Promoting Sustainable Behavior: An Introduction to Community-Based Social Marketing

Journal of Social Issues, Fall, 2000 by Doug McKenzie-Mohr

Doug McKenzie-Mohr [*]

Most programs to foster sustainable behavior continue to be based upon models of behavior change that psychological research has found to be limited. Although psychology has much to contribute to the design of effective programs to foster sustainable behavior, little attention has been paid to ensuring that psychological knowledge is accessible to those who design environmental programs. This article presents a process, community-based social marketing, that attempts to make psychological knowledge relevant and accessible to these individuals. Further, it provides two case studies in which program planners have utilized this approach to deliver their initiatives. Finally, it reflects on the obstacles that exist to incorporating psychological expertise into programs to promote sustainable behavior.

Don't let us forget that the causes of human actions are usually immeasurably more complex than our subsequent explanations of them.

Fyodor Dostoevsky

I have a simple wish. Each time I journey to the library to review new contributions to the environmental psychology literature, I hope that I will see an individual whom I know, from either a nongovernmental organization, or the Department of the Environment, or the city, who works on environmental programs. My wish is that I will find this individual reviewing the literature and contemplating how best to apply it to program delivery. I have carried this wish for a decade now and it is yet to be realized. Consequently, I have become increasingly convinced that despite our desire to contribute to the attainment of a sustainable future, our publications contribute far more to career advancement than they do to environmental betterment. We have created a psychological literature that is largely invisible to those who can most benefit from it. Lack of visibility, however, does not equal irrelevance. Changing individual behavior is central to achieving a sustainable future. Accordingly, psychology is of consider able relevance to the delivery of effective environmental programs. Desirable goals, such as lowering greenhouse gas emissions, reducing waste, and increasing energy and water efficiency can be met only if high levels of public participation are achieved. Despite the apparent importance of psychological knowledge to effective program design, program planners have yet to widely access or utilize it. Indeed, my experience in working with these individuals has led me to believe that most are not aware that our literature exists or of its relevance to their efforts. I expect that the pressures that exist to publish in academic journals has led to few attempts to make our expertise accessible to those who can most benefit from it. Until we do this we can feel self-righteous in conducting environmental research, but I doubt that we are participating in a truly meaningful enterprise. In short, until we reach out to the individuals who design and deliver environmental programs, our efforts will remain invisible to th ose who can most benefit from them.

This article presents one attempt to make psychological knowledge visible and relevant to program planners. It outlines a process, community-based social marketing, for developing and delivering environmental programs that is based on psychological expertise. This process has now been presented via workshops, publications, and a Web site (www.cbsm.com) to several thousand program planners in Canada (Kassirer & McKenzie-Mohr, 1998; McKenzie-Mohr, 1996; McKenzie-Mohr & Smith, 1999). This article also presents two attempts by planners to apply this information and reflects on the challenges faced in its application.

To date, most programs to foster sustainable behavior have been information intensive. In these campaigns, media advertising and the distribution of printed materials are used to foster behavior change. Information-intensive campaigns are usually based on one of two perspectives on behavior change. With the first, program planners assume that by enhancing knowledge of an issue, such as global warming, and encouraging the development of attitudes that are supportive of an activity, such as using mass transit, behavior will change. Unfortunately, a variety of studies have established that enhancing knowledge and creating supportive attitudes often has little or no impact upon behavior. For example:

* Householders who were interested in enhancing the energy efficiency of their homes participated in a comprehensive workshop on residential energy conservation. Despite significant changes in knowledge and attitudes, behavior did not change (Geller, 1981).

* Householders who volunteered to participate in a 10-week study of water conservation received a booklet that described the relationship between water use and energy use, and methods were described that could conserve water. Even though great attention was given to preparing the booklet, it had no impact upon water consumption (Geller, Erickson, & Buttram, 1983).