How Does Green Messaging in Transportation Affect Behaviour?

The power and value of green in promoting sustainable transport behavior (11 page pdf, David Gaker, David Vautin, Akshay Vij and Joan L Walker, Environmental Research Letters Volume 6 Number 3, Jul. 26, 2011)

The question addressed by the review article today is how much does a “green” choice influence behavior when applied to transportation choices. The evidence presented indicates how much extra consumers are willing to pay per pound of emissions reduced (15 cents) and how this compares to how much time is saved, another strong motivator.





Key Quotes:

“While it is increasingly popular to broadcast information regarding environmental impact, little is known regarding the effects that this information has on human behavior.. whether, and to what extent, presenting environmental attributes of transport alternatives influences individual transport decisions”

“Our primary focus is to estimate the value of green (VoG). Value of time (VoT) is also of interest…. VoG and VoT are both marginal rates of substitution (MRS), equal to the tradeoff that one can make between two attributes and maintain the same level of utility. These are both willingnesses to pay where the trade-off is between a non-price attribute (CO2 for VoG and time for VoT) and the price”

“our female subjects significantly valued reducing their emissions more (7 cents more per pound) than their male counterparts”

“the attempt to make the costs more real to the subjects by paying them based on their decisions (and making a donation to an on-campus environmental fund) actually increased this group’s VoG by 11 cents per pound relative to the group who received a fixed payout”

“subjects were more willing to undertake sustainable behaviors when there was a clear environmental benefit, even with additional personal cost”

“Our basic (homogeneous) models indicate a value of green (VoG) of $0.15/pound of CO2, regardless of context (auto, mode, route) or presentation (pounds versus tons, daily versus annual)”

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