Conservation Psychology
ENVR-40000
Conservation Psychology
Programs to conserve water and energy, reduce our auto-dependency, recycle, and adapt to climate change have one thing in common: to be effective, they must consider the human behavioral dimension. In this course, participants will learn how to apply psychological principles, theories and methods to understand and solve environmental problems. Gain an overview of contemporary environmental issues, with a focus on the link with human behavior. Examine psychological foundations for conservation, including commons dilemma, connectedness with nature, rational choice, values, and incentives. Explore solutions and examine successful and unsuccessful interventions designed to change human behavior. Topics covered include water conservation, recycling and waste management, transportation, and energy conservation.
Learning Objectives:
- Gain an understanding of the field of Conservation Psychology
- Describe the behavioral causes of environmental problems
- Specify the psychological factors that lead people to engage in conservation behavior
- Identify the effective strategies used to promote conservation behavior
AICP Credit: AICP members can earn Certification Maintenance (CM) credits for this activity. For a list of additional UC San Diego Extension AICP CM Events go to American Planning Association.
CM | 27
Course Information
Special Instructor: Wesley Schultz, Ph.D.
Wesley Schultz has more than 20 years experience teaching and conducting research on the behavioral foundations of sustainability. He is Professor of Psychology at California State University, San Marcos, and has served as Scientific Advisor to numerous businesses and governmental organizations, including ENERGY STAR, CalEPA, and Keep America Beautiful. He currently serves as President of the Environmental Psychology Division (4) of the International Association of Applied Psychology (IAAP), and he is on the editorial board for the Journal of Environmental Psychology.
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Course sessions
Section ID:
Class type:
This course is entirely web-based and to be completed asynchronously between the published course start and end dates. Synchronous attendance is NOT required.
You will have access to your online course on the published start date OR 1 business day after your enrollment is confirmed if you enroll on or after the published start date.
Textbooks:
All course materials are included unless otherwise stated.
Policies:
- No refunds after: 1/27/2025
Schedule:
Instructor:
Kayla Cranston, MA, Environmental Studies
Dr. Cranston is the Director of Conservation Psychology Strategy and Integration at Antioch University New England. In this position, she leads environmental professionals and surrounding communities through co-design processes to collaboratively create conservation programming with the humans who will be impacted by that programming the most. She designs and implements science-based strategy to increase long-term engagement in conservation programming with an eye to inclusive evaluation practices to promote a sustainable relationship between a diverse population of humans and nature. She leads the design and administration of a suite of professional development services aimed to build the capacity of conservation professionals to effectively integrate Conservation Psychology into their daily work.
Dr. Cranston recently served as Conservation Education Researcher at Saint Louis Zoo to lead evaluation of K-12 environmental education programs and an urban participatory asset mapping program there. Her research brings a psychological perspective to evaluating conservation education programming and the well-being of community members who are directly affected by local conservation projects. Dr. Cranston has shared her expertise in conservation psychology by teaching the topic to graduate and undergraduate students at Antioch University New England, Keene State College, UCSD Extension, and Oregon State University. She has consulted with organizations like WWF, USFW, American Museum of Natural History, Woodland Park Zoo, Roger Williams Park Zoo, Detroit Zoo, Zoo New England, Zoological Society of London, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, the Regional Network for Conservation Educators in the Albertine Rift, and the Tropical Biology Association to apply psychological principles and tools to strengthen conservation education programs and evaluate community engagement programs. Visit www.kaylacranston.com for more on the 5 Factors of Sustained Engagement framework Dr. Cranston created to integrate the science of human behavior into community engagement for biodiversity conservation.
Section ID:
Class type:
This course is entirely web-based and to be completed asynchronously between the published course start and end dates. Synchronous attendance is NOT required.
You will have access to your online course on the published start date OR 1 business day after your enrollment is confirmed if you enroll on or after the published start date.
Textbooks:
All course materials are included unless otherwise stated.
Policies:
Schedule:
Instructor:
Kayla Cranston, MA, Environmental Studies
Dr. Cranston is the Director of Conservation Psychology Strategy and Integration at Antioch University New England. In this position, she leads environmental professionals and surrounding communities through co-design processes to collaboratively create conservation programming with the humans who will be impacted by that programming the most. She designs and implements science-based strategy to increase long-term engagement in conservation programming with an eye to inclusive evaluation practices to promote a sustainable relationship between a diverse population of humans and nature. She leads the design and administration of a suite of professional development services aimed to build the capacity of conservation professionals to effectively integrate Conservation Psychology into their daily work.
Dr. Cranston recently served as Conservation Education Researcher at Saint Louis Zoo to lead evaluation of K-12 environmental education programs and an urban participatory asset mapping program there. Her research brings a psychological perspective to evaluating conservation education programming and the well-being of community members who are directly affected by local conservation projects. Dr. Cranston has shared her expertise in conservation psychology by teaching the topic to graduate and undergraduate students at Antioch University New England, Keene State College, UCSD Extension, and Oregon State University. She has consulted with organizations like WWF, USFW, American Museum of Natural History, Woodland Park Zoo, Roger Williams Park Zoo, Detroit Zoo, Zoo New England, Zoological Society of London, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, the Regional Network for Conservation Educators in the Albertine Rift, and the Tropical Biology Association to apply psychological principles and tools to strengthen conservation education programs and evaluate community engagement programs. Visit www.kaylacranston.com for more on the 5 Factors of Sustained Engagement framework Dr. Cranston created to integrate the science of human behavior into community engagement for biodiversity conservation.
