Introduction. Anyone Who Has Ever Made And Broken A New

Within the concept of operant conditioning, there are various simple schedules of reinforcement that are a part of our daily routine. Operant conditioning is a category of learning that invokes consequences, either negative or positive, as a way to increase or decrease behaviors (Powel, Honey & Symbaluk, 2013, p. 264) Schedules of reinforcement, such as fixed ratio, variable interval, fixed interval and variable ratio, are used as ways to strengthened or weaken those wanted or unwanted behaviors (Powel, Honey & Symbaluk, 2013, pp. 271-279). When applying these fundamental concepts to real world scenarios, it is crucial to first acknowledge which behavior is to be strengthened or weakened and then proceed with the conditioning.

Efficiency is not always the answer. David Owen explains that society is headed in the wrong direction, believing that to be greener we need to make our everyday lives more efficient when in reality we need to change our behavior. We as consumers want to be sustainable and take care of the Earth we live on while ironically expanding our collection of trinkets. Everything we believe in being efficient and green is misrepresented and to save the Earth the truth needs to be heard.

The Annapolis city government has aimed to reduce emissions by 75% by the year 2025 as well as achieve carbon neutrality by the year 2050 (Savidge 2010). In order to achieve these goals, the city government has committed to reducing energy usage by 10% in public facilities by 2017 and 15% by 2020 (Savidge 2010). The city government also plans to achieve 25% of their energy from renewable sources as well as providing greener and more energy efficient upgrades to public facilities and city transportation (Savidge 2010). The Annapolis community has aimed to reduce emissions by 50% by the year 2025 as well as achieve carbon neutrality by the year 2050 (Savidge 2010). The community has been and will continue to actively encourage locals to purchase green and renewable energy, use alternative forms of transportation, increase recycling and reduce trash production, and to preform energy efficiency upgrades (Savidge 2010). Such efficiency upgrades could take place in the form of financing home energy improvements, energy efficient mortgages, energy smart schools, or zero interest loans for energy conservation and “green energy projects (Roseland 2012).” Mark Roseland published a paper on sustainability “solutions for citizens and their governments” that outlines the benefits that simple energy efficient upgrades can achieve (Roseland 2012). He states examples where residents can save over $1000 each year on oil, gas, and electric bills while reducing their emissions through local

In this paper there will be an examination of the Operant Conditioning theory. It will describe the theory, and compare and contrast the positive and negative reinforcement. It will determine which form of reinforcement is the most effective, and will give an explanation of the reasoning behind that choice. It will also give a scenario in which operant conditioning is applied and how it shapes behavior. It will show a schedule that could be used in the reinforcement of the selected behavior in the scenario.

Only this time, there will be a reward and punishment system in the form of a token economy that should influence my behavior. During the conditioning trials period, (Monday, March 27th through Friday, April 14th weekdays only), I will follow the exact same procedures that I did the previous week. I will wake up at exactly 6:00 am when my alarm goes off, get out of bed, and note the date, time, and whether or not I accomplished the task successfully. However, this time the number of times and star stickers that indicate I successfully accomplish this task will matter more. If I successfully wake up at 6:00 am during each weekday session (five days in a row), I will reward myself by going to see a movie on the weekend. If I wake up on time only 4 out of the five weekday sessions, then I will reward myself with watching one movie on Netflix during the weekend. Going to the movies and watching a movie on Netflix will be positive reinforcement. If I fail to wake up on time for three days in a row during a specific conditioning week, then I will not watch any movie at all. Furthermore, I will not allow myself to access Netflix. This will be a negative punishment. Ultimately, the desired behavior of waking up at 6:00 am weekday mornings will be positively reinforced by the reward of getting to watch a movie on the weekend. Failure to wake up at 6:00 am for three or more weekdays will be negatively

As technology increases through massive changes it becomes apparent that the individual user must also make changes that are environmentally safe. Green IT, also known as Green Computing, is the movement towards a more environmentally friendly and cost-effective use of power and production in technology. The crux of Green IT is to double or triple the bottom line investment costs by converting existing structures and systems to this more conservative mode of operation in green computing (eweek.com, 2012). The greening of information technology (IT) offers numerous ways for companies to

You are a board member of your Home Owner’s Association. At your next meeting, your goal is to educate other homeowners about energy conservation.

Philadelphia is trying to help its city by reducing its vulnerability to rising energy prices. During the development of Greenworks in 2008, energy prices were at an all-time high and the prices were expected to rise (City of Philadelphia). Philadelphia has developed projects that helped them to have a better understanding of how to plan for and implement energy efficiency improvements. Therefore, Philadelphia now uses sophisticated utility management software for both current and historical data to achieve its goal, reducing the energy consumption. Also, they have realized that energy sources are not created equal. Pennsylvania Guaranteed Energy Savings Act (GESA) enables municipalities to enter into energy performance contracts, which fund energy efficiency work, which results in energy savings (City of Philadelphia). In October 2012, GESA focused on energy conservation measures (ECMs) including lighting upgrades, building controls, etc. for its four largest office buildings, including City Hall. The City Hall clock tower lighting was upgraded and it now uses LED bulbs, which are projected to save $10,000 in annual energy costs (City of

6: Increases in energy efficiency do not necessarily lead to decreases in energy use or CO2 emissions.

The University of Massachusetts Boston prides itself on its accomplishments when it comes to sustainability. The school is built on a landfill site and sustainability has been integrated as a guiding principle in the development of the university (1). Green design has been integrated into the development of the university’s campus center building as well as the new buildings being constructed and renovations being done following the master plan. UMBe Green is the university’s sustainability program which centers itself on the four areas of recycling, education, sustainability, and practice in order to move forward with sustainability (2). UMass Boston has been awarded the “University Sustainability Award” and the Massachusetts ECO-Award for Excellence in Commuting Options for its efforts thus far by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (2). Although the university has achieved some great goals there is always room for improvement. One problem that UMass Boston still faces on campus is energy consumption from light usage throughout the day. Though energy saving light bulbs are used throughout the campus, but the lights always seem to be on even when no one is in the classrooms or conference rooms. What UMass Boston should be addressing with this problem is what aspects of the building designs have to be changed, what has to be put into place in order to decrease the energy consumption from light usage on campus, and how this beneficial to the university.

PSE’s behavioral objective is to motivate customers to be more energy-efficient, while the goal to become a trusted source for energy efficiency information relates to its attitudinal impact objective. Output objectives were to: distribute 400,000 CFL bulbs through exchange events and door-to-door outreach; engage 12,500 customers through exchange events; recruit 5,000 customers to participate in contests to show their commitment to energy efficiency and; inspire 1,000 volunteers to deliver bulbs door-to-door in their

For one thing, simple lifestyle changes can save kilowatts of electricity. One of these involves turning off the lights and electrical appliances when leaving a room. Shutting off computers can save watts – turning them off at night, and having them hibernate during the day if not in use is a good way to save energy

As in the case of WESCO’s success story with an industrial customer in the paper segment, WESCO conducted a complete energy audit and recommended more energy efficient systems for all their plants. They also reduced inventory and implemented EDI procurement.

Figures 17 and 18 both show a remarkable reduction in usages and price, working towards energy conservation. This has proved to be the most efficient way of saving money and reducing their carbon footprint by having these smart temperature controls it does not waste as much as before.

By taking the position as Raj Bhatt, Business Development manager of GE Canada, I am comfortable and confident that energy efficiency is an attractive industry and business opportunity. What makes Raj Bhatt believe that the Energy Efficiency projects will be successful in Canada is that the project helps not only the ESCo, which conducts the performance-based contracting, but also the customers, who are more aware of the benefits of Energy Efficiency project. The Energy Efficiency project will optimize the energy usage, including conservation, use of efficient equipment and off peak usage. Even though the project has required intensive initial capital investment and long payback period, it will