Conservation Clue

The Problem

Conferences are a major activity in academia and industry. They are where new ideas are disseminated and important social and professional networking opportunities take place; while we are likely to see more virtual events, in-person conferences—and the energy consumption and waste that accompany them—are not likely to go away. The substantial carbon footprint of large conferences and events comes from a number of factors, including travel to and from the conference, food waste when meals are provided, energy used by the hotel and convention center, single use plastic, and other waste. While conference planners have begun to take measures to reduce the negative environmental impact of their events, such measures typically involve substituting materials (e.g., compostable or reusable utensils) or providing affordances to the setting (typically, recycle bins and signage); the former entail no behavior change at all and the latter passively leave it to each attendee to do their part. In these environments there are a number of factors that make green behavior more effortful, and unless personally motivated many individuals may default to the less environmentally friendly alternatives.

Our Proposal

ConClue is a conservation app-based game based on behavior science that encourages players to think and act in more sustainable ways. Players will be challenged to earn points by engaging in pro-environmental behaviors such as using reusable beverage cups, and traveling using public transit. Points that are earned can be used to enter into drawings for various prizes (e.g., free conference registration the following year, hotel vouchers). The use of an app will expand both (a) the kinds of behavior that can be recognized—for example players can upload photos or scan QR codes—and (b) the time frame within which they can play, such as by documenting their actions en route to the event. A number of behavioral principles will be used to evoke and reward more sustainable choices and actions on the part of attendees. For example, prompts will be used to remind people of targeted behaviors, motivation will be established through the various prizes that players can win and the fun of competition itself, and reinforcement will help to increase the likelihood of players engaging in a broad array of pro-environmental behavior, from turning out the lights to turning out to vote. This concept was piloted at the 2020 Ohio Association for Behavior Analysis annual conference. Board Members, Drs. Nicole Powell and Jennifer Sweeney, spearheaded a low-tech version of the game through the use of Google Forms and BINGO cards. The data from the pilot are encouraging.

We Assume that...

When attending conferences the response effort to engage in pro-environmental behaviors is high.

When attending conferences the motivation to engage in pro-environmental behaviors is low.

Because people are outside of their daily routines even those who often engage in pro-environmental behaviors may find it more difficult.

Antecedents such as prompts and information on how to behave more sustainably will facilitate pro-environmental behaviors.

Rewarding pro-environmental behavior will increase the likelihood that those behaviors will occur again in the future.

Making it a fun and interactive experience will engage conference attendees and facilitate increased participation.

Constraints to Overcome

A major barrier to behavior change is the lack of contingencies in the environment that facilitate behavior change (i.e., antecedents to prompt the behavior, consequences to reinforce the behavior). As a team of behavior scientists we will use strategies proven to lead to behavior change to arrange the environment in a way that promotes pro-environmental behavior. The game will provide relevant antecedents (e.g., prompts that serve as reminders to use reusable items, information about what local restaurants provide sustainable meal options), and the consequences that are needed to reinforce and maintain the behavior change (i.e., points that can be traded for free registration and other items of value to attendees).

Current Work

Finalize the behavioral components of the game Design the layout of the app Develop the components of the app Pilot the app at state behavior analysis conferences

Current Needs

Our team is currently made up of behavior scientists and an engineer volunteering our time because we are passionate about environmental sustainability. Our needs include additional technical expertise in app development, expertise in graphic design, and financial support to cover costs such as those related to hosting the app on the web, purchasing equipment such as bar code scanners for use at the event, and costs associated with paying for additional app development and graphic design.