I am the Director at Action Research and have extensive experience managing and directing projects for multi-jurisdictional public agencies, non-profits, and private businesses. I've directed CBSM projects on stormwater, composting, energy conservation, water conservation, and transportation. My background is in applied social psychology and have expertise in designing field experiments in a research environment. I've worked in both professional and academic positions, conducting field research in the areas of environmental attitudes, community outreach, and behavior change.
22 Comments
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Re: Advanced Workshop Discussion Forum
2026-02-26 21:50:13 UTC
Resources shared via chat:
Reading level checker: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/get-your-document-s-readability-and-level-statistics-85b4969e-e80a-4777-8dd3-f7fc3c8b3fd2
Sunscreen texting sturdy: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamadermatology/fullarticle/712278
Upstream Solutions Network: https://upstreamsolutions.org/join#rsn
Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs for Research, Campbell and Stanley, 1966 https://www.sfu.ca/~palys/Campbell&Stanley-1959-Exptl&QuasiExptlDesignsForResearch.pdf
New South Wales Don’t be a Tosser campaign: https://www.dontbeatosser.epa.nsw.gov.au/dont-be-a-tosser-campaign
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Re: Advanced Workshop Discussion Forum
2026-02-26 21:45:10 UTC
Discussions from chat:
Q – when calculating sample size, what needs to be considered, people (population) or households?
A – it gets a bit technical, but it depends on the method/analysis. Mail surveys you'd want households because its just going to one. But phone surveys you could use population since most people have individual numbers. But if you only have population, its still an ok proxy for households.
Q – It being intercept surveys does not change the sample size needed, correct?
A – It depends on the outcome and claim you are trying to make. If you want to say you've got a representative sample, then yes, you need to use the sample size calculator. However, if you are using that method to ground truth or get at least some input, then you wouldn't claim representativeness. If you're running statistics, then you'd still be bound by the minimums he was discussing yesterday (~30 per group).
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Re: Moving from residential waste education to commercial and business waste education
2026-02-09 20:09:17 UTC
(Thanks Julie for reaching out)
Hi Jennifer,
That can be quite the shift in outreach. I'd suggest exploring what is going on here in California. A few years back, our state agency CalRecycle mandated food scraps recycling (i.e., food waste can no longer be in the landfill bin). This has necessitated entirely new food scraps programs for both residential and commercial customers. For commercial customers, infrastructure barriers (bins, pickup frequency, etc.) have been highly influential. As you mentioned, a good next step will be to determine the types of waste causing the issues, along with the audience responsible for creating them. At least with the new food waste focus, one-on-one consultations with commercial businesses have been very helpful. At those meetings, a waste representative walks managers through their waste streams and pickup options in detail. Every jurisdiction in CA must comply with this law, so you could contact some of them to see how they approached the rollout and what issues they encountered.
More information: https://calrecycle.ca.gov/organics/slcp/
For an employee-focused example, at Action Research, we conducted a workplace recycling project with Keep America Beautiful and PepsiCo to increase the recovery of recyclables from desk-side trash bins. We varied the bin setups to test ideal options.
Here is a write-up of the program: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/keep-america-beautiful-announces-results-of-recycling-at-work-research-study-300073351.html
And here is a fact sheet: https://keeplouisianabeautiful.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/[email protected]
Hopefully, those examples point you in a good direction to get started.
Joey -
Re: Introductory Workshop Discussion Forum
2025-12-05 21:00:47 UTC
Here is a collection of the various additional resources shared in the chat throughout the workshop:
Daryl Bem (Self Perception Theory) – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daryl_Bem
Chesapeake Bay Save The Crabs - Then Eat 'Em – https://toolsofchange.com/en/case-studies/detail/90/
Behavior Energy Climate Change Conference (BECC): https://beccconference.org
Environmental Problems and Human Behavior (Gardner and Stern) – https://www.amazon.com/Environmental-Problems-Behavior-Gerald-Gardner/dp/0536686335
Social Marketing to Protect the Environment: What Works - https://www.amazon.com/Social-Marketing-Protect-Environment-Mckenzie-Mohr/dp/1412991293
Good Habits, Bad Habits (Wendy Wood) – https://www.amazon.com/Good-Habits-Bad-Science-Positive/dp/1250159075
Ethics in Social Marketing (Alan Andreasen)
https://www.amazon.com/Ethics-Social-Marketing-Alan-Andreasen/dp/0878408207
UCSD Certificate in Sustainability & Behavior Change – https://extendedstudies.ucsd.edu/certificates/sustainability-behavior-change
Philadelphia program that uses block leaders: https://www.phila.gov/programs/philadelphia-more-beautiful-committee/
Contagious: Why Things Catch On (Jonah Berger) - https://jonahberger.com/books/
Stress, Appraisal, and Coping (Lazarus and Folkman) – https://a.co/d/eQLtyt4
Water- Efficient Durham - https://cbsm.com/cases/34098-water-efficient-durham
Grocery Gadget – https://grocerygadgets.com/
Six Americas study – https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/about/projects/global-warmings-six-americas/
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Re: Introductory Workshop Discussion Forum
2025-06-11 18:21:10 UTC
Participant Shared HHW Resources:
https://www.michigan.gov/egle/-/media/Project/Websites/egle/Documents/Programs/MMD/Hazardous-Waste/Household/MMD_Mercury.pdf
https://www.pca.state.mn.us/air-water-land-climate/using-and-developing-products-responsibly
https://www.michigan.gov/egle/about/organization/materials-management/hazardous-waste/household/drop-off
https://us06web.zoom.us/rec/play/q7sBCVFXLga0bfazYYu-FvVag8E6-zsBlz3nk61K0pl6KLToZ4W1imeG8DeEJz-EX034YON18eSthDBe.r7rp4nNe6lTHAw-x?eagerLoadZvaPages=sidemenu.billing.plan_management&accessLevel=meeting&canPlayFromShare=true&from=share_recording_detail&startTime=1749567725000&componentName=rec-play&originRequestUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fus06web.zoom.us%2Frec%2Fshare%2Fy0L38t-O9XFiV93pX2e2_2NZ7nK5-LYsJp4Mekpu9fNyQ-w8bJ8ttE-QBiR-cS6D._pHb0J2bNuz-7fGS%3FstartTime%3D1749567725000
https://www.michigan.gov/egle/about/organization/materials-management/ewaste/lithium-ion-safety
https://egle.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=1ee8c9f0815e471db6f186e0e610b534&utm_source=gis-map&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=splash&utm_content=Household-Drug-Take-Back-Map
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Re: Introductory Workshop Discussion Forum
2025-06-11 18:20:21 UTC
Here is a collection of the various additional resources shared in the chat throughout the workshop:
Daryl Bem (Self Perception Theory) – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daryl_Bem
Grocery Gadget – used for integrated grocery shopping within a household – https://grocerygadgets.com/
Behavior Energy Climate Change Conference (BECC): https://beccconference.org
The Data Bank: https://www.thedatabank.com/
My Heat – https://toolsofchange.com/en/case-studies/detail/741 and https://myheat.ca
Social Marketing to Protect the Environment: What Works (Doug McKenzie-Mohr) - https://www.amazon.com/Social-Marketing-Protect-Environment-Mckenzie-Mohr/dp/1412991293
Clean Marina Program – https://floridadep.gov/rcp/clean-marina/content/clean-marina-program
Feedlot Composting, Nebraska Recycling Council – https://nrcne.org/nebraska-feedlot-composting-project/
River Star Homes – https://elizabethriver.org/river-star-homes/ Environmental Problems and Human Behavior (Gardner and Stern) – https://www.amazon.com/Environmental-Problems-Behavior-Gerald-Gardner/dp/0536686335
Lisa Skumatz (Incentives) – www.serainc.com
Contagious: Why Things Catch On (Jonah Berger) - https://jonahberger.com/books/
Soap Operas for Social Change (Heidi Nariman) – www.amazon.com/Soap-Operas-Social-Change-Entertainment-Education/dp/0275943895
Daniel Kahneman (heuristics) – https://kahneman.scholar.princeton.edu/
Good Habits, Bad Habits (Wendy Wood) – https://www.amazon.com/Good-Habits-Bad-Science-Positive/dp/1250159075
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Re: Introductory Workshop Discussion Forum
2025-06-05 20:13:50 UTC
Here is a collection of the various additional resources shared in the chat throughout the workshop:
Grocery Gadget – used for integrated grocery shopping within a household – https://grocerygadgets.com/
Environmental Problems and Human Behavior (Gardner and Stern) – https://www.amazon.com/Environmental-Problems-Behavior-Gerald-Gardner/dp/0536686335
Contagious: Why Things Catch On (Jonah Berger) - https://jonahberger.com/books/
Soap Operas for Social Change (Heidi Nariman) – www.amazon.com/Soap-Operas-Social-Change-Entertainment-Education/dp/0275943895
Internet, Phone, Mail and Mixed-Mode Surveys: The Tailored Design Method (Don Dillman) – https://sesrc.wsu.edu/about/total-design-method/
Sample Size - www.surveymonkey.com/mp/sample-size-calculator/
Sample Size - https://www.qualtrics.com/experience-management/research/determine-sample-size/
Opower Summary – https://www.oracle.com/utilities/opower-energy-efficiency/
Opower Long Term Evaluation – https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0047272711000478
River Star Homes - https://elizabethriver.org/river-star-homes/
My Heat writeup - https://toolsofchange.com/en/case-studies/detail/741
My Heat program site - https://myheat.ca
Behavior Energy Climate Change Conference (BECC): https://beccconference.org
Cochrane Reviews - https://www.cochranelibrary.com/about/about-cochrane-reviews
American Association for Public Opinion Research – https://aapor.org/
Daniel Kahneman (heuristics) – https://kahneman.scholar.princeton.edu/
Daryl Bem (Self Perception Theory) – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daryl_Bem
Social Norms - https://www.researchgate.net/publication/5305895_Normative_Social_Influence_Is_Underdetected
Social Norms Magentic Middle - https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324086949_The_Constructive_Destructive_and_Reconstructive_Power_of_Social_Norms_Reprise -
Re: Introductory Workshop Discussion Forum
2024-12-09 22:38:50 UTC
Q: Random selection - how do you work around addressing parts of the community that cannot be there in the evenings? How do you address that issue?
A: If that is a core population you could hold the group at a time that would work for them, but still randomly select people to be at that session.
Q: I'm thinking back to my time as a park volunteer, working to push my grant proposals through review committees and selections - I ran out of childcare hours/$, and was unable to attend full sessions that were after 5pm. TL:DR you miss community members without having a lot of wrap around supports OR different modalities for the different communities.
A1: Yes, if that is an issue for your population, you can even look into offering childcare at the focus group location.
A2: I've had very good results with offering childcare for evening meetings, workshops, etc.
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Re: Introductory Workshop Discussion Forum
2024-12-09 22:38:22 UTC
Additional Resources referenced by participants:
If you Google “Contemporary issues in Social Marketing” you’ll see a book by the same name that was edited by Kubacki & Rundle-Thiele (2013). In Chapter Three “Identifying Key Criteria as Predictors of Success in Social Marketing”, Robinson-Maynard and colleagues state that there is a statistically significant relationship between piloting and success in behavior change programs.
The Clean Rivers Coalition developed a residential guide for lawn maintenance, with the intent to reduce pesticide use but based on the resident's desire for a certain type of lawn. There's a quiz to help the resident to determine their lawn style. They utilized CBSM to develop the program.
https://cleanriverscoalition.com/about/
Quiz: https://followthewater.info/level-up-your-lawn-survey/
more info: https://followthewater.info/whats-your-lawn-style/
The Regional Coalition (https://theriverstartshere.org/) covers the PDX metro region, Clean Rivers Coalition is state-wide.
Speaking of recycling/composting prompts and WM: Research shows cart tags can significantly reduce contamination and improve food/yard waste behaviors. Check out our King County Cart Tag Study here: Food and Yard Waste Studies – Waste Management Northwest Innovation (wmnorthwest.com)
More recycling studies and pilot programs: Recycling Studies and Pilot Programs – Waste Management Northwest Innovation (wmnorthwest.com)
we use this one. https://www.plantoeat.com/welcome/
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Re: Introductory Workshop Discussion Forum
2024-12-09 22:37:05 UTC
Additional Resources referenced by Doug:
Contagious: Why Things Catch On (Jonah Berger) - https://jonahberger.com/books/
Environmental Problems and Human Behavior (Gardner and Stern) – https://www.amazon.com/Environmental-Problems-Behavior-Gerald-Gardner/dp/0536686335
Sample size Calculators: www.surveymonkey.com/mp/sample-size-calculator/ or https://www.qualtrics.com/experience-management/research/determine-sample-size/
International work: https://rare.org/
Daryl Bem (Self Perception Theory) – https://psychology.cornell.edu/daryl-j-bem
Social Influence Strategies for Environmental Behavior Change (Ben Tyson) - https://www.amazon.com/Social-Influence-Strategies-Environmental-Behavior-dp-1532056311/dp/1532056311/ref=dp_ob_title_bk
Grocery Gadget – used for integrated grocery shopping within a household – https://grocerygadgets.com/
Six Americas study: https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/about/projects/global-warmings-six-americas/
Communication via local news weather people (Ed Maibach): https://toolsofchange.com/en/case-studies/detail/743
New South Wales Don’t be a Tosser campaign: https://www.dontbeatosser.epa.nsw.gov.au/dont-be-a-tosser-campaign
Work of Cialdini: https://robertcialdinibf.com/
Social Marketing to Protect the Environment: What Works (Doug McKenzie-Mohr) - https://www.amazon.com/Social-Marketing-Protect-Environment-Mckenzie-Mohr/dp/1412991293
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