What pro- or anti-environmental behaviors are feasible to measure objectively rather than with self-report?

Question

One of the central challenges in understanding pro-environmental behavior is measurement. Currently, most researchers (including myself) lean on self-report of behavior. I'm looking for a brainstorm. What kinds of pro-environmental behaviors might be realistically measured by researchers? I think there's room for more creativity. I'd love to hear some ideas. For example, recycling bins have been measured at the curb for weight (time-consuming), electrical meters have been read by students (time-consuming), household water usage has been measured by partnering with a water district (long-term negotiation due to privacy).... there are also laboratory tasks such as recycling, donation, and turning out the lights, but these are lower-quality measures because they only occur once. There's room here for more creativity. What other pro- or anti-environmental behaviors can be observed by researchers in the real world or in an online survey? I'm looking for a brainstorm, not a literature review. I work in this area and know the key papers well. Thank you for any suggestions!

Answer 1

Hi! This is an interesting research question! I'm an engineer and a neuroscientist by training, but I'm happy to add my thoughts to your brainstorm. You mention that things like measuring the weight of recycling bins or electrical meters as time consuming. Perhaps this concern can be addressed by using internet of things (IoT) devices like Nest thermostats, automatic trash cans, or self reporting meters. Another idea would be to focus on a community, such as a university, that is working actively to implement pro-environmental policies and practices. For example, at Georgia Tech and Emory University (where I am a PhD student) there are student competitions between departments or buildings to be the most energy efficient. While mostly measuring degrees of pro-environmental behaviors, these campus initiatives or competitions might have valuable data they are willing to share. Hope this helps!