Try A New Lens
How can analogies help us look at habit and behaviours from a new angle?
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Making it stick: Using Online Pledges to Sustain Behaviour Changes.
A presentation on Online Pledging from the University of Nebraska Medical Center talked about the natural tendency/preference of humans to act consistently. In essence, we typically follow through with what we say we are going to do. Obviously, this
Overcome the knowing doing gap: How to convince people to take action!
In education we often ask ourselves the question, if we're smart why we can't get anything done, commit on changing our lifestyles for good and take actions if we know that we'll benefit from it..
Recycling by Facebook
Peer group competition, fun & rewarding activities can make behavior change easy. And here is why facebook & other social website can help.
The Art of Rubbish
Why not upgrade the modern day trash can and turn trash into treasured rubbish? We should turn the trash can into a new and improved product that captures the value in organic waste and where people could also make art or try to imagine who someone i
Gamifying recycling - what can we learn from positive psychology?
How can we create sticky, engaging games that motivate us to recycle? The answer could be in designing games that build upon positive psychology - games that create positive emotions, engage us, help us build social relationships and give us meaning
Is social pressure more powerful than financial incentives?
In this TED talk, Alex Laskey shows how a quirk of human behaviour can make us all better, wiser energy users, with lower bills to prove it. The trick is letting people know how they compare to their neighbours. Could this be used to improve recyclin
Make people aware of their impact
A study was led by a french institute on food waste and how to make people waste less. It appears that measuring the amount of food wasted is already a solution (even before trying other things !)
How to Form a New, Good Habit & Make it Stick
What are habits? Habits are activities you perform consistently and typically on schedule. Habits don’t deplete the brain’s energy, therefore enabling the brain to focus its reserves on reviewing/solving other, more complicated aspects you confront d
Circular Economy in Food Waste
The concept of the "circular economy" is a useful way of addressing food waste. This implies thinking of food production as a closed loop, rather than a linear progression with unwanted products at the end of the line.
What can we do with those materials that cannot be recycled or even thrown away?
Things like motor oil and lithium batteries provide a unique challenge to our recycling efforts. It many places it is difficult or impossible to recycle these items, and in other places impose fines if these items are found in the trash. Chemical was
Cultural differences
Being aware of cultural drivers is key
Strengthening Recycling Habits through Motivation and Reward-based Systems (STREAMS)
Kelvin is a Nigerian youth who enjoys a happy & productive life primarily because he has access to electricity for 10hrs/day. His nightmare is paying his electricity bills which are expensive. The Power Company estimates his bills using a "Credited
Why I don't recycle on a regular basis...
I think the main reason why people don't recycle as much as they should is because there is no accountability placed on the individual when they take their trash out. If I want to place recyclable items in the normal trash I can do so, if I am feelin
"Congratulations! You are among the most efficient water users in your community."
This is what I read when I get updates from my city's new watersmart program. Texas continues to be in serious drought and my city, Cedar Park, has started this great new program that really encourages me to change my habits.
Inventive ways of Reusing Packaging
A Chinese farmer has made a solar-powered water heater out of beer bottles and hosepipes.
Its all about qantifying your impact
Its hard to qantifying energy saving & being sustainable but Energy efficiency labeling programs shift markets for energy-using products toward improved energy efficiency.
Make It Specific! Make It Personal !
We are largely unconscious of our daily habits - they are automatic. Using a technique called Implementation Intentions we recently enabled people to change to more sustainable habits in the home - laundry, showering and wasting less food - throug
Deep dive into the psychology of habits!
Engaging in recycling seems a habit just as doing more sports or eating more healthy. We know a lot about habits. One guy, James Clear who I met a few years ago at the St. Symposium, developed quite deep expertise in habits and how to change them. He
Quantifying Efforts
Wearable fitness devices have become a hit because they seamlessly track data and provide accountability to those seeking a widely desired wish: live a healthier life. The recycling world can learn from this example to create ways to quantify the rec
Behavior Change of Parents by targeting Children
It maybe hard to change behavior of adults but it is easy to do that on children. The question is , how to make recycling a enjoyable family activity.
A website called DoNation collects sponsorship for events in the form of environmentally friendly pledges instead of money.
This site was set up in 2009 and asks donators to pledge rather than donate money towards a charity event. People pledge environmentally friendly deeds such as cycling to work or wasting less food. The site then calculates the total tonnes of carbon
