Reducing students’ carbon footprints using personal carbon footprint management system based on environmental behavioural theory and persuasive technology

Abstract

This study applied environmental behavioural theories to develop a personal carbon footprint management system and used persuasive technology to implement it. The system serves as an educational system to improve the determinants of students’ low-carbon behaviours, to promote low-carbon concepts and to facilitate their carbon management. To assess the validity of the system, high school students were chosen to participate in an experiment, the results of which reveal (1) the system has significant and positive short-term and relatively long-term effects on the reduction of their self-reported carbon footprint, (2) the system significantly improves their carbon footprint awareness and perceived behavioural control (PBC), and it also promotes behavioural subjective norms, (3) reduction of their self-reported carbon footprint is significantly correlated to PBC, carbon footprint awareness and attitude and (4) PBC is the most critical determinant of carbon reduction. Suggestions are accordingly made.

Keywords:

• environmental education
• educational technology
• carbon footprint reduction
• behavioural change