This article describes and evaluates an interdisciplinary, experiential service-learning project that combined environmental studies and marketing courses at a liberal arts college over a 2-year period. The inherent tensions between these two disciplines regarding issues of environmental protection and conservation make this project’s contribution unique. The project is in line with the increased emphasis on environmental issues as a key strategic consideration for both marketing academics and practitioners. Environmental studies students identified and prioritized solid waste streams. Marketing students developed social marketing initiatives aimed at reducing the high-priority waste streams. The two best initiatives were implemented by students via pilot projects in environmental studies and marketing courses. Students in environmental studies were able to identify and apply ways in which marketing tools can be employed to promote social causes and effect positive environmental behavioral change. Marketing students applied marketing concepts to a real-life situation, while gaining a greater awareness of environmental issues and the role of businesses in environmental stewardship. The authors summarize the project’s learning objectives, planning and design, implementation, and assessment of learning outcomes. Challenges and obstacles encountered and recommendations for the development and implementation of similar learning projects are also discussed.
Ahna, B., & Bancroft, D.S. (1992). Developing an environmental perspective within business curricula. Journal of Education for Business, 68, 70-73.
2.
Aigner, D.J. ( 1992, July 26). Environmental management making inroads in business world. Orange County Register, p. 102.
3.
Andreasen, A.R. ( 1995). Marketing social change: Changing behavior to promote health, social development, and the environment. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
4.
Andreasen, A.R. ( 2006). Social marketing in the 21st century. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
5.
Astin, A.W., & Sax, L.J. ( 1998). How undergraduates are affected by service participation . Journal of College Student Development, 39, 251-263.
6.
Barber, N., Taylor, D.C., & Strick, S. ( 2010). Selective marketing to environmentally concerned wine consumers: A case for location, gender and age. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 27, 64-75.
7.
Barnes, A.J., & Ferry, J.K. ( 1992). Creating a niche for the environment in the business school curriculum. Business Horizons, March-April, 3-8.
8.
Barr, S. ( 2007). Factors influencing environmental attitudes and behaviors: A U.K. case study of household waste management. Environment & Behavior, 39, 435-473.
9.
Berenger, J. ( 2007). The effect of empathy in proenvironmental attitudes and behaviors. Environment & Behavior, 39, 269-283.
10.
Berger, I.E. ( 1997). The demographics of recycling and the structure of environmental behavior. Environment & Behavior, 29, 515-531.
11.
Bielak, D., Bonini, S., & Oppenheim, J.M. (2007, October). CEOs on strategy and social issues. The McKinsey Quarterly, 4, 1-8.
Bonniface, L., & Henley, N. ( 2008). "A drop in the bucket": Collective efficacy perceptions and environmental behaviour. Australian Journal of Social Issues, 43, 345-359.
14.
Bowes, J. ( 1998). Service-learning as a new form of Catholic action. Review of Business, 20, 26-34.
15.
Bridges, C.M., & Wilhelm, W.B. ( 2008). Going beyond green: The "why and how" of integrating sustainability into the marketing curriculum. Journal of Marketing Education, 30, 33-46.
16.
Charter, M., & Polonsky, M.J. (1999). Greener marketing: A global perspective on greening marketing practice. Sheffield, England: Greenleaf.
17.
Chen, Y.-S. ( 2010). The drivers of green brand equity: Green brand image, green satisfaction, and green trust. Journal of Business Ethics , 93, 307-319.
18.
Corraliza, J.A., & Berenger, J. ( 2000). Environmental values, beliefs, and actions: A situational approach. Environment & Behavior, 32, 832-848.
19.
Cottrell, S.P. ( 2003). Influence of sociodemographics and environmental attitudes on general responsible environmental behavior among recreational boaters. Environment & Behavior, 35, 347-375.
Cronin, J.J. ( 2009). Upgrading to web 2.0: An experiential project to build a marketing wiki. Journal of Marketing Education, 31, 66-75.
22.
De Coverly, E., McDonagh, P., & O’Malley, L. (2008). Hidden mountain: The social avoidance of waste. Journal of Macromarketing, 28, 289-303.
23.
DeZure, D. ( 1998-1999). Interdisciplinary teaching and learning. In Essays on teaching excellence: Toward the best in the academy (Vol. 10, No. 3). Nederland, CO: Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education.
24.
Diekmann, A., & Preisendörfer, P. (1998). Environmental behavior: Discrepancies between aspirations and reality. Rationality and Society, 10, 79-102.
25.
Diekmann, A., & Preisendörfer, P. (2003). Green and greenback: The behavioral effects of environmental attitudes in low-cost and high-cost situations. Rationality and Society, 15, 441-472.
26.
Dolan, P. ( 2002). The sustainability of "sustainable consumption." Journal of Macromarketing, 22, 170-181.
27.
Easterling, D., & Ruddell, F. ( 1997). Rationale, benefits, and methods of service learning in marketing education. Journal of Education for Business , 73, 58-61.
28.
Ellen, P.S., Wiener, J.L., & Cobb-Walgren, C. (1991). The role of perceived consumer effectiveness in motivating environmentally conscious behaviors. Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, 10, 102-117.
29.
Eyler, J., & Giles, D.E., Jr. (1999). Where’s the learning in service-learning?San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
30.
Eyler, J.S., Giles, D.E., Jr., Stenson, C.M., & Gray, C.J. ( 2001). At a glance: What we know about the effects of service-learning on college students, faculty, institutions, and communities 1993-2000: Third edition. Retrieved from http://www.compact.org/resources/aag.pdf/assessment/
31.
Ewert, A., & Baker, D. ( 2001). Standing for where you sit: An exploratory analysis of the relationship between academic major and environmental beliefs. Environment and Behavior, 33, 687-707.
32.
Fraj, E., & Martinez, E. ( 2006). Environmental values and life-styles as determining factors of ecological consumer behaviour: An empirical analysis. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 23, 133-144.
33.
Gladwin, T.N. ( 1993). The global environmental crisis and management education . Total Quality Environmental Management, 3, 109-114.
34.
Goretsky, E.M. ( 1984). Class projects as a form of instruction. Journal of Marketing Education, 6, 33-37.
35.
Graeff, T.R. ( 1997). Bringing reflective learning to the marketing research course: A cooperative learning project using intergroup critique. Journal of Marketing Education, 19, 53-64.
36.
Grankvist, G., Dahlstrand, U., & Biel, A. ( 2004). The impact of environmental labeling on consumer preference: Negative vs. positive labels. Journal of Consumer Policy, 27, 213-230.
37.
Gray, M.J., Ondaatje, E.H., Fricker, R., Geschwind, S., Goldman, C.A., Kaganoff, T., . . . Klein, S.P. ( 1998). Coupling service learning in higher education: The final report of the evaluation of the Learn and Serve America, a higher education program. Santa Monica, CA: RAND .
38.
GreenBiz.com. (2009). MBA students say businesses should address green and social issues. Retrieved from http://www.wbcsd.org/plugins/DocSearch/details.asp?type=DocDet&ObjectId=MzM2NTQ
39.
Gujarathi, M.R., & McQuade, R.J. ( 2002). Service-learning in business schools: A case study in an intermediate accounting course. Journal of Education for Business, 77, 144-150.
40.
Gupta, S., & Ogden, D.T. ( 2009). To buy or not to buy? A social dilemma perspective on green buying. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 26, 376-391.
41.
Hansen, U., & Schrader, U. ( 1997). A modern model of consumption for a sustainable society . Journal of Consumer Policy, 20, 443-468.
42.
Hartmann, P., & Apaolaza-Ibañez, V. (2009). Green advertising revisited: Conditioning virtual nature experiences. International Journal of Advertising, 28, 715-739.
43.
Howard, J. ( 2000-2001). Academic service learning: myths, challenges, and recommendations. In Essays on teaching excellence: Toward the best in the Academy (Vol. 12, No. 1). Nederland, CO: Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education.
44.
Hutton, R.B., & Ahtola, O.T. ( 1991). Consumer response to a five-year campaign to combat air pollution. Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, 10, 242-256.
45.
Jacoby, B., & Associates. (2003). Building partnerships for service-learning . San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass .
46.
Keller, S.N., & Otjen, A.J. ( 2007). Creating and executing an applied interdisciplinary campaign for domestic violence prevention. Journal of Marketing Education , 29, 234-244.
47.
Kendall, J.C. ( 1990). Combining service and learning: A resource book for community and public service. Raleigh, NC: National Society for Internships and Experiential Education.
48.
Kilbourne, W. ( 1995). Green advertising: Salvation or oxymoron? Journal of Advertising, 24(2), 7-19.
49.
Kilbourne, W., McDonagh, P., & Prothero, A. ( 1997). Sustainable consumption and the quality of life: A macromarketing challenge to the dominant social paradigm. Journal of Macromarketing , 17, 4-24.
50.
Klink, R.R., & Athaide, G.A. ( 2004). Implementing service learning in the principles of marketing course. Journal of Marketing Education, 26, 145-153.
51.
Kolb, D.A. ( 1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
52.
Kollmuss, A., & Agyeman, J. ( 2002). Mind the gap: Why do people act environmentally and what are the barriers to pro-environmental behavior. Environmental Educational Research, 8, 239-260.
53.
Laroche, M., Bergeron, J., & Barbaro-Forleo, G. (2001). Targeting consumers who are willing to pay more for environmentally friendly products. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 18, 503-518.
54.
Li, T., Greenberg, B.A., & Nicholls, J.A.F. (2007). Teaching experiential learning: Adoption of an innovative course in an MBA marketing curriculum. Journal of Marketing Education, 29, 25-33.
55.
Lunsford, D.A., & Henshaw, J.M. ( 1992). Integrating courses in marketing research and engineering design: An instructional technique for enhancing the product development process . Journal of Marketing Education, 14, 10-19.
56.
Markus, G.B., Howard, J.P.F., & King, D.C. ( 1993). Integrating community service and classroom instruction enhances learning: Results from an experiment. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 15, 410-419.
57.
McKenzie-Mohr, D., & Smith, W. ( 1999). Fostering sustainable behavior: An introduction to community-based social marketing. Gabriola Island, British Columbia, Canada: New Society.
58.
McKinsey & Company. (2008, September). From risk to opportunity: How global executives view sociopolitical issues . The McKinsey Quarterly. Retrieved from http://mkqpreview1.qdweb.net/Risk/McKinsey_Global_Survey_Results_From_risk_toto_opportunity_How_global_executives_view_sociopolitical_issues_2235
59.
Meinhold, J.L., & Malkus, A.J. ( 2005). Adolescent environmental behaviors: Can knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy make a difference?Environment & Behavior , 37, 511-532.
60.
Mobley, C., Vagias W. M., & DeWard, S.L. (2010). Exploring additional determinants of environmentally responsible behavior: The influence of environmental literature and environmental attitudes. Environment & Behavior, 42, 420-447.
61.
NetImpact.org. (2007). New leaders, new perspectives II: A Net Impact survey of undergraduate student opinions on the relationship between business and social/environmental issues. Retrieved from http://www.netimpact.org/associations/4342/files/Undergrad_Perspectives_Report_final.pdf
62.
Oliver, J.D., & Lee, S.-H. (2010). Hybrid car purchase intentions: A cross-cultural analysis. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 27, 96-103.
63.
Olli, E., Grendstad, G., & Wollebaek, D. ( 2001). Correlates of environmental behaviors: Bringing back social context. Environment & Behavior, 33, 181-208.
64.
Ottman, J.A. ( 1998). Green marketing: Opportunity for innovation. Lincolnwood, IL: NTC Business Books.
65.
Petkus, E., Jr. ( 2000). A theoretical and practical framework for service-learning in marketing: Kolb’s experiential learning cycle. Journal of Marketing Education, 22, 64-70.
66.
Pickett-Baker, J., & Ozaki, R. ( 2008). Pro-environmental products: Marketing influence on consumer purchase decision. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 25, 281-293.
67.
Prothero, A., & Fitchett, J.A. (2000). Greening capitalism: Opportunities for a green commodity. Journal of Macromarketing, 20, 46-55.
68.
Robinson, L. ( 2004). The 7 Doors model for designing & evaluating behaviour change programs. Retrieved from http://www.media.socialchange.net.au/strategy/7_Doors_Model.html
69.
Schaefer, A., & Crane, A. ( 2005). Addressing sustainability and consumption. Journal of Macromarketing, 25, 76-92.
70.
Schahn, J., & Holzer, E. ( 1990). Studies of individual environmental concern: The role of knowledge, gender, and background variables. Environment & Behavior, 22, 767-786.
71.
Schultz, P.W., Gouveia, V.V., Cameron, L.D., Tankha G., Schmuck, P., & Franek, M. ( 2005). Values and their relationship to environmental concern and conservation behavior. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology , 36, 457-475.
72.
Seitz, V.A., & Razzouk, N. ( 2001). The influence of consumers’ environmental sensitivity on product choices: An empirical study. Journal of Promotion Management, 6, 133-146.
73.
Siminitiras, A., Schlegelmilch, B.B., & Diamantopoulos, A. (1993). Greening the marketing mix: A review of the literature and an agenda for future research. In J. Chias & J. Sureda (Eds.), Marketing for the new Europe: Dealing with complexity (pp. 1355-1381). Barcelona, Spain: ESADE.
74.
Staats, H. ( 2003). Understanding proenvironmental attitudes and behavior: An analysis and review of research based on the theory of planned behavior . In M. Bonnes, T. Lee, & M. Bonaiuto (Eds.), Psychological theories for environmental issues (pp. 171-201). Aldershot, England: Ashgate.
75.
Stern, P.C. ( 2000). Toward a coherent theory of environmentally significant behavior. Journal of Social Issues, 56, 407-424.
76.
Straughan, R.D., & Roberts, J.A. ( 1999). Environmental segmentation alternatives: A look at green consumer behavior in the new millennium. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 16, 558-575.
77.
Suwa, T., & Takehiro, U. ( 2007). Estimation of garbage reduction and recycling promotion under the containers and packaging recycling law and garbage pricing. Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, 8, 239-254.
78.
Tarrant, M.A., & Green, G.T. ( 1999). Outdoor recreation and the predictive validity of environmental attitudes. Leisure Sciences, 21, 17-30.
79.
Taylor, S., & Todd, P. ( 1995). Understanding household garbage reduction behavior: A test of an integrated model. Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, 14, 192-204.
80.
Titus, P.A., & Petroshius, S.M. (1993). Bringing consumer behavior to the workbench: An experiential approach. Journal of Marketing Education, 15, 20-30.
81.
van Dam, Y.K., & Apeldoorn, P.A.C. (1996). Sustainable marketing. Journal of Macromarketing, 16, 45-56.
82.
Vorkinn, M., & Riese, H. ( 2001). Environmental concern in a local context: The significance of place attachment. Environment & Behavior, 33, 249-263.
83.
Wall, G. ( 1995). Barriers to individual environmental action: The influence of attitudes and social experiences. The Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology, 32, 465-489.
84.
Zelezny, L.C., Poh-Pheng, C., & Aldrich, C. ( 2000). Elaborating on gender differences in environmentalism . Journal of Social Issues, 56, 443-457.
