Persistence of change: fume hood campaign lessons

Abstract

Purpose

Sustainability initiatives typically operate for a limited time period, but it is often unclear whether they have lasting effects. The purpose of this paper is to examine a laboratory fume hood campaign, in order to identify factors that might contribute or detract from long‐term change persistence.

Design/methodology/approach

The University of Toronto Sustainability Office ran a fume hood sash‐closing campaign in one building for a four‐month period. The campaign had two components: awareness‐raising, where the safety and energy benefits of sash‐closing were explained through posters, presentations, and a website; and a competition where participants received raffle tickets when their sashes were in compliance during unannounced inspections. Sash heights were recorded six and a half months before the campaign, throughout the campaign itself, and eight months after the campaign. Surveys and focus groups were used to assess participant attitudes and experiences.

Findings

The campaign was effective in substantially reducing sash heights while it was in effect. Several months after the campaign, it appeared that sash‐closing behaviours had mostly – but not entirely – reverted to pre‐campaign levels.

Research limitations/implications

This research does not examine differences in responses across users, and it is possible that the campaign was very effective in persuading some individuals.

Practical implications

When running short‐term behaviour‐change campaigns, attention should be given to strategies that enhance or detract persistence of changes. Competitions and prizes could, perhaps counter‐intuitively, reduce long‐term effectiveness.

Originality/value

Persistence is often overlooked in the design of sustainability campaigns. This paper offers important insights into what does not create lasting change and what might.

Citation

Feder, E., Robinson, J. and Wakefield, S. (2012), "Persistence of change: fume hood campaign lessons", International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 13 No. 4, pp. 338-353. https://doi.org/10.1108/14676371211262290