Spreading the Eco-Message: Using Proactive Coping to Aid Eco-Rep Behavior Change Programming

Sustainability

Brittany Bloodhart²  Janet K. Swim¹ 

[1] Department of Psychology, The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Psychology, 251 Moore Bldg., University Park, PA 16802, USA; E-Mail:;Center for Climate Change Communication, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA

关键词: eco-teams;    proactive coping;    pro-environmental behavior change;    student intervention programs;    residence hall competition;   

DOI  :  10.3390/su5041661

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Making pro-environmental behavior changes can be difficult, particularly when these changes challenge daily routines and comfortable lifestyles. We designed and implemented an eco-representative intervention program to help students reduce their energy use by proactively coping with barriers to pro-environmental behavior change, and then communicate effective behavior change strategies to student peers. Twenty-nine first-year college students participated in a four-week proactive coping training to change five environmentally impactful behaviors and then spread behavior change messages to fellow residents during a two-week energy challenge. Eco-reps successfully changed their own behaviors in a pro-environmental direction by generating important barriers and successful facilitators for behavior change, and eco-rep residence halls were more likely to reduce energy and maintain reductions compared to non-eco-rep halls. Implications for future environmental behavior change interventions are discussed.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2013 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.