ABSTRACT
The way that a message about sustainable behaviour is 'framed' will have a big impact on how people respond to it. And different ways of framing a message speak to very different values. This chapter aims to understand how to structure messages about sustainable behaviour so that they have the biggest impact in the long term. The key to promoting meaningful changes in sustainable behaviour – that do more than just pay lip service to tackling climate change – is to nurture and develop a sense of environmental identity or citizenship. If the challenge of sustainability was simply to sign as many people up to car-sharing schemes as possible, then the choice would be simple: go with the one that is most effective. Research suggests that in order to create a situation where one behavioural change will lead to another, it is important to focus on self-transcending values and environmental reasons for sustainable behaviour.
