Cascading Effects in Complex Systems Lesson, Part 2: Social Behavior Cascades to Support the Environment

As preparation for the session, have learners read the study by Lenton et al. (2022), paying special attention to the highlighted areas. 

(10 min.) Open the session by reviewing the basics of cascades and social change using the lesson’s PPT slides below.  

(5 min.) Divide the class into groups of three to five learners and review the following areas of environmental action. You may have multiple groups for each area, and you may have groups choose their topic. 

• Adopt microtransportation (e-bikes, scooters, etc.) to reduce automobile loads in urban areas
• Replace meat with alternative vegetarian “meat” products to reduce climate impacts
• Increase renewable energy adoption to make the electric grid more sustainable
• Replace lawns with urban and suburban gardens, edible forests, and wildflower meadows
• Increase the share of residents who use personal compost bins or participate in municipal compost programs to reduce landfilled biomass 
• Foster programs to distribute used clothing and repurpose old textiles to reduce landfill waste
• Enhance the efficacy of social media-based environmental campaigns.
   

(15 min.) As a full class, briefly run through these areas of action and ask learners to share their knowledge of the difficulties of achieving social change in each sector. For example, learners may be aware that the alt-meat industry has recently faced difficulties in growing their market share of meat consumption and has even seen reduced sales after an initial period of consumer enthusiasm. Take one case study, like alt-meat, and have the full class brainstorm the levels of social resistance that innovators must navigate to achieve a cascade effect. For alt-meat, these challenges have emerged:

• The design rationale to make these products perfectly mimic meat has faltered on gustatory and aesthetic levels.
• Alt-meats are highly processed, even engineered, foods: unappealing to consumers who prefer unprocessed and whole foods.
• Alt-meats are sold at two to four times the price of genuine meats. 

Learners should offer initial ideas about ways to redress these challenges using an analytical frame that integrates enabling conditions. Consider strategies that:

• Target small populations 
• Alter social network structure 
• Provide relevant information 
• Reduce price 
• Improve quality or performance
• Increase desirability 
• Increase accessibility
• Coordinate complementary technologies.
   

(25 min.) Now the small groups have time to research their topic in greater depth to uncover challenges to social acceptance and design-enabling conditions that create cascades. Have the groups collaborate on a shared document in which they compile research on adoption challenges and describe the resistant social conditions that may be re-designed as enabling conditions. Have each group identify three challenges and three enabling conditions that may resolve the challenge. Groups should create a single visual slide that summarizes their findings.   
 

(15 min.) With the remaining class time, give each group ~3 minutes to share their slide on challenges and enabling conditions for a given cascade. Post these slides in the online course space.
 

As homework, have each learner provide feedback to another group on their ideas, including further information, research, and suggestions for tailoring enabling conditions to specific small populations.
 

As an optional extension, use this lesson as a starting point for a semester-length project in which learners in small groups research, design, and implement enabling conditions that target small populations and aim to create cascades in which this sustainable behavior is more widely adopted. They may find that college campuses create their own enabling conditions because of the youth, advocacy, knowledge, and willingness to try new behaviors that are typical of collegiate environments.