Harnessing the Capability of Scientists to Influence and Motivate Change:

an overview of the new Eco Leader Advancement Program

at the University of Colorado Boulder

Christina Greever

Former CU Green Labs Program Assistant & Outreach Coordinator

Learning Objectives

• Identify strategies/activities/tactics that might help engage more with scientists;

• Articulate the goals that were laid out for each of the three levels of the Eco Leader Advancement Program;

• Understand some of the concerns about this program that were raised by our existing Eco Leaders, and how the program was changed to reflect those considerations; and

• Implement the parts of this program that are feasible and attractive at attendee's own institution.

Vision

Research and teaching labs of the future at CU Boulder will be more efficient, produce less waste, use fewer resources, and promote a culture of sharing more so than they do today in 2019. This is accomplished through developing sustainability leaders within the laboratory.

GoalEco Leaders take advantage of a self-paced “curriculum” to develop their knowledge of laboratory sustainability issues, make improvements within their own laboratory, and influence their peers. Through this experience, they create a more sustainable laboratory and reduce costs for the University of Colorado Boulder.

• “the eyes, ears, voice of conservation in the lab”

• Not much formal training

• Invited to participate in Green Labs initiatives, events, contests

• Monthly communications through newsletter

• Eco Leaders engage with Green Labs however they wish

• Ad hoc lab outreach to identify Eco Leaders

Former Eco Leader Program

Benefits of Participating for Eco Leaders

• Knowledge!

• Resume-builder, providing a way to stand out from the crowd

• Access to a network of other scientists improving their labs across campus

• Reducing the environmental impact of research

• Public recognition of efforts

• PIPs are Positive Impact Points - a ‘currency of change’ - that are earned and redeemed for verifiable daily life behaviors that benefit the planet, community and personal health.

• Behaviors are tracked and rewarded via the PIPs Rewards App that has been customized for CU Boulder students.

Another Benefit: PIPs Rewards!

Benefits to CU Green Labs

• Eco Leaders are more engaged with existing Green Labs Program

• Standardized structure• Better able to pass on knowledge/awareness to the Eco Leaders

through this program than through ad-hoc interactions

• Improved laboratory sustainability on campus

Community-Based Social Marketing (CBSM)

• An approach to promoting behavior change based on research in social psychology. Can be effectively used for behaviors related to:

• Sustainability• Health• Safety & Injury Prevention

• Identifies barriers to behavior change before applying strategies to promote lasting change

• Read about it: Fostering Sustainable Behavior: An Introduction to Community Based Social Marketing by Dr. Doug McKenzie Mohr – 3rd Edition

Key Features of Eco Leader Advancement Program (ELAP)

• Utilizing CBSM strategies

• 3 levels, plus one area of optional actions

• Designed keeping Green Labs professional staff time in mind –most interactions can be facilitated by a student

• Using Canvas, a platform already in use at CU Boulder

• Recognizing the individual, not the lab – this builds in continuous improvement

• Recognize advancement of Eco Leaders at Campus Sustainability Summit in the spring (public, personal recognition)

Framework

• Eco Leader expresses interest

• Short intake survey (website)

• Self-enrollment in Canvas course

• Initial visit to lab

• Delivery of prompts

• Delivery of poster for outside their

lab door

• Equipment timers

CBSMPrompts

CBSMIncentive

CBSMSocial Norming

Intake Survey

Prompts

Eco Leaders earn Achievements

Collect from a nearby location

Adhere to poster outside lab door

CBSMSocial Norming

Level 1 – Eco Leader In-Training

• Baseline Knowledge

• Commitment

Level 1 – Eco Leader In-Training

CBSMCommitment

Level 2 – Intermediate Eco Leader

• Intercultural Development of Self

• Laboratory Self-Assessment

• Making Changes

Level 2 – Intermediate Eco Leader

• Program is being piloted at CU Boulder with students & staff

• Helps you think about and define your own culture

• Identify where you are along the IDI Continuum

• Debrief with a Qualified Administrator at CU Boulder

• It’s difficult to discuss social justice topics if one hasn’t thought about their own culture, privilege, and their communication tendencies with people who are similar/different

• https://idiinventory.com/

Intercultural Development Inventory

Lab Assessment CBSMSocial Diffusion

Lab Assessment

• Borrowing features from Lab Assessments at University of Virginia, Duke, Harvard, My Green Lab, others

• This is an area we haven’t delved into much before

• Not asking for same actions across the board in a lab – the important thing is change and improvement

• Areas: energy, water, waste, green chemistry, equipment/space sharing, field research, miscellaneous topics

• Discussion post about one action a scientist took for their Lab Assessment

• They can see others’ actions once they post to discussion

• Eventually some of these will go up on the Green Labs website!

Trendsetter

CBSMSocial Norming

Level 3 – Certified Eco Leader

• System-Level Change

• Additional Lab Changes

• One of the Optional Achievements

Level 3 – Certified Eco Leader

Systems changes

necessary to make

laboratories more

sustainable beyond

energy, water, waste,

etc.

Influencing Systems

• BETR Grants

• ACT Label & Sustainable Procurement

• Shared Equipment and Shared Space

Optional Achievements• Section created because we liked these Achievements,

but they aren’t relevant or possible for every lab/scientist.

• Thinking about barriers to progress through the Eco Leader Advancement Program

• Campus Sustainability Summit each April

• Public, positive recognition

• Recognition for completing one or more of the program levels • In-Training

• Intermediate

• Certified

Annual Recognition

What’s happening currently?

• Pilot by ~5 individuals, mostly in biochemistry

• Seeking feedback & working out the kinks of Canvas

• Publicized Eco Leader Advancement Program widely during graduate student orientations (~150 grad students)

• Still printing up some PROMPT materials, Achievement stickers

• Training new student assistants to provide support for program

• In next couple months, we’ll open it up to any Eco Leaders that want to participate

Feedback from Scientists during Development

• Make sure terminology not too juvenile • Picked “Achievements” instead of “Badges”

• Requested incentives to motivate scientists to participate• Couldn’t afford giving cash to labs for supplies/equipment• But, incorporated PIPs Rewards into program

• Concerns that some Achievements weren’t achievable for some scientists/labs

• Neighbor communication as optional Achievement• Many concerns stem from lab culture• Built-in flexibility – scientists can contact us with issues

• Start at the Beginning• Actions focus on what an Eco Leader is• Actions focus on the basics of sustainability

Improvements Ideas for ELAP 2.0

• Include computing (and related efficiency actions) in the lab assessment

• Better integrate EH&S and Facilities Management (two of our partners)

• Development of a video about what an Eco Leader is and how to serve in that role.

• Develop a special program track that could accommodate Building Managers/Research Support Staff

• Lab Safety section of ELAP?

Take-Aways of Eco Leader Advancement

• Eco Leaders will have a more structured path to follow to engage with CU Green Labs over a longer period of time

• Certifying individuals instead of labs so that continuous improvement happens naturally with lab turnover

• ELAP will be improved over time as we receive feedback and add to the existing framework

Acknowledgments

Kathy Ramirez-Aguilar

Barbara Petkus

Carla Roubaud

Michelle Gabrieloff-Parish

Erica Au

Erika Guth

Adrien Horton

Jan Hu

Jackson Kistler

Ziyu Li

Priya Panati

Claire Perez

Ivy Wingfield

Elizabeth Stoneham

David Simpson

Theresa Nahreini

Laura Maguire

Alison White

Benjamin LaFavor

Teisha Rowland

Tom Rivas

Neil Hendren

Camille Paige

Julie Hayes

Spencer Turk

Ashley Grosh

Amy Moreno

Allen Doyle

Amorette Getty

Questions?