Executive Summary
Which “green” activities are consumers performing in their everyday lives? Activities that-
• Save them money?
• Are easy to do?
• Are the most beneficial to the environment?
• Some combination of the three?
By combining insights from a recent survey of consumer behavior with expert opinion on green activities I found that:
• Activities that experts rank as the most beneficial for the environment are not always performed frequently by consumers.
• Economic benefit to the consumer is a stronger predictor of frequently-performed activities than environmental benefit.
• However, convenience to the consumer is the best predictor of green behavior!
Decision-makers for sustainability programs can tailor this method to their particular location by:
• Compiling a list of green activities specific to their region.
• Surveying local consumers and experts.
• Altering which dimensions are included in assessing the importance of various green activities.
“Newcomer” communities can maximize the impact of launching their green programs by:
• Prioritizing activities that are convenient and economical for the consumer.
• Motivating consumers with educational programs and incentives.
• Waiting until the environmental program has gotten off the ground before encouraging activities that are low in convenience and economic benefit- unless they can be financially subsidized.
Newcomer Communities
“Veteran” communities can prioritize the activities using environmental benefit:
• Activities that are most convenient can be financially penalized for non-compliance.
• Less convenient activities can have incentives for performance.
Veteran Communities
A newer article contains an interactive dashboard, allowing you to explore the topic in detail.
Tags: Articles · Consumer · Environment · Home · Insights · Polls · Strategy · Surveys · Sustainability · Tableau1 Comment
Posted on June 2nd, 2009 by
Eileen – you rock!
What a great study – I am looking forward to diving in. I love the prospects of the assessment itself moving behavior. This is highly useful for our sustainability work in Seattle and I’d love to meet you at some point and share more about what we’re doing locally and nationwide.
Freak on,
Erick McWayne
Executive Director of EOS Alliance
206-xxx-xxxx