How to Save the World | The Psychology & Science of Environmental Behavior

Today's guest is environmental psychologist, Veronica Champine, PhD Candidate and Graduate Research Assistant at Colorado State University. We're breaking down the science of "social diffusion" in her research paper "Understanding individual and diffusion behaviors related to native plant gardening" recently published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology. Her research explores the difference between asking people to take individual action vs asking people to talk to people around them and showing by example - that's social diffusion - an often missing link in many climate programs and startups. We'll be diving into the power and nuance of helping people to get better at diffusing environmental behaviors in their communities - and what we need to do to become designers of social diffusion. Connect with Veronica on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/veronica-champine-5305309a/ The paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272494422000433 ---------------------- How to Save the World is a podcast about the psychology of what gets people to do eco-behaviors and take climate action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to rapidly get more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product. Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at http://katiepatrick.com Join my Gamify the Planet masterclass training in climate action design for $25 / month http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet Get a copy of the book, How to Save the World on Amazon https://amzn.to/2Z4jivL  This podcast is supported by our friends at Earth Hacks who run environmental hackathons, Conservation X Labs who promote community-driven open tech development for conservation, and Climate Designers - a network of designers who use their creative skills for climate action. Follow on Twitter @katiepatrick Instagram @katiepatrickhello LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-patrick/

There's a line in a song that says "Words are hotter fire. Words are wetter than water." You might not think that words possess a superpower that can help you change the world, but if you're in the job of influencing people to change, language is your secret weapon.  In this episode, I talk through some of the mistakes I see people make and how you can get better at crafting your written story and your copywriting. I hope you take the time to master the art of sculpting words that deeply move people, and through that, you can spark a revolution.   I recommend you read these books: On Writing Well, by Willian Zinsser https://amzn.to/2Ty9qsr  The Sense of Style, by Steven Pinker https://amzn.to/3dDF6DH * * *  How to Save the World is a Podcast About the Psychology of What Gets People To Take On Sustainable Behavior and Climate Action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to rapidly get more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product. Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at http://katiepatrick.com Join my Gamify the Planet masterclass training in climate action design for $25 / month http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet  Get a copy of the book, How to Save the World on Amazon This podcast is supported by our friends at Earth Hacks who run environmental hackathons, Conservation X Labs who promote community-driven open tech development for conservation, and Climate Designers - a network of designers who use their creative skills for climate action. Contribute a monthly donation to the How to Save the World podcast at patreon.com/katiepatrick Follow on Twitter @katiepatrick, Instagram @katiepatrickhello, and LinkedIn Book a 90-minute Idea Storming Call with Katie: https://calendly.com/katiepatrick/idea-storm

What would it take to make "A Fitbit of the world's forests"? As you could imagine, it would be a momentous task. Global Forest Watch is doing it. It's one of the world's most technically ambitious ecological monitoring projects that maps and monitors the entire Earth's forest cover, with high-frequency updates, and ecological health insights, and displays it on a beautiful and easy-to-use browser interface. Global Forest Watch a partnership between the World Resources Institute and multiple philanthropic bodies, conversation NGOs, and universities. The technical intricacy of this project spans right from the satellites that collect the data through to processing the images, the algorithms that scan for tree cover and calculate changes, the depth of data in the electromagnetic spectrum and how it conveys ecological health, and how to get it all looking nice and loadable on a browser. And then there's the biggest question of all – how does all this data visualization actually help forests get protected off the computer?  How do we use complex environmental data to drive change in the real world? Global Forest Watch (GFW) is a map-based platform that allows anyone to access near real-time information about where and how forests are changing around the world. See the Global Forest Watch platform here. https://twitter.com/globalforests https://www.instagram.com/globalforests * * * How to Save the World is a Podcast About the Psychology of What Gets People To Take On Sustainable Behavior and Climate Action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to get magnitudes more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product. Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at http://katiepatrick.com Join Gamify the Planet Masterclass Training in Climate Action Design for $25/month http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet  Get a copy of the book, How to Save the World on Amazon This podcast is supported by our friends at Earth Hacks who run environmental hackathons, Conservation X Labs who promote community-driven open tech development for conservation, and Climate Designers - a network of designers who use their creative skills for climate action. Follow Katie on Twitter @katiepatrick, Instagram @katiepatrickhello, and LinkedIn

We can get better at telling the story of sustainability, climate, and greener futures. I wrote down these 24 evocative words, backed by science to motivate people, and riffed on ideas of how you use each of them to tell better stories to get people to join your environmental project. We need to be able to inspire epic feelings in people. Here are some examples of how you can do it.  * * *   How to Save the World is a Podcast About the Psychology of What Gets People To Take On Sustainable Behavior and Climate Action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to get magnitudes more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product. Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at http://katiepatrick.com  Join my masterclass training in climate action design for $25 / month http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet  Get a copy of the book, How to Save the World on Amazon  This podcast is supported by our friends at Earth Hacks who run environmental hackathons, Conservation X Labs who promote community-driven open tech development for conservation, and Climate Designers - a network of designers who use their creative skills for climate action.  Contribute a monthly donation to the How to Save the World podcast at patreon.com/katiepatrick  Follow on Twitter @katiepatrick, Instagram @katiepatrickhello, and LinkedIn  Book a 90-minute Idea Storming Call with Katie: https://calendly.com/katiepatrick/idea-storm

Have you ever seen a "sustainability street" program you thought was a great idea? In this month's Gamify the Planet Masterclass, we're creating one! In this episode, I share a simple tutorial on how you can design a gamified sustainability street program to promote decarbonization, electrification, and roof-top solar - and we'll learn the theory behind behavioral techniques work to tap into the human motivational core. Images and info to follow along + register for the class: https://katiepatrick.com/sustainabilitystreet See the Climate Action Yard Signs: https://www.instagram.com/p/CkysFgJv2Cp/ Humans are group animals. By harnessing the power of groups (like a street, block, or community) we can layer on gamification features like badges, goals, comparison, and progress-tracking to create a program that has the main ingredients the decarbonization movement needs to reach the tipping point of change. Gamify the Planet: Climate Action Masterclass Sustainability Street: Gamifying Neighborhood Decarbonization Tuesday 15th November 9am PST, 12pm EST, 5pm BST. Learn more at katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet Sign up for $25/month at Patreon.com/katiepatrick

In this episode, we speak with Thijs Bouman, assistant professor and researcher from the Environmental Psychology group at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. He’s done some fascinating research into the relationship between group and individual environmental values. We often think of our value systems and beliefs as if they were created by our own independent thoughts, but we as humans, are highly influenced by the groups we interact with. Seeing environmental change through the lens of group behavior could provide a very different lens through which to design environmental campaigns and programs. Thijs' research explores how, as individuals, we tend to underestimate the pro-environmental values of others, and because of this, we shortchange our own impact. Yet, when our fellow group members strongly endorse pro-environmental values, discovering this boosts our own environmental engagement.  Thijs Bouman's research: From values to climate action https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352250X21000579 Environmental values and identities at the personal and group level https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352154621000449 Contact: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thijsbouman/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/T_Bouman DOORS OPEN  Gamify the Planet: Climate Action Masterclass Sustainability Street: Gamifying Neighborhood Decarbonization Tuesday 15th November 9am PST, 12pm EST, 5pm BST. Learn more at katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet Sign up for $25/month at Patreon.com/katiepatrick How to Save the World is a Podcast About the Psychology of What Gets People To Take On Sustainable Behavior and Climate Action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to get magnitudes more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product. Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at http://katiepatrick.com

We need to avoid the trap of getting caught up in a single idea. Ideas are plentiful. When it comes to climate or social change, an idea is just a hypothesis. Will your idea actually create the change you think it will? You'll only know by testing it.  In this episode, I talk about how you need to have lots of ideas and rapidly iterate them. You need to test them and discover the causal mechanism of what works on people. The faster you can test and iterate, the faster you can get to the mechanisms of what people love and why they change. Work on your vision of the future world and less on your "idea."  Get a copy of How to Save the World on Amazon Join my masterclass training in climate action design for $25 / month http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet * * *  How to Save the World is a Podcast About the Psychology of What Gets People To Take On Sustainable Behavior and Climate Action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to get magnitudes more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product. Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at http://katiepatrick.com This podcast is supported by our friends at Earth Hacks who run environmental hackathons, Conservation X Labs who promote community-driven open tech development for conservation, and Climate Designers - a network of designers who use their creative skills for climate action. Contribute a monthly donation to the How to Save the World podcast at patreon.com/katiepatrick Follow on Twitter @katiepatrick, Instagram @katiepatrickhello, and LinkedIn Book a 90-minute Idea Storming Call with Katie: https://calendly.com/katiepatrick/idea-storm

Learn about behavior mapping for climate action, the powerful technique to influence human behavior. Discover the 96 psychological techniques to drive real impact. Join the Climate Action Design Masterclass and explore strategies for sustainable behavior change through small commitments, group norms, and novel experiences.

How do we persuade homeowners to make climate upgrades to their homes such as electrifying, installing solar, or improving energy efficiency? Do we persuade them using environmental facts and energy data, or is a social mechanism more effective, like sparking a conversation with a neighbor or friend?  Our guest today is Brian Southwell. Brian is the Adjunct Professor at Duke University’s School of Medicine, the director of the Science in the Public Sphere Program at a large non-profit research institute called RTI, and he also is and hosts The Measure of Everyday Life radio show. His research paper we are diving into today is titled “Weatherization behavior and social context: The influences of factual knowledge and social interaction” and it tests which works better to get people to take action on their homes - facts or conversations?"  When big climate, decarbonization, and electrification programs are rolled out by utilities, local governments, and NGOs across thousands or millions of homes, when these organizations often spend millions of dollars trying to get traction in communities, the nuance of what works to drive action really matters.  * * * Sign up for my new monthly Masterclass, Gamify the Planet, on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/katiepatrick What we'll be learning: http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet * * *  How to Save the World is a Podcast About the Psychology of What Gets People To Take On Sustainable Behavior and Climate Action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based techniques you can use to get more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product. Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at http://katiepatrick.com  Get a copy of How to Save the World on Amazon  This podcast is supported by our friends at Earth Hacks who run environmental hackathons, Conservation X Labs who promote community-driven open tech development for conservation, and Climate Designers - a network of designers who use their creative skills for climate action.  Follow on Twitter @katiepatrick, Instagram @katiepatrickhello, and LinkedIn  Book a 90-minute Idea Storming Call with Katie: https://calendly.com/katiepatrick/idea-storm

You need to tell the world why your idea or mission matters – and not just in any way. You need to tell a story that deeply resonates so that people will fund you, work with you, and take action to support you. In this episode, I talk through the power of using The Hero's Journey template to tell your non-fiction story – and how discovering this twelve-step structure dramatically changed the course of not just my environmental work,  but my life, and how it might change yours, too. See the article and free downloadable story template How to Tell a Story that Changes the World Get the book, Resonate, by Nancy Duarte https://amzn.to/3qGuwkm  Get The Hero With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell https://amzn.to/3dCOmrz * * *  How to Save the World is a Podcast About the Psychology of What Gets People To Take On Sustainable Behavior and Climate Action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to get magnitudes more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product. Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at http://katiepatrick.com Get a copy of How to Save the World on Amazon Join my masterclass training in climate action design for $25 / month http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet This podcast is supported by our friends at Earth Hacks who run environmental hackathons, Conservation X Labs who promote community-driven open tech development for conservation, and Climate Designers - a network of designers who use their creative skills for climate action. Contribute a monthly donation to the How to Save the World podcast at patreon.com/katiepatrick Follow on Twitter @katiepatrick, Instagram @katiepatrickhello, and LinkedIn Book a 90-minute Idea Storming Call with Katie: https://calendly.com/katiepatrick/idea-storm