Empirical evidence in support of a research-informed water conservation education program

Abstract

Based on results from a 2008 research study of regional citizen knowledge concerning watershed issues, a water conservation education program was designed and implemented. Findings from the initial study demonstrated program success as evidenced by knowledge gain and willingness to “commit” to water saving behaviors in 94% of students. A limitation of the research was the absence of empirical findings verifying actual behavior change. Addressing this limitation, this article outlines a follow-up study which utilized water bills for the same time period of the original study as a means to measure whether student commitments may have resulted in actual water savings.