One category of behavioral economics judo is flipping from opt-in to opt-out. More people enroll in 401ks when they have to uncheck the box to join, as opposed to checking it. And more people will pay their credit cards in full if the default is to do so, rather than to go on a payment plan. The real magic underlying the opt-out, though, is simple: Action is harder than inaction. Make the desired behavior passive, and it’s more likely to happen. Continue reading Behavior Change Truth: Action Is Harder Than Inaction
Tag Archives: sustainability
Want a Clean Park? Think Ability Support
As someone whose primary mode of transportation is on foot, I’m probably more annoyed than most by people who don’t clean up after their dogs. A day stepping in dog poop is pretty much a day ruined. That said, I get why it happens sometimes. A lot of areas don’t have convenient trash cans, and people may not have plastic bags to pick up the poop. Shit happens. Yes, that pun was 100% intended. Continue reading Want a Clean Park? Think Ability Support
Eversource’s Energy Management Program: Strengths and Opportunities
Opower started the trend: Tell people how their energy consumption compares to their neighbors’, and watch them start to conserve electricity in order to move closer to the norm. After Opower showed initial results suggesting that social data can influence utility usage, other approaches to the issue gained momentum. In addition to direct competitors in the energy management space, devices like the Nest thermostat leverage technology to help people save money and power. While I’ve read a lot about these sorts of solutions (and lusted after a smart thermostat of my own), only recently have I been able to experience one firsthand. Continue reading Eversource’s Energy Management Program: Strengths and Opportunities
Opting Into a Green Choice vs. Opting Out
Perhaps you’ve stayed in a major chain hotel in the past few years. If you have, you may have noticed many chains are beginning to focus on more sustainable environmental practices within their hotels. Many of the hotel rooms I stay in now have recycle bins alongside the trash cans, toiletries are packaged using more environmentally-friendly materials, and some hotel chains offer small incentives to forgo daily laundry service. I am, in general, a fan of these efforts, since I am horrified by the thought of how much waste a hotel must generate (all those half-used bars of soap!). Continue reading Opting Into a Green Choice vs. Opting Out