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Becoming FEW Conscious: A Conceptual Typology of Household Behavior Change Interventions Targeting the Food-Energy-Water (FEW) Nexus

Author

Listed:
  • Holly Berman

    (Bloustein School of Planning & Public Policy, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08854, USA)

  • Rachael Shwom

    (Department of Human Ecology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08854, USA)

  • Cara Cuite

    (Department of Human Ecology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08854, USA)

Abstract

The food-energy-water (FEW) nexus presents an opportunity to rethink predominant approaches to household behavior change science. We linked emerging FEW nexus research with existing literature examining household consumption and pro-environmental behaviors. While a large body of work examines the environmental impacts of household life and explores pathways to behavior change for sustainability, the literature lacks studies that test interventions in multiple FEW resource categories, leaving researchers unable to identify tensions and tradeoffs in the household system. To guide this developing field and accumulate findings on household behavior across disciplines, we proposed a conceptual typology that synthesizes interdisciplinary analytic traditions to classify behavioral interventions targeting the household FEW nexus. The typology synthesizes behavioral interventions as active, passive, or structural, and household-specific or non-specific, illustrating six distinct categories: information, tailored information, action, gamification, policy/price change, and material/technology provision. A review of 40 studies that guided the typology identifies four significant lessons for future intervention research: household non-specific information and tailored information work better together, feedback is more effective when it is persistent, price-based interventions (information or incentives) are often ineffective, and material/technology provision is very effective but utilized in few household studies. To push forward household resource consumption science, we advocated for a holistic nexus focus that is rooted in interdisciplinarity, coalition building with stakeholders, and data reporting that facilitates knowledge accumulation.

Suggested Citation

  • Holly Berman & Rachael Shwom & Cara Cuite, 2019. "Becoming FEW Conscious: A Conceptual Typology of Household Behavior Change Interventions Targeting the Food-Energy-Water (FEW) Nexus," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(18), pages 1-24, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:18:p:5034-:d:267273
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Gintare Stankuniene & Dalia Streimikiene & Grigorios L. Kyriakopoulos, 2020. "Systematic Literature Review on Behavioral Barriers of Climate Change Mitigation in Households," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-18, September.
    2. Alba Aparicio-Sarmiento & Olga Rodríguez-Ferrán & María Teresa Martínez-Romero & Antonio Cejudo & Fernando Santonja & Pilar Sainz de Baranda, 2019. "Back Pain and Knowledge of Back Care Related to Physical Activity in 12 to 17 Year Old Adolescents from the Region of Murcia (Spain): ISQUIOS Programme," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-10, September.
    3. Holly Caggiano & Sonya Ahamed & William Lytle & Chelsea Schelly & Kristin Floress & Cara L. Cuite & Rachael Shwom, 2023. "Green roles at home: exploring the impact of household social dynamic processes on consumption at the food-energy-water (FEW) nexus," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 13(2), pages 298-311, June.
    4. Maria Elena Latino & Marta Menegoli & Fulvio Signore & Maria Chiara De Lorenzi, 2023. "The Potential of Gamification for Social Sustainability: Meaning and Purposes in Agri-Food Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-18, June.

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