The Little Book of Green Nudges

Provide social comparisons of energy and water use How? Send messages to individuals letting them know whether they consume more energy or water than others, or publish a list ranking users by their consumption. This approach tends to be more effective when comparing individual people rather than groups.

Publicize university rankings that measure sustainability How? Build engagement among university staff by highlighting how campus sustainability initiatives are taken into account in many university league tables or rankings, making sustainability a status symbol and tapping into competitive instincts.

CASE STUDY

The University of Bath , UK, logged shower duration in campus residences, and used the information in social norm messages. They found that students who were told they took longer-than-average showers decreased their shower time. But they also noted that those who were told they took shorter-than-average showers increased their shower time.

Who might be involved? Campus building managers

Who might be involved? University administrators

CASE STUDY

The University of California, Davis , US, has a green workplace certification programme to give public recognition to sustainable offices and labs on campus.

CASE STUDY

Karatina University , Kenya, which recently branded itself as a “Green University”, has established a Green Innovations competition week, where teams of students submit projects that address environmental issues through social and technological innovations, with prizes for the winning teams.

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