In today’s increasingly technological and individualized world, how do sustainability professionals provide opportunities to engage their audience in a way that is relevant to them, but still quantifies the impacts of their behavior in a way that encourages continual action? Stanford has taken the next step in meeting this need with its My Cardinal Green program. Offered by the Office of Sustainability, My Cardinal Green provides personalized recommendations of actions that individuals can perform to act more environmentally sustainable. Because each person has a unique lifestyle and role on campus, the program begins with an initial survey to generate suggested actions that are most relevant for them. Users receive points for each suggested action that they successfully complete. After earning a certain amount of points, individuals can receive a reward for their efforts in which real-time metrics showcase the impact of participation. Users can view the calculated resource and subsequent cost savings of each suggested action in their list and track the cumulative impact of My Cardinal Green users on a personal dashboard where participants record their progress. The platform incorporates opportunities to test social normalization among different groups with flexible content and messaging, as well as actions that can be promoted to specific groups on campus. This session will expand upon the presentation offered at the 2017 conference with a review of the business case and lessons learned from the pilot, as well as program performance since the campus launch in May.

For members: Access webinar recording and presentation materials

Presenters

Lauren Hennessy, Outreach Program Manager, Stanford University Office of Sustainability Lauren Hennessy is the Outreach Program Manager for Stanford University’s Office of Sustainability. Her portfolio includes managing the office’s Cardinal Green brand, employee and student training materials, online and print collateral materials, and oversight of student programs. Lauren began her career in sustainability working on communications and outreach for the US Environmental Protection Agency and US Department of Energy sponsored programs Laboratories for the 21st Century (Labs21) and WaterSense, as well as for the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories. Outside of sustainability, she has worked extensively in the non-profit sector, managing communications for a New York City non-profit that provides social services to New York and overseeing a corporate philanthropy program benefitting Susan G. Komen’s mission to end breast cancer. Lauren received her B.A. in Communications from the University of Maryland, College Park.