Page Center announces 2022 research grants on sustainability communication

March 30, 2022 • Jonathan McVerry

The Arthur W. Page Center announced the recipients of its 2022 Page/Johnson Legacy Scholar Grants. The 12 projects chosen to be funded cover a wide range of areas within the topic of sustainability communication.

Scholars representing 12 universities and one non-profit organization from around the world will complete their research over the next year. The funded projects will build a clearer understanding of sustainability’s role in effective, efficient and ethical communications. Each project targets unique and innovative areas of sustainability, including activism, engaging stakeholders, international issues, mobile apps, sports, and more.

Page Center director Denise Bortree and research director Holly Overton are leading the call.

“These projects represent a diverse range of topics and innovative approaches to expanding knowledge in the area of sustainability communication,” Overton said. “This cutting-edge research will strengthen and advance ethics and responsible public communication through insights that empower the profession.”

Funded scholars will present their research ideas in June at the annual Research Roundtable, an event for Page Center board members to learn about current scholarly research and share viewpoints from the profession. In August of 2023, the scholars will present their findings to the board during the Roundtable at the AEJMC conference in Washington, D.C.

The Page Center has a long history of funding sustainability communication research. It is a chief research initiative and the Center led calls on the topic in 2014 and 2009. Since its founding in 2004, the Center has funded nearly 300 scholars and awarded more than $1 million in funding. While research themes vary from year to year, the Center consistently supports academic exploration into the understanding of principles practiced in public communication.

Visit the 2022 call for research proposals page for more information on the call.

The 2022 Page Center Research Grants on Sustainability Communication

A theory-based mobile app intervention for forming and sustaining pro-environmental habits
Ching-Hua Chuan, Michelle I. Seelig, Weiting Tao, and Wan-Hsiu Tsai, University of Miami

Activating fan activism: A case study of the partnership between the United Nations and BTS on sustainability communication among Gen Z and Millennials
Baobao Song and Minhee Choi, Virginia Commonwealth University

Communication at the intersection of environment, health, and inequality: The case of public messaging from the Environmental Defense Fund
Chris Skurka, Penn State University; Helen Joo and Rainer Romero-Canyas, Environmental Defense Fund

Creating an antecedent to greenwashing through prebunking
Courtney D. Boman and Matthew S. VanDyke, University of Alabama

Examining corporate social advocacy in the context of sustainability and environmental justice: An application of moral decoupling theory
Luke Capizzo and Andrea Martinez Gonzalez, James Madison University

Encouraging pro-environmental behavior and circular economy initiative among women groups in Indonesia: What works? What doesn’t? and why?
Gregoria Arum Yudarwati, Universitas Atma Jaya Yogyakarta

Explicating the role of personal ethics in public engagement: A new public segmentation strategy for effective sustainability communication, integrating theories of problem solving and personal ethics
Jeong-Nam Kim, University of Oklahoma; Alessandro Lovari, Università degli studi di Cagliari; Hyelim Lee, University of Oklahoma; and Cristina Vaz de Almeida, Technical University of Lisbon

From greenwashing to saving the planet: An exploration of how mainstream, Hispanic and Black media and their public spheres portray and judge organizations’ environmental sustainability (in)actions
Ioana Coman, Texas Tech University; Gabriel Dominguez Partida, Universidad Panamericana; and Nihar Sreepada, Missouri State University

Internal sustainability branding and employees’ pro-environmental behaviors
Yeunjae Lee, Ruoyu Sun, and Enzhu Dong, University of Miami

Promoting ethical consumerism through sustainability influencers: How do influencers inspire the public to adopt a sustainable lifestyle?
Hyosun Kim, Indiana State University

When corporate sustainability violates public expectations: Insights from stakeholders’ perspective
Juan Liu, Towson University

When sustainability challenges sport: How motorsport is adapting to and promoting sustainable development goals
Virginia S. Harrison, Clemson University and Rosalynn Vasquez, Boston University