Behavior Change for a Sustainable World Conference at The Ohio State University

Online, June 29, 2012 (Newswire.com) - The Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) will host the Behavior Change for a Sustainable World Conference at The Ohio State University's Ohio Union August 3-5, 2012.

Registration is open to the public through the association's website until July 17 and available on site August 3-5. Attendees will include scientists, applied researchers, undergraduate and graduate students, teachers, and consultants.

The program will feature prominent figures in behavior analysis, environmental organizations, business, and government. Invited addresses and panels, research and project posters, and interactive brainstorming sessions will give conference attendees a unique opportunity to interact with people of diverse backgrounds who are interested in working on one of the greatest challenges to face civilization since the last ice age.

The conference kicks off Friday evening with presentations and a reception featuring hors d'oeuvres, wine, and beer to welcome attendees and provide an opportunity to become acquainted and network.

The poster session on Saturday evening will feature 50 posters presenting empirical research, conceptual/theoretical analyses, program descriptions, and proposals for using principles of behavior to promote and maintain sustainable environmental practices. Topics range from a behavior analysis of the BP Deepwater Horizons oil spill, laboratory research on teaching migratory birds to fly safely around wind turbines, teaching school children to recycle and reduce their families' carbon footprint, and teaching consumers to say "neither" when asked "paper or plastic?"

Conference attendees can also choose from a number of tours of sustainability research and development programs including the Byrd Polar Research Center, Center for Automotive Research, the Zero Waste Project at Ohio Stadium, and Blue Rock Station.

As world-famous climatologist Lonnie Thompson noted in his paper in The Behavior Analyst (Fall, 2010), there is currently no engineering fix for climate change. For now, the only thing we can do is change human behavior.