Abstract
Everyday environmental behaviors within the residential sphere contribute significantly to global carbon emissions. Understanding the factors underlying these behaviors is key to changing behavior. This paper examines undergraduate behavior in on-campus housing as a case study with the following aims: (1) to identify the personal dimensions that underlie undergraduates’ environmentally responsible behaviors (ERBs) and (2) to determine if environmental signage in on-campus housing aligns with these existing personal dimensions. This study involved an online survey of ERBs, values, motivations, and knowledge of students in six residence halls. A content analysis of environmental signage examined how values and motivations were used to frame environmental messages. Comparisons were made to determine how the communications aligned to occupants’ values and motivations. Undergraduate ERBs are supported by subjects’ Biospheric values, Environmental Concern, and motivation to engage with Technology. Female subjects performed significantly more ERBs than male students. Male students placed a significantly higher value on Egoism, which was significantly associated with poorer environmental behaviors. Signage with behavioral appeals is a relatively cost-effective and prevalent intervention strategy. However, signage should be tailored to appeal to a range of values and motivations of the target audience, including students’ desires to interact with technology and the personal benefits of environmental responsibility.
Highlights
The capacity of human behavior to mitigate global sustainability challenges is significant
The two research questions explored in this paper are: What personal dimensions predict undergraduate Energy, Water, and Materials conservation behaviors within campus residence halls (RQ1)? does the language employed in environmental signage within residence halls align to the existing personal dimensions of undergraduate environmentally responsible behaviors (ERBs) (RQ2)? This paper provides a brief literature review on the factors associated with ERBs and the use of signage as a behavioral intervention
We explore two research questions (RQs): What personal dimensions predict undergraduate Energy, Water, and Materials conservation behaviors within campus residence halls (RQ1)? does the language employed in environmental signage within residence halls align to the existing personal dimensions of undergraduate ERBs (RQ2)? This study was a part of a larger project by the first author on how green building features can support occupant ERBs
Summary
The capacity of human behavior to mitigate global sustainability challenges is significant. Shifting deeply habitual behaviors necessitates addressing a complex array of psychological, social, and situational factors that shape human behavior. Better understanding the key factors underlying environmental behaviors in multiple contexts is the first step in affecting behavioral change. One appropriate context to study the cultivation of environmentally responsible behaviors (ERBs) is the college campus. Universities represent complex networks of intersecting institutional, pedagogical, and structural sustainability initiatives. This network has been described as a “whole-system approach to sustainability” [2,3], and the life of the on-campus college student is deeply embedded within this system
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