Promoting pro-environmental gardening practices: Field experimental evidence for the effectiveness of biospheric appeals

《Promoting pro-environmental gardening practices: Field experimental evidence for the effectiveness of biospheric appeals》

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关键字: Behavior change;Biodiversity;Private gardens;Pro-environmental behavior;Urban gardening

作者单位: KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 69, 3000 Leuven, Belgium;KU Leuven, Naamsestraat 69, 3000 Leuven, Belgium

摘要: Pro-environmental gardening practices can help to address climate change and biodiversity loss. However, little is known about how urban garden owners can be motivated to engage in such practices. In the present study, we tested the effectiveness of behavior change techniques for the promotion of pollinator-friendly garden flowers in a field experiment. Over a period of three weeks, we observed purchases of a pollinator-friendly seed mixture positioned in the checkout area of a Belgian wholesale store (total number of purchases = 162). Customers were exposed to posters that highlighted either the environmental benefits (e.g., conserving insect biodiversity) or the personal benefits (e.g., having a beautiful garden) of planting the seeds. In comparison to a control condition, seed purchases increased by 82% when environmental benefits were highlighted. The effect of stressing personal benefits was not significant. Our results indicate that pro-environmental gardening practices can be promoted by highlighting their environmental benefits at a point of decision.