Dive summary:

• Psychology students at the University of British Columbia conducted a study on their peers and discovered that the more visually-appealing recycling options present in a room, the more likely people are to recycle.
• The students looked at two identical recycling stations at two very different places on campus—one, an old, uninspiring bunker-like room and the other, a bright and new lunch space.
• In the new lunchroom, 86% of students took their time to sort through all of their garbage and recyclables whereas in the old room only 58% of students decided it was worth their time.

From the article:

"We actually found that people would take an amazing amount of time at the bins to decide where to put their stuff... whereas here [at the SUB], you would just see people kind of getting up and putting their trash in the bin," DiGiacomo said.

Jana Foit, an architect with Perkins+Will, the firm that created the CIRS building, says studies like this one suggest "greenness" can even rub off on people who are just passing through. ...