WAKE-UP CALL
Welcome to the August 2010 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 – Your Attention Please!
·
Workshop Report – Cultivating Sustainability in New
Zealand
·
60 seconds with… Jane Genovese, Live The Solution
·
Interesting Article of the Month – The Unbearable Automaticity of
Being
·
Exercise of the Month – Helping Yourself To Remember
Feature
Article – Your
Attention Please!
Something I dislike even more than
getting coffee in a takeaway cup, is getting one with a lid on it. I don’t
drink through them, and they go straight in the rubbish bin. On those rare
occasions when I succumb to the temptations of convenience and order a takeaway
coffee, I usually remember to ask the person making the coffee not to put a lid
on. But every now and then, I get distracted and remember at the precise second
that the lid is going on – too late, the lid has got a splash of coffee on it
and is on it’s way to the landfill along with millions of others.
Sometimes the simplest of things can undermine
our efforts to lead a more eco-friendly life. One of the most common of these
is that we simply forget. We can have the commitment and motivation to do the
right thing, and all the resources and knowledge we need, but sometimes it just
doesn’t occur to us at the time. Modern lifestyles which place a premium on
multi-tasking and almost being obliged to be busy are perfect breeding grounds
for forgetfulness. We have a limited capacity for what we can have our
attention on at any given time, so often considerations of the environmental impacts of
our behaviours fall by the wayside.
Forgetfulness is often cited as a barrier
to engaging in pro-environmental behaviours. For example, in a study of common
barriers to sustainable behaviours in a Tasmanian
community, people were asked what stops them turning off their appliances
at the wall when not it use. The 2nd most common response was “I don’t
think of it”. This is important
information to know, as it tells us that we don’t just need to convince people
that a behaviour is a good idea, and to provide them with the knowledge and
tools they need, but we also need to find a way of making it top of mind at the
critical time that the behaviour is to be undertaken.
A key factor which seems to get in the way
of remembering to make eco-friendly decisions is our propensity to engage in
habitual behaviours (see Wake-Up
Call July 2008 for an overview of habits). Research tells us that as many
as 50% of our daily behaviours are habitual, whereby we make decisions on a
kind of auto-pilot. For behaviours which we have done before, there is no need
to waste precious mental resources in “re-making” the decision. Instead we often
take mental shortcuts which allow information to fit into our pre-existing
beliefs. An interesting article about Mindfulness
And Sustainable Behavior discusses this issue, and describes a situation
where a shopper may read a label which says a product is “all natural”. “The shopper
may not take the time to further examine the product and the real meaning
behind its claim of ‘all natural,’ particularly if he or she is under time
pressure or is multitasking.” If that person has already decided that “natural
is good”, then the labeling of the product makes it easy for them satisfy that
preference without investing too much attention.
So the question is, how do we ensure that
people have the presence of mind to undertake eco-friendly behaviours? One simple
method is to provide prompts, or reminders, at the point at which the behaviour
is to be undertaken. Community-based Social
Marketing (CBSM) guru Doug McKenzie-Mohr discusses the use of prompts at
length. One of the most successful methods he describes is the use of “shelf-talkers”,
small signs on shop shelves which remind shoppers of the eco benefits of
certain products. This simple, yet effective, tactic has repeatedly yielded
demonstrable increases in the purchase of environmentally beneficial products. Similarly,
providing prompts and reminders has proven effective at reducing littering.
Another possible approach in countering
unsustainable habitual behaviours is to change the context in which those
behaviours occur. The authors of Mindfulness
And Sustainable Behavior sum up the situation by saying that “we either
must change the attentional practices in our culture to be more encouraging of
mindfulness, or change the available choices so people can function more
sustainably while on autopilot.” Given that people are likely to continue
undertaking habitual behaviours for the foreseeable future, the latter approach
appears to be the most promising. Indeed, changes in the conditions which
support unsustainable behaviours have been found to be effective. Many offices
have adopted a policy of moving rubbish bins from each desk, instead placing
them in a central point, while making recycling bins more easily accessible. In
most cases this leads to a substantial reduction in waste going to landfill –
in fact a similar approach in Ontario
claims at least 50% waste reduction.
No matter how committed we are personally
to making sustainable choices, it’s good to have a helping hand from the world
around us – now if we can just get coffee shops to start asking us if we really
need a lid!
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Awake provides psychology-based services
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for more info
Workshop Report- Cultivating Sustainability in New
Zealand
Early August saw the delivery of workshops in several of the main
centres of New Zealand, which continues to be a leader in embracing sustainability.
The highlight was being picked up at Christchurch Airport on a
tandem bike by
Steve Muir, who builds cycle trailers.
What a great way to get from
the airport to
the city, while getting some much needed exercise after 3 hours in
the flying
sardine can. (That’s Steve and me in the
photo).
Some of the
comments from those attending workshops around NZ are below
“The
workshop provided practical tools to link theory with practice providing real
possibilities for change”
“I
learnt a great range of tools and techniques on behavioural change applicable
to both my work and personal life – thanks!”
“It’s
great to have a portfolio of tools to use for communicating sustainability more
effectively”
“I
now have a great toolkit which I intend to use on a practical basis to achieve
real results to change behaviours in my community”
“A
light went on about how better to connect with people in order to influence
their behaviour”
Thanks to all
those who attended, participated and provided valuable feedback.
60 Seconds with….. Jane Genovese, Live The Solution
What first got
you focused on sustainability?
About 4 years ago, I had to study environmental law as part of my law
degree. At the time, I didn't really know much about climate change (this was
before Al Gore's movie An Inconvenient Truth) or other ecological issues but
within a few weeks I became quite alarmed and upset by what I was reading. This
unit allowed me to recognise the interconnectedness of all species and the
extent to which humans were/are making our earth uninhabitable for future
generations. It was a unit that made me question my current way of life and
what I was aiming for (e.g. money and status). It changed my life for the
better.
What is the
sustainable choice you have recently made of which you are most proud?
A few years ago I pledged not to fly. Initially I really struggled to
let go of my attachment to air travel (it was difficult seeing all my friends
and relatives constantly go on cheap flights to Bali) but now I can say that I
don't miss it and don't feel like I'm missing out. Saying no to yearly trips
abroad has allowed me to explore more of my beautiful home, Western Australia.
I feel more connected to my community as a result. A friend invited me to her
wedding in Paris yesterday but I had to say no. I am committed to walking the
talk and being a stand that we live simply and within the ecological limits of
the planet.
I am also proud of the mind maps that I have produced with my mum on
climate change and creating effective behaviour change programs (http://live-the-solution.com/mindmaps/).
What is a less
sustainable choice that you are not so proud of?
I still drive my car way too much and I can't resist the
veal cutlets and beef lasagne at our big Italian family get togethers!
Interesting Article of the Month – The Unbearable Automaticity of Being
Where?
The Unbearable Automaticity of Being
By JA Bargh &
TL Cartrand
American
Psychologist, Vol. 54 (1999), pp. 462-479.
What is it about?
This article
explores the extent to which our behaviour is influenced by things around us,
often unconsciously.
What did they
find?
The authors
present some fascinating results of studies which demonstrate how much of our
behaviour we automatically adopt in response to external factors. One
interesting study showed how subjects in a study reliably imitated the face-rubbing
behaviour of a research assistant – when the assistant was a foot-shaker, that behaviour
was mimicked instead. Yet the subjects had no recollection of engaging in this
behaviour when asked about it later.
What can we take
from this?
This study points
out the potential for providing environmental conditions and cues which
influence the adoption of certain behaviours and goals, even without the person
being aware it. While it is an approach which could be considered sinister with
the wrong intention, it could nonetheless be as simple as creating conditions
which influence people to make environmentally friendly choices, without even
really considering why they are making them.
Exercise of the Month –
Helping yourself to remember
A simple one this
month, following on from the feature article above about remembering things.
1. Think
of some pro-environmental behaviours which you often simply forget to
undertake, or just can’t seem to get in the habit of doing.
2. If
it is a habitual behaviour
a. try
to identify the external conditions which hold the non-preferred behaviour in
place. (e.g. Is the landfill bin in easier reach than the compost bucket? Is
the bike in the garden shed out the back, making it hard to access for those
short trips?)
b. find
a way to disrupt those conditions which support non-preferred behaviour. (e.g.
move the compost bucket, or make the bike easier to get to than the car)
3. If
it is simply something you forget to do, consider ways in which you could
remind yourself. (e.g. could you put a re-usable shopping bag in the front seat
of the car, or in your handbag? Could you install a shower timer?)
More tips like
these can be found at http://www.psychology.org.au/publications/tip_sheets/climate/#s3
In an ideal
world, our external environment would support our intentions to do the right
thing. But there are also plenty of opportunities to support ourselves.
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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