Effectiveness of conservation messages to reduce households' GHG emissions: A serious-gaming experiment.

Households play a critical role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, there have been few studies of household conservation from the perspective of the nexus of food, energy, and water (FEW) consumption. This study's objective is to understand the effects of different types of intervention messages for inducing conservation of FEW resources and reducing carbon emissions at the household level in the U.S. Employing a serious-gaming approach, we developed the HomeRUN (Home Role-play for Understanding the Nexus) game, which allows players to act as homeowners and take behavioral and technological upgrade actions in a computer-simulation setting. The types of messages tested include social comparisons and resource-reduction measures across FEW sectors as well as information about the health, economic, and environmental impacts of FEW consumption. A game experiment with U.S. university students finds that social-comparison messages on food and energy consumption, but not on water, lead to significant reductions in household carbon emissions. In addition, messages associated with each type of FEW resource tend to lead to an immediate action corresponding to the particular FEW domain. These insights support a prioritization of intervention messaging for coordinated FEW conservation efforts at a household level.

Food security as a basic need: College students need greater support from institutional administration.

Food insecurity among college students has become a growing concern, with reports documenting its prevalence for over a decade. As the demographics of university and college students change, with more first-generation, nontraditional, and minority students, the risk of food insecurity is heightened. This viewpoint contends that food security is an essential basic need among college students, and when left unmet, it significantly impacts their well-being, resulting in an increased risk of poor academic performance or departure from higher education before degree completion. To combat this issue, universities and colleges must develop and sustain food security initiatives and programs, with administrators playing a critical role. We highlight key areas in which institutional administration can take actionable steps to dedicate the necessary support and resources to proposed and ongoing programs, foster an equitable campus culture, and be advocates for policies at the state and federal level that promote students' food security.