The Little Book of Green Nudges

The nudge: Encourage people to make public commitments to sustainability and reach out to others in their social networks. Encourage groups to take action together, such as sports teams, university departments and halls of residence. Highlight opportunities for people to help each other. Evidence that it’s effective: A message about helping others increased the number of people signing up to be organ donors in the UK by 35 per cent compared to a control message. 26 Why it works: Feeling a responsibility to do something “for” someone else can be a strong motivator. This can involve commitments made to another person or in public (people want to avoid the social cost of not following through), influence from peers and others in our social networks, and reciprocity (people feel obliged to do something in return for someone who has done something for them). Use social connections and peer pressure MAKE IT SOCIAL

Create opportunities to make public pledges

How? Encourage staff and students to make pledges towards sustainable goals in front of peers. Suitable moments could be when new employees join the university, when students move into residence halls, or when students join membership clubs.

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

Student activists at Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez Ureña in the Dominican Republic.

The Little Book of Green Nudges 26