Media & Engagement
Media interviews
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"The Grapevine" on RRR community radio. December 2023.
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"The PKN Podcast" with Lindy Hughson, Episode 45. October 2021.
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"The change starts with you!" on Zoo FM. October 2021.
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"Why we do the things we do?" on the Hammer it Home podcast with Barry Du Bois, 10Play. March 2021.
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"Shopology", podcast with Louise Grimmer, S01, Episode 5. July 2020.
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"We banned the plastic bag. When will online shopping packaging catch up?". Triple J Hack. May 2020.
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"Christmas rubbish: How to have less of it and what to do with it", Domain. December 2019.
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"The mess we're in" on What Happens Next podcast with Susan Carland, Episode 3, Monash Lens. November 2019.
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"Trash talk" on What Happens Next podcast with Susan Carland, Episode 1, Monash Lens. November 2019.
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"ACCC appeals against court decision on Woolworths' 'biodegradable' picnic products", ABC News. August 2019.
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"Bag ban pays dividends", The Wire radio. December 2018.
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"Ending the age of plastic", COSMOS Magazine. September 2018.
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"Humour and shame - the best way to change behaviour". 3CR Community radio, August 2018
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"How to break up with plastics", Radio Adelaide, July 2018.
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"Communicating about climate change - how's Al Gore doing?" 3CR community radio, September 2017.
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"Lasting effects of 'big issue' documentaries", Radio Adelaide, August 2017.
Authored media articles
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97% of Australians want more action to stop extinctions and 72% want extra spending on the environment. June 2023. The Conversation.
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Have you stopped wearing reusable fabric masks? Here’s how to cut down waste without compromising your health. January 2022. The Conversation (syndicated by ABC News and Monash Lens).
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To change behaviour, we need to talk about plastics differently. October 2021. Monash Lens.
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A type of ‘biodegradable’ plastic will soon be phased out in Australia. That’s a big win for the environment. March 2021. The Conversation (syndicated by Monash Lens).
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Social media, social norms, and the question of plastic bags. December 2020. Monash Lens.
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Avoiding single-use plastic was becoming normal, until coronavirus. Here’s how we can return to good habits, June 2020. The Conversation (syndicated by The Guardian).
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COVID-19: Times of great change can be the best times to make … change". April 2020. Monash Lens.
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Christmas leftovers: How to reduce your festive footprint. December 2019. Monash Lens.
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Why Coles’ plastic bag backflip leaves us worse off than before. August 2018. The Conversation (syndicated by ABC News).
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Here’s a funny thing: can comedy really change our environmental behaviours? July 2018. The Conversation.
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How to break up with plastics (using behavioural science), July 2018. The Conversation.
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The truth about inconvenient truths: ‘big issue’ documentaries don’t always change our behaviour. August 2017. The Conversation.
Presenter - ConsMark 2021
Due to the pandemic, I wasn't able to attend the October 2021 Conservation Marketing conference in person. However, I was still able to present virtually, reporting on the experimental and segmentation findings from my PhD research.
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Key findings:
1) People respond differently to plastic-related video clips depending on how the problem is presented and if they generally avoid or use single-use plastics.
2) Focusing exclusively on the scale of the problem can make plastic use seem more common among "plastic avoiders".
3) However, focusing on the impact of the problem can encourage "plastic users" to change their behaviour.
Presenter - ASC 2020
I had a great time presenting at the Australian Science Communicators conference in February 2020. Not only did I get to publicly introduce the term the "Reucassel Effect" but I got to share some of the key findings from the experimental/fun part of my PhD research.
Key findings:
1) Focusing on the volume of plastic waste in documentaries can make plastic use seem more common;
2) But you can counter this by having a well known media personality explain why this single-use plastics are bad;
3) Plastic pollution documentaries are generally getting the message across that avoidance is beneficial . . . however;
4) The tested clips were better at sensitising people to future policy options than changing their beliefs and behaviours.
Presenter - VicBioCon 2020
After attending the Victorian Biodiversity Conference for 2 years I finally presented some of my own research in February 2020. This was also the first time I presented any of my PhD results and I couldn't have asked for a better audience to share my early findings with.
Key findings:
1) Most people try to avoid single-use plastics more than they actually do - but they think others avoid much less often than themselves!
2) Social norms are one of the strongest predictors of plastic avoidance behaviours (followed by self-efficacy: i.e. if I think I can and I think others are then I probably will); and
3) Media has mixed effects on out beliefs about social norms depending on the medium (news, documentaries, social media).
Other Presentations
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Ambagtsheer, R., Borg, K., Townsin, L., de Plaza, M. A. P., & Lawless, M. (2021). "The Effectiveness of Technological Interventions For Addressing Social Isolation And Loneliness Among Older People: A Systematic Review: Preliminary findings from a mixed methods systematic review of the literature". Presented at the 54th AAG Conference: Innovation in Ageing for the future, Adelaide, Australia.
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Bragge, P., Smith, L., Jungbluth, L., Christensen, R., Borg, K., Symons, J., & Sutton, K. (2018). "Exploration, deep dive, application: Working with policymakers to apply behavioural science to real world challenges." Presented at the 2018 Global Evidence and Implementation Summit, Melbourne, Australia.
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Borg, K., Bragge, P., Beasley, M., Sutton, K., Halliday, J. & Knott, C. (2017). "Optimising flu vaccination among Aboriginal children in Victoria". Presented at the 6th Annual NHMRC Symposium on Research Translation co-hosted by the Lowitja Institute and NHMRC, Brisbane, Australia.
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Bragge, P., Wright, B., Borg, K., Boulet, M., Tull, F., Kaufman, S. & Smith, L. (2016). "The Fast and the Curious: Reflections on the role and impact of rapid reviews in policymaking." Poster session presented at 5th Annual NHMRC Symposium on Research Translation, Melbourne, Australia.
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Pennay, D. W., Borg, K., & Lavrakas, P. J. (2016). "Experimenting with Advance Text Messages for Increasing Response Rates and Improving Calling Efficiency in Two Australian RDD Mobile Frame Health Surveys". Presented at 2016 WAPOR Conference, Austin, Texas, US.