review of 2016 courses · 2018. 12. 16. · participant surveys ... increasing community...

Review of 2016 courses

Adelaide trial

Living Smart Review of 2016 Courses | Adelaide trial Page 1 of 28

Contents

1. Executive summary ............................................................................................................................................ 2

Improvements in environmental behaviours .......................................................................................................... 2

Social benefits ................................................................................................................................................................... 3

Dunning-Kruger effect ................................................................................................................................................... 4

Future considerations ..................................................................................................................................................... 4

2. Background ......................................................................................................................................................... 5

Living Smart in South Australia ................................................................................................................................... 6

3. Review methodology ......................................................................................................................................... 7

Participant surveys ........................................................................................................................................................... 7

Emails, phone interviews, face-to-face conversations ......................................................................................... 7

Facilitator feedback ......................................................................................................................................................... 7

Local government feedback ......................................................................................................................................... 7

4. Results .................................................................................................................................................................. 8

Participant information .................................................................................................................................................. 8

Environmental outcomes .............................................................................................................................................. 9

Social benefits ................................................................................................................................................................... 12

Course satisfaction .......................................................................................................................................................... 15

Favourite elements of Living Smart ........................................................................................................................... 16

Least-favourite elements of Living Smart ................................................................................................................ 19

Facilitator feedback ......................................................................................................................................................... 19

Local government feedback ......................................................................................................................................... 19

Case studies ....................................................................................................................................................................... 21

5. Data limitations .................................................................................................................................................. 24

Lack of control group ..................................................................................................................................................... 24

Short timeframe ............................................................................................................................................................... 25

Self-reporting .................................................................................................................................................................... 25

7. Discussion ............................................................................................................................................................ 26

Environmental and social outcomes.......................................................................................................................... 26

Improved sense of community.................................................................................................................................... 26

Increased motivation and confidence ....................................................................................................................... 26

8. Future considerations ........................................................................................................................................ 27

Adjusting the course and session format ................................................................................................................ 27

Increasing the diversity of participants ..................................................................................................................... 27

Supporting participants to become group coordinators ................................................................................... 27

Strengthening the validity of the data ...................................................................................................................... 28


1. Executive summary

Living Smart is a seven-week sustainability and wellbeing course that encourages participants to reduce their

environmental impact and improve their quality of life. In mid-2016, the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges

Natural Resources Management Board initiated a partnership with the Western Australian developers of Living

Smart, Be Living Smart Inc., and trained 20 community champions as Living Smart facilitators. During October

and November 2016, the board partnered with the cities of Unley, Onkaparinga, Holdfast Bay and Marion to

deliver the first three Living Smart courses in South Australia, to a total of 70 participants.

The three courses were held as part of a year-long trial period, and another five courses have since been

delivered between February and July 2017. An interim review was held to look at the impacts of the first three

Living Smart courses and identify opportunities for improvement.

This report summarises the results of the interim review. Results indicate that Living Smart is an effective

capacity building program that supports participants to make lifestyle changes and improve their

environmental behaviours. The course also provides social benefits such as enhancing participants’ relationship

with nature, building their skills and knowledge, increasing community connections and building their sense of

personal resilience.

Participant feedback on the course was extremely positive, and the course received a satisfaction rate of 88.5%

(6.2 out of 7). Participants enjoyed the social aspects of the course, such as meeting like-minded people and

having the opportunity to connect with their community, as well as learning practical solutions and approaches

to sustainability. They appreciated the diversity of themes, especially waste, gardening, and electricity, and the

quality of facilitators, question and answer time, and hands-on activities.

Improvements in environmental behaviours

More than half of participants reported that as a result of the Living Smart course, they had taken positive

actions relating to water, energy and waste efficiency at home. On average:

84% of participants felt they had reduced their household waste

76% of participants improved their water use

64% made efforts to reduce their energy consumption.

Modest improvements in household waste management included a 6% reduction in the volume of waste

being sent to landfill, and an 8% decrease in the volume of material being disposed in recycling bins.

Participants reduced the use of their landfill bin for organic kitchen scraps, while increasing their use of a home

organic waste system (such as compost bins, worm farm or chickens) by 10%.

Participation levels involving a number of simple living sustainability actions were also measured, with results

showing participants improved most where there was the most room for improvement. For example, the

frequency that participants:

sourced food from a local garden increased by 11%

used homemade cleaning and personal care products increased by 9%.

Behaviours that participants already undertook often (such as using their own shopping bag, and adjusting

curtains and windows to manage indoor temperatures) showed a comparatively small increase.


Significant improvements were made in relation to transport. On average, participants reported:

33% decrease in car trips

40% increase in bus trips

10% increase in walking and cycling trips.

Other examples of actions that participants reported undertaking since the course include:

connecting with one of the course’s guest speakers to organise a working bee and install a verge

garden at the front of their house – changing a wasteland of grey dolomite into two thriving gardens

and a space for neighbours to have a chat and connect

planning to build an eco-house

volunteering for the local council as well as joining a gardening group

building and installing compost bays

making beeswax wraps and homemade personal care products

sharing newfound knowledge with friends and family

changing dietary habits, including reducing meat consumption and adopting vegetarian and vegan

diets

taking 3-minute showers

buying bulk

cycling more.

Social benefits

Results indicate that Living Smart also provides a number of social benefits. When exploring their relationship

with nature, results show that since taking part in Living Smart:

participants strengthened their sense of connection with nature by 29%

participants increased their sense that nature is special and should be protected by 30%

the number of participants who had direct and positive contact with nature on a daily basis increased

by 19%.

The frequency that people felt they took action to develop their knowledge and skills to care for the

environment increased over the duration of the course. After the course, almost everyone (92% of participants)

felt they now did this either daily, weekly or monthly (an increase of 21%). The number of people who felt they

built their knowledge and skills daily increased by 67%, and those who believed they did this at least weekly

increased by 24%.

Community resilience

Participants also increased how often they interact and share information with other people in their

community. The number of participants who:

interacted daily with others in their community increased by 41%

shared with or learned from others in the community daily increased by 20%

interacted either never or once or twice a year decreased by 63%.


Personal resilience

Participants also strengthened their sense of personal resilience. They increased their sense of being able to:

think of and create solutions to problems by 31%

be well informed and prepared for changes by 31%

respond constructively to different sorts of challenges by 26%.

Living Smart increased participants’ confidence and motivation to take actions in their home and community.

Many participants reported that the course provided them with the ‘extra kick’ to get started on many

sustainability-related activities they had been planning to undertake for a long time.

Dunning-Kruger effect

A phenomenon called the Dunning-Kruger effect1 may have impacted the results of this review, meaning the

true impact of Living Smart has been understated across all behaviours (the impact may actually be more

beneficial than what has been reported). The Dunning-Kruger effect describes the tendency of people to hold

overinflated ideas of their skills at the beginning of courses, and overrate their initial performance in a pre-

course survey. Over the course duration, participants tend to become more aware of their own behaviours,

and may therefore judge themselves more critically in a post-course survey.

There are two behaviours that were measured as part of the review, where we actually saw participants report

a decline in environmental action, which the Dunning-Kruger effect may explain:

a minor decline in washing machine use efficiency in both Holdfast Bay/Marion and Unley courses

a slight decline in the frequency that people reported to take environmental action to support their

community.

These two findings are at odds with the rest of the results, and may reflect the fact that through undertaking

the Living Smart course, participants have a slightly different view of what these behaviours mean.

Future considerations

Future delivery of Living Smart will consider:

adjusting the course and session format to ease pressure on content coverage and goal-setting

increasing the diversity of participants

supporting participants to become group coordinators

strengthening the validity of the data, for example through using a control group and/or undertaking

empirical measurements of environmental outcomes.

1 Dunning, D., Johnson, K., Ehrlinger, J., Kruger, J. (2003) Why people fail to recognise their own incompetence. Current

Directions in Psychological Science


2. Background

Living Smart is a behaviour change program that applies adult learning principles and an evidence-based

approach to sustainability education. It upskills and empowers participants to take action in their homes to

reduce their environmental impact and improve their quality of life.

In 2003, recognising the need for a program that helps people embrace more sustainable and rewarding

lifestyles, a partnership between The Meeting Place Community Centre, the City of Fremantle, Murdoch

University and the Southern Metropolitan Regional Council developed Living Smart. The program is now

managed by Western Australian not-for-profit Be Living Smart Inc., and undergoes continual improvement by

practitioners and researchers. In South Australia, it is coordinated by the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges

Natural Resources Management Board.

During the seven week course, participants are assisted to achieve personal goals through connections with

like-minded people and local experts who share their skills and stories. The course recognises the role of

governments and organisations, as well as issues of global equity, but focusses on local people finding local

solutions to local problems.

The course is centred on 10 key modules, which can be adapted to suit the needs of the audience. Each of the

modules are listed below with some example topics:

Living simply – decluttering, minimalist living principles

Energy – renewable energy, power supply options

Waste – refuse-reduce-reuse-recycle principles, garden waste, plastics

Water – water sensitive urban design, reduction tips

Transport – alternative travel options, peak oil

Gardening for biodiversity – going native, localised urban cooling

Gardening for productivity – organic gardening, self-sufficiency

Healthy home – indoor air quality, sustainable cleaning

Healthy you – mental health, body products

Community – linking with or starting a local group, knowing where to go for help.

The course is delivered by trained facilitators, and guest speakers are invited to present on their topics of

expertise. Each session includes a diverse range of group activities and personal, reflective goal-setting time.

‘This course inspires you to do better. It gives you things to think about, but more importantly, it is full of

information and ideas. I valued group discussions because we could always help and motivate each other.

Nothing was impossible and the future is full of possibilities.’

– City of Onkaparinga Living Smart participant


Living Smart in South Australia

In July 2016, the board initiated a partnership with Be Living Smart Inc. to deliver Living Smart courses across

the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges region. Living Smart was chosen because of its:

Focus on behaviour change

Information fatigue is a real barrier to change. To tackle this, Living Smart uses personal goal-setting

and action-sharing in each session to motivate and connect participants.

Ability to be tailor-made

Although the proven model remains unchanged, the content and schedule can be made locally

relevant, depending on the priorities and needs of the participants and council/organisation host.

Broad coverage of sustainability

The 10 Living Smart topics are comprehensive and holistic, covering a range of sustainability elements

from waste reduction to self-care.

Prioritising of local network links

Living Smart facilitators are well-networked, and can therefore share events and actions currently

happening in their local area, as well as encourage community participation.

Commitment to evaluation

Living Smart captures both quantitative and qualitative data for each course. Unlike a one-off event or

workshop, this course provides an opportunity to track behaviour change and community participation

over time.

In May 2016, 20 community members representing 12 metropolitan council areas were trained as Living Smart

facilitators by Be Living Smart Inc. Facilitators were chosen because of their local knowledge and connections,

motivation and interest in sustainability, and networking and facilitation skills.

A trial period commenced, in which the board encouraged councils and organisations to host a Living Smart

course in their area. The board committed a contribution of $2,000 per trial course, with $1,500 sought from

the partner council or organisation. This cost covered the estimated 100 hours of course preparation and

delivery work by the facilitator(s).

Three councils agreed to proceed with the trial, each commencing a Living Smart course on 18 October 2016

for seven evening sessions and a field trip.

Table 1: Living Smart 2016 trial courses

Councils Location Date and time Facilitators

City of Unley Clarence Park

Community Centre

18 October – 6 December 2016

Tuesdays

6.30pm – 9.00pm

Wendy Sutton

Rachel Eckermann

City of Onkaparinga McLaren Vale Visitors

Centre

18 October – 29 November 2016

Tuesdays

6.30pm – 8.30pm

Dani Austin

Linda Curtis

Cities of Marion and

Holdfast Bay

Glenelg Community

Centre

18 October – 29 November 2016

Tuesdays

6.45pm – 9.00pm

Charmaine

Thredgold

Emma Sandery

A second round of Living Smart courses has also recently completed, co-funded by the board and the Gawler

Natural Resource Centre and the cities of Unley, Charles Sturt, Mitcham, Holdfast Bay and Marion.


These courses complete the 12 month trial of Living Smart. Results from these courses will also be analysed

and reported on to contribute to ongoing assessment of Living Smart’s impacts.

3. Review methodology

The interim review sought participants’ views through pre and post course surveys, follow-up emails, phone

interviews and informal face-to-face conversations. Facilitator feedback was provided through end-of-course

evaluation reports, and a post-course debrief, facilitated by Natural Resources Adelaide and Mount Lofty

Ranges and Be Living Smart Inc. Local government feedback was provided through ongoing conversations,

end-of-course debrief meetings and direct testimonials.

Participant surveys

Participants were asked to complete a pre course survey online before the course began, and were given

paper surveys to complete the post course survey during the final session. Participants who did not attend the

final session were emailed a copy of the survey and encouraged to complete it.

Both pre and post course surveys included environmental behaviour questions (such as transport and waste

practices), which are currently asked of all Living Smart participants Australia wide, to assess the course’s

impact on daily environmental habits. Both surveys also asked a series of socially related questions, to

understand participants’ perceptions on their connection to nature, environmental knowledge and skills,

community connectivity, and ability to respond to problems.

The pre course survey also included questions on demographics, reasons for participating, and whether the

participant had any skills or knowledge they may have been willing to share with the group. This assisted

facilitators to understand the group and appropriately customise the course.

The post course survey also asked participants to reflect on their favourite course aspects, most memorable

learnings, and proudest achievements, and allowed participants to provide open feedback on the course.

Emails, phone interviews, face-to-face conversations

In March 2017, approximately four months after the completion of the first three Living Smart trial courses, an

email was sent to all participants (10 responses were received) asking the following:

Are there any personal goals you have reached or set after the course?

Is there any way we can support or help you to achieve community project ideas/goals?

Is there anything else you need to keep motivated or that you would like to share?

Eight participants were then interviewed (six via phone and two face-to-face).

Facilitator feedback

Feedback from course facilitators was provided through:

End-of-course evaluation reports produced by facilitators

End-of-course course debrief and skype professional development session facilitated by Natural

Resources Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges and Be Living Smart Inc.

Ongoing casual conversations (through email, phone and face-to-face).

Local government feedback


Feedback from local government partners was provided through:

Ongoing conversations with allocated officers to monitor course uptake and participation

End-of-course debrief meetings with course facilitators

Request for direct testimonials for video contact and story-building

‘It has something for everyone. It is a non-intimidating, engaging, fun and insightful way of increasing your

awareness to some very big issues. Yet, instead of walking away with a sense of doom and gloom, you feel

uplifted and encouraged to make changes – with the support of brilliant facilitators and participants.’

– Cities of Holdfast and Marion Living Smart participant

4. Results

Participant information

Between 22 and 29 people enrolled in each course, and all courses had a high weekly attendance rate, with

absentees due to health reasons or prior commitments. All 25 and 22 enrolled participants completed the

course at the City of Onkaparinga (Onkaparinga) and the City of Unley (Unley) respectively, whereas 23

participants completed the cities of Holdfast Bay and Marion (Holdfast Bay/Marion) course after 29 enrolled.

Withdrawals were due to health or family complications, or without reason.

Females comprised 85% of participants. The average age of Holdfast Bay/Marion and Onkaparinga

participants was 45 to 54 years. The average age of Unley participants was 35 to 44 years. Of all courses, 83%

of participants were over 35 years, and only one participant was under 25 years.

When asked why they enrolled in the course (multiple answers possible), across all courses, 90% of participants

reported that they wanted to learn about living more sustainably. Almost 70% said it was because they were

interested in the environment, 54% stated they would like to meet people in their local community and 33%

were interested in saving on household costs.

There were some differences in why people chose to take the course, across councils (see Figure ). Unley

participants were the most interested to meet people in their local community, and their interest in

environmental issues was a lower driver compared with other councils. Holdfast Bay/Marion participants were

driven by environmental and sustainability factors, and less by community and economic reasons. Onkaparinga

respondents rated comparatively high on all reasons for enrolment.

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Learn more aboutliving sustainably

Interested inenvironmental issues

Meet people in mylocal community

Save on my householdcosts

Pe

rce

nta

ge o

f p

art

icip

an

ts

Onkaparinga Holdfast Bay/Marion Unley


Figure 1. Reasons participants enrolled in Living Smart (multiple answers possible)

Participants reported they had a diverse range of knowledge and skills that they were willing to share in the

group, ranging from sustainable crafts, eco-housing design, permaculture, gardening, bee-keeping, and

woodwork.

Participants mostly heard about the course through word of mouth (40%), council email (26%) or Facebook

(10%), see Figure 2. Not one participant heard about the course through the board website or Living Smart

website.

Figure 2. Methods by which Living Smart participants heard about the course

Environmental outcomes

The following section outlines results from survey questions relating to environmental sustainability.

Water, energy and waste management

The post course survey asked participants if they had taken action relating to water, energy or waste efficiency

as a result of Living Smart. More than half had taken action in all three areas. On average, 84% of participants

felt they had reduced their household waste, 76% improved their water use and 64% improved their energy

use. All (100%) of Unley participants believed they had reduced their household waste (Figure 3). Onkaparinga

had the greatest proportion of participants taking action to improve energy efficiency or reduce power use

(75%).

Figure 3. Percentage of participants who believed they improved their water, energy or waste management as a result of taking part in

Living Smart

Council email Council website

Email from the board Adelaide Sustainability Centre

Word of mouth Facebook

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Improved water efficiency orreduced water use

Improved energy efficiency orreduced power use

Reduced household waste

Per

cen

tage

of

par

tici

pan

ts



In both the pre and post course surveys, participants were asked to estimate how full their bins were when

they placed them out for emptying. Small yet encouraging improvements were made, including an 8% and 6%

decrease in recycling and landfill waste volumes respectively, and a 2% decrease in their organics volume

(Figure 4).

Figure 4. Average volume of contents in Living Smart participants’ bins

Participants were asked about their organic waste management. Results show that since taking part in Living

Smart, participants improved the sustainability of their kitchen organics disposal. Participants recorded a

decline in landfill bin use and an increase in the use of a compost bin, worm farm or chicken run, or council

organics bin (Table 2).

Table 2. Living Smart participants’ disposal methods for organic waste

Organic waste disposal method Change from pre to post course

Council landfill bin 7% decrease in use

Council green bin 4% increase in use

Compost/bokashi/worm farm/chook run 10% increase in use

Simple living sustainable actions

In both pre and post course surveys, participants were asked how often they undertook a range of sustainable

activities. Results show all behaviours, except one, were practiced more often after participants had taken part

in Living Smart (Figure 5). The largest increases were made where there was room for improvement. For

example, sourcing food from a local garden increased by 11%, and using homemade cleaning and personal

care products increased by 9%.

Behaviours that participants already undertook often (such as using their own shopping bag, and adjusting

curtains and windows for indoor temperature management) showed a comparatively small increase.

1

2

3

4

Recycling Landfill Organics

Full

1/2 full

1/4 full

>1/4 full

Pre course Post course


Figure 5. Average Living Smart participants change in frequency of selected sustainability activities

Participants reported a decline in washing machine use efficiency in both Holdfast Bay/Marion and Unley

courses. This may be due to a phenomenon called the Dunning-Kruger effect2, which describes the tendency

of people to hold overinflated ideas of their skills at the beginning of courses, and overrate their initial

performance. Over the course duration, participants tend to become more aware of their own behaviours, and

may therefore judge themselves more critically in the post course survey as compared to the pre course

survey.

This effect may equally apply to the rest of the results, meaning that the actual impact of Living Smart courses

has been understated across all behaviours.

Transport

In pre and post course surveys, participants were asked to record their main mode of transport used for each

trip taken during the previous week.

Across all Living Smart courses, participants reported:

33% decrease in car trips

40% increase in bus trips

10% increase in walking and cycling trips.

Figure 6. Modes of transport used by Living Smart participants over a one week period, at the beginning and end of the course

2 Dunning, D., Johnson, K., Ehrlinger, J., Kruger, J. (2003) Why people fail to recognise their own incompetence. Current

Directions in Psychological Science

1

2

3

4

5

I use my ownhomemade

cleaning and/orpersonal care

products

I use my ownshopping bagwhen I shop

I open/closecurtains andwindows to

manage indoortemperature

I run my washingappliances only

when full

I get some foodfrom my gardenor a community

garden

5 = Almost always

1= Almost never


0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

On foot Bicycle Public transport Car

Pre course

Post course


Responses from pre and post course surveys were analysed to reveal differences between councils, see Figure

7. Participants from Onkaparinga reported the lowest use of bicycles and public transport, and the highest use

of cars. Unley participants had the lowest percentage car trips and the highest percentage of trips using

alternative transport. Despite these differences, participants from all councils increased their use of sustainable

transport options and decreased their car use, which suggests that Living Smart’s approach is effective across

different types of council areas.

Figure 7. Modes of transport used by Living Smart participants across councils

Social benefits

The following section outlines some of the social benefits delivered by the course.

Connection with nature

Participants were asked to rate how strongly they either agreed or disagreed with a number of statements, in

an effort to quantify their relationship with nature, before and after taking part in Living Smart. Results show

that, on average, participants moderately agreed with the statements ‘I feel I have a connection with nature’

and ‘I sense that nature is special and something to be protected’ before the course, which shifted to ‘strongly

agree’ after the course.

When quantified, results show that participants strengthened their sense of connection with nature by 29%,

and their sense that nature is special and should be protected by 30%, see Figure 8.

Figure 8. Average Living Smart participant agreeance with statements on their relationship with nature

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

On foot Bicycle Public transport Car

Per

cen

tage

of

all t

rip

s


0

1

2

3

4

5

I feel I have a connection with nature I sense that nature is special andsomething to be protected

Strongly agree

Strongly disagree



Participants were also asked how often they had direct and positive contact with nature. After the course, the

number of people who had direct and positive contact with nature on a daily basis increased by 19%, from 30

to 37 (Figure ).

Figure 9. How often Living Smart participants had direct and positive contact with nature

Knowledge and skills to care for the environment

After taking part in Living Smart, almost everyone (92% of participants) felt they built their knowledge and skills

to care for the environment daily, weekly or monthly. The number of people who felt they did this daily

increased by 67% from the pre course survey, and those who believed they did this at least weekly increased

by 24% (see Figure 1).

Figure 10. How often Living Smart participants built their knowledge and skills around caring for the environment

0 10 20 30 40 50

Post course

Pre course

Number of participants

Never Once or twice a year Every couple of months Monthly At least weekly Daily

0 10 20 30 40 50

Post course

Pre course




Community connections and collaboration

Participants were asked how often they interact with others in their community. There was a 41% increase in

the number of people who interacted daily with others in their community, and a 63% decrease in participants

who interacted either never or once or twice a year (see Figure 10).

Figure 11. Frequency of Living Smart participants interacting with others in their community

Results also showed an increase in participants sharing knowledge with or learning from others in their

community, with four more people doing this daily (an increase of 20%) after taking part in Living Smart (see

Figure 11).

Figure 12. Frequency that Living Smart participants shared with or learned from others in their community

The pre and post course surveys also asked participants how often they took action that supports their

community in some way. Results for this question show a slight decline in the frequency that people undertook

action (see Figure 13), which is inconsistent with the vast majority of findings that show participants increased

their community connections and environmental actions.

There are a number of possible reasons for this. One reason is the previously mentioned Dunning-Kruger

phenomenon where over a course’s duration, participants become more aware of their behaviours and may

judge themselves more critically post course, as compared to pre course.

Other explanations include:

These types of community-connectivity changes would be expected to occur over a longer time frame

than seven weeks, and may require additional support.

Participants only focussed on community in the final Living Smart session, just before the post-course

survey was circulated.

0 10 20 30 40 50

Post course

Pre course



0 10 20 30 40 50

Post course

Pre course




Figure 13. Frequency that Living Smart participants believed they took action to support their community

Ability to respond to problems, societal changes and challenges

Participants scored how strongly they agreed or disagreed with a number of statements that related to their

personal resilience, see Figure 14.

Results show that after taking part in Living Smart, participants increased their sense of being able to:

think of and create solutions to problems by 31%

be well informed and prepared for changes by 31%

respond constructively to different sorts of challenges by 26%.

Figure 14. Average Living Smart participant agreeance with statements relating to personal resilience

Course satisfaction

Post course surveys provided the opportunity for participants to give feedback on their satisfaction of the

course. Overall participants were extremely satisfied and rated the course 6.2 out of 7. Holdfast Bay/Marion

participants experienced the most satisfaction overall (96% of participants being satisfied or very satisfied)

whereas Unley participants reported slightly lower satisfaction with the course (79%), see Figure 15.

0 10 20 30 40 50

Post course

Pre course



0

1

2

3

4

5

I am able to think of andcreate solutions to problems

I am well informed andprepared for changes (e.g.

environmental and societal)

I am able to respondconstructively to different

sorts of challenges

Strongly agree

Strongly disagree



Figure 15. Average Living Smart participant reported course usefulness and satisfaction

Many participants discussed the course with other people, see Figure 16. All Holdfast Bay/Marion participants,

and most of Unley and Onkaparinga participants, told friends and family about Living Smart. On average, more

than half of the participants spoke to work colleagues about the course, and more than a quarter of

participants mentioned it to neighbours.

Figure 16. Living Smart participants discussing the course with others

Favourite elements of Living Smart

When asked what their favourite aspect of the program was, participants overwhelmingly responded with

answers relating to the other participants, such as meeting like-minded people and having the opportunity to

connect with their community, see Figure 17. The emphasis on practical solutions and approaches to

sustainability were also favoured, as was the opportunity to share challenges and successes with the group.

Also popular was the diversity of themes, especially waste, gardening, and electricity. Participants noted that

the quality of facilitators, provision of question and answer time, and hands-on activities strongly contributed

to their enjoyment of the course.

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Onkaparinga Holdfast & Marion Unley

Very

Not at all

How useful did you find this Living Smart course? Overall, how satisfied are you with this course?

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Family Friends Neighbours Work colleagues

Per

cen

tage

of

par

tici

pan

rs



Figure 17. Living Smart participants’ favourite aspects of the course

Participants were asked to share their three proudest actions taken as a result of the course (see Figure 18).

Again, responses were highly varied, but gardening was mentioned with the highest frequency. Generally

those actions that participants were most proud of were personal or in-home actions such as:

making homemade body products

taking 3-minute showers

decreasing food waste to landfill

buying bulk

cycling more.

There were a few participants that responded with more community-related actions such as:

talking to people about recycling

sharing information via a local newsletter.


Figure 18. Living Smart participants’ proudest actions

Participants were asked to list the three most significant things they learned during the course, see Figure 15.

Results were extremely varied, however recycling tips, water, energy and waste saving ideas were the most

frequently mentioned.

Figure 15. Living Smart participants’ most significant (useful/memorable/inspiring) learnings


Least-favourite elements of Living Smart

When asked if there were any aspects that participants would like to change about Living Smart, the majority

responded that the course felt rushed, with too much information. Some participants noted that they would

have liked more ‘in-class’ time for reflection, and more time between classes to reflect on and achieve set

goals. Some examples of comments from participants were as follows:

Should be a longer course; too much info too quickly.

Tried to cram in too many details.

Need time for more discussion to allow deeper discussion.

Pace was very fast.

Too structured and concerned with time keeping.

Each week felt very full and at times ran out of time. Perhaps less is more.

Other participants responded that they would have liked:

More guest speakers.

More hands-on activities.

Strategies to influence government.

Less group work.

Facilitator feedback

The following section outlines feedback provided by Living Smart facilitators regarding their experiences of the

course, from a debrief meeting facilitated by Natural Resources Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges.

Course strengths

Interactive elements, especially the group work, was productive.

Individual agency was clearly created, sparking personal action beyond the course.

The goal setting aspect of each session was important as it allowed people to reflect on what they had

learned.

Weekly emails were a great resource and participants found them useful.

Course weaknesses

A feeling of being rushed each week was prevalent, and keeping to time was a challenge.

The interactive group work was not suitable for every participant’s learning style.

There were some dilemmas regarding goal-setting: often this process felt forced, with insufficient time

to properly reflect.

Guest speakers were not always appropriate.

Arising opportunities

The development of an Advanced Living Smart course for those participants who want to go deeper

into the content. It was noted that an outcome of this advanced course could be a group project

coordinated by participants.

Local government feedback

All of the local governments who participated in their first trial course, based on the evaluation and change

captured are committed to running another in partnership with the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural

Resources Management Board.


City of Onkaparinga

“When Living Smart was brought to our attention we pounced on the opportunity because we already have

those community members who are really passionate about the environment. We have a great program of

workshops as part of our Sustainable Onkaparinga initiative but this course is about giving people a space to

take their learnings to the next level. Through the skilled facilitators Dani and Lynda participants learnt and

achieved goals as they went along.

We now have some very motivated and informed environmental champions in our community. They are

meeting together regularly at a local farmer’s market and we look forward to hearing more of what they’ve

achieved in their backyards and in the community. We are committed to another annual course in our

northern area.” - Tracy Fulton, City of Onkaparinga

City of Unley

“We are proud partners with the NRM Board and Living Smart getting started in SA, hosting 2 course in 16/17

financial year. The course aligns perfectly with the saying “think global, act local”. It teaches participants what is

happening, why it is important and positive, practical options to make change themselves.

Living Smart is a great way to set aside some regular time to celebrate your own successes, update your

knowledge, set new goals and meet like-minded local people. For topics you may already be well across you

can value add to the group, so it suits novice through to expert levels.

Councils promote and educate residents on how to live more sustainably which is important, but I believe that

hearing stories from other friends, family and colleagues actually applying it can have more power to change

behaviours on a large scale. So aside from our first two rounds of graduates, having them talk to their

networks and encourage change can have a big ripple effect.” – Kat Ryan, City of Unley

City of Marion

“The Living Smart program fills a gap in our environmental engagement activities in relation to initiatives that

support sustained behaviour change. Not only does this course show evidence that participants are changing

their behaviour, we are seeing that it cultivates a sense of community connectedness and resilience.

Living Smart is a perfect compliment to our sustainability series of events, Common Thread, with both

programs supporting community members on their sustainability journey.

Going forward, there is a great opportunity for Living Smart to be delivered in sectors of the community that

would really benefit from increased community connectedness and the financial savings presented by

sustainable living concepts. Schools could also get involved and act as hubs to host courses for the local

community and potentially benefit from projects that may emerge from the program.

A movement of environmentally aware citizens who want to bring about change is growing and Living Smart is

a fantastic pathway to support and empower these people.” - Jessica Mitchell, City of Marion

City of Holdfast Bay

“We undertook two courses as a trial of Living Smart with Marion as it complimented the councils Green Living

workshop program (a series of standalone sustainability themed workshops presented throughout the year)

and we were interested in seeing what flow on effects could result in sponsoring a group of “champions” to

undertake the course.

It was pleasing to see that over 60% of Holdfast Bay/Marion participants felt that they had reduced their

household waste, improved their water use, improved their energy use and felt like they had a stronger

connection to nature on completion of the course.” - Shani Wood, City of Holdfast Bay


Case studies

Four months after course completion, a small number of participants were contacted directly to obtain in-

depth stories on their experiences with Living Smart. Each of these participants had taken further, positive

sustainable actions, showing that Living Smart was successful in encouraging action beyond course

completion. This follow-up contact also revealed that different Living Smart course elements were relevant and

useful to different people. The participants each reported that one or more of the following course elements

were important in motivating them to make changes in their lives:

goal-setting

participatory format

open discussions

diversity of information provided

connection with local contacts.

Case studies of participants contacted by phone follow.


Trish, City of Unley

The Living Smart course provided Trish with a connection to local contacts who were instrumental in getting her

community verge garden project off the ground.

Trish took the Unley Living Smart course in late 2016, and especially enjoyed the connection with like-minded

people in her local community. During the ‘Gardening for food’ session, a guest speaker from local community

gardening group Grow, Grow, Grow Your Own (Sustainable Communities SA) mentioned some funding had

recently become available for verge gardens in the City of Unley.

Thinking the verge gardens would be a great way for people to connect to each other and to nature, Trish was

keen to have some out the front of her house. That night she sent an email to the guest speaker, and with an

almost immediate response from the group, they set an installation date.

It was important to Trish that the verge gardens belonged to the whole community, so she encouraged people

to be involved in the process from the beginning. Trish’s 12-year old son made invitations and placed them in

letter boxes ahead of the installation day, and 32 people turned up to help, including a local councillor. A team

effort established two wicking-bed-style, corrugated iron verge gardens with many types of herbs and

vegetables. Everyone who attended painted their hand and placed their palm print on a nearby stobey pole as

a lasting reminder of the community coming together to establish something of benefit to all.

Since the verge gardens have been established, Trish has noticed some real changes in the street. There’s an

obvious, visible change – a wasteland of grey dolomite has now become two thriving and abundant gardens.

But there’s also been a less-obvious change – Trish has noticed a genuine element of happiness around the

garden, especially from neighbours in nearby apartments who don’t have the space or light for a garden. The

verge is now a place for people from all walks of life to pause, have a chat and connect.

Trish has encountered some minor barriers; on a few occasions people have stolen entire plants from the

verge boxes, but the young son of a neighbour helped to make signs asking people to only take leaves and

vegetables instead of whole plants. On the whole, however, the establishment has been a major success and

has given Trish opportunities to teach others about sustainability, self-sufficiency and healthy eating. The verge

garden is truly a community garden, the occasional note pushed under the front door to let her know a

neighbour has planted something new, shows that community ownership has really taken hold.

The Living Smart course provided Trish with a connection with others in the community, and to the

representative from the community gardening group, without which, the verge garden project may not have

occurred. Support from her family, the community, the City of Unley, and members from the council and local

gardening group have aided the verge garden’s continued success. Trish has since joined Grow, Grow, Grow

Your Own, so together with her family she will soon be able to help install other verge gardens in the City of

Unley and keep spreading the messages of sustainability, healthy eating and local food security for all.

Nicky, City of Onkaparinga

Living Smart armed Nicky with facts, statistics and sustainability information needed to make better-informed

choices about her diet and consumption.

For Nicky, the most significant change since completing the Onkaparinga Living Smart course in 2016 has been

in drastically cutting back meat consumption with the view of becoming vegetarian in the near future and

possibly vegan – if she can let go of her love of cheese!

‘I was really shocked to learn the environmental impact of meat consumption, especially how much water is

used to get a steak on a plate. About 18 months ago I made a decision to only eat free range and locally

sourced meat after learning about the treatment of animals when [meat is] mass-produced.


‘I felt comfortable with this until I did the Living Smart course. Now that I have more of an understanding, I’ve

done a lot more research for myself and have felt the need to cut down on my own consumption initially as I

learn to phase it out altogether,’ Nicky said.

Before she took the Living Smart course, Nicky felt she knew a lot about sustainability, but the course really

opened her mind to things she hadn’t considered. Now she feels more conscious of everything she does and,

as a result of the course, is constantly asking herself things like ‘Is this making an impact? Could I be doing

something differently that makes less of a negative environmental impact?’ Living Smart armed Nicky with

facts, statistics and sustainability information needed to make better-informed decisions.

‘I loved the course and got so much out of it. I’m actually really missing it! It’s so nice to be around like-minded

people and it makes it much easier to adapt change into your life when you have that encouragement and

support, rather than resistance of people that are less aware,’ said Nicky.

Nicky also noted the importance of connecting with people who may be less aware. ‘It’s my opportunity to

educate them and help them become aware [of their impacts],’ she said.

Linda, Cities of Holdfast Bay and Marion

After achieving smaller goals through the goal-setting element of Living Smart, Linda had the courage to set a

bigger goal – to build an eco-home.

When Linda first enrolled in the Living Smart course, she had plans to eventually live off the land, in a shipping

container. The connections, knowledge and skills afforded by Living Smart have now encouraged Linda to take

her shipping container dream one step further, and build an eco-house, off the grid.

Linda says the goal-setting element of the course really motivated her, and gave her the courage to aim higher

after succeeding with smaller goals. Living Smart also connected Linda with people who are keen to help

design and build the house, and will help to equip the property with sustainable technology needed to live a

low-impact life.

On taking her knowledge further, Linda said, ‘You can’t change the world, but maybe you can change one

person.’

Andrew, City of Onkaparinga

Living Smart’s group support and skilled facilitators gave Andrew both the courage to start working towards

personal goals and the motivation to actually achieve them.

Andrew, an environmental scientist, enrolled in the Onkaparinga Living Smart course to meet people in his

local community. Since taking the course, Andrew has:

started volunteering for the local council to better-connect with his local area

drawn up a plan on a whiteboard to share food shopping and car journeys with his housemates to

reduce petrol and food waste

gone vegan to reduce his carbon footprint

joined a local community gardening group to learn valuable skills

contacted his landlord for permission to install compost bays and then built them

shared his newfound knowledge with friends and family.

Andrew says that the group format and skilled Living Smart facilitators gave him the courage to start working

towards these achievements and the motivation to actually do them.


‘Motivation was the most important thing, because [before the course] I had the information, I had the ability

to look up the information, but I wasn’t motivated to do that. So encouragement was the best part of the

course,’ said Andrew.

This encouragement is now maintained through Onkaparinga participants’ continued monthly catch-ups at a

local farmer’s market.

Cathy, City of Onkaparinga

The productive open discussions encouraged by Living Smart, as well as the hands-on aspect of the course, gave

Cathy the confidence to try some activities she’d not attempted before.

Cathy, who has been a ‘green person all her life’, took the Living Smart course because she thought it would

align well with her interests. She says the productive open discussions, as well as the hands-on aspect of Living

Smart, gave her the confidence to try some things she’d never attempted before, such as making beeswax

wraps and homemade personal care products.

Cathy says the organisation of topics into themes meant that conversations were focussed and fruitful,

sparking motivation to attempt new tasks.

‘If I hadn’t gone [to the course], I still would have made the changes, but I wouldn’t have done it as well [as I

did],’ said Cathy.

Cathy has a strong social media presence and has been using these platforms to share the messages she

learned at Living Smart. ‘I have a voice and I can make that voice heard,’ she said.

Sharing her newfound knowledge has led to connections all over the world with individuals making similar

sustainable changes in their lives.

5. Data limitations

Data limitations are summarised below.

Lack of control group

‘It changed all aspects of

my life. I can’t un-know

what I know now. [I can

take] small steps forward

with a team around [me]. It

has been amazing how

many people I have met

that share a common goal

– just by sharing what I

have been up to on a

Tuesday night.’

– City of Unley Living

Smart participant


No control group was used for this evaluation. It is therefore not possible to attribute any reported changes to

the Living Smart course alone. There is a broad range of external factors that may have contributed to the

observed change, for example, participants may have watched a relevant TV documentary, or met an inspiring

new friend, that motivated them to act more sustainably.

Short timeframe

Seven weeks (the duration of the course) is not long enough to trace lasting behaviour change. Some

participants may have reported improvements in their post course survey, however we do not know whether

these changes were temporary or will be sustained. Whilst a small number of participants were contacted four

months after course completion, they were only asked general questions incomparable with the original survey

questions.

Self-reporting

Data was collected through participant self-reporting, which has accuracy limitations. For example, some

participants may have incorrectly believed that their bin was half-full when placed on the kerb, when it was

actually only a quarter full. Or, some participants may have reported that they use a shopping bag with low

frequency, but by comparison to others, the frequency may have actually been relatively high.

The other limitation of self-reporting that is based on participant perceptions is the Dunning-Kruger effect,

where people tend to hold overinflated ideas of their skills at the beginning of courses, and overrate their

initial performance. This is then followed by participants becoming more aware of their own behaviour during

the course, and judging themselves more critically at the end of the course, which results in impacts being

understated.


7. Discussion

Environmental and social outcomes

Results indicate that Living Smart is an effective capacity building program that supports participants to

improve their environmental impact while also experiencing a range of social benefits.

Improvements across a wide range of environmental areas was evident, including:

water and energy efficiency

waste management

transport

simple living sustainable actions.

Participants reported the following social benefits:

a deepened connection with nature

strengthened community connections

more frequently sharing with and learning from others in their community

increased knowledge and skills to care for the environment

strengthened sense of personal resilience.

Participant satisfaction was very high, with participants scoring Living Smart an average of 6.2 out of 7.

Participants enjoyed the social aspects of the course, such as meeting like-minded people and having the

opportunity to connect with their community, as well as learning practical solutions and approaches to

sustainability. They appreciated the diversity of themes, especially waste, gardening, and electricity, and the

quality of facilitators, question and answer time, and hands-on activities.

Improved sense of community

Living Smart has provided participants with a real sense of community. The vast majority of participants

reported that feeling connected to like-minded people was their favourite element of the course. Feelings of

camaraderie was frequently mentioned in the post-course surveys and follow-up responses, and an increased

frequency was seen in participants’ interacting and sharing with or learning from others in their community.

This connectedness was also evident through Onkaparinga participants’ continued monthly catch-up at a local

farmers’ market.

Increased motivation and confidence

Living Smart increased participants’ confidence and motivation to take actions in their home and community.

Many participants stated that the course provided them with the ‘extra kick’ to get started on many

sustainability-related activities they had been planning to undertake for a long time. This is evident in the fact

that many participants were able to implement a wide variety of changes over the duration of the course.

These feelings of heightened motivation may be attributed to a combination of the following factors:

being surrounded by supportive people

beginning with small, achievable activities to build confidence

having assistance to find information and solve problems.


8. Future considerations

Four key considerations for future delivery of Living Smart are provided below.

Adjusting the course and session format

Some participants and facilitators felt there was too much information provided in too short a timeframe, and

most facilitators felt rushed and under pressure to include all activities. Some participants reported feeling

especially under pressure in the final session, where the post-course survey was completed. Additionally, whilst

participants said that they found goal-setting useful, many noted that insufficient time was allocated to allow

for proper consideration and reflection.

To address these issues, the following will be considered:

reducing the number of planned activities for each session

making the final survey available online so participants can complete anonymously in their own time if

they wish

sending out emails prior to each session (instead of after), and encouraging pre-reading and pre-

watching of content to free up more time in class

allocating sufficient time to the weekly goal-setting activities, and ensuring this occurs consistently

stretching the intervals between sessions to fortnightly or more (instead of weekly) to allow for more

time to accomplish set goals.

Increasing the diversity of participants

The vast majority of Living Smart participants to date have been women over the age of 35 and were already

very interested in sustainable living and environmental issues. This means there is a large portion of the

community underrepresented in Living Smart courses.

To capture males, younger people, and those without an existing interest in the environment, the following will

be considered:

adapting the course to suit specific audience needs

promoting the course through a wider variety of channels

developing other programs / projects that suit a wider audience.

Supporting participants to become group coordinators

Many participants enjoyed connecting with others from their community, and hoped the connections would

continue beyond the course. Other participants mentioned they would benefit from a second course, or by

having some extra support to continue sustainability and wellbeing-related activities after the course.

To further foster participants’ relationships and sustainability efforts, the following will be considered:

encouraging a small group of participants to be delegated as group coordinators, to retain the

community spirit and momentum of the course independently of the facilitators or council/partner host

representative.

giving interested post-course groups concrete pathways and resources to assist with project and group

activation (i.e. Transition Towns, Sustainable communities and other evolving or new models)


Strengthening the validity of the data

Data limitations included the lack of a control group, a short review timeframe, and the dependence on self-

reporting. It is important to balance the need for gathering reliable data with the investment required for

collection and analysis, as well as the usefulness of that data. With this in mind, the following will be

considered:

using a control group to measure behaviours of people not taking part in a Living Smart course

assessing longer term trends by repeating survey questions at 12 month intervals following course

completion

undertaking empirical measurements of environmental behaviours and impacts

adding detailed explanations alongside each survey question to help with question ambiguity and

improve accuracy.

review of 2016 courses · 2018. 12. 16. · participant surveys ... increasing community...

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