Impact Data - Global Action Plan for the Earth (GAP)
Methodologies
The impact of the GAP Community Lifestyle Campaign was evaluated on the basis of these factors: average resource savings (based on self-reported data from participants), number of neighbour campaigns started, whether each EcoTeam succeeded in recruiting two or more new EcoTeams, and whether a sufficient number of volunteer coaches could be recruited to lead new teams.
Practices
(US and the Netherlands):
In the US, on average, those communities participating in the programme sent 42% less garbage to landfills, used 25% less water, produced 16% less CO2, and used 16% less fuel for transportation. These changes resulted in an annual average savings to participants of $400 per household.
A two-year study funded by The Netherlands' Ministry of the Environment found that 46 out of a possible 93 environmentally relevant behaviours were adopted by 205 EcoTeam participants following completion of the programme. Participants not only maintained these practices six to nine months later but in some cases continued to improve on them. Such areas of improvement included increased car-pooling and the installation of water-saving devices in the bathroom. Ex-participants also showed a desire to remain involved in GAP, with nearly 33% still attending team meetings, volunteering as team coaches, or remaining active in some other way. 40% of people indicated that they had also changed behaviour at work, and 26% had become more active in environmental issues in the community. When the GAP Community Lifestyles Campaign was introduced to a neighbourhood of 2,500 households in Den Haag, The Netherlands, the resulting behavioural change redirected consumer demand and encouraged shopkeepers to offer products with less packaging. In turn, these shopkeepers placed greater demands for less packaging at the manufacturing level.
In the US, on average, those communities participating in the programme sent 42% less garbage to landfills, used 25% less water, produced 16% less CO2, and used 16% less fuel for transportation. These changes resulted in an annual average savings to participants of $400 per household.
A two-year study funded by The Netherlands' Ministry of the Environment found that 46 out of a possible 93 environmentally relevant behaviours were adopted by 205 EcoTeam participants following completion of the programme. Participants not only maintained these practices six to nine months later but in some cases continued to improve on them. Such areas of improvement included increased car-pooling and the installation of water-saving devices in the bathroom. Ex-participants also showed a desire to remain involved in GAP, with nearly 33% still attending team meetings, volunteering as team coaches, or remaining active in some other way. 40% of people indicated that they had also changed behaviour at work, and 26% had become more active in environmental issues in the community. When the GAP Community Lifestyles Campaign was introduced to a neighbourhood of 2,500 households in Den Haag, The Netherlands, the resulting behavioural change redirected consumer demand and encouraged shopkeepers to offer products with less packaging. In turn, these shopkeepers placed greater demands for less packaging at the manufacturing level.
Other Impacts
Results of Recruitment Efforts (US):
In the US, about 40-50% of neighbours approached to attend an introductory event agreed to do so. 85% of individuals who attended the introductory event joined EcoTeams.
In the US, about 40-50% of neighbours approached to attend an introductory event agreed to do so. 85% of individuals who attended the introductory event joined EcoTeams.
Source
Tools of Change site (click on "Case Studies", then on "Global Action Plan for the Earth (GAP)".
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