Selecting High-Impact Landscape Irrigation Conservation Behaviors: Formative Research to Inform Behavior-Change Efforts

Abstract

Background This work addresses the increasing prevalence of water scarcity. Droughts are projected to worsen as a result of climate change and urbanization, increasing the need for all sectors to reduce the amount of water used. Home landscape irrigation represents an important opportunity to reduce water use in the United States. Focus of the Article This formative research study used social marketing techniques to estimate potential impact of irrigation water conservation behaviors, weight and prioritize the behaviors to guide behavior selection in the context of residential irrigation conservation. Research Objective The objectives were to estimate (1) the potential impact of, (2) current adoption levels and likelihood of adoption of, and to (3) prioritize various landscape irrigation water conservation behaviors. Program Design/Approach When addressing any issue, including water scarcity, identifying target behaviors is the first, foundational step for a successful social marketing campaign. This research focuses on formative social marketing research to inform local interventions designed to reduce the amount of water applied to residential yards across the United States. Importance to the Social Marketing Field This study outlines a process to compare and prioritize water conservation behaviors with the goal of reducing residential landscape irrigation usage. We demonstrate a technique for obtaining this type of formative research, the lack of which can serve as a barrier to change agents promoting behaviors in any context. Methods We employed a two-pronged quantitative survey research approach to collect technical experts’ impact ranking and U.S. residents’ current adoption levels and likelihood of adopting potential irrigation water conservation behaviors. The 14-member expert panel was selected using purposive and snowball sampling techniques, and the residential sample ( N = 2601) was recruited using purposive sampling. Results Mean weights ranged from −46.55 to 61.13. Singly considering impact, current adoption levels, or likelihood of adoption would result in a different behavior receiving priority for a campaign (eliminating irrigated areas in landscapes, installing smart irrigation controllers, and following local watering restrictions, respectively). However, when these values were considered together, installing drought-tolerant plants in the yard had the greatest overall weight. Limitations A possible conceptual limitation of this case study was the national scope of our research. The findings provide valuable baseline data for behavior change practitioners working across the country, and it is advisable to replicate this process at a local scale corresponding to the targeted intervention. Recommendations for Research or Practice The findings underscore the importance of including technical experts and target audience members early in social marketing program planning and reveal the importance of systematically approaching behavior change selection to thoroughly consider different components of potential behaviors. Behavior change practitioners working on water issues can use the weights reported here to prioritize behaviors for targeted interventions, and those working in all areas can follow the process to prioritize behaviors at the local level. There are exciting opportunities to decompose likelihood into behavioral antecedents for both research and application.

Factors predicting pro-environmental behavior: the case of baby diapers

“…Pro-environmental behavior intention (PEBI) is customers' desire to reduce the environmental impact of their consumption (Kurisu, 2015). A number of environmentally beneficial behaviors, such as careful energy usage (Issock et al , 2020), responsible waste management (Setiawan et al , 2021; Sutinen, 2022), reduced meat consumption (Kemper and Ballantine, 2020) and participation in a conservation program (Warner et al , 2022), are all examples of PEB in action. In this specific context of inquiry, PEBI occurs when consumers have the intention to fully refrain or limit their usage of DBDs in favor of non-DBD alternatives.…”

Evapotranspiration of Residential Lawns Across the United States

“…Given the increasing frequency of drought in many regions and the introduction of water conservation measures, residential lawn management practices may be changing (Cook et al., 2012; Hughes et al., 2013; Liang et al., 2017; Sisser et al., 2016; Warner et al., 2022). For example, some homeowners opt for a lower intensity of lawn management (i.e., less frequent water and/or fertilizer applications) in an effort to reduce the environmental impact of their lawns (Carrico et al., 2018; Eisenhauer et al., 2016; Suh et al., 2016; Warner et al., 2022; Watson et al., 2019).…”

“…Given the increasing frequency of drought in many regions and the introduction of water conservation measures, residential lawn management practices may be changing (Cook et al., 2012; Hughes et al., 2013; Liang et al., 2017; Sisser et al., 2016; Warner et al., 2022). For example, some homeowners opt for a lower intensity of lawn management (i.e., less frequent water and/or fertilizer applications) in an effort to reduce the environmental impact of their lawns (Carrico et al., 2018; Eisenhauer et al., 2016; Suh et al., 2016; Warner et al., 2022; Watson et al., 2019). In addition, a growing number of homeowners reduce or eliminate turfgrass lawns in their landscape, especially in arid regions where rebate programs have been developed to incentivize the replacement of lawns with drought‐tolerant vegetation (Bollinger et al., 2018; Grant et al., 2020; Matlock et al., 2019).…”

Capacidades De Investigación Formativa en Estudiantes De Ciencias Empresariales De Una Universidad Pública Durante La Pandemia.

“…En el mismo contexto, en un estudio colombiano de la Universidad Javeriana, se observaron retrasos en la entrega de la producción científica tanto de docentes como de estudiantes de pregrado; pero al mismo tiempo, mediante el uso de estrategias, se fortalecieron otros aspectos que llevaron a mejorar la colaboración en línea, mediante el uso de redes, el teletrabajo multidisciplinario y la exploración de alternativas como la centralizac ió n documental (Paredes-Chacín et al, 2020). Por otro lado, el informe colombiano sobre competencias investigativas señala que la Dirección Nacional de Educación de Colombia, dispuso políticas para el desarrollo de la investigación, con el fin de mejorar las competencias investigativas (Warner et al, 2022).…”