Stories from the Living Lab, 2017–2018: A Look at Sustainability in Waste Management, Bike Commuting, and Investments

The report details WRI's internal efforts to reduce its operational footprint, highlighting a waste diversion increase from 27% to nearly 80% in its U.S. office through behavioral science, the use of infrastructure and incentives to promote bike commuting in the U.S. and Brazil, and the integration of sustainability into endowment investment strategies.

• WRI utilized behavioral science and program designs incorporating humor and fun to increase waste diversion-from-landfill levels in its U.S. office from 27 percent to nearly 80 percent of total waste, while also making progress in reducing single-use plastics.
• Experience from bike campaigns in the U.S. and Brazil suggests that shifting long-term employee commuting habits requires a combination of social and cultural engagement, financial incentives, and bike infrastructure.
• WRI established science-based targets for the 2010-2020 reporting period to reduce energy emissions by 50% and business travel and purchasing emissions by 20%, using the GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard for measurement.
• WRI demonstrates that organizations with moderate-sized endowments can align their investment strategies with sustainability goals without compromising or while enhancing risk-adjusted returns.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Stories from the Living Lab, 2017–2018: A Look at Sustainability in Waste Management, Bike Commuting, and Investments. https://www.wri.org/research/stories-living-lab-2017-2018-look-sustainability-waste-management-bike-commuting-and

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Stories from the Living Lab, 2017–2018: A Look at Sustainability in Waste Management, Bike Commuting, and Investments. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/stories-living-lab-2017-2018-look-sustainability-waste-management-bike-commuting-and.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Stories from the Living Lab, 2017–2018: A Look at Sustainability in Waste Management, Bike Commuting, and Investments |url=https://www.wri.org/research/stories-living-lab-2017-2018-look-sustainability-waste-management-bike-commuting-and |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendstories, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Stories from the Living Lab, 2017–2018: A Look at Sustainability in Waste Management, Bike Commuting, and Investments}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/stories-living-lab-2017-2018-look-sustainability-waste-management-bike-commuting-and}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }