Reduce, reuse, recyclE - reprogram By David Williams
Documentaries like 2006's An Inconvenient Truth and record-high
gasoline prices have brought environmental issues to the forefront
of social consciousness.
However, this isn't the first time America has embraced the subject of sustainability. One needs only to look back at the last decade to find the eco-friendly catchphrase "reduce, reuse, recycle" and cartoons like "Widget the World Watcher" and "Captain Planet," which sought to impress upon youth the importance of pitching in for the sake of all of Earth's inhabitants.
Today, sustainability is more mainstream than ever. But is it doomed to be just another buzzword, or will the recycled message bring about lasting behavioral change?
From 1990 to 2000 - when public service announcements bombarded audiences - national recycling increased 12.9 percent, the greatest improvement to date. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, while recycling rates have risen since 1960, growth has become somewhat stagnant in recent years.
Because both recycling outputs and recycling outreach efforts have declined in the past 10 years, a University of Wisconsin Oshkosh researcher recently explored a new method for getting the word out about recycling.
Craig Maher, an associate professor with the University's Master of Public Administration Program, served as lead researcher for "Outreach Efforts to Increase Recycling Participation in Southern Wisconsin," a study sponsored by the UW System. The campaign sent young volunteers out for face-to-face talks about recycling in Milwaukee, Waukesha County and Wauwatosa in 2007 and 2008.
"We identified three separate routes. In one, we did nothing. In another, we did a literature drop. In the third, we sent youth groups to talk about the importance of recycling and details about the community's recycling program," Maher said.
The experiment was as much about the messenger as it was the message. Would high school students, Boy Scouts and young church groups appeal to people's sense of responsibility?
"The impetus behind this was that there was a 'cute factor.' You send these kids who are showing an interest in a topic that would compel people to recycle more," Maher said. "But that's not necessarily the case."
Analyzing the data from the Milwaukee and
Waukesha County routes, he discovered that while sending youths
door
to door did not
have a direct impact on raw tonnage of recycled materials,
there were other positive effects. Anecdotal evidence
revealed residents
who had been visited
by volunteers put cleaner, less contaminated recyclables
on the curb and were more likely to call for an additional
recycling
bin.
"Informing people not only about the importance
of recycling in general, but also about the nuances within a
community's
recycling program, may have an impact on recycling output,"
Maher said.
"The easier you make it for the homeowner to recycle,
the greater their preponderance is going to be to
recycle," he said.
Another incentive for taxpayers to step up their efforts is an international market for recyclable materials. Unlike in years past, recycling programs now can generate money, and some communities already are renegotiating contracts to maximize profit.
"If
something is not being recycled, it's likely going into solid
waste, and there is a cost to haul it away.
Plus there's
no revenue
for recycling. It's a double whammy."
Saving the planet pays
Steve Dunn sees recent record-high gas prices as a
step toward lasting change because it takes sustainability
to the streets
- so to speak.
"The fuel situation has finally hammered it home to people," said Dunn, a UW Oshkosh business and environmental studies professor. "People are numb to scare tactics. I think they have to feel the pain a little."
The same goes for industry. Environmentalists and enterprises traditionally haven't seen eye to eye on the importance of living - and working - green. But businesses' stance on sustainability seems to have shifted from "why should we?" to "why didn't we do this sooner?"
"You can't look at a business publication anymore without seeing a mention of something green in it," said Dunn. "With businesses, there's always a danger that it's a flavor of the month. The key this time is the stakes are much higher."
Three years ago the University developed the Center to Advance Sustainable Practices and Environmental Research (CASPER), which focuses on helping organizations in the New North address sustainability issues, such as determining their environmental footprint, evaluating their business practices to determine if they were consistent with "green" principles, and providing advice and counsel to improve their business practices.
UW Oshkosh is currently seeking a director of sustainability who will play a key role in developing CASPER into a national model.
"There is a lot of 'low-hanging fruit,' simple things people can do to meet their bottom line," he said, citing the construction of a building according to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards as an example of a cost-effective measure.
Not only does going green save some 'green' - because wasting energy and resources means wasting money, too - but also, how companies treat employees and the Earth directly impacts income. As sustainability continues its march into the mainstream, consumers are becoming more aware of how a companyÕs actions affect the region.
"The triple bottom line is a holistic approach. It's not just the cash, but how you deal with people and your reputation within the community," Dunn said.
Whether teaching in the classroom or working with ISO, Dunn believes education is crucial to convincing consumers to join the green crusade. UW Oshkosh's Supply Chain and Operations Management department, which Dunn chairs, was the first and remains one of few programs in the nation to include an environmental studies requirement.
"You can't put a student in the global economy without this training," he said.
"I don't care what field you're in, you still live on Planet Earth."
By bringing the business leaders of today and tomorrow on board, educators enable eco-minded companies to make great strides now while ensuring that the quest for sustainability endures through the years to come.
Related story:
- Click here to read an essay by Craig Maher.