Purpose – The purpose of this paper was to evaluate the effectiveness of sustainability information and strategies to change pro-environmental (pro-e) behavior with introductory environmental science laboratory students. Design/methodology/approach – A one-group pretest posttest study was used to evaluate a two-hour workshop in which 30 participants were instructed in sustainability education and behavior change strategies. Participants implemented self-management strategies and tracked their energy use every week for two weeks following the pro-e training. Findings – A significant difference between participants’ baseline and Week 2 energy use assessments was found. The results suggest that the pro-e training increased participants’ energy conservation behavior for their targeted device. Moreover, participants decreased their energy usage for other measured electronic devices, suggesting generalization of treatment effects. Research limitations/implications – A sizable savings in energy was realized across all participants and devices (approximately 300 hours). However, there was no control group in this one-group pretest posttest study and the effect of reactivity cannot be discounted. Practical implications – This research suggests that behavior change strategies may be effective at improving pro-e behaviors. The relative ease and low cost of delivering the instruction, and minimal effort on the part of the participant to make behavior changes, provides a solid foundation from which to disseminate sustainability education. Originality/value – This paper describes a preliminary evaluation of a behavior change approach to teach students about how to change their pro-e behaviors. Limited prior research has examined self-management to alter pro-e behavior.

A systematic evaluation of a program, consisting of sustainability education, self-management strategies, and feedback, to decrease college students' energy use was conducted. During treatment, the experimental group showed increased self-reported energy savings relative to baseline levels and relative to the self-reported energy use of the comparison group who were shown only an instructional video on conserving energy. Treatment gains were maintained at a 2-week follow-up. More participants in the experimental group rated their experience as resulting in learning something new about green issues and influencing their proenvironmental behavior compared to the comparison group. This study suggests that further research is warranted, specifically using these strategies in real-life situations.