How to Save the World | The Psychology & Science of Environmental Behavior – Details, episodes & analysis

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How to Save the World | The Psychology & Science of Environmental Behavior

Katie Patrick

Science

Frequency: 1 episode/27d. Total Eps: 94

What *really* gets people to take action for the planet? Environmental engineer and designer, Katie Patrick, takes you on a wild intellectual journey into the heart of the environmental psyche, exploring the latest evidence-based behavioral science you can use to get more people to adopt your climate or environmental campaign. Get Katie's secret climate action design tips to make it happen at https://helloworlde.com/actiontips. Warning: For deep sustainability nerds only 🤓🌏.

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http://katiepatrick.com/gamifytheplanet
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https://www.helloworlde.com/actiontips
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http://katiepatrick.com
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https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-patrick/
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https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-patrick-4474499/
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https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-patrick
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Score global : 32%

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How the Car-triarchy Took Over Cities • Andy Boneau Ep97

Monday, October 19, 2026 • Duration 01:46:42

Traffic engineer, storyteller, and safe streets advocate Andy Boneau joins Katie Patrick to unpack the hidden history of how North American cities became dominated by the automobile.

We explore how engineering standards, psychology, and powerful lobbying reshaped our streets over the past century—and why oversized parking lots, wide roads, and unsafe intersections aren't accidents, but the result of deliberate design choices.

Andy reveals the invisible systems behind our built environment—and why changing a single street requires understanding the much bigger system that created it.

In this episode, sustainability professionals will learn how to:

Understand the historical and psychological forces that made the automobile the default priority in modern cities.
Recognize the hidden assumptions built into traffic engineering and urban planning that shape everyday decisions.
Identify why parking minimums, wide roads, and car-first infrastructure persist—even when they no longer serve communities well.
Frame conversations about safer streets around human wellbeing and quality of life rather than simply opposing cars.
Take the first practical steps toward working with local governments to improve streets, public spaces, and neighborhood design.

JOIN THE SCHOOL OF CLIMATE ACTION DESIGN⁠ 🌈

Learn how to design the world's most effective climate program in six weeks. Next cohort starting September 17. Don't miss out.

Click Here ➡️ ⁠https://www.helloworlde.com/climate-action-design-school⁠

* * *

How to Save the World explores the psychology of designing climate action that works. Environmental engineer, designer, and author Katie Patrick dives into the latest behavioral science from Harvard, MIT, Stanford, and other leading research institutions to uncover the evidence-based principles that inspire people to adopt sustainable behaviors. Each episode turns academic research into practical tools you can use to grow participation, change behavior at scale, and reach the tipping point of change in your community.

Follow Katie on:

Instagram ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/katiepatrickhello⁠

LinkedIn ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-patrick

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The Design Secret to Action Everyone is Missing • Linsey Nancarrow Ep95

Monday, September 14, 2026 • Duration 01:19:04

Why do people say they want to take climate action — and then get stuck before actually doing it? Behavior designer and user researcher Lindsey Nancarrow joins me to unpack how to find the hidden friction stopping people from taking action. We explore journey mapping, motivation and ability, user interviews, and behavioral techniques for making sustainable actions easier and more compelling.

We also tackle a fascinating tension: should designers give people what they say they want, or create a bold vision and persuade people to come along?

Find Linsey on LinkedIn

Visit ThriveKite

LINKS

👉 ⁠⁠⁠Get Katie's FREE Action Design Tips⁠⁠⁠

🌈 ⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apply to The School of Climate Action Design⁠⁠⁠

🌏 ⁠⁠⁠Join Earth Doctors: 12 Weeks of Gamified Action for Kids⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠

📦 ⁠⁠⁠SHOP Climate Games, Books, Calendars + More⁠⁠

* * *

How to Save the World explores the psychology of designing climate action that works. Environmental engineer, designer, and author Katie Patrick dives into the latest behavioral science from Harvard, MIT, Stanford, and other leading research institutions to uncover the evidence-based principles that inspire people to adopt sustainable behaviors. Each episode turns academic research into practical tools you can use to grow participation, change behavior at scale, and reach the tipping point of change in your community.

The Secret to Making Communities Fail or Thrive • Giulia May Ep94

Monday, September 7, 2026 • Duration 01:11:51

Why do so many online communities start with excitement and then fall flat? Community architect Giulia May, who has helped build more than 200 communities – including Hello World Labs – joins me to explore the psychology and social architecture of creating genuine belonging.

We unpack seven principles for building strong communities — including boundaries, initiation, rituals, stories, symbols and subgroups — and why community is fundamentally a feeling, not a platform. We also explore why social media audiences aren't really communities, why forced corporate “belonging” can backfire, and what it actually takes to build a group people genuinely want to be part of.

Find Giulia on LinkedIn

Giulia's website

LINKS

👉 ⁠⁠⁠Get Katie's FREE Action Design Tips⁠⁠⁠

🌈 ⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apply to The School of Climate Action Design⁠⁠⁠

🌏 ⁠⁠⁠Join Earth Doctors: 12 Weeks of Gamified Action for Kids⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠

📦 ⁠⁠⁠SHOP Climate Games, Books, Calendars + More⁠⁠

* * *

Beef Climate Labels – Do They Work? Dr Maiken Maier PhD Ep93

Monday, August 31, 2026 • Duration 01:16:29

What happens when you put a climate impact label on beef in the supermarket? In this episode, we talk with Dr. Maiken Maier, a political scientist and environmental behavior researcher who studies how climate and food policies influence human behavior, social norms, and public opinion.

We dive into her paper, “Increasing the Uptake of Plant-Based Diets: An Analysis of the Impact of a CO₂ Food Label,” and its fascinating findings about the relationship between individual behavior and systems change.

Dr. Maier explains why seemingly modest interventions — like carbon labels, choice architecture, and behavioral design — may be far more powerful than they first appear, particularly when they begin changing what people see as normal, desirable, and politically possible.

LINKS

👉 ⁠⁠⁠Get Katie's FREE Action Design Tips⁠⁠⁠

🌈 ⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apply to The School of Climate Action Design⁠⁠⁠

🌏 ⁠⁠⁠Join Earth Doctors: 12 Weeks of Gamified Action for Kids⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠

📦 ⁠⁠⁠SHOP Climate Games, Books, Calendars + More⁠⁠

* * *

Climate NGOs DESTROY Their Campaigns Doing This • Nicholas Bruneau Ep92

Monday, August 17, 2026 • Duration 01:05:03

Communications strategist and author Nicholas Bruneau shares lessons from his book, Engage with Impact: 5 Steps to Transform Your Digital Communications for Social Impact. Drawing on interviews with leading environmental communicators and years of experience advising mission-driven organizations, Nicholas breaks down the biggest challenges around turning awareness into hands-on engagement.

We explore why NGOs often expect people to jump straight from seeing a campaign to taking meaningful action, and how adopting an agile, audience-centered communication strategy can dramatically improve results.

If you've wondered why your campaign isn't converting, this conversation offers a roadmap for lasting participation.

Get his book

LINKS

👉 ⁠⁠Get Katie's FREE Action Design Tips⁠⁠

🌈 ⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Apply to The School of Climate Action Design⁠⁠

🌏 ⁠⁠Join Earth Doctors: 12 Weeks of Gamified Action for Kids⁠⁠ ⁠⁠

📦 ⁠⁠SHOP Climate Games, Books, Calendars + More⁠⁠

* * *

explores the psychology of designing climate action that works. Environmental engineer, designer, and author Katie Patrick dives into the latest behavioral science from Harvard, MIT, Stanford, and other leading research institutions to uncover the evidence-based principles that inspire people to adopt sustainable behaviors. Each episode turns academic research into practical tools you can use to grow participation, change behavior at scale, and reach the tipping point of change in your community.

The Psychology Trick to Halve Meat Consumption • Dr Joel Ginn PhD Ep91

Monday, August 10, 2026 • Duration 01:02:38

Environmental psychologist Dr. Joel Ginn discusses his recent research paper on plant-based defaults and how subtle changes to choice architecture can significantly reduce meat consumption and encourage more sustainable behaviors.

His research challenges one of the biggest assumptions in behavior change: do we need to persuade people to eat less meat, or can we achieve the same outcome and more by simply changing the food environment?

For restaurant menus, government forms, and climate campaigns: discover one of the most powerful—and underused—tools for designing real-world behavior change.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to:

Design default choices that make sustainable actions the easiest option.
Reduce cognitive load by simplifying choices instead of overwhelming people with information.
Use menus, forms, websites, and enrollment processes to increase participation in green programs.
Structure campaigns using choice architecture rather than relying on education alone.
Apply behavioral science to create lasting shifts in everyday environmental decisions.

LINKS

👉 ⁠⁠Get Katie's FREE Action Design Tips⁠⁠

🌈 ⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Apply to The School of Climate Action Design⁠⁠

🌏 ⁠⁠Join Earth Doctors: 12 Weeks of Gamified Action for Kids⁠⁠ ⁠⁠earthdoctor.us⁠⁠

📦 ⁠⁠SHOP Climate Games, Books, Calendars + More⁠⁠

How Hollywood Influences Climate Action • Dr AniRudh Tiwathia PhD Ep90

Monday, August 3, 2026 • Duration 01:36:06

Behavioral scientist Dr. Anirudh Tiwathia, Director of Behavioral Science at Rare, shares groundbreaking research measuring how climate storylines in popular entertainment—from Don't Look Up, Grey's Anatomy, and Sex and the City—shape public attitudes, social norms, and support for climate action.

We explore why documentaries and facts alone often fail to change behavior, how Hollywood can "prime" audiences for action, why behavior change happens through a sequence of touchpoints rather than a single campaign, and what sustainability professionals can learn from entertainment media.

In this episode you'll learn:

Why behavior change is rarely triggered by a single campaign—and what to do instead.
How TV shows and movies can prepare audiences for future climate action, even if they don't create immediate behavior change.

How to design a sequence of engagement touchpoints that gradually move people toward action.
The psychological barriers that must be overcome before people adopt new behaviors.

How entertainment media can shift social norms and create the political conditions for larger systems change.

LINKS

👉 ⁠⁠Get Katie's FREE Action Design Tips⁠⁠

🌈 ⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Apply to The School of Climate Action Design⁠⁠

🌏 ⁠⁠Join Earth Doctors: 12 Weeks of Gamified Action for Kids⁠⁠ ⁠⁠earthdoctor.us⁠⁠

📦

These 3 Words DOUBLE Energy-Saving Sign Ups • Dr Mona Bielig PhD Ep89

Monday, July 27, 2026 • Duration 01:20:00

Why did this psychology technique get more sign-ups than offering people to save money? In this episode, environmental psychologist Dr. Mona Bielig shares the results of a real-world field experiment that tested one of the simplest—and most effective—behaviour change techniques available.

Working with social housing residents in Belgium, her team discovered that a small change in how an energy-saving technology was described dramatically increased adoption, even though the technology was already free and saved people money.

Katie and Mona unpack the hidden psychology behind social norms, why information and financial incentives are often not enough to change behaviour, and how understanding people's real barriers can transform the effectiveness of climate campaigns.

LINKS

👉 ⁠⁠Get Katie's FREE Action Design Tips⁠⁠

🌈 ⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Apply to The School of Climate Action Design⁠⁠

🌏 ⁠⁠Join Earth Doctors: 12 Weeks of Gamified Action for Kids⁠⁠ ⁠⁠

📦 ⁠⁠SHOP Climate Games, Books, Calendars + More⁠⁠

* * *

When Virtue Signals Trigger Real Systems Change • Dr Tabea Hoffman PhD Ep88

Wednesday, July 22, 2026 • Duration 01:14:58

Have you ever dismissed eco badges, climate stickers, or "Save the Earth" T-shirts as empty virtue signaling? Think again.

In this episode, environmental psychologist Dr. Tabea Hoffmann reveals why visible public signals are far more powerful than they appear. Drawing on her latest research paper, she explains how these seemingly small acts shape social norms, influence what people believe is acceptable and expected, and help build momentum for larger-scale climate action. It's called The Social Feedback Loop.

Discover the hidden psychology behind public signaling and why one of the simplest, lowest-cost interventions may also be one of the most effective tools for growing environmental movements and increasing support for systems change.

LINKS

👉 ⁠⁠Get Katie's FREE Action Design Tips⁠⁠

🌈 ⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Apply to The School of Climate Action Design⁠⁠

🌏 ⁠⁠Join Earth Doctors: 12 Weeks of Gamified Action for Kids⁠⁠ ⁠⁠earthdoctor.us⁠⁠

📦 ⁠⁠SHOP Climate Games, Books, Calendars + More⁠⁠

* * *

The 15 Exact Steps You Need to Transform Your Street for More Bikes and Less Cars | Kieren Farr Ep87

Tuesday, February 17, 2026 • Duration 02:06:40

We say we want better systems to make green behavior easy, but what are the exact steps to get your city to build it? I spoke to leading street-transformation expert, Founder of 3DStreet, and father of two, Kieran Farr. In this conversation, we lay out the complete A to Z steps you need to add a bike lane, walking path, or trees to a street near you.

LINKS

👉 ⁠Get Katie's FREE Action Design Tips⁠

🌈 ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Apply to The School of Climate Action Design⁠

🌏 ⁠Join Earth Doctors: 12 Weeks of Gamified Action for Kids⁠ ⁠earthdoctor.us⁠

📦 ⁠SHOP Climate Games, Books, Calendars + More⁠

How to Save the World is a podcast that unpacks the psychology, design, and evidence of EXACTLY what gets people to take environmental and climate action.

Environmental engineer, designer, and author, Katie Patrick, hunts down the latest behavioral science literature from top universities such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford to unearth the evidence-based teachings you can use to rapidly get more people to adopt your sustainability campaign, program, or startup.

Get the book,

How to Save the World | The Psychology & Science of Environmental Behavior – Details, episodes & analysis

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How to Save the World | The Psychology &amp; Science of Environmental Behavior – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Other63

LinkedIn21

Amazon8

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Other63

LinkedIn21

Amazon8

How to Save the World | The Psychology & Science of Environmental Behavior – Details, episodes & analysis