WAKE-UP CALL
Welcome to the October 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 – Feedback: A Measured Approach
·
Upcoming Workshop – Cultivating Sustainability in
Melbourne
·
Interesting Article of the Month – How The Public Thinks Lower-Carbon
Behaviour Could Be Made Mainstream
·
60 seconds with… Jessica at Cottonbottom
·
Exercise of the Month – Speaking Directly To Values
Feature
Article –Feedback: A Measured Approach
In recent times we have been presented
with plenty of opportunities to measure “how we’re going” with regards to our
environmental behaviour. Many power and
gas bills now include a graph which shows our total emissions compared to last
month, while we are often being invited to measure our carbon footprint through
online calculators. Home energy audits
are another common initiative being promoted by councils and other various organisations. The assumption is that, by monitoring our
resource use, we are more likely to reduce it.
But does that assumption hold water?
At first glance, the answer appears to be
“yes”. A review of various studies into
the impact of audits and other feedback mechanisms reveals that, for the most
part, people do indeed subsequently reduce their resource use. Norwegian
research found that the inclusion of usage data in electricity bills,
including comparisons to previous years consumption,
led to significant reductions in electricity use. A 2008
study into the results of a household energy audit program in
A useful summary
of research into the effectiveness of feedback was conducted in 2006 for
DEFRA by Sarah Darby, who concludes that “savings have been shown in the region
of 5-15% and 0-10% for direct and indirect feedback respectively”.
Why does feedback work? There are a number of plausible mechanisms by
which receiving feedback can motivate green behaviour, all of which may apply
to some extent.
The most simple
explanation is that it gives us a sense of control over our actions. When we are able to see the effect of the
changes we are making, we have more of a sense of power and control – factors
which have been demonstrated as important drivers of environmentally
sustainable behaviour.
Another possible driver of the
feedback-behaviour link, particularly where we are actively involved in the
feedback process, is the idea of cognitive consistency. This refers to our motivation for our
behaviour to match our beliefs and values.
If we care enough to get an energy audit done, for instance, then we are
likely to consider ourselves engaged in the idea of energy conservation. If we then act contrary to this belief, by
failing to take any measures to reduce our energy consumption, we are likely to
feel a sense of hypocrisy, or cognitive dissonance. This may have been the case in the findings
by the Norwegian researchers cited above, who observed that asking residents to
read their own meters and report the data had a particularly strong effect on
reducing consumption. The act of being
actively involved appears to have cemented the belief that “I am engaged in
this process”.
Yet another explanation for the impact of
feedback may be that it disrupts our consumption habits. It is generally accepted that habits consist
largely of behaviours which are undertaken unconsciously. For instance, leaving the tap on while
brushing our teeth is one unconscious behaviour which many people
still do, even though it can waste over 4000 litres of water per year. The introduction of feedback may be enough of
an intervention to cause people to think about their behaviour and recognise
where they could change their habits – without the feedback, people may simply
never give it any thought.
Although it is apparent that feedback on
its own can have some positive effects, most studies conducted in this area
recognise that feedback as a standalone intervention is not guaranteed to
produce long-lasting results, and indeed may be a wasted opportunity when not
combined with other measures to encourage conservation behaviour. Indeed, most of the studies themselves make
use of several tactics to change behaviour.
Most commonly, feedback is combined with tips for how people can change
their behaviour.
A 2007
Dutch study found that a combination of feedback, goal-setting and tailored
information resulted in a 5.1% reduction in household energy use.
A study of “EcoTeams” found
that a combination of information, feedback and social interaction resulted in
significant changes in household behaviour, including a 32% reduction in waste
to landfill. The researchers emphasise
the importance of a socially supportive environment in facilitating the
likelihood of behaviour change. This may
also have the effect of activating the “social norm” which drives us to want to
fit in and keep up with others in our community.
To summarise, feedback appears to be a
vital part of many behaviour change efforts.
Not only does it get people actively engaged and thinking about their
behaviour, but it can give them the sense of power and control over their
outcomes which is important for motivating them to change. Feedback can be an even more effective tool
when combined with other tactics which support behaviour change.
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
Workshop – Cultivating Sustainability in Melbourne
The next Cultivating Sustainability workshop has been
scheduled for Tuesday, November 24th in Melbourne (Venue TBA)
This is a public workshop with all welcome to attend.
Cost: For-profits $250pp
Not-for-profit/Government $200pp
Individuals/Community Groups $120pp
More information, including online registration details,
can be found at
www.awake.com.au/cultivating.html
Cultivating Sustainability is a 1-day workshop which
provides sustainability advocates with insights, models and practical tools to
support their behaviour change efforts.
Anybody who has taken on the challenge of influencing others to live and
work more sustainably will find this workshop a valuable addition to their
skills.
Feedback from attendees of the most recent
Cultivating Sustainability workshops included…
“Great framework for encouraging behavioural change within
organisations”
“Provided me with tools and insights to challenge me to review
how I am approaching my sustainability project”
”This workshop has given me good insight into the motivating factors
in people’s behaviour and ways to get lasting change”
“I found the workshop useful to help me learn practical and
positive/inspirational ways to change peoples
attitudes and behaviours towards sustainability”
For more information about the Cultivating Sustainability
workshop, see www.awake.com.au/cultivating.html
Interesting
Article of the Month –
How The Public Thinks Lower-Carbon Behaviour Could Be Made
Mainstream
Where?
Consumer Power -
How The Public Thinks Lower-Carbon Behaviour Could Be
Made Mainstream
By Reg Platt and
Simon Retallack
Institute
for Public Policy Research
What is it about?
This
What did they
find?
Now People are
most driven by fashion and fun. The
research finds that they are disconnected from climate change efforts because
it does not talk directly to things they value, and they see it as boring and
that environmental advocates are smug and self-righteous. The authors suggest that communications to
this group needs to move away from talking about climate change, and instead
talk about how they can save money and look trendy by embracing greener
alternatives.
What can we take
from this?
The authors make
the point that many environmental advocates fit into the sector of the
population known as Pioneers, who are interested in social issues and naturally
embrace green messages. If these are the
people responsible for designing climate change communications, they have to be
mindful of the fact that a big proportion of the population thinks differently
and values different things to them.
This research provides some useful tips for reaching a high-consuming
group who are proving difficult to engage in behaviour change for
sustainability.
60 Seconds with….. Jessica at Cottonbottom
What first got you focused on sustainability?
I’ve been a greenie for as long as I can remember. I was a scout at a young age, which embedded
very early the importance of doing good things for the environment.
What is the sustainable choice you have recently made of
which you are most proud?
Using cloth nappies – of
course!
What is a less sustainable choice that you are not so
proud of?
Not having a composting bin, which is very naughty of me.
We have a tiny backyard, so would not know what to do with the compost
anyway.
Exercise of the Month –
Speaking Directly To Values
The article of the month above highlights the importance
of recognising the values and drivers of people when we are trying to influence
them. This months
exercise gets us to think about the drivers for people we are trying to
influence, and incorporate it into our approach.
1. Pick an individual
or group who you are trying to influence to adopt a greener lifestyle, or maybe
to adopt a specific behaviour. This may
be in your workplace, your community or your home.
2. What does this
person/group value most?
·
What is their biggest concern?
·
What do their purchases and possessions reflect about
them?
·
What would the new behaviour need to deliver for them in
order to convince them to adopt it?
1. Next time you have
an opportunity to influence this person/group, try to look for ways in which
you can adjust your style and content to reflect the things you have identified
that they value most.
By speaking directly to things
that people value, you are making it more real and relevant for them, and stand
a much better chance of getting your point across in a way which inspires
action.
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
Subscribing to Wake-Up Call
If you know someone who is interested in behaviour change
for sustainability, please forward Wake-Up Call to them so they can subscribe.
To subscribe to Wake-Up call, email subscribe@awake.com.au
If you do not wish to receive this newsletter in
future, please email unsubscribe@awake.com.au
with “unsubscribe” in the subject field.
© Awake 2009