Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: A Virtual Learning Community to Facilitate Sustainable Behavior
EPA Grant Number: SU834733Title: A Virtual Learning Community to Facilitate Sustainable Behavior
Investigators: Cohen, Maurie
Institution: New Jersey Institute of Technology
EPA Project Officer: Page, Angela
Phase: I
Project Period: August 15, 2010 through August 14, 2011
Project Amount: $10,000
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2010) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development , P3 Challenge Area - Sustainable and Healthy Communities , P3 Challenge Area - Air Quality , P3 Awards , Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Objective:
To launch a web-based virtual learning community to encourage participants to experiment and share their experiences using a new generation of electronic shopping guides designed to facilitate more sustainable consumption practices.
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
The proposed website (known as The-Greenvine) was created during Phase I. The heart of The-Greenvine at present is a series of electronic discussion boards that enable members of our virtual community to make postings to any of the ten forums currently available. A primary aim of The-Greenvine is to encourage utilization of the GoodGuide, an open-access electronic shopping guide that allows consumers to scan the UPC label (barcode) of a product package and to receive a rating of the sustainability of the item (in terms of environmental impact, consumer health, and social responsibility of the producer).
The beta launch of the The-Greenvine was held in December 2010. To recruit an initial group of members to our virtual community, we first focused on people who were part of our current university community and sought to foster some “buzz” around campus through word of mouth. A second wave of promotional effort was devoted to searching for appropriate blogs and other online resources organized around content relevant to our project. We also posted comments of our own to online bulletin boards and news groups that included a link to The-Greenvine. Additionally, we created Facebook and Twitter pages as a way to generate additional traffic to our website.
As of the time of this writing (March 16, 2011), the website has attracted 40 members who have made more than 100 postings. A project such as The-Greenvine does not readily lend itself to strict quantitative measurement of outcomes because its aim is to foster social and cultural changes that are not easily assessed over relatively short time periods. What is involved here is the slow evolution of individual and collective mindsets and customary analytic techniques based on tons of carbon dioxide mitigated or pounds of toxic materials diverted from landfills are not realistic or meaningful in the context of this project.
By these standards, The-Greenvine must be judged thus far to have been modestly successful. We did not enlist—at least not yet—armies of participants, but we have made modest progress and the virtual community we have launched is primed to take steps forward in the coming months. The website provides value for a diverse range of people—from parents to fashionistas to technology enthusiasts and beyond. The-Greenvine has ubiquitous appeal because, after all, everyone shops on some level. Viewed slightly differently, the value in our Phase I project is akin to the value of a space probe launched for an uncertain journey far beyond Earth. Once underway, the craft will beam impressive data back to its controllers without the need for much upkeep. Into the future, The-Greenvine will slowly and surely expand its reach, attracting new members over time. In this sense, the website is a technological quintessence of sustainability.
Conclusions:
Preliminary conclusions based on beta testing completed to date are that virtual learning communities can be a useful way to help consumers develop new skills and to encourage innovative practices. Interactions on the The-Greenvine demonstrate that by being able to exchange information, trade tips, and offer peer-to-peer encouragement, project participants have gained confidence in the use of electronic shopping guides and have begun to embed them in their lifestyles. There is however insufficient evidence to determine the amount of leverage that such applications might have in fostering durable changes in consumer practices.Supplemental Keywords:
sustainability education, food literacy, “everyday LCA,” food product science, corporate social responsibilityRelevant Websites:
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.