How to Encourage Water Conservation Without Total Sacrifice

Kristina Brecko, now an assistant professor of marketing at the University of Rochester’s Simon Business School, is helping reshape how policymakers and organizations think about environmental behavior change. Her recent research, published in the Journal of Marketing Research, examines how targeted incentives—not blanket messaging—can more effectively encourage water conservation among the highest water users.

The study grew out of California’s historic drought, when years of public campaigns urged residents to stop watering lawns or remove turf altogether. While many complied, heavy water users often did not. Rather than focusing on people already willing to make extreme changes, Brecko’s research asked a different question: What if conservation efforts met people where they are?

Working with Redwood City Public Works, Brecko and her coauthor tested a “harm reduction” approach by offering smart irrigation controllers to homeowners who wanted to keep their lawns but were open to reducing water waste. Large-scale field experiments showed that when price and convenience barriers were removed, adoption increased significantly—especially among the highest water users. Once installed, the devices reduced irrigation water use by roughly 26 percent, with savings that persisted for years.

Importantly, the research found no evidence that these incentives discouraged more aggressive conservation measures, such as turf removal. Instead, the findings suggest that sequencing high-impact solutions with more flexible options can lead to broader participation and meaningful long-term impact.

At Simon, Brecko brings this research-driven perspective to her work in marketing, exploring how incentives, preferences, and real-world constraints shape consumer behavior—and how smart design can drive positive change.

Read the full story to learn more about Professor Brecko’s research and its implications for conservation and policy.