Kathryn Caldwell, assistant professor of Psychology at Ithaca College, and Elisabeth Harrod, general manager of Snug Planet, will co-present a talk titled “Can Psychology Help Promote Homeowner Energy Conservation? Results from a town-gown collaborative experiment,” connecting the personal experiences of individual homeowners with opportunities related to energy conservation and sustainable decisions. This event will take place at 12:20 p.m. Monday, September 11, in the de Witt Lecture Room (Zabriskie 106) on the Wells College campus. Admission is free, and all are welcome to attend.
Kathryn Caldwell is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Ithaca College. Kathryn’s research involves the application of contemplative approaches and psychological strategies to understanding and promoting sustainable behavior change at the individual level. In her teaching, Kathryn emphasizes the relevance of psychology to the lives of students, encouraging them to become critical, “systems” thinkers and self-aware, contemplative, caring citizens. Integrating sustainability in her teaching, Kathryn challenges students to consider what motivates conservation behavior, how the natural world impacts well-being, and the impact of vocational and lifestyle choices on the community and environment.
Elisabeth Harrod is an educator at heart. She has more than 30 years’ experience teaching children and adults of all ages in both formal and informal settings including public school classrooms, hands-on, inquiry-based Science Centers, and even homeschooling her two sons. At Snug Planet, Elisabeth draws on her education background to work with homeowners, the Snug Team, Snug partners, and the Tompkins County community to help them learn about and successfully increase comfort and reduce building energy use in ways that make sense for people and the Planet. Snug Planet has reduced the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere in more than a thousand homes over the past decade. Elisabeth is particularly excited to help homeowners get on the path to living in net zero homes. She initiated the Energy Education project to offer homeowners low- and no-cost ways to save energy, and to help them navigate the often-complicated programs and processes.
This talk is part of the Center for Sustainability and the Environment’s Sustainability Perspectives Series. Wells is committed to providing access to all events; anyone needing assistance should contact Marian Brown, director of the Center for Sustainability and the Environment, as soon as possible.
