WAKE-UP CALL
Welcome to
the February 2009 Wake-Up Call, Awake’s monthly newsletter for research and
news about behaviour change for sustainability.
To
view this newsletter as a webpage, click here
In this
edition of Wake-up Call…
·
Feature Article – Where’s the Dilemma?
·
Upcoming Workshops – Cultivating Sustainability in
Australia
·
60 seconds with… Dr Lauren Rickards from RMCG
·
Interesting Article of
the Month – Who Composts?
·
Festival Report – Awake at the Sustainable Living
Festival 2009
·
Exercise of the Month –
Making it Real
Feature Article – Where’s the Dilemma?
Many of the
decisions we make regarding our environmental footprint could be considered
“social dilemmas” A social dilemma involves
a decision in which personal benefits must be weighed up against the collective
benefit.
The most
famous illustration of this idea as it relates to the environment is the
“Tragedy of the Commons”, described by Garrett Hardin
in 1968. Hardin discussed the situation in which a farmer who grazes cattle on
commonly shared land can benefit greatly through adding another cow to his
herd. However, if every farmer did the
same thing, then environmental degradation would be accelerated, thus reducing
the overall viability of farming the land for all those concerned. This dilemma can be seen playing out with a
number of ecological decisions we face every day, such as transport choices, pollution
and waste management. Do we “go out of
our way” to choose a more environmentally friendly option, the benefits of
which may be a drop in the ocean in a distant time and place?
When we are
faced with such a social dilemma, there are a few things which influence the
likelihood that we will act in the common interest rather than
self-interest.
Firstly,
the size of the affected group makes a difference. If we perceive that a selfish decision will
affect our immediate group or community, then we are more likely to consider
their interests. This would appear to
support the idea of local control and accountability for resources, meaning
that the impact of decisions people make is more observable and salient.
People will
also act more in a pro-social way if they have strong ties to the community,
and intend to be part of that community for some time. For instance, Mark Van Vugt, a leading
researcher in the social dilemmas field, found that community identification
was a significant factor in water conservation, in situations where water use
had no financial implications. He makes
the important point that “community identification processes will only kick in
when there is a direct threat to the community and there is no personal
incentive for cooperation”. This implies
that building community cohesion is especially important in conditions where it
is difficult or undesirable to regulate or incentivise the preferred
behaviour. Van Vugt goes on to describe
some of the characteristics of community cohesion, such as having positive
community exchanges, trust, community pride, and a shared identity.
The other
aspect to consider when viewing pro-environmental behaviour as a social dilemma
is the extent to which personal gain is truly at odds with the collective
good. Perhaps the idea of self-sacrifice
has been overstated, and we have overlooked the positive benefits to oneself of
choosing behaviours which take into account broader values than economics and
convenience.
It is
interesting to note that the literature in this area almost always considers a
behaviour which is undertaken for the benefit of society as one which has
lesser personal benefit. But, as
previous issues of WakeUp
Call have discussed, there are some very real benefits to individuals who
choose to make decisions for the good of the collective. Not least of these is the intrinsic
satisfaction gained from “doing the right thing”. A fuller acceptance of such benefits to the
individual may go some way to changing the perception that what is good for me
and what is good for the environment are mutually exclusive things. Instead of grappling with the question of
“shall I look after myself by choosing the cheapest copy paper, or look after
the planet by buying recycled?”, perhaps the situation needs to be reframed as
“I’m going feel better and in integrity if I pay a bit more for the recycled
paper, and the planet will benefit” – end of dilemma.
Of course
economic incentives and regulatory efforts will always be important in order to
encourage this state. Beyond the
hardcore green fanatics, many people will be more easily encouraged to act on
the personal benefits of an environmentally friendly option if the economic
premium is within a certain pain threshold.
But equally, we should not write off the potential for people to do the
right thing for benefits beyond money, especially with a little assistance to
see those benefits. With that in mind,
here are a few ideas for tipping the balance towards behaviours which benefit
the community, the planet, and the self.
·
Take a localised, community
approach to sustainability efforts, so that people can contribute and feel a
sense of control over their destiny more directly
·
Highlight the impact of action, or
inaction, at a local level. People will
be more compelled to act in the community interest if they can see the effect
in their backyard
·
Focus on building community
cohesion as a vehicle to support pro-environmental behaviour (as well as lots
of other positive outcomes)
·
Articulate and promote the
benefits to the self which result from acting in the best interests of the
collective and the planet. Don’t always
assume a playoff between self-interest and community interest
The closer
we perceive the alignment between our self-interest and the interests of the
community and the planet, the closer we will be to transitioning to a
sustainable society.
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE?
You can, as
long as you include this complete blurb with it:
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
Upcoming Workshops – Cultivating Sustainability
in Australia
Cultivating
Sustainability workshops have been scheduled for the following Australian locations
and dates.
·
Melbourne, Wed April 15th
·
Sydney, Mon April 20th
·
Brisbane, Tue April 28th
·
Hobart, Tue May 5th
·
Adelaide, Tue May 12th
These are public
workshops with all welcome to attend.
Cost:
For-profits $250pp
Not-for-profit/Government $200pp
Individuals/Community Groups $120pp
More
information, including online registration details, can be found at
www.awake.com.au/cultivating.html
Cultivating Sustainability is a 1-day workshop which provides
sustainability advocates with insights, models and practical tools to support
their behaviour change efforts. Anybody
who has taken on the challenge of influencing others to live and work more
sustainably will find this workshop a valuable addition to their skills.
In-house Workshops
Space has
been left in the schedule for groups requesting an inhouse workshop in any of
the locations above, which is a great option if you have a number of people
wishing to attend. If you are part of an organisation, green
team, or community network that would benefit from an in-house workshop, contact
timc@awake.com.au to discuss.
For more
information about the Cultivating Sustainability workshop, see www.awake.com.au/cultivating.html
60 Seconds with… Dr Lauren
Rickards, Associate Partner at RMCG
What first
got you focused on sustainability?
I was brought up by very green parents.
Every school holiday involved camping and hiking to national parks and
the environment soon became a love of mine.
What is the
sustainable choice you have recently made of which you are most proud?
Having chooks which turn our scraps into eggs. Also, cycling to work 20km each way, which
feels very virtuous on a wintery morning.
What is a
less sustainable choice that you are not so proud of?
Not being radical enough in my environmental commitment in the
workplace, especially when it comes to making recommendations to clients.
Interesting Article of the Month – Who Composts?
Where?
Behavioral
Determinants of Household Participation in a Home Composting Scheme
(2009)
By Eddie Edgerton, Jim McKechnie, & Karen Dunleavy
Environment
and Behavior, Vol. 41, No. 2, 151-169
What is it
about?
This
article examined the factors which influenced households to participate in a
home composting scheme in Scotland.
What did
they find?
The authors
found that having a favourable attitude toward what composting involves, as
well as strong knowledge about composting, were the 2 most important
determinants of involvement. No
surprises there. What was perhaps more
interesting were the factors which did not predict composting
participation. In particular, general
environmental concern and participation in other pro-environmental behaviours
did not feature as determinants.
What can we
take from this?
These
findings tell us that participation in composting is quite specific to the
activity itself, rather than any particular green commitment. This may indicate that composting is not seen
as necessarily a pro-environment behaviour, but rather has many benefits beyond
those for the environment. This finding
underlines the importance of ensuring that behaviour change interventions take
into account the specific drivers of a behaviour, rather than assuming that,
for instance, appealing to a environmental concern will get people on board.
The article
also touches on the commonly discussed question as to whether or not green
behaviours are “contagious”. Proponents
claim that adopting one convenient, easy green behaviour will translate to
further green behaviours. However, as
this and other studies have shown, this is not always the case.
Awake at the Sustainable
Living Festival, Melbourne, February 20-22, 2009
|
|
As
always, the SLF was a fantastic event.
The “Feel Tent” was packed for the
Awake
presentation on The Psychological Drivers of Sustainability, showing that
people are
really
engaged in this area and eager to take on the personal challenge of being part
of the
solution. Thanks to all those who attended and
participated, and to the organisers for providing
such
a brilliant showcase of all things sustainable.
In
addition to the presentation, I was fortunate enough to be a guest on the
Radiotherapy show on 3RRR radio, which was broadcasting live from the
festival. The show can be downloaded
from 3RRR. (My input is in the first 11min, then the
show moves onto different themes, but still very entertaining).
The
feature article above discusses the idea that people are more likely to act in
the common interest if they feel that the benefits will be local and
visible. This months exercise asks us to
have a look at some of the big effects of our behaviour towards the
environment, then translate them to our backyard.
1.
Write down one environmentally
relevant behaviour which you are trying to promote in yourself or others (e.g.
using the car less)
2.
What is the long-term, big-picture
effect of not adopting that behaviour (eg. global warming, rising sea levels,
famine)
3.
Looking at your answers to #2,
what will be the impact of these changes at a local, community level (e.g.
stronger water restrictions, higher prices, higher taxes, lower air
quality). Have you been considering and
discussing these localised effects in your behaviour change efforts?
While
“think global, act local” is enough to mobilise some of us, sometimes it helps
to be able to visualise the implications of our actions more vividly in order
to make it more real and urgent.
The
exercise of the month provides a tool to help you get engaged, inspired, aware
and in action around sustainability. Feel free to use it on your own,
with a friend, or in your work. If you do use it with others, please tell
them where you got it!
About Awake
Awake
provides psychology-based services to support the development of sustainable
behaviour in individuals, groups and organisations. Visit www.awake.com.au
for more info
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© Awake 2009