The Third Sector and Community Engagement “Meeting the Climate Change Challenge” TrIsCo conference 8 September 2011 Dr Milena Büchs m.buechs@soton.ac.uk
Introduction Role of the third sector in “reaching out” and encouraging low carbon lives – Trust & proximity to society Key question: how can community-based organisations ‘reach out’ more widely? Social marketing vs. identity campaigning Energy saving case study
Social marketing Marketing techniques to achieve behaviour change for a greater social good Audience segmentation models, e.g. DEFRA or Campaignstrategy.org Fun, status or other personal benefits (e.g. saving money) Spillover effects (e.g. to avoid cognitive dissonance)
www.dothegreenthing.com
www.globalcool.org
Identity campaigning Identity campaigning / Common Cause – Underpinned by social psychological and linguistic research (e.g. T Kasser, G Majo, G Lakoff) – Effects of activating extrinsic/materialistic values (especially rebound) – “Spillover”? – Activating intrinsic values – E.g.
Energy saving initiative (research project) Pilot study in our RCUK funded “Energy and Communities” research Aims: promote energy saving and tackling climate change Energy management programme with 10 sessions “Money saving” and a free energy efficiency makeover worth up to £2000 highlighted during recruitment Participants were recruited from the wider community and through a range of recruitment strategies
Participant responses - motivation 82% agreed or strongly agreed that they participated to save money 51% agreed or strongly agreed that they participated to tackle climate change “Had [organisation] advertised themselves on a more altruistic, worldwide [basis], you know, save the ozone layer aspects of it, then I very much doubt that either of us would have become involved. It was simply because they said, ‘this is a way in which you can save money on your electricity bill, your gas bill’” (Participant 2, p5).
Behaviour change “So I changed habits, yes. I don’t think I’d ever put the kettle on there with too much water in. I’ve changed that habit” (PART_4, p5).
An example I might give is that the local shops from here are no more than a mile away, it’s down a hill and the hill’s quite steep to come back up if you’re loaded down, I’ve got a bike that will take me, has taken me from the length of... from Spain to France no problem and yet when I go shopping, I’m probably going to get in the car (PART_5, p6)
Responses on climate change “But I would say it [climate change, MB] is not wholly done by us. We’re in nature’s cycle. (…) I mean, I read history. In the 12th century, it was hotter than this, there was dust blowing about because it was that hot. So they’re not quite truthful … if you’re going to come out with something, you’ve got to be truthful and back it up. But they only like to give you titbits, which they think… and I think that’s why a lot of people said, ‘Well, we’re not doing it because you’re just cherry-picking’” (PART_6).
Discussion - an issue of ‘framing’? Successfully reached out Could it have engaged “more deeply”? Further research is required to establish whether or not ‘identity campaigning’ can be used to engage more ‘sceptical’ audiences
DEFRA’s audience segmentation model
Source: CAT 2010, p165
Transition Towns
“How can we make our community stronger and happier as we deal with the impacts of peak oil and economic contraction while at the same time urgently reducing CO2 emissions?“ (Transition Network)
Transition Diversity project Initiation of the diversity project in 2010 To ‘develop models and practices to enable the transition movement to successfully engage across culture, race, faith and income groups’ (Transition Diversity webpage) Ropewalk Community Garden (participated in our diversity workshop Oct 2010)
Transition Diversity project Contacting other community-initiatives Activities/themes that cut across Neighbourhood approaches Public space, e.g. shows, concerts, picnics, etc.
Transition Tooting Trashcatcher Carnival 2010 – a featured diversity project
Transition Southampton: Bike powered cinema and concert 17 Sept, Guildhall square