness.
... As for the empirical evidence, a small body of research has examined the effectiveness of suggestive selling in shaping different types of behaviors. Verbal prompting has been shown to be useful in effecting a variety of behaviors such as reducing exposure to passive smoking by prompting selfsegregation of smokers (Fanslow et al. 1988), encouraging recycling behavior in offices (Austin et al. 1993), and environmentally friendly consumption practices (Cox, 2014). In the domain of brick-and-mortar retailing, there is research which demonstrates that product suggestions by employees increase sales (Ebster et al. 2006;Milligan and Hantula 2006;Söderlund 2013;Squires et al. 2007;van Kleef et al. 2015). ...
Suggestive selling is used as an in-store promotional tool by many retailers and some research has examined the effectiveness of this promotional tool. However, extant literature on this topic suffers from limitations of design and data. We discuss and overcome some of these limitations by examining the effectiveness of suggestive selling using store data collected from a large retail chain. We also account for many other in-store promotions implemented during a 146-week period for 6 confectionery products. We find that suggestive selling is effective in increasing sales and shopper penetration in the presence of a variety of in-store promotions. Using a rich, balanced panel dataset, we develop robust models to demonstrate the positive impact of suggestive selling. Theoretical, managerial, and methodological implications of this research are discussed.
... Moreover, there are excellent examples of the value of experimental analyses of strategies for affecting climate-relevant behavior that come from the field of behavior analysis (Gelino et al., 2021). Experiments show that information, prompting, goal setting, feedback, incentives, and fines (or some combination) can reduce consumption of electricity (Hayes & Cone, 1981), gasoline (Foxx & Hake, 1977), water (Aitken et al., 1994), and meat (Brunner et al., 2018) and can reduce the volume of trash production (Austin et al., 1993). And with respect to the reduction in electricity use, these strategies have been scaled by numerous electric utilities, producing substantial reductions in use (Ayres et al., 2012). ...
The threats of climate change to human well-being are well-documented and are
growing in number and intensity. Despite the international community investing
heavily in technological innovation and policy initiatives to solve the problem, emissions
continue to rise. Experts are recognizing that eliminating emissions cannot
be achieved without modifying the human behavior of which emissions are a function.
However, little attention has been allocated to expanding the use of strategies
developed by the behavioral-science community to reduce emissions on large scales.
One possible reason is that federal funding has not been arranged to select such
research. Therefore, we conducted an analysis of six sources of information about
federal funding to fight climate change (the Government Accountability Office, the
National Science Foundation, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department
of Energy, the National Institutes of Health, and the Center for Disease Control)
and examined the extent to which they are funding behavioral science research to
reduce emissions. Our results show an appalling lack of funding for behavioral science
research to reduce emissions, especially experimental evaluations of strategies
for reducing them. Implications and recommendations for funding of future research
are discussed.
... Green ergonomics can support the usability of these facilities by considering where they are located, making them enjoyable to use, and providing additional information to support effective use [54]. Researchers have also found that the proximity of messages encouraging users to recycle to receptacles has a substantial impact on behavior; recycling rates were 25% higher when signs were directly over the bin than when signs were merely in proximal [100]. An ergonomic study of kitchenette waste behavior could investigate waste-stream contamination to determine the role of user behavior. ...
Open-plan office (OPO) layouts emerged to allow organizations to adapt to changing workplace demands. We explore the potential for OPOs to provide such adaptive capacity to respond to two contemporary issues for organizations: the chronic challenge of environmental sustainability, and the acute challenges emerging from the great COVID-19 homeworking experiment. We apply a socio-technical systems perspective and green ergonomics principles to investigate the relationship between an OPO environment and the occupants working within it. In doing so, we consider relevant technical and human factors, such as green technology and employee green behavior. We also consider how a green OPO might provide non-carbon benefits such as improving occupant well-being and supporting the emergence of a green organizational culture. Our investigation highlights several avenues through which an OPO designed with green ergonomic principles could benefit occupants, the organizations they work for, and the natural environment of which they are a part and on which they depend. We find reason to suspect that green OPOs could play an important role in sustainable development; and offer a research agenda to help determine whether it is true that OPOs can, indeed, exemplify how “going green” may be good for business.
... This body of research shows that several forms of intervention may be useful. For example, antecedent information, prompting, goal setting, feedback, incentives, and fines (or some combination of these) may reduce electricity consumption (e.g., Hayes & Cone, 1981), gasoline consumption (e.g., Foxx & Hake, 1977), water consumption (e.g., Aitken et al., 1994), meat consumption (e.g., Brunner et al., 2018), and trash production (e.g., Austin et al., 1993). And a recent paper by Schneider and Sanguinetti (2021) highlighted that other behavior-analytic interventions (that have heretofore been underutilized) carry significant promise. ...
There is no question that climate change threatens the very existence of the human
species. Indeed, there is mounting evidence that the sixth mass extinction event is well
and truly underway. Mitigating the threats imposed by a warming climate requires a
dynamic and coordinated approach, including a strong international coalition embodied
by the Paris Agreement, significant investment in technological innovations to redesign
the way resource-intensive commodities are produced, and a renewed emphasis on
shifting climate-relevant behavior toward more sustainable alternatives. The latter has
been largely neglected by the international community and funding agencies. This
article serves to identify the international context in which efforts to reduce emissions
using behavioral science are embedded. We highlight some of the work of behavioral
scientists to enhance pro-environmental behavior that will prove vital to large-scale
efforts to reduce emissions. We propose a model for designing experimental evaluations
of multisector community interventions to reduce emissions on large scales.
Finally, we issue a call to action for behavioral scientists and community organizers
to collaborate in a new age of behavioral science research to curb the climate crisis.
... In what follows, we explain ethnographic decision modeling in detail; derive and test a model for recycling beverage cans; and test the results of the ethnographic model for internal and external validity. It is well known that the single best predictor of beverage can recycling is the presence of a recycling bin at the moment the decision has to be made (see for example, Austin et al. 1993;Larson et al. 1995;Ludwig et al. 1998). We chose deliberately to model a decision with a well-known predictor in order to test the efficacy of our model, both at the local and at the national level. ...
... Obwohl Piktogramme in der Praxis sehr häufig eingesetzt werden, speziell auch, um Vermüllung zu reduzieren, gibt es nur sehr wenige empirische Studien dazu. Ein grundlegendes Feldexperiment wurde vor mehreren Dekaden durchgeführt (Austin, Hatfield, Grindle, & Bailey, 1993 Bezüglich der Wahrnehmung (Abbildung 3) zeigt sich, dass wie erwartet die beobachtenden Augen dazu führen, dass man sich signifikant mehr "beobachtet fühlt" als bei allen anderen Plakaten (t-Test p < 0,001). Darüber hinaus zeigt sich, dass sich Personen unter 30 Jahren unabhängig vom Plakat öfter beobachtet fühlen als Personen über 30 Jahren (t-Test p < 0,001). ...
Unclean waste disposal areas resulting from littering are a source of unease to residents and create significant cleaning costs. The aim of this study was to develop behavioral-economic interventions to reduce littering based on a field experiment in around 400 waste disposal areas (frequented by more than 70.000 people). Four interventions in the form of posters were developed in line with behavioral-economic and psychological principles. These posters were designed to evoke fast and automatic responses (system 1), or slower and more deliberative ones (system 2). System-1 posters presented watching eyes and images of nature whereas system-2 posters displayed information on financial consequences of incorrect waste disposal and explanatory pictograms. Short-term (48 hours) and long-term (seven weeks) effects of these interventions were explored based on pictures taken from the floor in a pre-post-design including a control condition. Results revealed a high level of average cleanliness in the waste disposal areas. However, outdoor areas were cleaner than indoor areas. The relative amount of waste in the containers and the size of the residential complexes correlated positively with uncleanliness. Results indicate that system-1 interventions (eyes, nature) are more likely to improve cleanliness than system-2 interventions (financial consequences, pictograms). Nonetheless, because of the high level of overall cleanness, no poster lead to better results than the control condition. Possibly, people perceive system-2 interventions as authoritarian and respond to them negatively, while system-1 interventions are an implicit reminder to dispose waste correctly. In this report, practical implications, theoretical and methodological contributions, and limitations are discussed.
A short video on the project is also available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yJ7CJJZoNo
... Interventions targeting a wide range of demographics were conducted in office settings (e.g., Austin, Hatfield, Grindle, & Bailey, 1993;Brothers, Krantz, & McClannahan, 1994), neighborhoods (e.g., Jacobs, Bailey, & Crews, 1984;Keller, 1991), university buildings (e.g., Ludwig, Gray, & Rowell, 1998;Miller, Meindl, & Caradine, 2016;O'Connor, Lerman, Fritz, & Hodde, 2010), university dorm halls (e.g., Witmer & Geller, 1976), and storefronts (e.g., Geller, Farris, & Post, 1973). Of the methods employed, none required any notable cost for continued upkeep. ...
In the years ahead, humans will face unprecedented challenges in the realm of sustainable living. Viable solutions will be necessarily technological—advancements in engineering and electronics will be fundamental to a reduced carbon footprint—and behavioral, as neither solution is alone adequate to yield change on a scale necessary to curb the runaway effects of human negligence. As it pertains to these latter goals, behavioral science has produced a respectable body of research assessing the capability of behavior analytic principles for generating eco-friendly practice. The primary goal of this chapter is to underscore this utility and the importance of behavioral science as a contributor to the sustainability movement. We first aim to briefly outline the problems ahead from the perspective of environmental science. In doing so, we hope to make obvious the gap which might be filled by the growing momentum of behavior analysts to better understand global sustainability. Next, we provide some historical context for the evolution of this behavior analytic investment in sustainable practice and summarize the work produced by the field since the inception of its flagship journal. Having established a baseline from which to infer, we conclude by exploring areas in which behavioral scientists might best focus their efforts to produce a most impactful contribution to the sustainability agenda.
... Identifying social marketing strategies is necessary to remove barriers and enhance the benefits. CBSM strategies include seven tools such as commitment (sustainable pledge; Stern & Gardner, 1981), social norms (change the behavior after observing model behavior that has been encouraged or led to punishment; Grasmick et al., 1991), social diffusion (accept new behaviors by introducing activities to friends and relatives; Darley, 1978;Grasmick et al., 1991), prompts (video\audio ads that remind one of an activity; Austin et al., 1993), communication (any kind of compelling action that begins with attention), incentives (feedback for acceptance and maintenance of the desirable behaviors), and convenience (factors that make a behavior easy; McKenzie-Mohr, 2000). ...
Background
Recycling and waste separation is one of the most important policies for the management of municipal solid waste, and notwithstanding the importance of recycling especially at the school age, little research have been conducted in this field.
Focus of the Article
In this quasi-experimental study, five steps of community-based social marketing (CBSM) were used for changing of the recycling behavior (RB).
Research Question
Do CBSM strategies increase use of recycling containers versus the sole availability of containers?
Program Design/Approach
The intervention was implemented in five steps and through seven CBSM strategies that include communication, social diffusion, convenience, incentives, social norms, commitment, and prompts.
Importance to the Social Marketing Field
Since the RB will be influenced by environmental context, it cannot be assumed that application of CBSM theory is effective in school field. Therefore, the findings of this study are used to determine the effectiveness of environmental changes based on CBSM theory in the school field.
Method
One thousand four hundred fifty-three male and female students from fourth to sixth grade in Bushehr, Iran, were evaluated in intervention and control groups from December 2018 to May 2019. In intervention group, CBSM steps were implemented, and in the control group, only blue bins and containers for recyclable materials were provided. To assess behavior change, a questionnaire consisting of three sections of demographic information, knowledge, and barrier questions was used. RB was evaluated by daily weighing waste and recyclable materials (separated) in two groups from 10 days before to 4 months after intervention. The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (Version 16.0).
Results
Results reveal that CBSM based strategies increased knowledge in the intervention group versus the control group. Also, CBSM strategies significantly increased the amount of recycling and reduced the waste in the intervention group. The results of this study showed that the sole availability of containers does not increase RB and reduce waste; applying CBSM based strategies is very useful and effective in removing barriers and increasing RB in schools.
Recommendation for Research
It is recommended to compare the effectiveness of the application of only some CBSM strategies such as social norms, incentives, and diffusion versus all CBSM strategies for changing of RB in school setting.
Limitation
A limitations of this study is that the number of students in the two groups is not the same due to the random selection of schools. Additionally, we could not control for students’ textbook content on recycling.
... In one study, recycling uptake in an office setting doubled after recycling bins were placed right next to trash bins instead of a short distance-only 4 meters (roughly 13 feet)-away. 35 In another study, placing a personal recycling bin next to each desk in an office decreased the amount of paper waste sent to a landfill. And when recycling receptacles on a university campus were moved inside classrooms, the rate of beverage can recycling doubled. ...
Public awareness and concern about climate and environmental issues have grown dramatically in the United States and around the world. Yet this shift in attitudes has not been accompanied by similar increases in eco-friendly behaviors. We propose that this attitude–behavior gap is partly driven by the difficulty of changing unsustainable habits. Governments and businesses can reduce this gap through interventions that draw on insights from research into the psychology of habits and behavioral economics. First, they can reduce or add friction, making it easier for people to engage in eco-friendly actions and making it harder to continue environmentally damaging practices. Second, they can set up action cues—prompts that trigger pro-environment actions—and deliver these cues where and when they will have the biggest impact. Finally, they can provide psychologically informed incentives and disincentives that steer people toward environmentally beneficial actions. We also describe how even initially unpopular policies can become accepted through habitual repetition. In these ways, habit psychology represents a promising addition to the policymaker’s toolbox.
... Organisations can also provide facilities to support greener transport choices, for example, the provision of showers, lockers, changing rooms, bike facilities and shuttle buses (Cairns et al., 2010). Signs and prompts can also be placed at key decision making points or close to places where green behaviours take place, e.g., around recycling bins, near light switches and devices, to prompt employees to make an environmental choice/enact EGB (e.g., Austin, Hatfield, Grindle, & Bailey, 1993;Russell, et al., 2016;Schelly et al., 2011;van Nieuw-Amerongen, Kremers, de Vries, & Kok, 2011). ...
... Increase participation in food waste recycling initiative Sticker used as a prompt to encourage and remind individuals to participate in an initiative Austin (1993) Increase waste recycling in a university setting Placement of signage to encourage waste recycling among faculty, staff, and students in a university setting Brothers et al. (1994) Encourage recycling of office paper ...
Much research has focused on promoting sustainable living practices. However, this body of research is largely dispersed and fragmented across fields such as basic psychology, public health, environmental science, civil engineering, and construction management. This review seeks to examine this body of research and summarize key themes to provide answers such as: what interventions have been proposed to enhance sustainable living, what interventions have been empirically tested, what problems can the interventions tackle, and what are the benefits of adopting these sustainable living interventions? The objective of the article is to provide a critical review of the literature to identify areas where progress has been made and areas where progress is yet to be made. The findings demonstrate that most of the sustainable living interventions have been designed to target key areas which include energy consumption, water conservation, transportation issues and challenges, and waste management. A variety of intervention elements such as the provision of relevant knowledge, feedback on performance, and rewards for portraying desirable behaviors were found in the literature. The article can serve as a resource to practitioners, researchers, policymakers, teachers, and students—who seek to understand the fragmented literature and wish to be informed about the state of the science. It is also expected that the article will empower readers with practical interventions that they themselves can adopt to promote sustainable living and public wellbeing in their communities.
There is an extensive body of literature on the factors that condition waste separation behaviors in households; however, the same is not true when analyzing research on the behavior in the workplace. In this study we have carried out a bibliometric analysis of the scientific publications about individual waste separation behavior in their workplaces. The aim is to identify the main issues affecting such behavior, as well as the current state of research on the subject. Given the serious negative impact that waste has on the environment, knowing the reasons that lead individuals to make the effort to separate waste will be a key factor in designing any environmental policy.
This handbook is the first to comprehensively study the interdependent fields of environmental and conservation psychology. In doing so, it seeks to map the rapidly growing field of conservation psychology and its relationship to environmental psychology. The Oxford Handbook of Environmental and Conservation Psychology includes basic research on environmental perceptions, attitudes, and values; research on specific environments, such as therapeutic settings, schools, and prisons; environmental impacts on human well-being; and ways to promote a more sustainable relationship between people and the natural environment. This handbook presents an extensive review of current research and is a thorough guide to the state of knowledge about a wide range of topics at the intersection of psychology and the physical environment. Beyond this, it provides a better understanding of the relationship between environmental and conservation psychology, and some sense of the directions in which these interdependent areas of study are heading.
This paper presents three behavioral insights for researching and teaching sustainability at universities: In a behavioral field experiment at a North American university campus, individuals were found to engage in sustainability actions if facing social status loss prospects. In line with (Kahneman and Tversky 1979) prospect theory holding losses looming larger than gains, social status loss prospects appear as powerful motivating factors to boost sustainability. In a university collaboration, behavioral online and paper-pen campus survey studies showed that when individuals judge alternative choices, presenting alternatives concurrently improves decision-making outcomes for future orientation and intergenerational balance. The joint alternative presentation mode therefore can boost sustainability. The third study used academic laboratory experiments, in which students played an economic trust game followed by a common goods game. The repeated interaction in two standard economic games provided evidence for trust and reciprocity leading to individuals contributing more to common goals. Educating future leaders at universities in a climate of trust and reciprocity may thus help elicit future contributions to sustainable development. Combined these studies prove behavioral economics to offer powerful ways to foster a sustainable society and pursue the Sustainable Development Goals.
This chapter defines motivation as a function of human needs, individual cognitions, and situational contingencies. It presents concepts from a variety of theories, including self-determination, planned behavior, and applied behavior analysis. And it describes the role of habits in maintaining the status quo. Examples are given for how to apply each individual motivational approach to encourage sustainable behaviors in Institutions of Higher Education (HEIs).
Museums struggle with visitors touching artworks, sometimes causing extensive damage. No known empirical study counted the frequency of visitors touching art displays, nor tested strategies for preventing this. This field study employed an alternating treatments design to evaluate the behavioral impact of three sign conditions designed to alleviate this problem: 1) a Directive sign that specified the behavior to avoid, 2) a Rationale sign that informed visitors why they should not touch displays, and 3) a Rationale-plus-Graphic sign that added a supporting visual. The signs were double-sided and included an observing response component that directed visitors to move to the back of the sign to observe the message located there, which aimed to increase the probability of visitors reading and complying with the prompt. Systematic behavioral observations indicated that the signs were equivalently effective in decreasing display touching. None of the visitors who emitted the observing response touched the exhibit.
Dünyada nüfus arttıkça ekolojik ayak izi de nüfusla birlikte artmaktadır. Artan nüfus ve artan ekolojik ayak izi ile birlikte enerji kaynaklarının tüketimi de gittikçe artmaktadır. Ancak yenilenebilir ve yenilemez enerji kaynaklarının bilinçli tüketilmemesinden, kaynaklar ya israf edilmekte ya da gelecek nesillerin miraslarından kullanılmaktadır. Dolayısıyla enerji tüketiminde bilinç oluşturulması konusu önem arz etmektedir. Bu çalışmada haneler de bilinçli elektrik tüketiminin arttırılması amaçlanmıştır. Topluluk Tabanlı Sosyal Pazarlama yaklaşımından yararlanılan çalışmada elektrik enerjisinin doğru kullanımına yönelik bir mahalledeki 30 haneye odaklanılmıştır. Özellikle hanelerdeki kadın katılımcılarla araştırma yürütülmüştür. Araştırmada kadın katılımcılara odaklanılmasındaki temel amaç kadınların elektrikli cihazların erkeklere oranla daha fazla kullanan bireyler olmasından kaynaklanmaktadır. Araştırmada 30 katılımcıya anket uygulanmıştır. Anket uygulaması ile hanede hangi elektrikli cihazların kullanıldığını belirlemeye yönelik durum tespitleri yapılmaya çalışılmıştır. Bu çabalarla elektrik tüketim bilinçleri ve uygulamada özellikle hangi tür elektrikli cihazlara yönelik çalışma yapılacağına ilişkin ön tespit yapılmaya çalışılmıştır. Tespit edilen elektrikli cihazlara göre her bir hanede kullanılan elektrikli cihazların üzerine küçük hatırlatma notları yapıştırılmıştır. Katılımcılar ile 4 ay boyunca belirli aralıklarla görüşmeler yapılmıştır. Bu görüşmeler gerek yüz yüze gerekte sosyal medya aracı ile yapılmıştır.4 aylık uygulama süresinin ilk ayında anket ile durum tespiti yapılmış ve bu aya uygulama öncesi ay denilmiştir. Geriye kalan 3 ayda ise odaklanılan grupta manipülasyonlar yapılmıştır. Takip edilen elektrik faturalarına göre uygulama öncesi ay sonu fatura miktarı ile uygulamanın 1.ay sonu fatura tutarları karşılaştırılmış ve p değeri 0,067 olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. P=0,067>0,05 olduğu için uygulamanın ilk ayında anlamlı bir farklılık olmadığı ortaya çıkmıştır. Uygulama öncesi ay ile uygulamanın 1. ayında çıkan bu sonuca göre katılımcıların uygulamanın anlamını tam kavrayamadıkları anlaşılmıştır. Uygulamanın 1. ayı ve 2. ayının karşılaştırılmasına göre ise p değeri 0,00 olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. P=0,00<0,05 olduğu için uygulamanın 2. ayı ile 1. ayının karşılaştırılmasında anlamlı bir farklılık olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Buna göre katılımcıların uygulamanın anlamını kavramaya başladıkları sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Uygulamanın 2. ayının ve 3.ayının karşılaştırılmasında ise p değerinin 0,006 olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. P=0,006<0,05 olduğu için de uygulamanın bu aylarında anlamlı bir farklılık olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Son olarak uygulama öncesi ay ile uygulamanın 3. ayı karşılaştırıldığında p değerinin 0,00 olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. P=0,000<0,05 olduğu için uygulama öncesi ay ile uygulamanın 3. ayı arasında anlamlı bir farklılık olduğu sonucuna varılmıştır.
Purpose
Pro-environmental behaviour (PEB) has always been one of the most critical topics in academia and industry. The primary goal of this study is to identify the current research progress and developmental trends of PEB by doing an exhaustive analysis of the existing literature. The study also aims to streamline the future research possibilities in PEB with the current research interests.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 209 published articles from 1993 to 2021 were collected from the Scopus database and analysed using an integrated approach of bibliometric analysis, network analysis, and content analysis techniques. The bibliometric analysis was performed with the help of statistical program “R,” and further analysis was carried out using Gephi and VOS viewer software.
Findings
The systematic mapping of this field gives an exhaustive review of the available literature by identifying annual publication growth, most contributing authors, journals, emerging keywords, and themes. Sustainability was found to be the most contributing journal, and Paille was the topmost contributing author. The keywords such as corporate social responsibility, organizational citizenship behaviour towards the environment (OCBE), and green human resource management (HRM) were recently identified as the emerging niche in the literature. The content analysis findings give a robust roadmap for further research in this area.
Originality/value
This study enriches the literature on workplace pro-environmental behaviour by presenting a detailed, systematic, and exhaustive review of the existing publications using a combination of research methodology.
Background:
Designs that evoke fun and surprise have been successful in driving uncommon positive behavior. Affective design (AD) is based on the premise that products and services can elicit strong affective responses that can be harnessed for specific purposes such as increasing consumption.
Objective:
This paper aims to discuss the theoretical foundations and applications of AD to address contemporary consumption, recycling, and healthcare issues.
Methods:
Current applications of AD to address environmental and health issues were analyzed in terms of effectiveness in changing user behavior. Relevant concepts were used to provide future research directions in this field.
Results:
Early applications of AD focused on designing products to increase customer satisfaction and stimulate consumption. The method, however, is auspicious in solving relevant societal and global problems. To pave the way for successful integration of AD, one research direction is the need to identify the right emotion to elicit in a certain context. There is a dearth of literature to promote sustainable consumption, such as using less energy, minimizing carbon footprint, or just taking care of the environment using AD.
Conclusion:
The integration of AD is a strategy that can be used to prompt behavior beneficial to society and the environment. Literature on AD suggests that a deliberate effort to manipulate design factors can work to elicit strong affective responses.
Purpose
The learning environment is not a vacuum, but rather is rich in social contexts with innumerable points, interests, and beliefs. This takes one of the concepts of “social learning” which is not just a natural occurring phenomenon but also a way of organizing learning and communities of learners. Social Learning (SL) tends to refer to learning that takes place when divergent interests, norms and values of reality meet in an environment that is conducive to learning. This paper helps to determine the impact of SL forms on environmentally sustainable consumption behavior among school children.
Design/methodology/approach
After conducting an experimental study among school children, data were analyzed using ANOVA. The total sample size was 760.
Findings
SL forms as an intervention influence environmentally sustainable consumption behavior (ESCB) among school children. The findings of this paper suggest that SL techniques such as visuals had been able to positively impact the constructs like knowledge, comprehension, and application. This was very much supported by observations of children, interactions with them and the upfront support provided by school and teachers.
Research limitations/implications
Based on the result, the paper identified that although SL forms influence the ESCB, there is a need to identify the most effective SL forms having impact on ESCB.
Practical implications
This study will help marketers to understand that what type of learning forms can be used to enhance the environmentally sustainable consumption behavior among children.
Originality/value
This paper is completely an original work carried out by the author.
Fish food is an inevitable item in human consumption with healthy source of good quality proteins and fat. Aqua industry can help to improve food security, livelihoods for the poorest and to meet the world’s food demands. But producing more seafood that is at affordable cost with rich nutrition is challenging for aqua industry. Many factors affect the productivity of aqua industry; one such an important constraint is bacterial diseases. Hence, Aqua industry, a booming business sector, immensely requires continued research with scientific and technical developments, and innovations. Study of bacterial fish disease is one such thrust area which requires intense research to understand the causes and control bacterial diseases in fish. The appearance and development of a fish disease is the result of the interaction among pathogen, host and environment. An insight into bacterial fish diseases, clinical symptoms and treatment may help to manage the bacterial diseases and so can make aqua industry a more profitable field. This chapter deals with different aspects of the most threatening bacterial diseases, occurring in farmed fishes and also in wild fishes, which are results in fish loss and economic loss worldwide. A wide range of gram positive and gram-negative bacteria causing bacterial diseases, clinical symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, vaccines and the nature of water habitat are also discussed in this chapter.
Plastic pollution has become a major global conservation challenge. To reduce the generation of plastic waste, we designed and tested several behavioral interventions in a randomized control trial to reduce plastic waste in a high-rise office building. We randomly assigned eight floors in the building to four conditions: (1) simplified recycling signage, (2) signage with a marine animal trapped in plastic debris, (3) signage with a pledge that invited people to be plastic wise to protect ocean life, and (4) control. We found that the signage with the animal reduced plastic waste by 17%, the largest effect among the other conditions. After implementing the signage to the entire building, we found an overall reduction in plastic waste over 6 weeks. The current study demonstrates the effectiveness of visualizing marine consequences of plastic waste and provides a behavioral solution connecting disposal actions and the downstream consequences for plastic waste reduction.
In Tamil Nadu, the state government has imposed a ban on plastic bags two years ago. This has created a major impact of the day to day life of common people. Though it has positive effect on the environment, the common public had different perception as a consumer. This paper aimed at studying the consumer attitude towards the ban on plastic bags. A descriptive research design adopted to address the various dimension of consumer perception towards the ban on plastic ban. A sample size of 400 respondents was selected on the basis of systematic random sampling technique to collect data through structured questionnaire. For conducting the survey, consumers of retail shops in urban and rural places were chosen as target respondents. The collected data were analyzed with the help of statistical tools such as ANOVA, t-Test, Correlation, Linear Regression and Structural equation modelling and the interpretation reported. The result revealed that only 34 percentage of respondent were aware the environmental impact of plastic bags. About 71 percentage of consumers reported that they have faced difficulties in their day to day life due to plastic ban.
In this study, we examine whether reminders are able to overcome limited attention and effectively promote pro-environmental behavior. We conducted a natural field experiment with customers of a Swiss agricultural association that delivers weekly food boxes with vegetables in plastic bags. Treated customers received weekly reminders highlighting the option to return the plastic bags for reuse. Reminders were provided either as a flyer added to the food box or as a sticker directly attached to one of the plastic bags. We find that the flyer and sticker reminders are similarly effective in reducing plastic waste during the intervention period. Importantly, customers are most likely to return those plastic bags marked with an action-close sticker reminder that raises attention at the time of the desired behavioral change. This study provides insights into the attentional mechanisms underlying reminder effects and highlights action-closeness as an opportunity to effectively implement reminders in practice.
The world is now believed to be operating in a no-analogue state, exceeding the norms of any point in documented history. Substantial disturbance of our natural environmental systems threatens life on Earth. Innovation and change are critical. Social science has historically played a vital role in amassing a body of knowledge implicating potential avenues for change. As a field, behavior analysis must keep pace with this ongoing sustainability agenda. The goal of the present review is to provide a summary of empirical works published by behavior analytic outlets to date focused on target variables of interest regarding environmental sustainability. We examined 50 experiments in their historical context and with respect to various methodological qualities. Results reveal a renewed interest in this area by behavior analysis within the most recent 5 years. We then address gaps in the literature and the means by which new efforts might be maximally contributive toward the advancement of global sustainability.
While aggregate recycling rates in developed countries have plateaued in recent years, the contamination rate of recycling streams due to consumers incorrectly recycling items that cannot be recycled has grown rapidly. We propose that this problem may be partially due to persuasive messages, such as pro‐environmental labeling on bins, that encourage recycling, but may lack guidance on how to do so accurately. For example, a number of public garbage receptacles across the U.S. are labeled “Landfill” instead of “Trash,” encouraging recycling by making the negative impact of garbage more salient. However, this labeling may also lead consumers to incorrectly “recycle” items that cannot be recycled (i.e., overinclusive recycling). Two field studies suggest that pro‐environmental receptacle labeling can lead to overinclusive recycling, and a controlled experiment provides preliminary process evidence involving anticipated emotion from trashing versus recycling. Research opportunities and public policy implications for pro‐environmental messaging are discussed.
Methods to discourage the behavior of littering and promote the proper disposal of trash have been studied for many years; however, littering remains a problem in various settings (Almosa, Parkinson, & Rundle-Thiele, 2017, “Littering Reduction: A Systematic Review of Research 1995–2015,” Social Marketing Quarterly, 23[3], 203–222). The purpose of this field study was to further explore features and influences of signage posted alongside trash cans—signs aimed at discouraging littering and encouraging pedestrians to make use of the nearby receptacle when appropriate. To evaluate littering across sign versus no-sign preparations and to examine whether littering was differentially sensitive to symmetrically worded “do” versus “don’t” sign conditions, we prepared an alternating-treatments design with condition reversals. Results indicated that the condition without a sign was inferior to conditions with signs and that there were negligible differences between the “do” and “don’t” sign conditions. We discuss our findings in the context of methodological and social validity considerations.
İnsanoğlunun istek ve ihtiyaçlarından ödün vermeden yaşayabileceği bir gelecek için sürdürülebilirlik anlayışının benimsenmesi şarttır. Bireylerin çevreyle olan etkileşimleri bu süreçte önemli rol oynamaktadır. Sürdürülebilir davranışları hayata geçirme konusunda faklı hassasiyetleri bulunan bireylerin bir takım araç ve yöntemlerle motive edilmesi ihtiyacı ortaya çıkmaktadır.
Bu durumu çıkış noktası kabul eden kitapta, bireylerin nasıl daha çevreci olabilecekleri sorusuna yanıt aranmaktadır. Çevreci davranış sergileme bakımından aynı düzeyde bulunmayan bireylerin davranış kalıplarını çıkartmak ve etkin stratejiler sunabilmek için pazar bölümlendirilmektedir. Pazar bölümlerini bulundukları çevrecilik düzeyinden daha ileriye taşımanın çözümünü ise yine aynı bölümlerin politik ve sosyal önerilerini alarak sunmaktadır. Sonuçları ileri düzey istatistiki yöntemlerle ortaya koyan yazar, tüm süreci literatürde çevreci davranışların anlamlandırılmasında kabul görmüş Planlı Davranış Teorisi perspektifinden ele almaktadır. Karar alma süreci kapsamında sürdürülebilir tüketici davranışlarını şekillendiren teoriler incelenmekte ve çevreci davranışları etkileyen faktörlere geniş yer verilmektedir.
Introduction
The effects of an intervention designed to decrease the probability of adults placing a child into the basket of a supermarket cart and thus at risk was assessed.
Method
A mixed multiple baseline and ABA withdrawal designs across four supermarkets was used to measure intervention effects. It consisted of placing a salient card with a red ban sign attached to the side of the cart opposite the cart handle. The person pushing the cart faced the salient card throughout the shopping trip. An instruction to not place a child in the basket was above the ban sign.
Results
Results showed an almost total disappearance of the target behaviour during intervention compared to baseline levels in all four supermarkets only when the intervention was implemented in each store. Baseline levels of the behaviour were recovered after the intervention was removed.
Conclusions
It was possible to affect the target behaviour of adults that sets children at risk for accidents. Further research is needed, e.g., the effects of such intervention on the overall rate of yearly shopping cart related accidents and injuries to children if super-markets adopt this intervention. Direct and systematic replications of this experiment, assessment of long-term effects of the intervention, and of variables that may affect the probability of the target behaviour in adults are needed.
Practical applications
If the intervention studied here would be adopted in stores where shopping carts are available to customers the rate of cart-related injuries to children could decrease tremendously, even globally.
Ekonomi teorilerinin çoğu bireylerin rasyonel davrandıklarını ve karar verme davranışında tüm bilgileri dikkate aldığını belirtmektedir. Bu kapsamda ekonomi teorilerinden ve uygulama alanlarından bu perspektiften hareketle çeşitli modeller üretilmiştir. Bu karmaşık modellerin çözümünde de matematiksel modellerden faydalanılmıştır. Marshall, Fisher, Keynes gibi ekonomistlerin ürettikleri modeller bilimsel araştırmalarda matematiksel yöntemlerin kullanılmıştır. Ancak kimi teorisyenler ekonominin insan faktöründen ayrı düşünülmeyeceğini savunmuşlardır. Bu nedenle ekonomi, insan faktörü ile birlikte incelenen sosyal bir bilimdir. Bu çerçevede geliştirilen davranışsal ekonomi, bireylerin ekonomik davranışlarının psikolojik yaklaşımla incelenmesini belirterek ekonomi bilimine katkı sağlamıştır. Bu çalışma ekonomi ve psikoloji ilişkisinin gelişimini disiplinler arası araştırılan davranışsal ekonominin finans, pazarlama, fiyatlandırma, işletme yönetimi gibi işletme bilimi ile etkileşimini inceleyen bir literatür taramasıdır.
This article focuses on satisfactions derived from the recycling of household solid waste materials. Data from 107 respondents to a mail-back questionnaire were subjected to dimensional analysis and analysis of variance. The results indicatethat people derive a series of separate and distinct satisfactions from both recycling and reusing materials. The satisfactions were quite specific, involving, for example, frugality and participation. These findings suggest that our understanding of why people bother to conserve resources may be improved by investigating the personal satisfactions derived from conservation activities.
Knowledge and motivational factors represent important but neglected topics in the study of recycling behavior. This article examines differences in knowledge, motives, and demographic characteristics of people who have the opportunity to recycle voluntarily. Information on these variables was obtained for 197 households in Illinois. The results indicated that recyclers in general were more aware of publicity about recycling and more knowledgeable about materials that were recyclable in the local area and the means for recycling these materials than were nonrecyclers. While both recyclers and nonrecyclers were motivated by concerns for the environment, non-recyclers were more concerned with financial incentives to recycle, rewards for recycling, and with matters of personal convenience. Few demographic characteristics distinguished recyclers from nonrecyclers.
The present study examined the effects of prompting, payment for material, a lottery, and frequency of collection on household participation in a residential recycling program. Homes in the lottery group demonstrated the greatest increase in participation followed by equivalent outcomes for the remaining three treatment areas and no change for the control group. A cost/benefit analysis indicated that none of the treatments were cost effective but that steps could be taken to alleviate this problem.
To investigate factors encouraging or deterring recycling, telephone interviews were used to study recycling behavior, attitudes, and knowledge of 221 randomly selected adults in a suburban city that had begun a citywide curbside recycling program within the past year. Approximately 40% reported participation in the curbside recycling program, and nearly 20% more claimed that their household had been recycling in other ways. Most demographic variables did not predict participation in the curbside recycling program, nor did general environmental attitudes and behaviors, though simple conservation knowledge did. The main significant predictors of curbside recycling were a few demographic variables, attitudes, and behavioral variables that pertained specifically to recycling. As predicted, factor analyses showed that there was no general factor underlying (a) various environmental attitudes and (b) various environmental behaviors, all of which might seem on an a priori basis to be related. Implications of the findings for understanding and promoting curbside recycling are discussed.
This research examined whether access to attitude-relevant beliefs and prior experiences mediates the relation between attitudes and behavior. Subjects' opinions toward preservation of the environment and their recall of preservation-related beliefs and experiences were assessed during the first experimental session. Approximately 2 weeks later, subjects were contacted at home and asked to sign and circulate proenvironment petitions and were asked to participate in a recycling project. Subjects' responses to the petition request and the number of weeks they recycled were assessed, and an aggregate behavioral index was formed from these measures. The results revealed that subjects with relatively high levels of access were likely to act in a manner consistent with their opinions; those in favor of preservation recycled, signed, and agreed to circulate the petitions, whereas those less favorable were not as likely to do so. Subjects with relatively little access demonstrated little attitude-behavior consistency.
Observed the theft of newspapers from in- and outdoor, free-access newspaper racks for 166 days during baseline and during the independent posting of 2 sign messages. One antitheft message was stated politely and appealed to internal, rule-governed control; the 2nd message was demanding and specified an aversive consequence for the undesired target behavior. Each sign was equivalently effective in reducing newspaper theft, increasing the mean percentage of potential money received for the papers by approximately 15% and increasing the benefit–cost ratio from a substantial loss (during baseline) to a slight profit. There was no evidence of psychological reactance due to the threat appeal, and it is suggested that perhaps some theft due to psychological reactance was actually balanced by some theft deterrence due to an explicit statement of aversive consequences. Approaches to cost–benefit and cost-effectiveness analyses are compared, and directions for the future research of prompting strategies are discussed. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Surveyed 237 university students concerning their knowledge of and attitudes toward recycling and its environmental implications. 81% of the Ss reported at least some knowledge and understanding of these issues. Two-thirds of the Ss were recycling returnable bottles and cans, while almost half were recycling newspapers. Nearly three-quarters of the Ss indicated that they would be at least somewhat likely to recycle their nonreturnable containers if drop-off facilities were available on campus. (0 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Because the earth's natural resources are finite and are growing increasingly more difficult to exploit, energy and resource conservation will soon become essential to our way of life. Psychologists and other social scientists can help in that transition, and recently they have begun to do relevant research in several areas: environmental pollution, recycling and solid wastes, reducing litter, and energy usage and conservation. Research approaches that have been used include studies of environmental and energy attitudes, behavioral research, social interaction studies, community conservation programs, and large-scale consumer research. More work is especially needed on the topics of transportation energy use, industrial and commercial energy conservation, and community action campaigns. Research efforts should increasingly utilize measures of actual behavior and actual energy usage, long-term longitudinal approaches, realistic field settings, and costeffective procedures. In addition to doing research, psychologists can contribute to the advent of the conserving society through program evaluation studies, proposals for innovation, dissemination of validated scientific knowledge, and offering policy advice.
We communicated a computer algorithm that is capable of concurrently extracting, discriminating and analyzing single-neuron signals from adjacent neurons, particularly those with poor signal-to-noise ratio or contaminated by 60-Hz noise and/or baseline drift. Based on a continuous process of differentiation and peak-to-peak amplitude discrimination, our algorithm provided a two-dimensional amplitude histogram that readily distinguishes the clusters of spike signals representing different neurons. The inclusion of a time domain in our three-dimensional amplitude histogram further allowed us to simultaneously evaluate the temporal responses of neighboring cells to the same experimental manipulation. In addition to retaining many of the advanced features of existing extraction and discrimination procedures, this method offered the benefits of being efficient, requires minimal supervision and operates in real time even during long-term recording. Above all, it is cost effective because it is purely software based and only requires a PC-AT compatible general purpose computer.
Five studies were conducted over a 10-month period to determine the effectiveness of specific procedures in encouraging recycling among residential neighborhoods. Results indicated that: (a) initial levels of participation in neighborhoods were frequently related to housing values; (b) weekly recycling pick-ups that coincided with garbage collection days resulted in higher levels of participation than pick-ups that occurred at other times; (c) notifying homes about the recycling program through distributed door-to-door brochures was more effective than soliciting participation through newspaper ads; (d) distributing containers to help residents separate recyclable from nonrecyclable material proved to be an effective procedure, especially when combined with frequent prompting (prompting alone did not have much effect); and (e) procedures that facilitated the greatest levels of participation were not always cost-effective. The subsequent combination of these procedures into a package program resulted in high levels of neighborhood participation that were cost-effective and maintained over a 6-month period.
Which factors inhibit or facilitate participation in a tin-recycling program? In this study three theoretical points of view are integrated in a slepwise model of participation: (a) attitude change through communication, (b) the relationships between belief. attitude, intention and behavior, and (c) acceptance of responsibility. The variables in the model were measured by means of mailed questionnaires completed by 586 female inhabitants of a middle-sized town in The Netherlands. The results confirm the model. Facilitating and inhibiting factors are presented in detail. The theoretical points of view are discussed and practical recommendations are given to increase and facilitate participation in the recycling program.
Recyclable materials science and technology act of 1989. Hearing before the 101st Congress , 1st session on H.R. 500, serial number 101-49
United States House of Representatives, Committee on Agriculture. (1989). Recyclable materials science and
technology act of 1989. Hearing before the 101st Congress, 1st session on H.R. 500, serial number 101-49.
Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.