Recently, a number of “green” developments have been built. Green developments will reach their potential only if residents understand the design, support the goals, and act as responsible land managers. However, studies by psychologists, anthropologists, environmental educators, and economists show that even knowledgeable, well-intentioned people frequently fail to adopt proenvironmental behaviors. This article identifies three categories of potential barriers to better individual land management: barriers to recognizing environmental problems, internal barriers to action, and external barriers to action. Two case studies show that unless barriers are addressed through education or design, individuals probably will not adopt more ecologically sensitive practices. Both cases are in the tallgrass prairie ecoregion.
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