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2016 Spring | Arts & Humanities, Education & Outreach, Sustainability

Discovering Incentive Mechanisms to Promote Participation in Federal Sustainability Programs

Student(s):

Christie Fite

Program or Department(s):

  • Program on the Environment
  • University of Washington

Site supervisor(s):

Theresa Blaine

Partner(s):

  • United States Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10

Faculty advisor(s):

Kristi Straus, Program of the Environment, University of Washington

Federal sustainability programs are vital for reducing our nation’s ecological footprint, but they often have trouble attracting participants. During my project, I assisted in the implementation of the EPA’s Federal Green Challenge, a program that encourages federal agencies to be more sustainable by providing tools and resources as well as holding an awards ceremony at the end of each year. My research focused on the reasons people choose to participate in this program, as well as what barriers exist to participation and how the Federal Green Challenge could better attract participants. I was able to find answers to these questions through personal experience, literature review, and a survey sent out to past participants of the program.