Uncovering the Barriers to Sustainable Behavior

Jenna Schweiss Author

03/04/2016 Added

264 Plays

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First Place in the Undergraduate category of the 2016 School of Natural Resources Elevator Speech Contest. Jenna is a junior majoring in Fisheries & Wildlife.

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[00:00:01.072]There's an old African proverb that goes,
[00:00:03.765]"If you think you're too small to make a difference,
[00:00:06.575]"try sleeping in a room with a single mosquito."
[00:00:09.663]It's not the quantity that matters.
[00:00:11.637]It's the quality.
[00:00:13.076]And that's why I chose to view qualitative research
[00:00:16.373]on the human dimensions associated
[00:00:19.020]with environmental issues.
[00:00:20.855]The purpose of my research was to uncover
[00:00:23.385]and address the barriers that are preventing students
[00:00:26.590]right here at UNL from achieving sustainability.
[00:00:30.398]Now, when we hear the word barrier,
[00:00:32.278]we think of something big,
[00:00:34.020]something in the way,
[00:00:35.482]things like dams or mountains or more recently,
[00:00:38.547]that wall that Trump wants to build, right?
[00:00:40.985]Well, all of these are correct.
[00:00:43.307]I'm talking about behavioral barriers,
[00:00:46.024]the things that affect the way we think
[00:00:48.253]and in turn, influence how we act.
[00:00:50.923]In order to uncover these barriers,
[00:00:53.338]my team and I asked 50 students
[00:00:55.776]a series of in-depth interview questions
[00:00:58.376]involving the factors influencing their sustainable habits
[00:01:01.790]on campus.
[00:01:03.136]After analyzing these interviews,
[00:01:05.435]we were able to uncover the nine main barriers
[00:01:08.918]to sustainable behavior as well as
[00:01:11.263]the percentage of students interviewed
[00:01:13.283]that are affected by each.
[00:01:15.280]Now, the very last question we asked each student was,
[00:01:19.413]"Do you think your actions alone can make a difference?"
[00:01:23.221]And 100% of those interviewed said no.
[00:01:26.796]This pertains to the barrier of efficacy seen in the center.
[00:01:30.535]So now, how do we address this barrier
[00:01:33.484]and the remainder of the other barriers as well?
[00:01:36.548]My team and I have recently been working
[00:01:38.615]with facilities on campus to create
[00:01:41.424]a social marketing campaign that aims
[00:01:44.211]to address the awareness and skepticism
[00:01:47.090]behind these sustainability issues by showing students
[00:01:50.805]how they can both individually and collectively
[00:01:54.241]make an impact on campus.
[00:01:56.470]Whether that be by helping increase
[00:01:58.514]the total amount of recycled material,
[00:02:01.137]which is currently around 36%
[00:02:04.040]or decrease the 9,000 pounds of food waste
[00:02:07.801]our five dining halls generate every week.
[00:02:11.307]Our campaign strategy involves the use
[00:02:13.931]of promotional appealing messages
[00:02:16.578]that not only show students how they can make a difference
[00:02:19.945]but also the results of their efforts.
[00:02:23.497]If each one of us takes responsibility
[00:02:25.889]for our own actions and believes
[00:02:28.257]that they truly can make an impact,
[00:02:30.509]we will see changes happen on a campus-wide scale.
[00:02:34.921]In conclusion, behavior change in humans
[00:02:37.638]is the real barrier standing between the world
[00:02:40.610]we live in now and a more sustainable planet
[00:02:43.791]in the future.
[00:02:45.068]But we must take these steps now
[00:02:47.274]to change our actions, alter our mentalities,
[00:02:50.362]and decrease our ecological footprints
[00:02:52.939]because the future lies before us
[00:02:55.075]like a field of fallen snow,
[00:02:57.026]But we must be careful how we tread it,
[00:02:59.162]for every step will show.
[00:03:01.228]Thank you.
[00:03:02.436](applause)

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