Green Behaviors among Undergraduate Students: A Case Study at a Private College in New York City

The global detrimental consequences of pollution require young adults to take ownership of their sustainable and responsible consumption through green habit formation. We study four green behaviors that promote cleaner behavior and responsible consumption among college students: a strong tap water preference, the frequency of recycling, the denial of a plastic straw, and double-sided printing. Using data collected from an online survey at a private college, we use multiple regression analysis to estimate the average marginal effect of demographic and college-related characteristics that affect the likelihood to perform behaviors connected to tap water, plastic bottles, plastic straws, and printing. Our results suggest that gender, race, age, following a non-meat diet, and participation in environmental courses and groups influence the likelihood of green behaviors. These results show the importance of environmental education, involvement in organizations, experience with sustainable practices such as a non-meat diet, and demographics to promote green behaviors among students. Practical policy changes were implemented at the college as a result of sharing findings with campus stakeholders.