Gary Haq

The use of personalised social marketing to foster voluntary behavioural change for sustainable travel and lifestyles

Changing public attitudes and behaviour is key to achieving the UK target of a 60% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2050. Top-down campaigns that have provided information to a passive public have not necessarily resulted in pro-environmental behavioural change. This paper examines the use of a personalised social marketing approach to engage the public in changing their personal travel. It provides the results of a project in the City of York to foster voluntary travel behavioural change. Using face-to-face discussions, personalised information and incentives, a statistically significant reduction in car use and an increase in cycling and the use of public transport were achieved over a six-month period. However, this change was not sustained 12 months later. The paper explores the contrasting perspectives on behavioural change and examines the possible lessons that can be learnt to foster voluntary behavioural change in other aspects of household consumption.

A targeted social marketing approach for community pro-environmental behavioural change

Community-level initiatives will play a key role in meeting greenhouse gas reduction targets. This paper examines the experience gained in applying a targeted social marketing approach to foster local-scale community pro-environmental behavioural change in the City of York, UK. This involved determining the neighbourhood carbon footprint, identifying residents that had access to appropriate infrastructure and were receptive to green issues. Six community teams were recruited from the selected neighbourhoods and provided with information, advice and mentoring on how to reduce their carbon footprint over a six-month period. A statistically significant reduction in carbon emissions was achieved. Each participant achieved a mean reduction in their carbon footprint of 2.0 tonnes of CO2e/year. The largest reductions were achieved in the areas of shopping and home energy. In addition, it helped to foster community spirit. Based on the experience gained from implementing this approach, a cost-effective model of community engagement is proposed.

Building community resilience: can everyone enjoy a good life?

ABSTRACT Initiatives to reduce community carbon emissions and foster sustainable lifestyles have had varying degrees of success. There is now a need for a re-energised, concerted and joined-up approach that places environmental issues in a wider context – one that improves quality of life while building community resilience. This involves enhancing the capacity of neighbourhoods to recover, respond and adapt to environmental and socio-economic changes. This paper examines the experience gained in a participatory action research (PAR) study to build community resilience, where facilitators supported residents to take ownership of their own agendas. The New Earswick Good Life Initiative (GLI) was an 18-month project undertaken in a low-income suburb of York (UK). A range of approaches were used to identify activities which had the most potential to nurture resilience and foster a shift towards greater environmental sustainability. The GLI highlighted how the introduction of new ideas not only need to be locally relevant but also requires care and time in order for them to embed within community. Altering the way a community manages its environment involves transforming social relationships, strengthening institutions and influencing local power balances. Furthermore, it is necessary to build social capital, knowledge, leadership skills and support social networks to allow communities to effectively engage with relevant local and national policies. Only by providing opportunities to develop these resilient attributes can increased local responsibility be successful. The paper concludes by providing guidance on strengthening community resilience and delivering pro-environmental behaviour change.

Environmentalism since 1945

Acronyms and Abbreviations. Historical Timeline of Environmentalism. Acknowledgements. 1. Introduction 2. The Environmental Movement 3. Global Environmental Governance 4. Science and the Environment 5. Economics and the Environment 6. Popular Culture and the Environment 7. The Future of Environmentalism Notes. Further Reading.

Growing old in a changing climate

An ageing society and a changing climate bring together two key policy challenges which need to be addressed to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and ensure a safe, secure, equitable and sustainable future. By end of the century global surface temperature is likely to increase by 1.5°C to 2°C (IPCC, 2013). As the planet warms, we can expect climate-related extremes, such as heat waves, droughts, floods, cyclones, and wildfires. Increasing climate variability will have direct and indirect effects on human health and wellbeing, especially of vulnerable groups. While many older people are healthy and socially and economically active, others are not, rendering them physically, financially and/or emotionally less resilient in coping with a changing climate (Haq et al, 2008; Sanchez-Gonzalez and Chavez-Alvardo, 2016). An understanding of the factors which contribute to older people’s vulnerability and resilience can therefore strengthen the capacity of government to prevent and minimise the climate-related impacts on this demographic group.