Keynote Speaker: Juliet B. Schor
Sociology Professor at Boston College

The Sharing Economy and Sustainable Consumption?

The sharing economy was launched in the late 2000s with the promise that it would bring lower eco and carbon footprints. Consumers would share rides, tools, lodging, and food. Majorities of Americans believed the promise, which lent a “green halo” to the sector. A decade later, it’s clear that the biggest platforms, such as Airbnb and Uber, have had negative impacts on carbon footprints, by inducing private transport and additional travel. But what about more genuine forms of sharing? If consumers did deploy resources more efficiently and act in more generous ways to others, can that be a foundation for sustainability? In this talk, Dr. Schor will report on a decade of research on the “sharing economy,” including both the large, corporate platforms and smaller community initiatives, and their implications for energy and climate.

Juliet B. Schor is a Sociology Professor at Boston College. She has studied trends in working time, consumerism, the relationship between work and family, women’s issues and economic inequality, and concerns about climate change in the environment. She is the author of:

The Overworked American: The Unexpected Decline of Leisure, Basic Books (1992)

Sustainable Economy for the 21st Century, (1995, 1999)

The Overspent American: Why We Want What We Don’t Need, (1999)

Born to Buy: The Commercialized Child and the New Consumer Culture, (2005)

Plenitude: The New Economics of True Wealth, Penguin Press (2010)

Toward a Plenitude Economy (2015)

BECC’s Response to the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19): 

We are aware of and actively planning for the evolving uncertainty associated with COVID-19. BECC is a community. As you are a valued member of our community, we are committed to working with you to provide expected value from our event and maximum flexibility.

For Our Attendees and Speakers

1. We are actively working with the hotel regarding room reservations, but as of now, you can cancel without any penalty 48 hours in advance of checking in.
2. We will consider delaying or moving to a virtual conference if that becomes necessary.
3. BECC will extend the full registration refund date as needed depending on the changes made in the date or format of the conference.
4. If we need to make changes to the date or format, we will survey current registrants and sponsors to help direct any changes that we consider.

For Our Sponsors

1. For sponsors, we will hold sponsorships until we know if we are delaying, canceling, or moving to a virtual conference.
2. If we move to a virtual conference, we will connect with all and adjust the registration fee and or sponsorship levels as needed.

In short, at this time, we are aware of the risks associated with committing to an event in December. We hope that everyone in the BECC community stays safe and healthy and that we are able to come together in December to address the critical issue of climate change.

BECC’s Mission

Now in its 14th year, the Behavior Energy and Climate Change conference brings together social scientists, practitioners, utilities, academics, governments, businesses, and non-profits to share and disseminate best practices and research to encourage behavior change for energy and carbon reduction. Come present your work and learn from others about innovative methods, practices and technologies, how to evaluate these programs, understand why individuals and groups change, and make these transitions in fair and equitable ways.

Sacramento Photo Album

Who attends BECC

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becc-maria-2

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Gene Rodrigues

Diana McKeown

Nick Lange

Susan Norris

Robert Gifford Testimonial

Wes Schultz

Paul Stern

Maura Farver

Elke Weber

Claire Griffing

Doug McKenzie-Mohr

George Marshall

Tom Dietz

Sheldon Whitehouse

Robert Cialdini

BECC 2020:  From Nudge to Leap!
December 6 – 9
Capital Hilton, 1001 16th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036

Mitigating climate change is more urgent than ever, and we need major leaps in systems and behaviors to address this critical issue. For more than a decade, BECC has presented behavioral research on nudging people and organizations to make these changes. Now is the time to move from nudges to leaps.

BECC invites you to present your work and learn from others about how to encourage behavior change for energy and carbon reduction, evaluate these programs, understand why individuals and groups change, and make these transitions in fair and equitable ways. Researchers, academics, businesses, utilities, governments, and nonprofits come together to learn and network at this unique conference.