Report – Sustainable Behavior
(Introductory edition*)
* Please note: This paper can also be presented in greater strategic depth for public and private audiences. Contact us for details.
Summary: What does it take to sustain the right behaviors over time? Many groups still use 'guilt' and apocalypse imagery to motivate adoption. And they talk about unfairness to next generations. But are these the most effective messages?
In 2007, Vermillion began research into sustainable behavior. A credible research report from the early '90s told us that most adults 'get' the risk of unmanaged environmental impacts. However, we see that when they vote as citizens and consumers, they are driven by different factors. It’s clearly not a straight line between knowing what to do, doing it, and having that successfully reinforced over time.
This report examines the dominant moral reasoning theories and their application to the challenges of motivating sustainable behavior—and suggests what will be more effective approaches going forward.
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Stats
First Edition: April 2012
Intended audiences:
SD practitioners, NGOs, public agencies and UN Stakeholders
David Peters (San Francisco, USA)
David consults with progressive groups on the role of design in enabling positive social change. Based in San Francisco since 1996, he has directed major projects for The Ocean Conservancy, San Francisco Planning + Urban Research Association (SPUR), U.N. World Environment Day 2005, and Ernst & Young.
During his years in New York, David led innovation teams to develop new client-facing technology services for T. Rowe Price and Citibank. David was educated at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, and he returns to Halifax each summer to conduct Design Issues seminars for graduate students in its acclaimed MDes program.
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Kelly Hartman (Calgary, Canada)
The Vermillion cooperation emblem, sustainability emblem, and brand identity were created by Kelly Hartman, the lead designer in a successful Calgary studio.
Kelly has a full schedule serving international clients, but she makes time to fill a key role as Vermillion’s Art Director. Kelly has been a judge of several prestigious design competitions and has earned 28 national and international awards for her work.
Matt Palmer (Calgary, Canada)
To fulfill Vermillion’s mission to improve public literacy with accurate, useful and high-impact media – and to attract people to constructive insights into full-spectrum issues – we need guidance and production assistance from world-class talent. Enter Matt Palmer.
Matt has been in film for the past 20 years as a writer, director and producer working in drama and documentary. His newest project is a multi-format feature (TV series, web doc, education) called Unintended Consequences, looking at the externalities of the energy systems that many regions will need to transition from high-carbon to low-carbon economies.
Matt's current Vermillion project
Working with Randy Bradshaw Matt will film and post-produce the first web- and broadcast- ready episodes of the Innovators in Sustainability project. Learn more
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More credentials
Matt's won several writing and directing awards, including a Silver Hugo from the Chicago International Film Festival; he was part of the team that won a Canadian New Media award for Best Online Program.
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To help people make better choices, Vermillion will publicize materials and intellectual resources that have been developed, challenged and validated in Vermillion forums, working groups and in third-party settings. In order to try to ensure that the materials and resources remain unaltered, appropriate and accurate, and to help ensure that authorship is properly reflected, Vermillion controls access to such materials and resources by licensing and other means.
Additionally, to preserve our capacity to continue doing good work, Vermillion charges fees to some users.
Therefore, those who distribute our materials without consent undermine our ability to continue. If you want your associates to see our materials, we encourage you to refer them to our Web Services and Activities.
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