Comparisons of Sustainability Behaviors Pre- and Early Pandemic Among Botanical Garden Members

The COVID-19 outbreak drastically altered the behaviors of millions of Americans in 2020, including behaviors that contribute to carbon emissions. As many Americans stayed home midyear, environmental groups noted the decrease in driving and transportation-related pollution, theorizing that the pandemic could have a positive impact on the environment by decreasing individuals' carbon emissions. However, it is dubious that individuals will behave in a more eco-friendly manner under the uncertain and stressful conditions of a global pandemic simply because they are more likely to be confined to their homes. We examined sustainability behaviors in 2018 and in the early pandemic in 2020 among a sample of members of a U.S., botanical garden. We surveyed members in May–July 2018, asking whether they had or had not done 11 sustainability behaviors (e.g., used alternative transportation, took shorter showers) in the past month. We resurveyed members about their engagement in those behaviors in April 2020 as well as to recall their engagement in those behaviors pre-pandemic in February 2020. We examined differences in self-reported behaviors among respondents who had taken both the May–July 2018 and April 2020 surveys (matched group n = 227), and then among respondents who had taken either the May–July (n = 1057) or the April 2020 survey (n = 881), but not both. Respondents in the matched group were more likely to report recycling, reducing red meat consumption, eating a plant-based diet, and reducing food waste in April 2020 compared to May–July 2018; they were less likely to compost, check the air in their tires, and use a smart thermostat. However, these differences also emerged when examining recalled behavior in February 2020, suggesting that matched group respondents' self-reports may reflect changes in behavior over time rather than due to the pandemic. The unmatched group was more likely to reduce food waste but less likely to use alternative transportation to commute, check the air in their tires for fuel efficiency, and recycle in April 2020 compared to May–July 2018. Thus, few changes in sustainability behaviors can be attributed to the pandemic, but those that do involve personal travel or home confinement.

Safe Routes to Age in Place: A Focus on Alternative Transportation

Informed by social cognitive theory, Age-Friendly Columbus and Franklin County conducted a community-engaged mixed methods study that examined the needs and utilization of alternative transportation by older residents in three pilot neighborhoods in Franklin County, Ohio (n = 32). Participants were provided tablets and used an app (MyAmble) developed at the University of Texas-Arlington to document their traveling experiences. During a 14-day period, 1,190 trips were recorded by older adults and 71.3% of these trips were completed through driving their own personal vehicles. Participants designated 84.5% of trips as important and 72% of the trips improved their mood. Individual (physical and cognitive functioning, cost, time), environmental (lighting, sidewalk conditions, traffic, location of bus stops, weather), and behavioral (no history of bus use, peer to peer information sharing, tracking led to future planning) barriers and facilitators to alternative transportation use such as riding the bus, walking and biking were identified.

PROFIL PENGGUNA, TUJUAN PERJALANAN, DAN FAKTOR PENDORONG PENGGUNAAN OJEK ONLINE DI YOGYAKARTA

The phenomenon of the increasing number of online motorcycle-based ride-hailing (MBRH) users from year to year raises the hypothesis that this paratransit transportation service is the most common use by the Indonesian people in general. A few studies revealed that the characteristics of the ride-hailing user are younger, highly educated, and relatively higher income. Yogyakarta City Area (YCA) is a city of education that has a similar citizen characteristic, as mentioned before. This study aims to investigate the relation between socio-demography factors with the frequency of using motorcycle-based ride-hailing in YCA as alternative transportation modes used by the local citizen. This study uses a descriptive analysis method to explore the characteristic of ride-hailing user, trip destination and latent variable that affected of using motorcycle based ride-hailing. The result of this study showed that trip to airport/station is the most potential destination to use MBRH. In the other side, driver-friendly behavior is the most preferred factor for MBRH users in Yogyakarta Keywords: Motorcycle-Based Ride-Hailing, Socio Demography, Descriptive analysis

Using Community-Based Research Strategies in Age-Friendly Communities to Solve Mobility Challenges

Aging is linked to an increased risk of disability. Disabilities that limit major life activities such as seeing, walking, and motor skills impact a person’s ability to drive a car. Low utilization of alternative transportation by older adults may put them at risk for social isolation. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how community-based participatory research (CBPR) was used to engage older residents in the development of alternative transportation options in a metropolitan county in the Midwestern U.S. Older residents worked as co-investigators to develop, use and evaluate alternative transportation options including walking, biking, fixed route busing, senior circulator, ride sharing, and transit training. Data were collected through mapping the built environment, an electronic daily transportation diary app called “MyAmble” on tablets, walk audits and focus groups. CBPR approaches led by interdisciplinary teams resulted in community engagement and more equitable strategies for transportation planning and utilization.

Let’s Stop Spinning Our Wheels: Strengthening the Case for Community-Engaged Transportation Solutions

On average in the United States, older adults outlive their ability to drive by seven years. Having safe, affordable and accessible alternative transportation options is critical to supporting the well-being of older adults and their ability to age in community. This symposium will provide evidence for utilizing community-engaged research strategies with diverse populations to identify the opportunities and barriers for the development and utilization of alternative transportation. The presentations will include up-to-date examples of innovative alternative transportation solutions and evaluation data. The first presentation will illustrate how community-based participatory research (CBPR) strategies were used to develop, use and evaluate alternative transportation options including walking, biking, fixed route busing, senior circulator, ride sharing and transit training in an age-friendly community. Data were collected through mapping the built environment, an electronic daily transportation diary app called “MyAmble” on tablets, walk audits and focus groups. The second presentation uses an environmental justice (EJ) framework to present the findings of a qualitative interpretive meta-synthesis (QIMS) about older adults’ experiences with outdoor spaces and buildings and transportation as part of the World Health Organization’s age-friendly network assessment. The third paper explores the barriers and facilitators of transportation among diverse older adults (English, Nepali, Khmer, Somali, Russian and Mandarin Chinese) using Rapid and Rigorous Qualitative Data Analysis (RADaR) technique. The final paper examines the challenges of rural transportation services supported by senior centers. The symposium will conclude with a critical reflection on the empirical contributions needed to advance scholarship on alternative transportation for older adults.

Evaluating determinants of employees' pro-environmental behavioral intentions

PurposeThe aim of this study was to identify and quantitatively assess the importance of psychosocial and organizational factors that influence employees' intentions to engage in pro-environmental behaviors at the workplace.Design/methodology/approachA questionnaire based on the theory of planned behavior was completed by 318 employees. To validate three suggested hypotheses, a series of path analysis models were constructed using AMOS software.FindingsThe theory of planned behavior explained 79 percent and 37.7 percent of variance in predicting intentions of employees to travel to work using alternative transportation and to make eco-suggestions directed toward the workplace, respectively. While organizational barriers did not play a significant role in predicting intentions to use alternative transportation, some organizational obstacles (opinion of colleagues, required paperwork) influenced workers' intention to make eco-suggestions.Originality/valueThis is one of the first articles in the field of pro-environmental workplace behaviors in which the theory of planned behavior is implemented in a systematic manner (qualitative exploration of beliefs followed by their quantitative evaluation). This article contributes to the existing literature by shedding light on the disproportionate influence of organizational and psychosocial factors on pro-environmental workplace behaviors.