Good Moves #5: Advertising and Sustainability
Hi everyone,
A few months ago, during a conference we were speaking at, we met Thierry Libaert, author, professor and advisor to various institutions. His point of view on the role of advertising in the ecological transition aroused our curiosity and the desire to interview him.
This desire was shared and you will read in this episode a sometimes uncomfortable, but above all rich, interview on the challenges and opportunities of advertising in the face of sustainability.
More recently, we welcomed Ramya Rao, a recent graduate in behavioural and cognitive neuroscience, as an intern. Ramya expressed her interest in the topic of mindfulness applied to sustainability and suggested she writes about it. Having read little on the subject ourselves, we gave her carte blanche to write a mini-series of three articles on the subject.
In her first article, Ramya tries to understand whether reducing consumption and living a sustainable life makes us happier.
Enjoy reading Good Moves, and see you next month for an episode on plant-based diets.
The Behaven team
P.S.: If you would like to become a Good Moves contributor, share your experience or write about behavioural sustainability, contact us.
Advertising and Sustainability
Author of numerous books and articles on Europe, communication and the environment, Thierry Libaert is an advisor to the European Economic and Social Committee. In this interview, he shares his vision of the role and opportunities for advertising in the context of the ecological transition.
Mindfulness, Happiness and Consuming Less, by Ramya Rao
In this first article of a three-part series, Ramya Rao explores the link between mindfulness meditation, well-being and sustainable living. She explores whether living a sustainable life can also help us to be happier. Is the pursuit of happiness the ultimate environmental act?
Nouveau Nudge
In 2008, Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein published Nudge, a book that would contribute to the rise of behavioural science. Thirteen years and a pandemic later, they are releasing a new, “radically updated” edition.
The new edition includes a heavily revised chapter entitled 'Saving the Planet'. And interviewed on a recent episode of Freakonomics, Thaler said, “We can't solve climate change with nudging, but we can't solve it without nudging”.
A statement that perfectly illustrates the relationship between nudge, behaviour change and the climate crisis:
The climate crisis requires a systems approach to be solved.
Considering the whole system of influences is what behaviour change is about.
That means combining different tools to effectively change behaviour.
And nudging is one of them.
Missed the Previous Episodes?
Good Moves #4: Our interview of Kevin Green on behavioural science to address environmental challenges, and a summary of an article by Professor Tobias Brosch on behavioural solutions for climate action.
Good Moves #3: Our interview of Reshma Tonse and Prakash Sharma on context architecture and sustainability, and an article by Beatrice Conte on the power of harnessing positive emotions to promote sustainable behaviour change.
Good Moves #2: Our interview of Olivier Sibony on corporate decision making and sustainability, and an in-depth view of how cognitive biases can lead to corporate climate change inertia.
Good Moves #1: Our interview of Bas Verplanken on habits and sustainability, and a summary of the most effective strategies to encourage sustainable behaviours.