Environmental Collective Action: Residential Recycling Programs
Publication: Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice
Volume 120, Issue 2
Abstract
Many civil and environmental engineering projects involve the amelioration of environmental problems. Attempts to avoid future and solve current environmental problems are more and more likely to include the inducement of behavior change on a wide scale. The attempts will involve individual‐level environmental collective actions: individual‐level, because they require widespread participation in particular individual behaviors; environmental, because they involve protecting, maintaining, or improving the physical environment; and collective action, because they involve the production of collective goods—that is, goods that, once produced, are not excludable from the members of a group for which membership does not depend upon contributions toward provision of the collective good. This paper presents individual‐level environmental collection actions of interest to civil and environmental engineers, examines the conditions under which participation occurs, and explores the appropriate level of involvement of engineers and nonengineers. It is concluded that engineers should take primary roles in the design of programs involving physical facilities and equipment, and that nonengineers can provide critical insight.
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice
Volume 120 • Issue 2 • April 1994
Pages: 158 - 176
Copyright
Copyright © 1994 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 2, 1993
Published online: Apr 1, 1994
Published in print: Apr 1994
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