Skip to main content
How to Save the World | The Psychology & Science of Environmental Behavior

How to Save the World | The Psychology & Science of Environmental Behavior

By Katie Patrick

What *really* gets people to take action for the planet? And what does it take to reimagine the world into a thriving ecotopia? Environmental Engineer/Imagineer, Katie Patrick, takes you on a wild journey into the heart of the environmental psyche, exploring the latest evidence-based behavioral science you can use to get more people to adopt your environmental campaign + indie/gangsta/hacker entrepreneur insights from the gal with 20 years experience making it happen. Join the ECOPIA community + art, courses, and merch at ecopia.us.
Available on
Apple Podcasts Logo
Google Podcasts Logo
Overcast Logo
Pocket Casts Logo
RadioPublic Logo
Spotify Logo
Currently playing episode

Why Don't We See Environmental Numbers on Everything Like the Stock Market or a Nutritional Label? Ep4

How to Save the World | The Psychology & Science of Environmental BehaviorMar 01, 2020

00:00
14:51
Everything is a Funnel Ep83

Everything is a Funnel Ep83

In this episode, I share the secret to building your mission. You need to START by building a funnel, not an idea. If you're building an idea, campaign, or product and not building it as a funnel, you could be making a big mistake. Listen in, I'll share how to do it right.

* * *


How to Save the World is a podcast about the psychology of what gets people to do eco-behaviors and take climate action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to rapidly get more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product.



Get inspired with positive eco futures art prints, organic t-shirts, hoodies, calendars, and all Katie's action design training at ⁠⁠⁠ecopiastore.com⁠⁠⁠



Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at ⁠⁠http://katiepatrick.com⁠⁠



Join Gamify the Planet masterclass training in climate action design for $25/month ⁠⁠http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet⁠⁠



Get a copy of the book, How to Save the World on Amazon ⁠⁠https://amzn.to/2Z4jivL⁠⁠



Follow Katie on:



Instagram ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/katiepatrickhello/



LinkedIn ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-patrick/



Send in a voice message:



https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/katiepatrick/message

Feb 27, 202426:39
What Exactly is Gamification? Ep82

What Exactly is Gamification? Ep82

In this episode, I explain the precise definition of how I see gamification. It's essentially tracking progress towards a goal, and rewarding people for making progress. This episode is a neat nugget of the core measurement-driven gamification principles you can use for making climate and environmental action happen.

* * *

How to Save the World is a podcast about the psychology of what gets people to do eco-behaviors and take climate action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to rapidly get more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product.

Get inspired with positive eco futures art prints, organic t-shirts, hoodies, calendars, and all Katie's action design training at ⁠⁠⁠ecopiastore.com⁠⁠⁠

Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at ⁠⁠http://katiepatrick.com⁠⁠

Join Gamify the Planet masterclass training in climate action design for $25/month ⁠⁠http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet⁠⁠

Get a copy of the book, How to Save the World on Amazon ⁠⁠https://amzn.to/2Z4jivL⁠⁠

Follow Katie on:

Instagram ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/katiepatrickhello/

LinkedIn ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-patrick/

Send in a voice message:

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/katiepatrick/message


Feb 20, 202413:38
Top 10 Biggest Mistakes You Might Be Making Ep81

Top 10 Biggest Mistakes You Might Be Making Ep81

Did you know that the vast majority of environmental professionals have NO training in the job they are hired to do? That's the job of human influence. Environmental scientists, engineers, and lawyers are often hired for the job of influencing thousands of people to take action to meet sustainability goals, yet our training is in, well, science, engineering, and law - not the psychology of change.

This means most of us working on environmental change make big mistakes when trying to influence people - and we don't realize it. This goes all the way up the food chain to major NGOs and government departments that are spending millions of dollars on campaigns that hardly move the needle.
The science of human persuasion and social change requires an entirely different skill set. In the episode, I share the top 10 big mistakes I see most environmental advocates making, from the lens of evidence-based environmental psychology and my 20 years designing environmental change tools for some of the biggest (and smallest) environmental movements on the planet.

* * *
How to Save the World is a podcast about the psychology of what gets people to do eco-behaviors and take climate action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to rapidly get more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product.
Get inspired with positive eco futures art prints, organic t-shirts, hoodies, calendars, and all Katie's action design training at ⁠⁠⁠ecopiastore.com⁠⁠⁠
Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at ⁠⁠http://katiepatrick.com⁠⁠
Join Gamify the Planet masterclass training in climate action design for $25/month ⁠⁠http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet⁠⁠
Get a copy of the book, How to Save the World on Amazon ⁠⁠https://amzn.to/2Z4jivL⁠⁠
Follow Katie on:
Instagram ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/katiepatrickhello/
LinkedIn ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-patrick/
Send in a voice message:
podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/katiepatrick/message
Feb 12, 202450:37
The 5 Levers of Human Motivation Ep80
Feb 05, 202418:02
ECOPIA: We Need Child-Centric Community Housing Ep79

ECOPIA: We Need Child-Centric Community Housing Ep79

In today's episode, I introduce a new endeavor I've been secretly burrowing away at. It's called ECOPIA and it's my ultimate dream project. ECOPIA's mission is to create child-centric properties that are built and designed for families to raise children together, as it's meant to be done, in groups (and with all the eco-friendly, zero-emissions, zero-waste features an apartment could need!)

Modern parenting is deeply broken. Parents are more burned out, lonely, and stressed than ever before. Childcare is painfully expensive. The systems for daycare, play-dates, maternal support, afterschool care, and activities are profoundly inefficient.

What should be the happiest moments of a parent's life are often steamrolled by stressful duties we could design around: near-constant death prevention (cars, falls, poisons, sharp things, running off etc) and being a daily taxi service.
Parenting is hard, largely, because the architecture is broken.

Suburban homes were made for a different time when housing was cheap, marriages were conventional, and women had an average of four children – all of whom could play together in a backyard. Alternatively, apartments are built cheaply for profit - not for kids or mothers.

By taking a child-centric lens to apartment buildings, we can create supportive communities that center around safe places for children to play in groups with the amenities that parents need.

They say "It takes a village" for a reason. It does. That's why I'm putting my best effort forward to build the village we've always needed.

Learn more about ECOPIA at
ecopia.us and sign up to join the waitlist for future residents, building partners, and developers.

* * *
How to Save the World is a podcast about the psychology of what gets people to do eco-behaviors and take climate action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to rapidly get more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product.
Get inspired with positive eco futures art prints, organic t-shirts, hoodies, calendars, and all Katie's action design training at ⁠⁠⁠ecopiastore.com⁠⁠⁠
Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at ⁠⁠http://katiepatrick.com⁠⁠
Join Gamify the Planet masterclass training in climate action design for $25/month ⁠⁠http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet⁠⁠
Get a copy of the book, How to Save the World on Amazon ⁠⁠https://amzn.to/2Z4jivL⁠⁠
Follow Katie on:
Instagram ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/katiepatrickhello/
LinkedIn ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-patrick/
---Send in a voice message: podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/katiepatrick/message

Jan 23, 202429:46
The 3 Axioms of Change Ep78

The 3 Axioms of Change Ep78

How do you know that your project is REALLY changing what you want to change in the world? And how do you know if you are doing it effectively?

In this episode, I share the core mechanism of what change is. This is such a fundamental primary principle that we tend not to see it. You MUST have these three axioms active for change to happen. If you don't, then no change is occuring.

Unfortunately, most environmental projects fail at one or all three of the axioms and invest much time and effort with no change occuring. If you build your ideas and campaigns up from these three core principles - and you need all three in a trifecta - you'll shoot right to the center of what you need to do.


* * *

How to Save the World is a podcast about the psychology of what gets people to do eco-behaviors and take climate action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to rapidly get more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product.

Get inspired with positive eco futures art prints, organic t-shirts, hoodies, calendars, and all Katie's action design training at ⁠⁠⁠ecopiastore.com⁠⁠⁠

Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at ⁠⁠http://katiepatrick.com⁠⁠

Join Gamify the Planet masterclass training in climate action design for $25/month ⁠⁠http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet⁠⁠

Get a copy of the book, How to Save the World on Amazon ⁠⁠https://amzn.to/2Z4jivL⁠⁠

Follow Katie on:

Instagram ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/katiepatrickhello/

LinkedIn ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-patrick/


---
Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/katiepatrick/message

Jan 15, 202428:22
The Behavioral Science of Real Estate Energy Labels, Reuven Sussman PhD Ep77

The Behavioral Science of Real Estate Energy Labels, Reuven Sussman PhD Ep77

In today’s episode, we chat with behavioral and environmental psychologist, Dr Reuven Sussman, head of the Behavior and Health Program at The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE). He conducts research about, and advocates for, energy efficiency in buildings and transportation - a sector that makes up the lion's share of carbon emissions.


Dr Sussman is an adjunct professor at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, and currently sits on the editorial board of The Journal of Environmental Psychology and The Journal of Social Psychology. 


We dive into his recent paper he authored titled “Context and Meaningfulness in Energy Efficiency Labeling for Real Estate Listings”  which explores the real nitty gritty of how to get home energy labels to work and exactly how to design them.


We discuss the psychological foundations of how people respond to these labels, the kind of policy that is required to get them going, and how they can best be used to influence the real estate market to decarbonize buildings and drive greener choices.


We also talk about another important concept called “framing” which is a technique that can be used to help sell the often tricker and more demanding energy efficiency upgrades to homeowners.

* * *

How to Save the World is a podcast about the psychology of what gets people to do eco-behaviors and take climate action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to rapidly get more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product.

Get inspired with positive eco futures art prints, organic t-shirts, hoodies, calendars, and all Katie's action design training at ⁠⁠ecopiastore.com⁠⁠

Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at ⁠⁠http://katiepatrick.com⁠⁠

Join Gamify the Planet masterclass training in climate action design for $25/month ⁠⁠http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet⁠⁠

Get a copy of the book, How to Save the World on Amazon ⁠⁠https://amzn.to/2Z4jivL⁠⁠ 

Follow Katie on: 

Instagram ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/katiepatrickhello/

LinkedIn ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-patrick/

Jan 08, 202401:22:38
4 Evidence-Based Reasons Why You Need Positive Eco Futures Art Ep76

4 Evidence-Based Reasons Why You Need Positive Eco Futures Art Ep76

In this episode, I share the four social-science-backed reasons for why you need to be heavily immersed in images of the positive eco future you are working to create. We'll cover the psychology of motivation, technical problem-solving, leadership, and systems-change.


This epsides explores the deeper reasons why I put together the new Ecopia Store at ecopiastore.com where you can purchase art prints, hoodies, t-shirts, and calendars that show positive eco-futures. For years, I've struggled to get access to high quality environmental reimagings of cities. I started creating an abundance of my own in MidJurney and have selected favorites available as prints on the new Ecopia Store.


These images aren't just inpsiring and fun; they are critical ingredients to building your own energy and building social movements of change. It's the green "I have a dream" speech and it's fundamental to rolling out change.


Get a copy of the hugely popular 2024 Positive Eco Futures Wall Calendar at ecopiastore.com


* * *

How to Save the World is a podcast about the psychology of what gets people to do eco-behaviors and take climate action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to rapidly get more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product.


Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at ⁠⁠http://katiepatrick.com⁠⁠


Get inspired with positive eco futures art prints, organic t-shirts, hoodies, calendars and all Katie's action design trainings at ⁠ecopiastore.com⁠


Join Gamify the Planet masterclass training in climate action design for $25/month ⁠⁠http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet⁠⁠


Get a copy of the book, How to Save the World on Amazon ⁠⁠https://amzn.to/2Z4jivL

⁠⁠

Follow Katie on:

Instagram ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/katiepatrickhello/

LinkedIn ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-patrick/


---
Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/katiepatrick/message

Jan 03, 202424:45
Idea: Nudge Your Neighborhood Vegan with the V-Score Ep75

Idea: Nudge Your Neighborhood Vegan with the V-Score Ep75

In this episode, I share an idea I designed and. I want you to steal it. It's called the V-Score. See the V-Score app design here.


The most important factor that determines the health and environmentally friendliness of food is whether it comes from a plant or an animal. The measurement-driven design I teach is based on identifying a core metric of change. We can simplify the proportion of plant-to-animal calories into a simple metric called "The V-Score."


Calculate the V-Score of each meal on a menu and for each restaurant on a street. This data is the basis for gamification and action design that works.


Bringing attention to the data behind the problem is the first step to creating change. The ratio is easy to understand and gently 'nudges' a person in a positive direction without demanding drastic lifestyle changes. 


The V-Score app is based on the principle of public disclosure of data. We make the ratio of plant to animal foods open and transparent which naturally causes people to change in a positive direction to improve their score.

See the V-Score design here: http://katiepatrick.com/vscore-homepage

* * *

How to Save the World is a podcast about the psychology of what gets people to do eco-behaviors and take climate action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to rapidly get more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product.

Get inspired with positive eco futures art prints, organic t-shirts, hoodies, calendars, and all Katie's action design training at ⁠⁠⁠ecopiastore.com⁠⁠⁠

Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at ⁠⁠http://katiepatrick.com⁠⁠

Join Gamify the Planet masterclass training in climate action design for $25/month ⁠⁠http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet⁠⁠

Get a copy of the book, How to Save the World on Amazon ⁠⁠https://amzn.to/2Z4jivL⁠⁠ 

Follow Katie on: 

Instagram ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/katiepatrickhello/

LinkedIn ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-patrick/

Dec 18, 202315:37
Too Many Ways to Go Green? Choice Architecture & Overload, Reuben Kline PhD Ep74

Too Many Ways to Go Green? Choice Architecture & Overload, Reuben Kline PhD Ep74

Does giving people long lists of multitudes of eco actions help people do more green things? Or does it overwhelm, and hence hinder action? And how does the type of action on that list make a difference? 


Today’s guest is Dr. Rueben Kline Ph.D. He is the Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center for Behavioral Political Economy at Stony Brook University in Long Island, New York.


In our conversation, we bring evidence-based academic rigor to those big lists of climate and green actions. We’ve all seen them (or we’ve been the ones who created them!). "Top 10 Green Things You Can Do at Home," "101 Ways the Save the Earth From Your Bedroom" etc.


We explore his paper titled “Too Many Ways to Help: How to Promote Climate Mitigation Behaviors” and the theory of “choice architecture" and "choice overload.” Reuben reveals unexpected findings about green behaviors depending on whether they are perceived as "easy" or "hard."


Reuben is also the co-author of a fascinating book coming out soon titled “Climate Games - Experiments on How People Prevent Disaster” which is about game theory and climate.


* * *

How to Save the World is a podcast about the psychology of what gets people to do eco-behaviors and take climate action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to rapidly get more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product.

Get inspired with positive eco futures art prints, organic t-shirts, hoodies, calendars, and all Katie's action design training at ⁠⁠⁠ecopiastore.com⁠⁠⁠

Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at ⁠⁠⁠http://katiepatrick.com⁠⁠⁠

Join Gamify the Planet masterclass training in climate action design for $25/month ⁠⁠⁠http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet⁠⁠⁠

Get a copy of the book, How to Save the World on Amazon ⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/2Z4jivL⁠⁠⁠

Follow Katie on:

Instagram ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/katiepatrickhello/⁠

LinkedIn ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-patrick/

---

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/katiepatrick/message

Dec 11, 202301:31:59
Idea: Women's Bathroom Vending Machine Ep73
Nov 20, 202310:46
Idea: The Compost-a-Tron Ep72

Idea: The Compost-a-Tron Ep72

The compost-a-TRON is an idea to encourage public composting, inspired by a curious behavioral study 30 years ago about a giant eagle shaped garbage can. How to Save the World is a podcast about the psychology of what gets people to do eco-behaviors and take climate action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to rapidly get more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product.
Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at ⁠⁠http://katiepatrick.com⁠⁠
Join Gamify the Planet masterclass training in climate action design for $25/month ⁠⁠http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet⁠⁠
Get a copy of the book, How to Save the World on Amazon ⁠⁠https://amzn.to/2Z4jivL⁠⁠
Follow Katie on:
Instagram ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/katiepatrickhello/
LinkedIn ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-patrick/
Nov 13, 202317:23
Do Individual Green Actions Take Away From Systems Change? Karine Lacroix PhD Ep71

Do Individual Green Actions Take Away From Systems Change? Karine Lacroix PhD Ep71

In today’s episode, I talk with environmental and behavioral psychologist, Dr. Karine Lacroix Ph.D, about if a person’s individual eco-friendly behaviors (like riding a bike, composting, or eating less meat) can cannibalize or steer people away from taking actions that might influence bigger systems-wide change (like trying to influence your local Mayor, or meeting with a senator.

Think of it like this. Does directing people reduce their own environmental impact for themselves (just one person) reduce that person’s potential to do actions that might affect other people beyond themselves (many people)?

Does the effort or bandwidth involved with one trade off the other?

Karine focuses on experiments that target the barriers and motivators around climate change behavior and health.

She was a post-doctoral associate at the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication is now an Advisor to the Behavioral Insights Team (also known as the Nudge Unit or BTI).

We will dive into her recently published paper titled “Does personal climate change mitigation behavior influence collective behavior? Experimental evidence of no spillover in the United States.”
* * *
How to Save the World is a podcast about the psychology of what gets people to do eco-behaviors and take climate action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to rapidly get more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product.

Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at ⁠⁠⁠http://katiepatrick.com⁠⁠⁠

Join Gamify the Planet masterclass training in climate action design for $25/month ⁠⁠⁠http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet⁠⁠⁠

Get a copy of the book, How to Save the World on Amazon ⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/2Z4jivL⁠⁠⁠

Follow Katie on:
Instagram ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/katiepatrickhello/⁠
LinkedIn ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-patrick/
Nov 06, 202301:13:15
Reimagine Your Street and Neighborhood Ep70
Oct 30, 202314:51
Education Vs Action Design: Very Different Things Ep69
Oct 23, 202315:40
Gamification of Climate Action, Dr Markus Brauer PhD PART 2 Ep68

Gamification of Climate Action, Dr Markus Brauer PhD PART 2 Ep68

This is the second part of the conversation with Professor of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin AND the Executive Director of The Institute for Diversity Science, Dr Markus Brauer about what makes up real evidence-driven gamification. 


Markus is the social scientist behind a behavior-change game called Cool Choices - a card game that gets workplace employees into groups with the goal of competing around energy and environmental behaviors.


Markus gives us an understanding of the theoretical underpinning and real causal mechanisms that drive the psychology behind the kind of gamification that does succeed in our quest for real and measurable change.


We explore his paper published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology titled: Making Cool Choices for Sustainability: Testing the effectiveness of a game-based approach to promoting pro-environmental behaviors.

* * *

How to Save the World is a podcast about the psychology of what gets people to do eco-behaviors and take climate action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to rapidly get more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product.

Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at ⁠⁠http://katiepatrick.com⁠⁠

Join Gamify the Planet masterclass training in climate action design for $25/month ⁠⁠http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet⁠⁠

Get a copy of the book, How to Save the World on Amazon ⁠⁠https://amzn.to/2Z4jivL⁠⁠ 

Follow Katie on: 

Instagram ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/katiepatrickhello/

LinkedIn ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-patrick/


Oct 16, 202352:46
Gamification of Climate Action, Dr Markus Brauer PhD PART 1 Ep67

Gamification of Climate Action, Dr Markus Brauer PhD PART 1 Ep67

Games sound fun, but do they really work to get people to actually do climate and eco-friendly things? And if so, why do they work? 

Today's we’ll be talking with Professor of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin AND the Executive Director of The Institute for Diversity Science, Dr Markus Brauer about what makes up real evidence-driven gamification. 


Markus is the social scientist behind a behavior-change game called Cool Choices - a card game that gets workplace employees into groups with a goal of competing around energy and environmental behaviors.


Markus gives us an understanding of the theoretical underpinning and real causal mechanisms that drive the psychology behind the kind of gamification that does succeed in our quest for real and measurable change.


We explore his paper published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology titled: Making Cool Choices for Sustainability: Testing the effectiveness of a game-based approach to promoting pro-environmental behaviors.

* * *

How to Save the World is a podcast about the psychology of what gets people to do eco-behaviors and take climate action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to rapidly get more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product.

Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at ⁠⁠http://katiepatrick.com⁠⁠

Join Gamify the Planet masterclass training in climate action design for $25/month ⁠⁠http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet⁠⁠

Get a copy of the book, How to Save the World on Amazon ⁠⁠https://amzn.to/2Z4jivL⁠⁠ 

Follow Katie on: 

Instagram ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/katiepatrickhello/

LinkedIn ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-patrick/

Oct 09, 202354:51
How to Work From Primary Principles Ep66

How to Work From Primary Principles Ep66

In this episode, I share a fundamental principle to guide your design thinking. You should always ask yourself, is this idea based on "primary principles?" And what are "primary principles" anyway?

In order to make a campaign or startup that really works to get people to buy a green product or change a behavior, you need to build up your concept from the primary principles of how human beings function.

Often we don't do this. We design our environmental projects based on on abstractions and nebulous hypotheses on how we "think" people might respond - and this is a major cause of eco project failure.

I'll share the main primary principles that are proven to trigger core behavioral mechanisms in people and how you can use them as a baseline for your social change thinking.

* * *
How to Save the World is a podcast about the psychology of what gets people to do eco-behaviors and take climate action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to rapidly get more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product.
Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at ⁠⁠http://katiepatrick.com⁠⁠
Join my Gamify the Planet masterclass training in climate action design for $25/month ⁠⁠http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet⁠⁠
Get a copy of the book, How to Save the World on Amazon ⁠⁠https://amzn.to/2Z4jivL⁠⁠
Follow Katie on: X-Twitter ⁠⁠@katiepatrick⁠⁠ Instagram ⁠⁠@katiepatrickhello⁠⁠ LinkedIn ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-patrick/
Oct 02, 202323:17
The Psychology of Pledges: A "Commitment Device" Ep65

The Psychology of Pledges: A "Commitment Device" Ep65

In this episode, I explore the power of pledges in driving pro-environmental action and behavior. Pledges are seen as commitment devices, where individuals make promises or commitments to themselves or others.

We highlight the effectiveness of pledges in engaging people and closing the value action gap. The episode delves into the various forms of pledges, such as written notes, online commitments, or public displays, and discusses the astonishing evidence from behavioral literature on their impact.

Pledges can increase engagement in actions by 30% to 70%, making them powerful tools for maintaining eco-friendly behaviors and winning environmental campaigns.


* * *

How to Save the World is a podcast about the psychology of what gets people to do eco-behaviors and take climate action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to rapidly get more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product.

Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at ⁠⁠http://katiepatrick.com⁠⁠

Join my Gamify the Planet masterclass training in climate action design for $25/month ⁠⁠http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet⁠⁠

Get a copy of the book, How to Save the World on Amazon ⁠⁠https://amzn.to/2Z4jivL⁠⁠ 

Follow Katie on:  X-Twitter ⁠⁠@katiepatrick⁠⁠ Instagram ⁠⁠@katiepatrickhello⁠⁠ LinkedIn ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-patrick/

Sep 25, 202320:38
Everyone Else is Doing it: The Surprising Power of Social Norms on a Poster, Dr Alessia Dorigoni PhD Ep64

Everyone Else is Doing it: The Surprising Power of Social Norms on a Poster, Dr Alessia Dorigoni PhD Ep64

In today’s episode, we dive into the surprisingly powerful effect of social norms that seem to almost effortlessly shift environmental behavior. Social norms mean“This is what everyone else is doing” or “Here’s an example of what we want you to emulate.”  


Our guest today is research psychologist Dr Alessia Dorigoni from the Neuroscience Consumer Lab at the University of Trento in Italy. Alessia is not just a psychologist through, she’s also a fine artist and behavioral economist specializing in nudges.


We explore Alessia’s recent paper titled "Water bottled or tap water? A descriptive-social-norm based intervention to increase a pro-environmental behavior in a restaurant"


The type of norms we’ll be exploring how a written norm, in the form of a poster in a restaurant, that said "2/3 PREFER TAP WATER" effectively encouraged people to order less plastic bottled water. 


Alessia and I talk about the theory of nudges, the neuroscience of why norms work, and the surprisingly best formats in which to describe the data to have the most psychological influence.


Alessia's paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272494423000191

* * *

How to Save the World is a podcast about the psychology of what gets people to do eco-behaviors and take climate action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to rapidly get more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product.

Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at ⁠⁠http://katiepatrick.com⁠⁠

Join my Gamify the Planet masterclass training in climate action design for $25/month ⁠⁠http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet⁠⁠

Get a copy of the book, How to Save the World on Amazon ⁠⁠https://amzn.to/2Z4jivL⁠⁠ 

Follow Katie on:  X-Twitter ⁠⁠@katiepatrick⁠⁠ Instagram ⁠⁠@katiepatrickhello⁠⁠ LinkedIn ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-patrick/

Sep 11, 202301:17:51
Surefire Technique to Get It Done: Short Scoping Ep63

Surefire Technique to Get It Done: Short Scoping Ep63

You probably have a new website you're trying to launch, a blog you need to finish, an app you're trying to complete, a presentation you need to give, and several unfinished art projects in your closet. I see you. I know you!
In this episode, I share my own personal technique for getting complex things finished and shipped. I call it "short scoping."
To "Short scope" is the opposite to "scope creep" or "feature creep" where are ideas get more branches and features as we work on them until they turn into unmanageable, unfinishable, and expensive behemoths.
As someone who is afflicted by many ideas, often coming at me at the same time, and who is inspired to work on different things, being able to "short scope" a project to make a chunk of deliverable work is the only reason why anything I do gets out.
Without short scoping, my life's work would drown in a molasses of compounding new ideas and intricate feature-creeps dragged to bottom of the sea of unfinished projects.
It's simple and it WORKS. Try it out and let me know how it goes!

* * *
How to Save the World is a podcast about the psychology of what gets people to do eco-behaviors and take climate action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to rapidly get more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product.
Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at ⁠⁠http://katiepatrick.com⁠⁠
Join my Gamify the Planet masterclass training in climate action design for $25/month ⁠⁠http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet⁠⁠
Get a copy of the book, How to Save the World on Amazon ⁠⁠https://amzn.to/2Z4jivL⁠⁠
Follow Katie on: X-Twitter ⁠⁠@katiepatrick⁠⁠
Instagram ⁠⁠@katiepatrickhello⁠⁠
LinkedIn ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-patrick/
Sep 04, 202311:52
You Need To Take Geographic Granularity Seriously Ep62

You Need To Take Geographic Granularity Seriously Ep62

Have you considered the power that lies in heavily niching down by geography? As in, go hyper local, and then geographically niche some more.

In this episode, I share my thoughts on the mistakes I've observed by social change projects diluting their impact by spreading too broad. You might get followers by casting a broad net in the beginning, but you won't get the serious and measurable change you want to see from real humans doing real things *off* the internet.

The keys to change lie in starting by seeing what you can change in your immediate location, and then once you've done it, try and replicate it. That is how social movements that built into tipping points are built.

* * *

How to Save the World is a podcast about the psychology of what gets people to do eco-behaviors and take climate action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to rapidly get more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product.

Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at ⁠⁠http://katiepatrick.com⁠⁠

Join my Gamify the Planet masterclass training in climate action design for $25/month ⁠⁠http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet⁠⁠

Get a copy of the book, How to Save the World on Amazon ⁠⁠https://amzn.to/2Z4jivL⁠⁠ 

Follow Katie on:  Twitter ⁠⁠@katiepatrick⁠⁠

Instagram ⁠⁠@katiepatrickhello⁠⁠

LinkedIn ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-patrick/

Aug 28, 202308:08
Habit Discontinuity Hypothesis and Green Behaviors, Professor Emeritus Bas Verplanken PhD Ep61

Habit Discontinuity Hypothesis and Green Behaviors, Professor Emeritus Bas Verplanken PhD Ep61

Our guest today is Professor Emeritus Bas Verplaken from the Department of Psychology at the University of Bath. He’s very much an elder in the study of attitude and habits in relation to health and human behavior and he has also been the editor of the book, The Psychology of Habits.

We discuss "Habit Discontinuity Hypothesis" which is a phenomenon whereby people are more apt to adopt new behaviors when their daily lives are disrupted, meaning some kind of discontinuity occurs, like moving house or moving job.

Bas and I talk about the importance of habits in addressing sustainability through the perspective that habits are unconscious and immediate behaviors we do without thinking about too much versus behaviors that take thought and consideration.

To understand habits is to also understand that kind of “behavioral muscle memory,” how it is formed, and how to break them.

* * *
How to Save the World is a podcast about the psychology of what gets people to do eco-behaviors and take climate action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to rapidly get more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product.
Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at ⁠http://katiepatrick.com⁠
Join my Gamify the Planet masterclass training in climate action design for $25/month ⁠http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet⁠
Get a copy of the book, How to Save the World on Amazon ⁠https://amzn.to/2Z4jivL⁠
Follow Katie on: Twitter ⁠@katiepatrick⁠
Instagram ⁠@katiepatrickhello⁠
LinkedIn ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-patrick/
Aug 22, 202301:05:37
Individual Action Vs Systems Change PART 4: Validate & Level Up Ep60

Individual Action Vs Systems Change PART 4: Validate & Level Up Ep60

In this episode I offer an alternative strategy to shaming or criticizing small individual eco-friendly behaviors. I explain how you want to see social change like a staircase with many levels. Often taking a small individual action, like using a paper straw or driving less, is the first step a person makes on their staircase of influence. The goal is to inspire the person to step up from their small individual actions to a new set of more advanced actions that have the power to influence many people, instead of only one person (themselves).

Please share this episode every time you see an environmentalist shaming or criticizing small green individual actions! We need to get better and encouraging people to move up the staircase, not shaming them for being at the first stair. This is a design challenge for us all.

* * *

How to Save the World is a podcast about the psychology of what gets people to do eco-behaviors and take climate action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to rapidly get more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product.

Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at ⁠⁠http://katiepatrick.com⁠⁠

Join my Gamify the Planet masterclass training in climate action design for $25/month ⁠⁠http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet⁠⁠

Get a copy of the book, How to Save the World on Amazon ⁠⁠https://amzn.to/2Z4jivL⁠⁠ 

Follow Katie on:  Twitter ⁠⁠@katiepatrick⁠⁠

Instagram ⁠⁠@katiepatrickhello⁠⁠

LinkedIn ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-patrick/

Aug 15, 202309:37
Individual Action Vs Systems Change PART 3: How The Five Types of Individual Action Lead to Tipping Points Ep59

Individual Action Vs Systems Change PART 3: How The Five Types of Individual Action Lead to Tipping Points Ep59

In this episode, I explore the ongoing debate between individual and system actions in promoting pro-environmental behavior, challenging the notion that these are the only two types of actions. This episode points out that there are five different types of actions that can bring about change: daily recurring habits, big-ticket once-off changes, lifelong career mastery, political engagement, and social influence.


Individual actions are more than small lifestyle changes, such as composting or using a reusable straw. The actions a person can take are vast and varied, and each version of the five types explored here are part of achieving systems-level change.


* * *

How to Save the World is a podcast about the psychology of what gets people to do eco-behaviors and take climate action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to rapidly get more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product.

Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at http://katiepatrick.com

Join my Gamify the Planet masterclass training in climate action design for $25/month http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet

Get a copy of the book, How to Save the World on Amazon https://amzn.to/2Z4jivL 

Follow Katie on:  Twitter @katiepatrick

Instagram @katiepatrickhello

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-patrick/



Aug 07, 202318:55
Individual Action Vs Systems Change PART 2: A Continuum Of Six Buckets Ep58

Individual Action Vs Systems Change PART 2: A Continuum Of Six Buckets Ep58

People often ask me why we should practice individual environmental behavior change when what we really need is "systems change." It's not an easy question to answer. We need "systems change" implemented by governments as policy (like plastic bans), economic levers (like a carbon tax), and physical infrastructure (like bike paths). Yet, all systems are made up of networks of individual people who influence systems and are allowed individual freedoms. The two cannot be separated.

In this episode, I talk about the social and political dynamics of government-enforced systems change. No two environmental scenarios are the same and each needs to be solved with a different approach to influencing individual people to take personal actions (like composting) and governments to bring in policy (like providing compost pick up). 

I see environmental psychology as a way to implement structural change across millions of people in a way that succeeds - because the solution is designed to harmonize with the human mind. In this way, systems change IS behavior change. 

I categorize scenarios into what I'm calling the "six buckets" that range in government involvement to help clarify the various arrangements of government control and individual freedoms that come with environmental change.

* * * 

How to Save the World is a Podcast About the Psychology of What Gets People To Take On Sustainable Behavior and Climate Action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to get magnitudes more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product. Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at http://katiepatrick.com

Get a copy of How to Save the World on Amazon

Join Katie's masterclass training in climate action design for $25 / month http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet

This podcast is supported by our friends at Earth Hacks who run environmental hackathons, Conservation X Labs who promote community-driven open tech development for conservation, and Climate Designers - a network of designers who use their creative skills for climate action.

Contribute a monthly donation to the How to Save the World podcast at patreon.com/katiepatrick

Follow on Twitter @katiepatrick, Instagram @katiepatrickhello, and LinkedIn

Book a 90-minute Idea Storming Call with Katie: https://calendly.com/katiepatrick/idea-storm

Jul 31, 202336:59
Individual Action Vs Systems Change PART 1: Six Hidden Biases in the Question Ep57
Jul 24, 202323:58
Four Questions You Should Brainstorm For Clarity and Motivation Ep56

Four Questions You Should Brainstorm For Clarity and Motivation Ep56

In this episode, I share a new journaling practice that I've recently started that involves answering four specific questions. This practice has been an absolute game-changer for me, and I believe it can profoundly impact your life and work too.

Inspired by her previous episode on the Fun-O-Meter, I emphasize the importance of asking meaningful and substantial questions to shape the trajectory of our lives. These questions are designed to align the inner compass of your environmental work and creative flow toward your true purpose in a way that delivers the best energy, ideas, and momentum you have to change the world.


Take out a journal and start brainstorming your thoughts on these four master questions:

1. What's "The Big Why" behind what you do?

2. What's the amazing vision, destination, and goal you are working towards? What is the "vast and endless sea" you are inviting people to join you on?

3. What's the most fun thing you could do to work towards this goal?

4. What's "The One Thing" you need to do now to make it happen?


Push yourself to write 10, 20, or even 100 responses to each of these questions. If you're busy, just write down one answer to each. This practice will set your direction in the most authentic and resonant path for you. This is the place all the best momentum, ideas, and progress comes from.


* * *

How to Save the World is a podcast about the psychology of what gets people to do eco-behaviors and take climate action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to rapidly get more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product.

Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at http://katiepatrick.com

Join my Gamify the Planet masterclass training in climate action design for $25/month http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet

Get a copy of the book, How to Save the World on Amazon https://amzn.to/2Z4jivL 

Follow Katie on:  Twitter @katiepatrick

Instagram @katiepatrickhello

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-patrick/


Jul 17, 202317:36
Designing A Climate Action Dashboard for Cities: A Deep Dive into Behavioral Science Ep55

Designing A Climate Action Dashboard for Cities: A Deep Dive into Behavioral Science Ep55

What are the behavioral science secrets behind making a climate action dashboard for cities that ACTUALLY gets people to act? In this episode, I'll take you a deep dive into the design theory behind creating a climate action dashboard for a city using a behavioral science-informed approach.
I share the importance of distinguishing between action design and graphic design, as well as climate reporting and climate accounting. Climate Action Design is different. It's not "reporting," it's designed to invoke a behavioral response. The aim is to create dashboards and apps that motivate people to take pro-environmental action (not just display data).
To get the most out of this episode, please download the dashboard design at this link here while you are listening:
www.dropbox.com/s/oc3muxbklvh43xc/high-res-dashboard.png?dl=0

1. Show the start, in numbers.2. Show the end, the goal, quantitatively.3. Show a feedback loop score on what you want to change that updates often.4. Identify highly specific actions and track the progress of these.5. Use nested groups (like teams in a game) i.e. cities in a county or classrooms in a school.6. Break the goals down into levels, like a video game or karate belts. Focus on moving people to the next level from where they are at, in increments.7. Give rewards when players achieve a notch in the level, like a badge or prize.8. Always benchmark and compare to the average performance of the group, maybe use a leaderboard.

* * *
How to Save the World is a podcast about the psychology of what gets people to do eco-behaviors and take climate action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to rapidly get more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product.
Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at katiepatrick.com
Join my Gamify the Planet masterclass training in climate action design for $25/month katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet
Get a copy of the book, How to Save the World on Amazon amzn.to/2Z4jivL
Follow on:
Twitter @katiepatrick
Instagram @katiepatrickhello
LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/katie-patrick/
Jul 10, 202332:29
Earth Imagination Day: Teaching Kids To Imagine a Positive Eco-Future, Sophie Poisel Ep54

Earth Imagination Day: Teaching Kids To Imagine a Positive Eco-Future, Sophie Poisel Ep54

In this episode, we chat with Sophie Poisel, an award-winning innovative teacher who hosted the first Earth Imagination Week with her students. Sophie showed us that when you give children the tools to imagine positive new ecological worlds, they come up with incredible work! Eco Minecraft worlds, green Lego lands, biophilic architectural illustrations, 3D building models - the kids made it.

We delved into the power of environmental imagination and how it can spark awe-inspiring creativity and passion in young minds. And even more so, how sustainability education and environmental imagination exercise diffuses into the entire family, leading to real and tangible behavior changes in parents. Sophie is the head of the Lang Walker Academy at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney and has post-graduate studies and research in gifted education and has been awarded the Premier’s Prize and a high commendation from the Prime Minister of Australia for her work in innovation in STEM-based education.

See that the kids made: https://www.instagram.com/katiepatrickhello/guide/earth-imagination-day/17928466082290777/ Download the free Earth Imagination Toolkit at http://katiepatrick.com/imagine

Get in touch with Sophie: LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-poisel-5118a0188 Twitter @sophiepoisel Email sophiepoisel@powerhouse.com.au

* * *

How to Save the World is a podcast about the psychology of what gets people to do eco-behaviors and take climate action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to rapidly get more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product. Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at http://katiepatrick.com

Join my Gamify the Planet masterclass training in climate action design for $25/month http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet Get a copy of the book, How to Save the World on Amazon https://amzn.to/2Z4jivL 

Follow on:  Twitter @katiepatrick Instagram @katiepatrickhello LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-patrick/


Jul 03, 202301:08:01
The Theory of Fun: A Daily "Fun-o-Meter" Journal Practice Ep53

The Theory of Fun: A Daily "Fun-o-Meter" Journal Practice Ep53

Jun 26, 202317:29
The 7 Pillars of Behavioral Science for Climate Action Ep52

The 7 Pillars of Behavioral Science for Climate Action Ep52

Don't let your audience walk away without actually doing anything. Here's the action design shorthand you need. Use each of these evidence-based techniques in your project, campaign, or startup to ensure every person you touch goes on to take a real action that shifts the numbers.

Download The 7 Pillars of Behavioral Science for Climate Action Poster PDF: http://bit.ly/43Ip9E2



How to Save the World is a podcast about the psychology of what gets people to do eco-behaviors and take climate action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to rapidly get more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product. Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at http://katiepatrick.com

Join my Gamify the Planet masterclass training in climate action design for $25/month http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet

Get a copy of the book, How to Save the World on Amazon https://amzn.to/2Z4jivL 


Follow on: 

Twitter @katiepatrick

Instagram @katiepatrickhello

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-patrick/

Jun 20, 202324:11
How to Design Games for Impact, Education and Action, Dan White CEO Filament Games Ep51

How to Design Games for Impact, Education and Action, Dan White CEO Filament Games Ep51

Today's guest is Dan White. He is the CEO and Founder of the award-winning impact-games development company, Filament Games. Dan is an artist and entrepreneur and probably the world’s most prolific games-for-impact developer. We talk about the nuance of how to create a game that engages, educates, and transforms people and we explore what happens when we put art, action, and impact together into an educational game format. Dan and his team at Filament have created nine games specifically about the environment: Otter Planet: https://www.habitheque.com/an-otter-planet  Aquation: https://ssec.si.edu/aquation  Climate Champions: https://www.filamentgames.com/project/climate-champions-2/  Citizen Science: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxmdvsSuR-g  Land Grab (game jam): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpVcVODuXeU&ab_channel=FilamentGames  EcoKingdoms: https://game-cdn.legendsoflearning.com/content-deploy/4452/EcoKingdoms-Interactions_427/index.html  Resilient Planet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUWoNACJ-7Q  Eco Defenders: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfhHhisTrxE  Energy City: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIe-HzUodcU  https://www.filamentgames.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/danwhite3/ https://www.instagram.com/filamentgames/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/filament-games/ * * *  How to Save the World is a podcast about the psychology of what gets people to do eco-behaviors and take climate action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to rapidly get more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product. Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at http://katiepatrick.com Join my Gamify the Planet masterclass training in climate action design for $25/month http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet Get a copy of the book, How to Save the World on Amazon https://amzn.to/2Z4jivL  This podcast is supported by our friends at Earth Hacks who run environmental hackathons, Conservation X Labs who promote community-driven open tech development for conservation, and Climate Designers - a network of designers who use their creative skills for climate action. Follow on  Twitter @katiepatrick Instagram @katiepatrickhello LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-patrick/
Jun 01, 202301:18:12
When Guilt Works Better Than Pride To Get People To Go Green, Nicole Sintov PhD Ep50

When Guilt Works Better Than Pride To Get People To Go Green, Nicole Sintov PhD Ep50

This month's guest expert on the How to Save the World podcast is Nicole Sintov, Associate Professor of Behavior, Decision-Making, and Sustainability from Ohio State University.

We'll be interviewing Nicole on her published research paper, "Guilt consistently motivates pro-environmental outcomes while pride depends on context."

The gist of this research shows that telling people they are performing worse than most others on environmental and climate action, stimulates people to do better.

We'll dig into the question, "Should we be showering people with compliments and positive feedback about their good efforts, or are we better just telling people when they are doing a bad job?"

Not that we need to ONLY make people feel guilty, but negative feedback gets a bad wrap and tends to be avoided, but there’s definitely a strong role for it - and it needs to be a tool in the toolbox of change.

Nicole's research paper:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272494422000214

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-sintov-b3b4a01a3/

* * * 

How to Save the World is a podcast about the psychology of what gets people to do eco-behaviors and take climate action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to rapidly get more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product. Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at http://katiepatrick.com

Join my Gamify the Planet masterclass training in climate action design for $25/month http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet

Get a copy of the book, How to Save the World on Amazon https://amzn.to/2Z4jivL 

This podcast is supported by our friends at Earth Hacks who run environmental hackathons, Conservation X Labs who promote community-driven open tech development for conservation, and Climate Designers - a network of designers who use their creative skills for climate action.

Follow on

Twitter @katiepatrick

Instagram @katiepatrickhello

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-patrick/


May 01, 202301:04:30
How to Make Environmental Campaigns Go Viral Using Augmented Reality Games, Kay Vasey + Olivier Bos MeshMinds Ep49

How to Make Environmental Campaigns Go Viral Using Augmented Reality Games, Kay Vasey + Olivier Bos MeshMinds Ep49

MeshMinds makes planet-themed augmented reality games designed to massively increase engagement and social media sharing of environmental campaigns.

Kay and Olivier and I met when we were working for UNEP on the Clean Seas campaign. They do some really interesting work using the software Spark AR (that’s only used for instagram and Facebook applications) to make these very novel, light, immersive, and fun experiences - kind of like a mini or micro game - that people access by pressing the star icon on Instagram.

And holey moley, the things they make really work! Their game-like creations on Instagram have gotten millions of plays, shares, and viral marketing spreading by mastering this novel approach to engagement.

In this episode, we'll be diving into various creative ways you can use Spark AR and some of the theory to getting your project to really work.

Download the Spark AR software for free and try and make something https://sparkar.facebook.com/ar-studio

Don't forget, always jump on YouTube to search for free tutorials for anything you want to learn.

Meshminds.com

https://www.instagram.com/meshminds/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kvasey/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivier-bos/

* * * 

How to Save the World is a podcast about the psychology of what gets people to do eco-behaviors and take climate action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to rapidly get more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product. Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at http://katiepatrick.com

Join my Gamify the Planet masterclass training in climate action design for $25/month http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet

Get a copy of the book, How to Save the World on Amazon https://amzn.to/2Z4jivL 

This podcast is supported by our friends at Earth Hacks who run environmental hackathons, Conservation X Labs who promote community-driven open tech development for conservation, and Climate Designers - a network of designers who use their creative skills for climate action.

Follow on

Twitter @katiepatrick

Instagram @katiepatrickhello

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-patrick/

Apr 03, 202301:17:55
The Hidden Secret of Building Community Movements: Self Efficacy, Social Diffusion, and Cultivating the Confidence to Talk to Others, Veronica Champine PhD Ep48

The Hidden Secret of Building Community Movements: Self Efficacy, Social Diffusion, and Cultivating the Confidence to Talk to Others, Veronica Champine PhD Ep48

Today's guest is environmental psychologist, Veronica Champine, PhD Candidate and Graduate Research Assistant at Colorado State University.

We're breaking down the science of "social diffusion" in her research paper "Understanding individual and diffusion behaviors related to native plant gardening" recently published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology.

Her research explores the difference between asking people to take individual action vs asking people to talk to people around them and showing by example - that's social diffusion - an often missing link in many climate programs and startups.

We'll be diving into the power and nuance of helping people to get better at diffusing environmental behaviors in their communities - and what we need to do to become designers of social diffusion.

Connect with Veronica on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/veronica-champine-5305309a/

The paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272494422000433

----------------------

How to Save the World is a podcast about the psychology of what gets people to do eco-behaviors and take climate action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to rapidly get more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product. Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at http://katiepatrick.com

Join my Gamify the Planet masterclass training in climate action design for $25 / month http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet

Get a copy of the book, How to Save the World on Amazon https://amzn.to/2Z4jivL 

This podcast is supported by our friends at Earth Hacks who run environmental hackathons, Conservation X Labs who promote community-driven open tech development for conservation, and Climate Designers - a network of designers who use their creative skills for climate action.

Follow on Twitter @katiepatrick

Instagram @katiepatrickhello

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-patrick/

Mar 02, 202301:17:40
Five Secrets to Writing Well - Tips for Action, Engagement, and Growth Ep 47

Five Secrets to Writing Well - Tips for Action, Engagement, and Growth Ep 47

There's a line in a song that says "Words are hotter fire. Words are wetter than water." You might not think that words possess a superpower that can help you change the world, but if you're in the job of influencing people to change, language is your secret weapon.

In this episode, I talk through some of the mistakes I see people make and how you can get better at crafting your written story and your copywriting. I hope you take the time to master the art of sculpting words that deeply move people, and through that, you can spark a revolution.

I recommend you read these books:
On Writing Well, by Willian Zinsser
amzn.to/2Ty9qsr
The Sense of Style, by Steven Pinker amzn.to/3dDF6DH

* * *

How to Save the World is a Podcast About the Psychology of What Gets People To Take On Sustainable Behavior and Climate Action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to rapidly get more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product. Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at katiepatrick.com

Join my Gamify the Planet masterclass training in climate action design for $25 / month katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet

Get a copy of the book, How to Save the World on Amazon

This podcast is supported by our friends at Earth Hacks who run environmental hackathons, Conservation X Labs who promote community-driven open tech development for conservation, and Climate Designers - a network of designers who use their creative skills for climate action.

Contribute a monthly donation to the How to Save the World podcast at patreon.com/katiepatrick

Follow on Twitter @katiepatrick, Instagram @katiepatrickhello, and LinkedIn

Book a 90-minute Idea Storming Call with Katie: calendly.com/katiepatrick/idea-storm
Dec 14, 202212:22
Mapping the World's Forest Data from Satellites, Alice Gottesman + Kai Kresek Global Forest Watch Ep 46

Mapping the World's Forest Data from Satellites, Alice Gottesman + Kai Kresek Global Forest Watch Ep 46

What would it take to make "A Fitbit of the world's forests"? As you could imagine, it would be a momentous task. Global Forest Watch is doing it. It's one of the world's most technically ambitious ecological monitoring projects that maps and monitors the entire Earth's forest cover, with high-frequency updates, and ecological health insights, and displays it on a beautiful and easy-to-use browser interface. Global Forest Watch a partnership between the World Resources Institute and multiple philanthropic bodies, conversation NGOs, and universities.

The technical intricacy of this project spans right from the satellites that collect the data through to processing the images, the algorithms that scan for tree cover and calculate changes, the depth of data in the electromagnetic spectrum and how it conveys ecological health, and how to get it all looking nice and loadable on a browser. And then there's the biggest question of all – how does all this data visualization actually help forests get protected off the computer? How do we use complex environmental data to drive change in the real world?

Global Forest Watch (GFW) is a map-based platform that allows anyone to access near real-time information about where and how forests are changing around the world. See the Global Forest Watch platform here.
twitter.com/globalforests
www.instagram.com/globalforests
* * *
How to Save the World is a Podcast About the Psychology of What Gets People To Take On Sustainable Behavior and Climate Action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to get magnitudes more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product. Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at katiepatrick.com
Join Gamify the Planet Masterclass Training in Climate Action Design for $25/month katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet
Get a copy of the book, How to Save the World on Amazon
This podcast is supported by our friends at Earth Hacks who run environmental hackathons, Conservation X Labs who promote community-driven open tech development for conservation, and Climate Designers - a network of designers who use their creative skills for climate action.
Follow Katie on Twitter @katiepatrick, Instagram @katiepatrickhello, and LinkedIn
Dec 01, 202201:01:45
Use These 24 Fabulous Words To Hook People Into Your Environmental Vision Ep45

Use These 24 Fabulous Words To Hook People Into Your Environmental Vision Ep45

We can get better at telling the story of sustainability, climate, and greener futures. I wrote down these 24 evocative words, backed by science to motivate people, and riffed on ideas of how you use each of them to tell better stories to get people to join your environmental project. We need to be able to inspire epic feelings in people. Here are some examples of how you can do it. 

* * *  

How to Save the World is a Podcast About the Psychology of What Gets People To Take On Sustainable Behavior and Climate Action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to get magnitudes more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product. Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at http://katiepatrick.com 

Join my masterclass training in climate action design for $25 / month http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet 

Get a copy of the book, How to Save the World on Amazon 

This podcast is supported by our friends at Earth Hacks who run environmental hackathons, Conservation X Labs who promote community-driven open tech development for conservation, and Climate Designers - a network of designers who use their creative skills for climate action. 

Contribute a monthly donation to the How to Save the World podcast at patreon.com/katiepatrick 

Follow on Twitter @katiepatrick, Instagram @katiepatrickhello, and LinkedIn 

Book a 90-minute Idea Storming Call with Katie: https://calendly.com/katiepatrick/idea-storm

Nov 16, 202233:40
How to Decarbonization A Neighborhood With Gamification - A Tutorial Ep44

How to Decarbonization A Neighborhood With Gamification - A Tutorial Ep44

Have you ever seen a "sustainability street" program you thought was a great idea? In this month's Gamify the Planet Masterclass, we're creating one! In this episode, I share a simple tutorial on how you can design a gamified sustainability street program to promote decarbonization, electrification, and roof-top solar - and we'll learn the theory behind behavioral techniques work to tap into the human motivational core.

Images and info to follow along + register for the class: https://katiepatrick.com/sustainabilitystreet

See the Climate Action Yard Signs: https://www.instagram.com/p/CkysFgJv2Cp/

Humans are group animals. By harnessing the power of groups (like a street, block, or community) we can layer on gamification features like badges, goals, comparison, and progress-tracking to create a program that has the main ingredients the decarbonization movement needs to reach the tipping point of change.

Gamify the Planet: Climate Action Masterclass
Sustainability Street: Gamifying Neighborhood Decarbonization
Tuesday 15th November 9am PST, 12pm EST, 5pm BST.

Learn more at katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet

Sign up for $25/month at Patreon.com/katiepatrick

Nov 12, 202220:44
People Are Greener Than You Think: How We Underestimate the Environmental Values of Others, Professor Thijs Bouman PhD Ep43

People Are Greener Than You Think: How We Underestimate the Environmental Values of Others, Professor Thijs Bouman PhD Ep43

In this episode, we speak with Thijs Bouman, assistant professor and researcher from the Environmental Psychology group at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. He’s done some fascinating research into the relationship between group and individual environmental values.

We often think of our value systems and beliefs as if they were created by our own independent thoughts, but we as humans, are highly influenced by the groups we interact with. Seeing environmental change through the lens of group behavior could provide a very different lens through which to design environmental campaigns and programs.

Thijs' research explores how, as individuals, we tend to underestimate the pro-environmental values of others, and because of this, we shortchange our own impact. Yet, when our fellow group members strongly endorse pro-environmental values, discovering this boosts our own environmental engagement. 

Thijs Bouman's research: From values to climate action https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352250X21000579 Environmental values and identities at the personal and group level https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352154621000449

Contact:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thijsbouman/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/T_Bouman

DOORS OPEN 

Gamify the Planet: Climate Action Masterclass
Sustainability Street: Gamifying Neighborhood Decarbonization
Tuesday 15th November 9am PST, 12pm EST, 5pm BST.

Learn more at katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet

Sign up for $25/month at Patreon.com/katiepatrick

How to Save the World is a Podcast About the Psychology of What Gets People To Take On Sustainable Behavior and Climate Action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to get magnitudes more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product. Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at http://katiepatrick.com

Oct 31, 202201:07:42
Common Mistake Alert! An Idea is Just a Hypothesis Ep42

Common Mistake Alert! An Idea is Just a Hypothesis Ep42

We need to avoid the trap of getting caught up in a single idea. Ideas are plentiful. When it comes to climate or social change, an idea is just a hypothesis. Will your idea actually create the change you think it will? You'll only know by testing it. 

In this episode, I talk about how you need to have lots of ideas and rapidly iterate them. You need to test them and discover the causal mechanism of what works on people. The faster you can test and iterate, the faster you can get to the mechanisms of what people love and why they change. Work on your vision of the future world and less on your "idea." 


Get a copy of How to Save the World on Amazon

Join my masterclass training in climate action design for $25 / month http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet

* * * 

How to Save the World is a Podcast About the Psychology of What Gets People To Take On Sustainable Behavior and Climate Action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to get magnitudes more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product. Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at http://katiepatrick.com


This podcast is supported by our friends at Earth Hacks who run environmental hackathons, Conservation X Labs who promote community-driven open tech development for conservation, and Climate Designers - a network of designers who use their creative skills for climate action.

Contribute a monthly donation to the How to Save the World podcast at patreon.com/katiepatrick

Follow on Twitter @katiepatrick, Instagram @katiepatrickhello, and LinkedIn

Book a 90-minute Idea Storming Call with Katie: https://calendly.com/katiepatrick/idea-storm

Oct 12, 202216:29
Behavior Mapping for Climate Action Tutorial Ep41

Behavior Mapping for Climate Action Tutorial Ep41

This episode is a short tutorial on my custom behavior mapping process for climate action. It's the most powerful thing I've ever learned how to do and once I learned how to do it, it changed everything. If you're trying to influence humans to take any action at all for the climate, you need to learn how to behavior map. It's the secret to great ideas that get real impact results.

I developed a specialized behavior mapping system designed specifically for climate and environmental change. 

Behavior mapping is a process where you map out your target human's daily actions and figure out where on their journey you will pounce. Then you assess what psychological technique you'll use to capture their attention and which tool you'll use to get them to act, buy, or change – such as a flashing light, an audio chime, a written pledge, a group identity sticker, a goal, a social norm, a default, an animated character, a confetti reward, or a color change – I've cataloged 96 techniques!

I put these 96 techniques together in my custom Behavior Mapping Template – and I'm hosting my first-ever workshop next Tuesday to teach you how to master it!

Download the PDF here and follow along.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/t32o6ox43yfb3jq/Behavior%20Mapping%20for%20Masterclass%20%281%29.pdf?dl=0

DOORS OPEN
Behavior Mapping for Climate Action Masterclass
Tuesday 27th September 9am PST, 12pm EST, 5pm BST.

Sign up for my Climate Action Design Masterclass group for $25 / month on Patreon.com/katiepatrick

*Get a free 24" wall poster of the behavior mapping template when you join.

Each month I'll be hosting a special advanced workshop for my Patreon supporters on the Gamify the Planet tier.

The workshop will be recorded and sent to the group.

Sep 20, 202201:04:09
Why Neighbor Conversations Drive Change More Than Climate Facts, Professor Brian Southwell PhD Ep40

Why Neighbor Conversations Drive Change More Than Climate Facts, Professor Brian Southwell PhD Ep40

How do we persuade homeowners to make climate upgrades to their homes such as electrifying, installing solar, or improving energy efficiency? Do we persuade them using environmental facts and energy data, or is a social mechanism more effective, like sparking a conversation with a neighbor or friend? 

Our guest today is Brian Southwell. Brian is the Adjunct Professor at Duke University’s School of Medicine, the director of the Science in the Public Sphere Program at a large non-profit research institute called RTI, and he also is and hosts The Measure of Everyday Life radio show. His research paper we are diving into today is titled “Weatherization behavior and social context: The influences of factual knowledge and social interaction” and it tests which works better to get people to take action on their homes - facts or conversations?" 

When big climate, decarbonization, and electrification programs are rolled out by utilities, local governments, and NGOs across thousands or millions of homes, when these organizations often spend millions of dollars trying to get traction in communities, the nuance of what works to drive action really matters. 

* * * Sign up for my new monthly Masterclass, Gamify the Planet, on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/katiepatrick What we'll be learning: http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet * * * 

How to Save the World is a Podcast About the Psychology of What Gets People To Take On Sustainable Behavior and Climate Action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based techniques you can use to get more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product. Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at http://katiepatrick.com 

Get a copy of How to Save the World on Amazon 

This podcast is supported by our friends at Earth Hacks who run environmental hackathons, Conservation X Labs who promote community-driven open tech development for conservation, and Climate Designers - a network of designers who use their creative skills for climate action. 

Follow on Twitter @katiepatrick, Instagram @katiepatrickhello, and LinkedIn 

Book a 90-minute Idea Storming Call with Katie: https://calendly.com/katiepatrick/idea-storm

Sep 16, 202201:14:16
How to Tell Your Climate Story Like It's Star Wars Ep39

How to Tell Your Climate Story Like It's Star Wars Ep39

You need to tell the world why your idea or mission matters – and not just in any way. You need to tell a story that deeply resonates so that people will fund you, work with you, and take action to support you. In this episode, I talk through the power of using The Hero's Journey template to tell your non-fiction story – and how discovering this twelve-step structure dramatically changed the course of not just my environmental work,  but my life, and how it might change yours, too.

See the article and free downloadable story template How to Tell a Story that Changes the World

Get the book, Resonate, by Nancy Duarte https://amzn.to/3qGuwkm 

Get The Hero With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell https://amzn.to/3dCOmrz

* * * 

How to Save the World is a Podcast About the Psychology of What Gets People To Take On Sustainable Behavior and Climate Action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to get magnitudes more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product. Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at http://katiepatrick.com

Get a copy of How to Save the World on Amazon

Join my masterclass training in climate action design for $25 / month http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet

This podcast is supported by our friends at Earth Hacks who run environmental hackathons, Conservation X Labs who promote community-driven open tech development for conservation, and Climate Designers - a network of designers who use their creative skills for climate action.

Contribute a monthly donation to the How to Save the World podcast at patreon.com/katiepatrick

Follow on Twitter @katiepatrick, Instagram @katiepatrickhello, and LinkedIn

Book a 90-minute Idea Storming Call with Katie: https://calendly.com/katiepatrick/idea-storm

Aug 17, 202221:39
Everyone Misses This: Passing The "Action Design Threshold" Ep38

Everyone Misses This: Passing The "Action Design Threshold" Ep38

People come to me with all sorts of elaborate ideas to "change the world," like games, festivals, art projects, films, and apps.

Often, these ideas have little connection to how the idea will make a real change happen on the ground once people have "experienced" the idea . . . (i.e. "I suppose we'll just put a link somewhere, then people will . . . ")

This entrepreneurship model is back-to-front. If you have an idea to make an impact, you need to forget your crazy idea and go straight to a real human being and get them to make the change you are hoping your idea will influence them to make. Talk to ten people on your street. Call every person you went to school with. Talk to your dad's golf buddies. Get them to do a real thing and observe what it takes.

I'm calling it the ACTION DESIGN THRESHOLD. Pass it before you write any code or spend any money - or before you even have an idea at all. Use Slack, Google lists, Zoom, Instagram, Canva, Figma, and Discord. Do it using your own email and your own phone number.

Just get a real human to do a real thing in the real world. You can do it with a conversation, a party, a poster, or a sticker. Create a 21-day challenge. Offer free consulting calls. Start a group. Just get out there and practice making change happen by talking to a human in real life.

Once you've succeeded in getting your first real human to do the action, then try and replicate it with two humans. Then try and get ten humans to do it.

What will it take to scale your actions from ten humans to 100 humans? Look for a pattern and an opportunity. What kind of actions do you need to design this scaling for? This is your idea that will work.

Any idea you have before you get ten real humans to change is probably a junk idea. At the least, it will need much pivoting. And if you can't get ten people to make a change from a conversation with you and any simple tools you give them, or you don't have the networking and marketing skills to find these ten humans, there's no way your idea will fly in a theoretical future when you have millions in funding.

* * * 

How to Save the World is a Podcast About the Psychology of What Gets People To Take On Sustainable Behavior and Climate Action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based techniques you can use to get more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product. Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at http://katiepatrick.com

Get a copy of How to Save the World on Amazon

Join my climate action design masterclass training for $25 / month http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet

This podcast is supported by our friends at Earth Hacks who run environmental hackathons, Conservation X Labs who promote community-driven open tech development for conservation, and Climate Designers - a network of designers who use their creative skills for climate action.

Contribute a monthly donation to the How to Save the World podcast at patreon.com/katiepatrick

Follow on Twitter @katiepatrick, Instagram @katiepatrickhello, and LinkedIn

Book a 90-minute Idea Storming Call with Katie: https://calendly.com/katiepatrick/idea-storm

Aug 10, 202225:50
Bird Call Audio As A Game For Citizen Science, Jessie Oliver, PhD Ep36

Bird Call Audio As A Game For Citizen Science, Jessie Oliver, PhD Ep36

Do you ever hear animals you never see? Secretive and rare animals, such as Eastern bristlebirds, can be most easily found by the sounds that they make. We can only do this, however, if we learn how to decipher their calls! 

In her PhD research, Jessie is exploring how to design future technologies that support people in becoming familiar with identifying bird calls from audio recordings. Birders and members of the public explored Jessie’s research prototypes, such as the Bristle Whistle Challenge. Conservationists and members of the public are likely to benefit from having enticing tools that include creative playful and task-oriented gameful interactions with bird calls. Such tools may support many people, whether learning calls for fun, or to support citizen science, ecology, or wildlife conservation efforts.


Jessie mentions these apps:

Fold IT - Protein folding game https://fold.it/

Zooniverse - https://www.zooniverse.org/

Rorshak ink blot test - http://rorschachinkblottest.com/

e-Bird app - https://ebird.org/about/ebird-mobile/

Frog ID - https://www.frogid.net.au/

I-Naturalist - https://www.inaturalist.org/

Otter-AI - https://otter.ai/

Cornel Lab of bird sounds - https://www.birds.cornell.edu/home/

Xeno Canto bird sounds - https://xeno-canto.org/

Cat Tracker - https://cattracker.org/cat-tracker/

Eco-Acoustics Researcher, Bernie Krause https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Bernie-Krause

Learn more about Jessie’s PhD and broader research here https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3464-0247 and email or connect via 
Twitter https://twitter.com/JessieLOliver for paper access.

* * * 

How to Save the World is a Podcast About the Psychology of What Gets People To Take On Sustainable Behavior and Climate Action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to get magnitudes more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product. Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at http://katiepatrick.com

Get a copy of How to Save the World on Amazon

Join my masterclass training in climate action design for $25 / month http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet

This podcast is supported by our friends at Earth Hacks who run environmental hackathons, Conservation X Labs who promote community-driven open tech development for conservation, and Climate Designers - a network of designers who use their creative skills for climate action.

Contribute a monthly donation to the How to Save the World podcast at patreon.com/katiepatrick

Follow on Twitter @katiepatrick, Instagram @katiepatrickhello, and LinkedIn

Book a 90-minute Idea Storming Call with Katie: https://calendly.com/katiepatrick/idea-storm


Aug 01, 202201:27:16
How To Write Your Power Sentence - Tips for Impact, Engagement, & Growth Ep35

How To Write Your Power Sentence - Tips for Impact, Engagement, & Growth Ep35

Does your website, pitch deck, and marketing material ACTUALLY explain what you do, clearly? Or is it a confusing word salad of environmental world-saving generalities? Remember this phrase: "If you confuse, you lose." In my experience, most climate and environmental projects struggle to simply explain what they do. In this episode, I explain how to write a "power sentence" in three easy steps so anyone can immediately "get it."

You need to follow the steps to write this power sentence because clarity is what creates the emotional connection with your audience. It's what will get people to fall in love with your project and want to sign up, donate, join, purchase, and share - because they instantly understand what it is. 

We'll also learn how to use the basic framework of The Hero's Journey to write a single paragraph that will hook people in to your story and tip and tricks on how to write better. 

Clear succinct copywriting is the secret to growing your movement. 


How to Save the World is a Podcast About the Psychology of What Gets People To Take On Sustainable Behavior and Climate Action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to get magnitudes more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product. Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at http://katiepatrick.com


Get a copy of How to Save the World on Amazon


Join my masterclass training in climate action design for $25 / month http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet


This podcast is supported by our friends at Earth Hacks who run environmental hackathons, Conservation X Labs who promote community-driven open tech development for conservation, and Climate Designers - a network of designers who use their creative skills for climate action.


Contribute a monthly donation to the How to Save the World podcast at patreon.com/katiepatrick


Follow on Twitter @katiepatrick, Instagram @katiepatrickhello, and LinkedIn


Book a 90-minute Idea Storming Call with Katie: https://calendly.com/katiepatrick/idea-storm

Jul 25, 202224:22
Using AR & GIS to Imagine A Radical Eco Makeover of Your Street with Sebastian Schlecht + Robin Roemer Ep34

Using AR & GIS to Imagine A Radical Eco Makeover of Your Street with Sebastian Schlecht + Robin Roemer Ep34

Imagine using augmented reality outdoors on a real city street to re-imagine the street and buildings around you covered in plants, trees, green walls, cars-free - or whatever your eco-future imagination can dream up.

Our guests today are Sebastian Schlecht and Robin Roemer. Sebastian is an architect from Germany who co-founded the Lala Ruhr project - an urban design lab that re-imagines cities with biophilic nature-based solutions. Robin is the co-founder of the software startup CityScaper which specializes in augmented reality and urban planning.

Sebastian and Robin got together and created this world-first AR project where people could hold up an iPad or iPhone and see a greenified ecotopia version of the street they were on - and they could even design their own.

This style of augmented reality is that it’s embedded into a streetscape’s geo coordinates - and that requires creating a 3D model of the street and geolocating the ecological design to fit with the exact location where the user is standing.

We’ll be taking a deep dive into the tech stack that includes Lidar, GIS, and Google AR Core, with Robin about 20 mins in.


Connect with Sebastian and Robin on LinkedIn: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sebastian-schlecht-fromgreytogreen/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/robin-roemer/

The Lala Ruhr Lab https://www.lala.ruhr/en/start-en/

City Scaper https://ar-gument.de/

 

How to Save the World is a Podcast About the Psychology of What Gets People To Take On Sustainable Behavior and Climate Action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to get magnitudes more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product. Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at http://katiepatrick.com

Get a copy of How to Save the World on Amazon

Join my private masterclass in climate action design for $25 / month http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet

This podcast is supported by our friends at Earth Hacks who run environmental hackathons, Conservation X Labs who promote community-driven open tech development for conservation, and Climate Designers - a network of designers who use their creative skills for climate action.

Contribute a monthly donation to the How to Save the World podcast at patreon.com/katiepatrick

Follow on Twitter @katiepatrick, Instagram @katiepatrickhello, and LinkedIn

Book a 90-minute Idea Storming Call with Katie: https://calendly.com/katiepatrick/idea-storm


Jul 04, 202201:12:56
Astronauts, The Overview Effect, And Ecological Transcendence, Anaïs Voşki, Stanford Ep33

Astronauts, The Overview Effect, And Ecological Transcendence, Anaïs Voşki, Stanford Ep33

We talk with environmental psychologist Anaïs Voşki. She's a researcher at Stanford University studying the effect that seeing the Earth from space has on astronauts' climate change attitudes and their sustainable lifestyles back on Earth. Her recent published research paper is titled “The Ecological Significance of The Overview Effect: Environmental Attitudes and Behaviours in Astronauts.”

The Overview Effect is an experience whereby people, especially astronauts, increase their environmental concern when viewing the Earth as a singular object from space. The Overview Effect is credited with not only influencing astronauts directly but also as being a keystone moment in cultivating the modern environmental movement.

Before the first moon landing in 1969, no photograph of the Earth had existed. These first photographs of Earth, coined the "pale blue dot," are thought to have elicited a new kind of environmental connection that had not existed before. 

Anaïs and I talk about the deeper experience of ecological transcendence that is embodied in The Overview Effect and how it could be applied to the practical design of encouraging more climate action and sustainable behaviors in the wider public.

Read the paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272494420300517

Connect with Anaïs Voşki on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/anaisvoski/

How to Save the World is a Podcast About the Psychology of What Gets People To Take On Sustainable Behavior and Climate Action: Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to get magnitudes more people to adopt your environmental campaign, program, or product. Sign up for Katie's free behavior and gamification design course at http://katiepatrick.com

Get a copy of How to Save the World on Amazon

This podcast is supported by our friends at Earth Hacks who run environmental hackathons, Conservation X Labs who promote community-driven open tech development for conservation, and Climate Designers - a network of designers who use their creative skills for climate action.

Contribute a monthly donation to the How to Save the World podcast at patreon.com/katiepatrick

Follow on Twitter @katiepatrick, Instagram @katiepatrickhello, and LinkedIn

Book a 90-minute Idea Storming Call with Katie: https://calendly.com/katiepatrick/idea-storm

Mar 22, 202201:15:58