Part 1 discussed the value of community-level sustainability projects, bringing climate action to schools, neighborhoods, local governments, and workplaces. The freely available Tools of Change website offers detailed, replication-ready examples of these projects. No need to reinvent the wheel!
Sample behavior change targets include:
*Increasing energy efficiency – a big category
*Electrification of everything – heat pumps, transportation, appliances, mowers, leaf blowers (if you really need one). No more gas stoves with their serious indoor air pollution (citations available – shoot me an email).
*Food waste reduction and composting. We are doing this at Western Michigan University.
*Replacing lawn with native/drought-tolerant plants (cuts down on mower pollution, enhances biodiversity)
*Increasing public transit, bikes, ebikes, carpooling. Transportation is a major greenhouse gas-producing sector in the US.
*Reducing flying
*Supporting more plant-based diets
* Reduce, reuse, recycle… buying less stuff
And more… all including behavioral components.
The several hundred examples in Tools of Change are called “case studies,” but they’re often experiments or quasi-experiments, and they’re all data-based. Most include these categories: Background, Setting Objectives, Getting Informed, Delivering the Program, Addressing Motivators and Barriers, Measuring Achievements, Feedback, Results, Contacts, Notes, and For More Information. In other words, everything you need to replicate relatively painlessly.
Here are a few examples from the Tools of Change website to help you get going.
A. Solarize for neighborhoods. We have this in Kalamazoo! People who already have solar serve as role models and information sources for those who don’t. And there’s the reinforcing value of social support, plus a financial incentive. Note: Other studies show the behavioral power of simply having visible solar panels in a neighborhood (shoot me an email).
From the Tools of Change summary, Solarize programs in the US had produced capacity of over 56 megawatts, or about 62 million kilowatt hours each year. That’s as of 2021, as reported by the organizations.
Details are here, in the full writeup.
B. Schools for Energy Efficiency Program
A Minnesota school district (Cambridge-Isanti) qualified as an Energy Star! Teams of faculty, students, and staff looked for ways to conserve energy. The program took advantage of school rivalries, immediate reinforcement (where possible), and public recognition as an effective reinforcer. Savings eventually reached nearly 40% annually, compared to baseline.
And here’s a longer example that can be implemented just about anywhere. This is another one that we have in Kalamazoo, and you probably have a participating restaurant in your area too.
C. Coolfood Initiative – World Resources Institute (a major sustainability nonprofit)
The goal is to cut diet-related food service greenhouse gas emissions – for example, by encouraging diners to choose plant-based food options. The WRI team reviewed thousands of research articles and consulted 77 experts from across the globe. They worked with food providers, meeting them at their existing stage. The behavioral tools covered the gamut, including pledges, incentives, target-setting, designing effective antecedents, and having front-of-house staff try the plant-rich dishes themselves.
For: any business, school, or other organization that offers food services. As of 2022, the Coolfood program was running in 63 organizations spanning food service companies, hotels, restaurants, hospitals, cities, and universities across the world. That included major chains like Panera’s. Food providers serving 2 billion meals annually had committed to the Coolfood pledge.
Outcome: reduced per-plate emissions by 10%. Goal: Cut 25% by 2030 relative to a suitable baseline.
See details on the Tools of Change or WRI webpages here:
World Resources Institute CoolFood site
Why not ask your favorite restaurant if they’ll sign on? There’s a logo:
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says we need a 43% reduction in global greenhouse gases by 2030, compared to 2019, in order to stay on track for an upper limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming. That deadline is coming up fast. Please do what you can!
Note: I am affiliated with Tools of Change in a pro bono role: I serve on the Landmark Peer Review Panel for Climate Change.