Our world’s rivers, streams, basins, and oceans are too often contaminated by waste of all forms – synthetic chemicals, plastics, e-waste, litter, nitrates, and fecal coliform. Behind each of these different sources lies a chain of people whose actions lead to the waste and pollution we see today. Therefore, changing behavior is critical to tackling our pollution challenges and improving water quality. We need to design solutions with people’s behavioral motivations and barriers in mind.
At the Center for Behavior & the Environment (BE.Center), we show why and how environmental leaders can leverage insights from behavioral science and design thinking to solve the world’s most pressing challenges. Tackling water resource issues, like marine litter and waste prevention, requires that the practitioner’s toolkit is multi-disciplinary and includes human-centered behavioral strategies that work in a variety of contexts. We want to help practitioners across the PREVENT Waste Alliance design more effective approaches to sustainable waste management and circular economies.
Submit a behaviorally informed intervention you would like to develop and pilot. The application link will become live in December 2021, and applications are due by January 30, 2022, 11:59pm EST.
The top ten applications will receive $5,000 each to further develop their ideas. Two people from each organization will also be invited to customized and in-depth capacity-building workshops. During this time, teams will refine their innovations, draw inspiration and network further amongst this special group, and prepare to test a prototype.
The finalists will then launch into minimum viable prototype implementation efforts – reporting on their initial results or leading indicators after approximately 6 weeks.
Two organizations will then receive a larger prize of $25,000 to further implement their behavioral intervention. This celebration will be on a global stage to maximize exposure of the winners and their work.