What unsustainable behavior needs to change:

Recycling is a vital pillar in the circular economy: it minimises waste and prolongs material life cycles. Yet as it stands, current recycling rates fall alarmingly short of targets. Despite the fact that numerous brands provide recycling avenues, consumers frequently underutilize them; thereby squandering resources. This stems from inadequate motivation, fueled by the belief that individual efforts lack impact.

The Green Nudge:

In an US study involving 188 participants, researchers Alisa Y. Wu, Maayan S. Malter, and Gita Venkataramani Johar explored the efficacy of anthropomorphism. This concept proposes that imparting human-like qualities to non-human objects fosters emotional bonds and heightened responsibility. This underscores how anthropomorphizing non-human objects could trigger a sense of responsibility towards recycling, and thus motivate individuals to actively engage in responsible waste management.

Participants were enlisted to sample a bakery’s newly developed biscuit, accompanied by an explanation of the inspiration behind the recipe.

To investigate the impact of anthropomorphism, half of the participants received a text where the biscuit was anthropomorphized using first-person singular („I“), while the other half received a non-humanized text referring to the biscuit as „It“. Following the tasting and text reading, participants were tasked with discarding waste – the biscuit’s wrapping paper and accompanying note – using adjacent regular and recycling bins. The study’s focus rested on quantifying the recycling behaviour and comparing how many individuals in each group disposed of the materials in recycle versus regular bins.

The result: the participants who received the anthropomorphic text (first-person singular) recycled the paper significantly more often: 96.8% of them recycled the paper compared to 89.4% in the control group.

Are you aware of any other nudges that help to get insights on energy consumption? Feel free to comment or get in touch: hello@green-nudges.com

What unsustainable behavior needs to change:

Tenants in housing corporations and municipalities often have limited insights into their energy consumption patterns. This in turn can hinder their ability to make informed choices. Nevertheless, being mindful of their energy usage and actively reducing their consumption of gas, electricity, and heat – plays a crucial role in contributing to the broader goal of energy conservation and transitioning to sustainable energy sources.

The challenge lies in the intangible nature of energy. It’s difficult to quantify how much water is used while showering or the amount of energy required to maintain room temperature on a winter day. Consequently, people often struggle to modify their unsustainable energy behaviour when they cannot accurately evaluate abstract factors like water usage or room temperature.

The Green Nudge:

To address this issue, the “Smarter with your Energy“ initiative proposed the implementation of energy displays for  tenants.

Unlike mobile apps, energy displays remain in plain sight (e.g.living room), serving as a constant reminder to conserve energy. For example, the display shows in real-time, how much a shower taken by a member of the household costs. As a person walks into the living room, one can instantly see the effects of their own behaviour displayed on the energy display. It is a simple, yet effective nudge that provides immediate feedback and insight into one’s energy use behaviour.  

These tools yield both short-term and long-term benefits. In the short term, tenants witness the immediate impact of their energy-saving efforts on their bills, offering motivation and tangible evidence of the advantages of conservation. Over time, sustained energy-saving practices contribute to a more sustainable and eco-friendly future.

Furthermore, research conducted by the University of Tilburg and Planbureau voor de Leefomgeving (2021) indicates that households using an energy display can save approximately 5% on their annual energy bills; amounting to a yearly saving of €100 to €200 – with energy displays being the sole effective method to achieve these desired results.

Are you aware of any other nudges that help to get insights on energy consumption? Feel free to comment or get in touch: hello@green-nudges.com

What unsustainable behavior needs to change: Let’s go back a couple of thousand years in time. One of our hairy ancestors observes another gatherer picking some fruits from a bush and eating them. Some time later the fruit picker is still alive and well. This day she learned that eating those fruits won’t kill her or her family. 

Evolutionary psychology suggests there are five ancestral forces that have shaped human perception and behaviour. In this case: Social imitation. 

It refers to the important lesson that human beings learned a very long time ago and which secured our survival: imitating others is the most efficient way to learn. Our brain is therefore wired to do what the majority does.

Unfortunately, the majority of people often influence each other into adverse habits – especially when it comes to the environment. Social scientists have demonstrated the influence of peer behavior in a host of areas. We’ve been building bigger houses, driving heavier vehicles, flying to remote destinations or engaging in a host of other energy-intensive activities. A dominant reason we are doing these things is our tendency to behave as our peers do.

The Green Nudge: There’s reason to believe that peer effects could be similarly beneficial to our climate future. 

Utility Companies, for example, have found that customers reduce their electricity usage significantly when told how their consumption compares with that of neighbors. 

Opower, a home-energy-management company owned by Oracle, has helped deliver these customer-comparison reports to millions of households served by utilities around the globe; it boasts that the program has helped save enough energy to power San Francisco’s homes for more than 10 years. 

Google, the manufacturer of smart Nest thermostats, has incorporated the approach into its product: It rewards customers who choose energy-efficient settings with green leaf icons in their monthly usage summaries, and compares the number of leaves earned with those of other Nest users in the area.”

From Robert H. Frank’s book, Under the Influence: Putting Peer Pressure to Work.