Frontiers in Public Health (Oct 2015)
Quantifying Behaviour Change in reducing environmental impact within large organisations - 3 case studies from the UK
Abstract
In the field of environmental impact reduction, Behaviour Change has not traditionally been regarded as an easy route to achieving substantial results. Arguably this is driven by perceptions that it is (i) difficult to influence large numbers of people, and (ii) difficult to quantify the potentially nebulous results generated. This paper proposes that by use of innovative and engaging IT systems and good programme design, both of these challenges can be addressed. By so doing, Behaviour Change can be systemized and used within large organisations as a useful route to achieving significant reductions in environmental impact. It reviews examples of such Behaviour Change programmes within 3 large organisations within the UK and highlights the impact of the IT-enabled approach. BACKGROUND Public Sector organisations within the UK have a legal mandate to reduce their Carbon footprints. In developing their Carbon management plans, most have included staff engagement as an element of their approach. The author, working with ZapCarbon Ltd., has taken this as an opportunity to develop innovative modular behaviour change systems for such organisations. Novel IT platforms have been central to their successful operation. (Examples at www.cranfieldgreen.co.uk, www.ougogreen.co.uk and www.beeslondon.co.uk ) Programmes on three university campuses are reviewed in this paper (University of London, Open University and Cranfield University). In all cases, programmes have been run for a minimum of 2 years, and the latest results are presented. The aim of the programmes has been to give the organisations cost-effective routes to engage staff, develop their capabilities with regard to environmental improvement and measure the results they achieved. DESCRIPTION The approach taken focuses on integrating and enabling local “energy champions” by means of innovative IT platforms. The paper includes the iterative design process behind these online platforms, which was geared to achieving a number of roles, including: - awareness raising, - facilitating peer pledging of support - inter-champion communication - team building - fostering competitive spirit towards goals - tracking energy-saving actions taken - displaying energy consumption data & resultant changes Well-designed IT systems have been a key enabler in allowing the programmes to operate in a manner that encourages efficient & effective operation. Not only does champion interaction increase as a result of better engagement, but the unit cost of the programme can be kept low, thereby increasing the return on investment for the organisation. The results from the three sites are presented in this paper. Within all three organisations, the champion density was around 1 - 2% (ie: 1 - 2% of staff population chose to become champions). These champions were given specific tasks, all of which centered around the online platform. The system included automated messaging to mobile phones and results-based feedback in real time. To raise awareness across the organisation, champions asked fellow staff to pledge their support online. From this action, between 25 – 40% of the organisations’ populations were reached (ie: several thousand staff members) and as a consequence, became linked in to the programme’s aims. Using an online Action monitoring system, champions self-selected energy-saving actions to undertake within their workplaces. When these were performed, champions recorded these on a live Actions Feed. The immediate effect of such actions was a reduction in energy demand. However, the cumulative social effect of displaying the champions’ actions online was to create an enhanced momentum to the programme and competitive motivation between champions. Reflecting data back to champions on the effects of their actions is a powerful tool. Where metering of energy consumption exists, this is done in close to real time. Champions can thus observe the magnitude of their changes within their workplaces and learn which changes have the greatest energy-saving potential. Many results are presented in which champions have reduced their building’s energy consumption by over 20%, and a smaller number where reductions of over 50% have been achieved. In total, these programmes have saved the organisations substantial amounts of money and avoided CO2 emissions. Analysis has shown that the three universities are currently benefitting by over £320,000 / year and 1,300 tonnes of avoided CO2, as behavioural-led changes have already reduced demand by between 5% and 8%. Figure 1 shows the savings made by one university, and demonstrates a 99kW reduction in electricity demand that has been created through staff behaviour change. CONCLUSIONS Effecting behaviour change within large organisations has always been difficult owing to the large numbers of people involved, the slow speed of feedback and the difficulty in quantifying results. This work shows that well-designed IT systems are a key enabler in overcoming all of these challenges. IT has permitted and facilitated the following: Community building, awareness raising, quantification of savings, feedback on actions, competitive activity and rapid reporting. The results from these programmes have helped three universities to cut their electricity consumption by between 5% and 8%, with potential for greater future cuts. Collectively, as a result of this mechanism, the three universities are reducing their environmental impact by over 1,300 tonnes of CO2 per year. The implications for other areas of behaviour change are significant. Potentially the lessons learned in these IT-enabled environmental impact reduction initiatives can be translated into other fields (eg: other health, organisational change, etc).
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