I teach in a Master of Engineering in Clean Energy at the Univ of British Columbia (Canada). As part of our demand-side energy course, we spend 2 weeks discussing behavior change using Doug's FSB book. I am looking for a useful assignment for a class of 24 engineering students to perform that will illustrate concepts and help students gain some first-hand insights. Something that can be done in roughly 4 to 6 hours +/- time, working individually or possibly small teams. Any and all ideas are welcome. Eric Mazzi, PhD
Eric Mazzi
Power Smart Instructor
Univeristy of British Columbia
Canada
Educational Assignment for Engineering Students - Behavior & Energy
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Hi Eric, will their classroom or homes (where will interverntion take place?) have the ability to measure energy consumption pre and post -intervention? A simple behavior like programming their computers to sleep mode or power management might be easy and manageable for your length of time. Or a lighting program or lower thermostat/heating. The key thing will be to measure the effort, ideally with real time utility info. Keep me posted! Chris
Chris Hammer
Sustainable Design + Behavior
www.sdplusb.com
Hi Eric,
We are a Vancouver based consulting firm that specializes in creating behaviour based programs for our clients. We currently are contracted by BC Hydro to manage and deliver such program to 3 industry sectors: Property Management, Municipal Goverments, Retail & Hospitality. All total there are 24 organizations currently participating in the BC Hydro program. Depending upon the resources and sophistication of the facilities, operations and systems amongst the 24 participating organizations, we are often challenged equating quantitave, measurable value to the various year long programs and initiatives that we undertake with them. We'd be delighted to have a further discussion with you to explore potential project opportunities for your students, with our clients, or just share some ideas for in-class opportunities. Feel free to follow up with me directly if you wish. - Jennifer
Jennifer Davis
Principal
TurnLeaf Consulting Inc.
Canada
www.turnleaf.ca
Eric, so far all comments relate to energy. You didn't say in your inquiry for ideas whether or not the students needed to stay within the realm of energy related behavior changes, or if they could use anything to demonstrate the concepts expressed in the McKenzie-Mohr materials. I'm tossing this out in case everyone is focusing too closely to something that might not be the easiest area to model.
Patti Sanzone
FL Dept. of Environmental Protection
United States
...
Hi Eric,
In my MSc in Env & Mgmt program at Royal Roads (Victoria, BC) we were required to formulate a CBSM strategy based on Doug's book. We had to formulate the issue, describe why it was an issue, and present how we would work towards rectifying it. This was an individual assignment, but I'm sure could be made into a group assignment as well. Some topics were how to encourage waste reduction, how to encourage driving less, how to encourage renewable energy, etc. Hope this helps!
Julia Brothers
Canada