Designing interactions
UCSF: Conservation is Contagious
Creating a campaign for change.
The University of California, San Francisco set an aggressive goal to reduce its carbon footprint across its expansive campus. Lighting retrofits, boiler replacements, and other facility improvements were only going to do so much. UCSF partnered with us to create a marketing and pledge campaign to engage building occupants and the general public. Everyone had the potential to make an impact — we helped to show them how.
Project at a glance
Teams I collaborated with:
Sustainability expert
UCSF facilities management
Key elements of my role:
Co-facilitation of design ideation and review sessions with UCSF stakeholders
Campaign development
Design of campaign visuals
Design of the pilot program “pledge drive”
Compilation of pilot program findings and results
Outcomes:
Successful pilot program that reduced energy use in tested facilities
Handoff of a conservation campaign program and communications plan for use in the UCSF system
Setting Goals
To build a successful campaign, we had to be clear about what we were trying to accomplish. Defining these goals informed the content of the campaign. We knew where we needed to focus our efforts to have the most impact. They were the way we measured success.
1
To raise awareness of current energy use
2
To identify and communicate where individuals could decrease energy use
3
To drive continued behavior change to decrease energy use
Building a Campaign
The “Conservation is Contagious” campaign focused on simple energy and resource saving actions. We identified areas where each building user group could affect change. Posters and reference cards gave information about the impact simple actions would have. Turning off a light or taking the stairs can have a measurable impact.
Pilot Testing
We piloted the campaign in three buildings, kicking off with conservation pledge drives. By engaging the community, the efforts became self-reinforcing. We also had information that we could measure and prove that we were making a difference.
Documenting Results
The pilot program proved that we could not only meet the energy reduction goals, but exceed them. We produced a report capturing our findings and documenting what we learned. This helped our client secure funding to launch the program campus-wide.
