Global ChangeIntersection of Nature and Culture

Does environmental literature beget environmental literacy and behavior?

Monday, October 26th, 2009

In the fast-paced world of science and policy, the contributions of the humanities are often overlooked in the transition to a more sustainable world.

In this week’s Online First edition^1,2 of Environment and Behavior, Catherine Mobley and colleagues argue that reading environmental literature might be an important factor promoting environmentally responsible behavior (ERB), such as cutting back on driving, recycling, buying organic foods, using public transportation, using renewable energy, reducing home water and energy use, etc.

The study of ERBs is complex, owing to a number of sociodemographic factors like education level, income, and political orientation that can influence behavior:

Sociodemographic factors –> values, attitudes, and worldviews –> ERB

This team asked whether reading three texts, considered by many to be part of environmental literature’s canon,

• Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac
• Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring
• H.D. Thoreau’s Walden

might be an additive factor in explaining ERBs above and beyond socioeconomic factors. They used a survey of >7,000 people to assess the degree to which people exhibit ERBs.

Their results suggest that this may be the case.  Controlling for the confounding sociodemographic factors, they found a small but significant increase in ERB for people who read environmental literature compared to those that didn’t.

The results spur more questions than they answer:

• Why does reading environmental literature affect ERBs? For example, as the authors state, does environmental literature increase ecological foundations, conceptual awareness, or action skills?  Does it allow one to vicariously experience these issues or reinforce the reader’s prior experiences with environmental issues?
• How do these results factor into environmental literacy outreach?  The authors suggest community book clubs or combining book discussions with specific community actions or analyses of contemporary environmental issues and solutions.
• What might be the value of other environmental texts and readings that appeal to a wider constituency (e.g., environmental justice)?
• What should be included in an environmental literary canon?

¹Mobley, C. et al (2009) Exploring Additional Determinants of Environmentally Responsible Behavior: The Influence of Environmental Literature and Environmental Attitudes. Environment and Behavior (Online first).

²Bowdoin people can access the article here.