————-
For the first time in the United States, internationally known environmental psychologist Dr. McKenzie-Mohr will lead a three-day comprehensive Community-Based Social Marketing workshop entitled “Fostering Sustainable Behavior,” May 21-23 on the CU Boulder campus.
The author of the international best-seller, “Fostering Sustainable Behavior,” Dr. McKenzie-Mohr presents a widely embraced methodology that identifies barriers and incentives to promote behavior changes that embrace sustainability.
The event includes a stand-alone, one-day Introductory Workshop and a two-day Advanced Workshop.
The advanced workshop provides an in-depth exploration of how community-based social marketing can be used to foster sustainable behavior. The session will introduce leading-edge material about selecting behaviors, identifying barriers and benefits (including market segmentation), applying behavior change tools
(including some exciting new developments regarding the use of commitments, norms, communication and goal setting) and piloting programs.
About this Workshop:
The cornerstone of sustainability is behavior change, because sustainability requires individuals and businesses to act, (e.g. reduce waste, improve energy and water use efficiency, change transportation modes, etc). To date, most programs have relied on disseminating information to achieve these changes.
Research demonstrates, however, that simply providing information has little to no effect on what people or businesses do. But if not ads, booklets and brochures, then what?
Over the last decade, a new approach called community-based social marketing has emerged as an effective method for promoting sustainable behavior. We invite you to attend this workshop with the founder of Community-Based Social Marketing, Dr. McKenzie-Mohr. This training will fundamentally change the way
you think about and act on program delivery.
Who Should Attend:
Those who design and implement programs to encourage individuals, groups, and businesses to engage in sustainability-based behaviors – such as energy and water efficiency, waste reduction, transportation mode changes, purchasing, and more, will find this workshop beneficial. The workshop is also helpful for
those involved in environmental education, such as staff at zoos, aquariums, and wilderness programs. Public health professionals who work to foster active and healthy lifestyles will also benefit.
Please visit the event page
(http://sustainable.colorado.
2) for more information, or sign up at
http://cbsmcolorado2012.
This might be considered by some to be less germane to core notions of bicycle planning. It is interesting and related to active communities and active transport, nonetheless
People love their bikes. In a recent survey of 5000 Bicycling magazine readers, 50% of men and 58% of women said that—if pressed to choose between sex or bikes—they’d pick the bikes. Draw your own implications about the future of our cities, society in general or even the nature of relationships.
A PhD student at the University of Maryland, Rahul Nair, did an operations based dissertation on vehicle sharing. He is now fortunately sharing his skills to the bicycle planning world. Check out the 1.4 million trips he graphically analyzed from the capital bicycle share system in Washington, D.C. spread across 140 stations. Edward Tufte would be proud. But moreso, it is great to see this bikesharing data now being analyzed. This is the first step to having better informed conversations about the degree to which these systems are worth it and to whom. 
As part of the arms race to become the most bicycle friendly city in the US, we are apparently up to at least 10 cities vying for top honors. I am sure there are still a few missing. But, as the article suggests, “this is a great development for the U.S. bike scene. Nothing motivates Americans (and our elected officials) quite like the race to appear in a magazine as the “best” at something. This is true. But, the Big Easy? …really? Wow, congrats on getting to bronze level.
There are at least two rankings in the US, one by the League of American Bicyclists and the other by Bicycling Magazine. Is it possible to be a bit more transparent with the criteria for each? In my limited search, nothing popped out.
One of my favorite Van Morrison cover songs is Bein’ Green (originally by Kermit), expressing that green “blends in with so many ordinary things” and how he wishes to be some other color. Apparently this is not the case for bike lanes (which is a good thing)–especially in LA. They stand out too much!
While it is a shame, I guess I can understand why the movie people think that the streets with bike lanes do not represent anytown USA. ….YET?
