(source: http://sustainability.umich.edu/pbsl)
Drawing from Douglas McKenzie-Mohr's ideas from "Fostering Sustainable Behavior," a vital part of determining the effectiveness of different strategies is assessing and measuring the success of these strategies in pilot programs. In order to create programs and policies that are most successful at reducing move-out waste, it is important to test possible strategies at a smaller scale before implementing them across the university. When creating pilot programs, it is important to:
1. Measure and record baselines levels of move-out waste in dorms (previous year)
- It's important to first measure move-out waste levels before any strategies are implemented. This can be done by measuring move-out waste levels in the previous year for each dorm. Data should be as precise as possible. Changes for special housing such as single-sex housing, athletes, and learning communities should be noted.
- Baseline measurements should include, but aren't limited to: number of students with move-out waste, number of items that are thrown out (household items, electronics, etc...), where waste is deposited for each dorm, when waste is deposited, and when students move out.
2. Test strategies with identical groups of students
- Strategies should be tested and compared to baseline and control group measurements of housing that are as identical as possible. Because dorms are unique, it would be best to test strategies with floors of residence halls. Different floors in the same dorm buildings should be used as controls.
3. Measure the success of each strategy in ways specific to housing
- Because each dorm is unique, acknowledge and record variations in housing such as access/relative location to dumpsters, provided furniture, and number of students per room.
4. Measure actual behavior change, not reported behavior change
- The success of piloted strategies should not be determined by self-reported behavior change from students. Actual behavior change should be reported in as direct means as possible.
5. Calculate return on investment
- Financial costs, time spent on strategy implementation by employees/volunteers, and materials used for each strategy should be recorded. When comparing strategies, it's important to be able to recognize the cost of each strategy in regards to the success of each strategy in changing the desired behavior.
References
(5) McKenzie-Mohr, D. (2011). Fostering Sustainable Behavior. In Fostering Sustainable Behavior: An Introduction to Community-Based Social Marketing. Canada: New Society Publishers.