The Little Book of Green Nudges

Broaden messages to appeal to a wide audience

Choose messengers who will be received positively

Highlight desirable identities

How? When promoting positive behaviours, avoid terms associated with narrow identities that could make people feel excluded. For example, avoid words such as “vegetarian” or “vegan” to describe food on menus (try “field-grown” instead), 24 and don’t frame bicycling as an activity done by “cyclists”, as this may alienate certain groups, including some women. 25 Who might be involved? University administrators, campus sustainability coordinators, student sustainability groups, campus catering managers

How? In messaging campaigns, make sure the sender is someone the recipient identifies with or is likely to feel positively about. For a student audience, appropriate messengers could be fellow students or former students, especially if they are well known. Ensuring that characteristics of messengers reflect the target audience (for example, in terms of gender, ethnicity and age) is key to appeal to different parts of the populace.

How? Frame campaigns in terms of identities that people aspire to or groups they belong to. For example, the “Don’t mess with Texas!” messaging campaign in the US reduced litter by harnessing a group identity that Texans are proud of.

Who might be involved? Campus sustainability coordinators, student sustainability groups

Who might be involved? Campus sustainability coordinators, student sustainability groups

The Little Book of Green Nudges 25