(Michelle Atkinson, Wendy Wilber, Lynn Barber, Emily Ott, Stacie Greco, Charlie Nealis, Rob Northrop, and many others).

Transcription

1 Collaborating with Strangers*: What Can Social Science Research Tell Us about the Adoption of Florida Friendly Landscapes? Paul Monaghan, Maria Morera, Karissa Raymond (Michelle Atkinson, Wendy Wilber, Lynn Barber, Emily Ott, Stacie Greco, Charlie Nealis, Rob Northrop, and many others). *Apologies to Bess de Farber

2 The Change Lab Studies include the following: 1. Homeowner perspectives on how their landscapes impact the springs 2. Residential attitudes and landscaping practices for improving stormwater pond function 3. Knowledge, attitudes and behaviors related to installing smart irrigation sensors in high water use households 4. Fostering tree stewardship by engaging target audiences to understand their barriers to success 5. Comparing Florida Friendly Landscaped homes to their neighbors 6. Understanding how rain barrels identify water conscious (and water saving) households.

3 We place our research in a social marketing framework Looked at the different audiences and described them Documented their barriers to change Determined what specific behaviors would need to be adopted Tried to understand what is in it for the customer- what are the benefits we can promise them

4 One of the more difficult issues is landscaping and maintenance of stormwater ponds

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6 The Issue as seen closer to home: fertilizer, buffer zones and nuisance algae

7 Opportunity to foster behavior change

8 What behaviors need to change? 1. Follow the summer fertilizer blackout to reduce runoff 2. Control grass clippings (in street and ponds) 3. Install buffer zone around ponds 4. Increase aquatic plants to uptake nutrients

9 Homeowners recognize that grass clippings contribute to the problem

10 A social marketing approach to reduce grass clippings in stormwater systems Audience: HOA leadership that hires contractors Engage homeowners to help monitor behaviors Landscape contractors & employees must comply Behaviors (product): Control grass clippings and debris and keep them out of curbs, drains and ponds (change maintenance practices) Benefits: Clean ponds, less algae Barriers: Requires change in established practices, more involvement by HOA and homeowners & surveillance

11 Can we change landscape preferences?

12 How likely are you to accept or request Shoreline Plants Very Likely 15.2 Likely 22.4 Undecided Unlikely Very Unlikely 23.1 No valid response Percent of Respondents On Ponds

13 Benefits of planted buffer around ponds Absorb nutrients Prevents fertilizer from directly entering the pond Littoral plants pump oxygen into water and create habitats Control nuisance vegetation Provide shoreline habitat

14 Solutions must use a combination of approaches 1. Government mandates that target behavior 2. Education about stormwater and landscape connection 3. Technological solutions 4. Improving performance of ponds through landscaping (buffer planting, littoral and aquatic) 5. Controlling nutrients at the source 6. Recognizing that the relationship between turf grass, irrigation and fertilizer presents the largest barrier to behavior change

15 Some of the ways we know to create behavioral and social change Science (vaccinations, predictive models) Technology (smart phone apps, re-use water) Laws, policy, codes and enforcement (sticks) Improved infrastructure and built environment (improved design) Changes in corporate policies and business practices (social responsibility, boycotts) Influence of schools, churches, families and other social groups Educational approaches (promises) Media Doing nothing

16 My advice for promoting FFL practices: 1. Stop Raising Awareness Too many organizations concentrate on raising awareness about an issuesuch as the danger of eating disorders or the loss of natural habitat- without knowing how to translate that awareness into action, by getting people to change their behavior or act on their beliefs. Christiano and Neimand 2017, Stanford Social Innovation Review

17 These groups already have high awareness (and knowledge about solutions) of our landscape water issues Landscape companies Builders and developers and property managers HOA leadership and active citizens Elected officials and agency employees Graduates of IFAS Extension programs Master Gardeners The 10-15% of innovators and early adopters of Florida Friendly practices (the rain barrel people)

18 2.Focus on those who are ready to adopt change (educate for behavior change)

19 Who are the ones ready to change?

20 2. Establish Collaborations

21 3. SET GOALS (Best practices for fertilizing recommend not applying before heavy rain)

22 Results from CG research: what can we learn about behavior change? The lifecycle of a CG consists of the following phases: Initiation Planning Implementation Maintenance Participants viewed togetherness as the foundation of community Social dynamics influenced participant s motivation to join a CG (i.e. seeking friendship; desire to help others; social learning) The mission statements of the majority of CGs examined were focused on improving community wellbeing

23 Results: Factors of Support for CG development and longevity: Politics, partnerships & funding Education & expertise Factors of Organization Community engagement & sustained participation Leadership & governance

24 Conclusion 1. Stop raising awareness (or stop measuring it) But keep educating for behavior change 2. Establish partnerships 3. Set goals 4. Collect data and evaluate for outcomes (work with specialists)

25 Acknowledgements Thanks to the residents that have participated in research, discussions and educating us. Since 2010, funding for this research has been provided by the following: Southwest Florida Water Management District Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association UF/IFAS Center for Landscape Conservation and Ecology National Fish and Wildlife Fund Tampa Bay Estuary Fund UF/IFAS Florida Agricultural Experiment Station Gainesville Regional Utilities Orange County Utilities