Location

room 216, Student Union Building Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology, Lappeenranta campus (address: Laserkatu 10, 53850 Lappeenranta)

Registration 

Sustainable growth ensures the social, economic, and ecological resources people enjoy today will be available for future generations. In many ways, humanity is progressing unsustainably, creating prosperity for people “here and now” at the expense of people in developing regions and future generations. The solution to this problem is about human behavior and participation on a global scale. Governments play an important role by enacting smart regulations and creating binding international agreements. Businesses can help by creating more sustainable options for consumers. Individuals play an equally important role in changing their consumption habits.

In this course, we will examine the concepts of sustainability and communication for sustainability. In addition to discussing aspects of sustainability, we will review several theories and strategies of communication that clarify the challenges and benefits of shifting public attitudes and behaviors toward a more sustainable future. Reviews of case studies and academic research will help guide discussions.

Learning Outcomes (ILO)

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

1. Define the concept of “sustainability” In your own research context
2. Discuss behavioral and communication phenomena.
3. Identify an ideal behaviour to target for change.
4. Conduct insightful audience research.
5. Implement an effective communication strategy.

Detailed program

Day 1: (9-19)

0900 – 0930: Introduction and objectives

This session will begin with an introduction to the workshop and what participants can expect to take away from it. There will also be self-introductions so everyone can get to know each other and their projects.

0930 – 1100: Overview of sustainability and sustainability communication

This lecture will discuss the three pillars of sustainability—social, environmental, and economic—and different frameworks of sustainability communication. Sustainability communication involves science, risk, and environmental communication. These topics will provide a foundation for subsequent activities.

1100– 1200: Case studies

Participants will discuss two case studies about sustainability and sustainability communication. These case studies will demonstrate some of the challenges facing public engagement with sustainability and some creative solutions.

1200 – 1400: Brainstorming lunch

Participants will form teams of 3 or 4 and receive a brainstorming guide. The guide contains a series of prompts to get the teams to relate their projects to concepts from the morning sessions. This is largely a familiarization activity.

1400 – 1530: Overview of community based social marketing

This lecture will introduce participants to the concept of community based social marketing, a framework using many tools from traditional marketing to benefit society and the environment. It extends the social marketing framework by engaging community members in identifying barriers, solutions, and strategies for behavioral change.

1530 – 1630: Case studies

Participants will discuss two case studies demonstrating how to apply the community based social marketing framework to address practical problems. The discussion will revolve around the strengths and potential weaknesses of the framework to shift consumer preferences.

1630 – 1730: Team brainstorming

Each team will select one project and brainstorm about how they could apply tools of community based social marketing to promote it. This session will involve an additional brainstorming guide. During this session, each team will develop a 5-minute presentation around the guide, focusing on how to apply community based social marketing to their project.

1730 – 1800: Team presentations

The teams will present their projects and answer questions.

Day 2 (9-16)

0900 – 1030: Environmental psychology and audience analysis

This lecture presents different models of proenvironmental behavior, highlighting the importance of a psychometric understanding of a target audience. It reviews some of the central psychological concepts and how academic and applied researchers frequently measure them.

1030 – 1200: Case studies and application

Participants will discuss two case studies focusing on the application of psychometrics. These case studies will demonstrate how insights from audience research can promote the diffusion of innovations. In addition, teams will discuss how they might apply these methods in the service of their projects.

1200 – 1400: Brainstorming lunch and presentation preparation

Teams will continue that discussion over lunch, working through a brainstorming guide. The guide contains a series of prompts to get the teams thinking about what more they may wish to know about their target audience.

1400 – 1500: Final presentations

The teams will present their projects and answer questions.

1500 – 1530: Wrap-up

This final session will recap the lessons from the previous two days and summarize general observations about the proposed projects.

Credit points

Registration fee

This seminar is free-of-charge for Inforte.fi member organization's staff and their PhD students. For others the participation fee is 400 €. The participation fee includes access to the event and the event materials. Lunch and dinner are not included.