Environmental Attitudes IntegratED Symposium on Sustainability Sarah Vitulano, Louise Delaigue, Marie-Lisa Jolin Bill Chatzopulos, Marc-Antoine Tutt-Guerette

 Live Experiment 1. True or False: -We are approaching the limit of the number of people the Earth can support. -Humans have the right to modify the natural environment to suit their needs. -When humans interfere with nature it often produces disastrous consequences. -Human ingenuity will insure that we do not make the Earth unlivable. 2. Choose what you like best to write: pen or pencil?

 How to approach sustainability issues -Thomas Heberlein: Navigating Environmental Attitudes -Attitudes and behaviors are key influences -Cognitive fix vs. Structural fix -What are attitudes and behaviors?

 Attitudes and behaviors -Attitudes cannot be seen. Individual’s disposition towards something. -Behaviors can be seen. Their manner of conducting themselves towards something. -Attitudes do not necessarily reflect behaviour. -Can be crudely contrasted as “thinking vs. doing”

 Goal -Understanding human psychology towards the environment -To raise awareness of aforementioned techniques -To apply these techniques at Concordia and expose a possible idea to increase our sustainability

 Cognitive Fix -Educating the public in hope that attitudes will change and influence behavior

 Pro-Environmental Attitudes -Exxon Mine -Smoking cigarettes -Studying Anti Exxon Rally March 1994Anti Exxon Rally March 1994 Education is important but it’s not enough to influence pro-environmental attitudes to pro-environmental behaviors. Ex: We know recycling is important & is a great tool to being sustainably proactive (pro-environmental attitudes) however this information has not made everyone recycle or recycle all items that are recyclable (pro-environmental behavior).  Cognitive Fix example

 What is the Structural Fix? -Changes the social environment that influences what people do -Focuses on context or setting to change human behavior

 Advantages -Does not focus on attitude change as the driver of behavioral change -Can produce results by changing behavior -Effective structural fixes designed with attitudes take advantage of social contexts

 Disadvantages -Does not influence attitudes -Many Structural Fixes require gaining support and changing behaviors of people in charge which can be difficult initially

 Example from Heberlein -Graduate student replaced plastic foam cups with biodegradable paper cups and a rack for China cups at an employee coffee room  changed behavior of people without asking them to do it  after student graduated, the plastic foam cups returned & attitudes never changed

 Example -Reducing plastic waste and electricity usage on campus by removing vending machines (new contract to be awarded on April 15 th )

 Structural fixes work!

-Already existing general attitudes -Non disruptive -What works for one place may not work for another

 Stockholm Crowing Tax -Reduce city center crowding -Used structural fix -Positive response from population

 Interdisciplinary

 Fixes and Sustainability?

 Concordia University’s sustainable future -Concordia Travel Mug Renting Service -Library Policy -No need to use disposable cups anymore!

 Results: greener footprint!

 Conclusion -Results -Structural Fixes are the most efficient strategies in the short term -Understanding human psychology and the interdisciplinary factor is important

 References -Heberlein, T. (2012). Navigating environmental attitudes. New York: Oxford University Press. -Anderson, M. (2012). New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) Scale. Berkshire. -Picture: River Biya, Russia – Dmitri Melnikov