Green Event Directed Pro Environmental Behavior An Application of Goal Systems Theory

Journal of Sustainable Tourism
ISSN: (Print) (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rsus20
Green event directed pro-environmental behavior:

an application of goal systems theory
IpKin Anthony Wong, Yim King Penny Wan, GuoQiong Ivanka Huang &
Shanshan Qi
To cite this article: IpKin Anthony Wong, Yim King Penny Wan, GuoQiong Ivanka Huang
& Shanshan Qi (2021) Green event directed pro-environmental behavior: an application
of goal systems theory, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 29:11-12, 1948-1969, DOI:
10.1080/09669582.2020.1770770
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2020.1770770
Published online: 26 May 2020.
Submit your article to this journal
Article views: 1004
View related articles
View Crossmark data
Citing articles: 7 View citing articles
Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at

https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=rsus20
JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
2021, VOL. 29, NOS. 11–12, 1948–1969
https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2020.1770770
Green event directed pro-environmental behavior:

an application of goal systems theory
IpKin Anthony Wonga , Yim King Penny Wanb,a, GuoQiong Ivanka Huanga and
Shanshan Qib
a
School of Tourism Management, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai, China; bTourism College, Institute for
Tourism Studies, Macau, China
ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY

This research proposes the green event directed pro-environmental Received 15 September 2019
behavior model to articulate how green events could induce favorable Accepted 12 May 2020
eco-friendly behaviors beyond the event domain. Drawing on goal
KEYWORDS
systems theory and other theoretical premises, this research showcases
Green event; involvement;
how personal involvement with green events and frequency of past goal setting; goal systems
behaviors in attending such events could possess boundary conditions theory; pro-environment
that moderate the role of green event attitudes, subjective norms, and behavior; transforma-
perceived behavioral control on pro-environmental behaviors through tive learning
one’s valuation and patronage propensity of event greening. It also
highlights a mechanism that inspires attendees to strive to attain their
goals in pursuing a lifestyle that appreciates learning ways to better
reduce pollution and energy usage, consuming green products, and
managing waste; yet there is a weakening stimulus from event greening
on the individual’s greening behaviors over time. This research opens
an avenue to demonstrate a transformative mechanism, manifested
through subsequent knowledge gain and then behavioral change
impelled from attending green events, as a collective action that can
ultimately benefit the entire world. This learning process renders
a synthesis between short-term knowledge acquisition and long-term
implications for life.
Introduction
Event greening has gained traction in recent years due to increased demand and requirement
for sustainability practices in the show and convention business (Alonso-Vazquez et al., 2019;
Challis, 2013). Being green is not only a slogan and promotional scheme, it has become
a lifestyle for individuals and a means to cut cost as well as a viable strategy for operators
(Andersson et al., 2013; Hanchar, 2017; Martinho et al., 2018; Tommy, 2013). Yet, much research
to date has focused primarily on the focal event (Han, 2014; Park & Boo, 2010) or venue
(Whitfield & Dioko, 2012), without further considering how green initiatives could gain broad
social appeal and implications for individuals with impact on behaviors in their daily routine. In
addition, the body of literature has utilized various models, such as the norm activation model
(Han, 2014) and value-belief-norm theory (Han, 2015), to estimate attendees’ green perceptions
CONTACT GuoQiong Ivanka Huang huanggq26@mail.sysu.edu.cn School of Tourism Management, Sun Yat-Sen
University, Tangzhou Rd. 1, Zhuhai, China.
This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.
ß 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE TOURISM 1949
and behaviors. Although these studies provide a necessary foundation for the literature, several
questions remain unanswered.
This research seeks to bridge the research gap by drawing a linkage between green events
(GE) and daily pro-environmental behaviors. To this end, it raises two research questions and
subsequently addresses them, as follows. The paper asks: (1) How would event greening influ-
ence attendees’ pro-environmental behaviors? (2) What are some factors that would affect this
transformative process? It aims to add to the domain of knowledge by proposing a GE-directed
pro-environmental behavior model to assess how green events could induce favorable eco-
friendly (i.e., pro-environmental) behaviors beyond the event domain, through an empirical
inquiry. It draws on theories pertaining to planned behavior (Ajzen, 1991), goal setting and striv-
ing (Bargh et al., 2010; Latham & Locke, 2001), and goal systems theory (Kruglanski et al., 2015)
to examine the role of green event attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control
in pro-environmental behavior through the mediation of GE valuation and patronage intention.
The moderation of GE involvement (Wong et al., 2015) and frequency of past behavior (Bagozzi
et al., 1999) are also explored. Based on a sample from a regional food festival, results reveal
that the conventional approach to assessing planned behaviors through three drivers – attitudes,
subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control – should be reconsidered in light
of a broader scope of greening perceptions and behaviors.
Theoretical background
Proposed research framework
The theoretical underpinnings of this research primarily rest on two research streams. The first is
the theory of planned behavior (TPB) advocated by Ajzen (1991), while the second stems from
the goal-setting/striving theory (Latham & Locke, 2001) and goal systems theory (Kruglanski
et al., 2002), which are germane to motivation research from the social psychology research
realm (Bargh et al., 2010). In particular, a goal is viewed as a psychological state that motivates
an individual to act upon attainment of it. Hence, a goal has motivational appeals that continue
to push the person to strive for his/her goal. Such appeals render an internal force that resonates
closely with one’s personal involvement with an event or object (Havitz & Dimanche, 1997;
Zaichkowsky, 1994); in that highly involved individuals would pay more attention to and exercise
greater effort toward acquiring information, and hence be more interested in acquiring
products/services while attaining a given goal (Prebensen et al., 2013; Sigala, 2014; Wong &
Tang, 2016).
Yet, Ajzen and colleagues (Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980; Ajzen & Madden, 1986) argue that goal-
directed behaviors should be considered in light of an individual’s readiness and intention. They
assert that behaviors are planned in concurrence with goals with respect to how a person
evaluates his/her attitudes toward, normative perceptions of, and ability to control their own
behaviors and actions toward the goal. We also argue that the propensity to engage in certain
behaviors could be magnified based on past behaviors (Perugini & Bagozzi, 2001), as prior
experience provides a reference point for self-imposed goals and future behaviors (Bargh et al.,
2010). Given the increasing needs to pursue sustainability through an individual’s pro-environ-
mental behaviors such as recycling and reducing waste, for instance, we believe that a person’s
goal attainment in pro-environmental behavior could be affected by their readiness (i.e., atti-
tudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control), intention, involvement, and past
behaviors through exposure to greening stimuli such as green events, as some scholars posit
(Han & Yoon, 2015). In other words, people’s attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors are driven by
a decision formed in accordance with their goals through a volitional process. This process then
renders a means for them to construct actions to achieve a goal by overcoming anomalies that
may hinder its attainment (Abraham & Sheeran, 2003). Therefore, attainment of goals is not only
1950 I. A. WONG ET AL.
modeled as an individual’s readiness and intention, but it is also reinforced through one’s per-
sonal involvement and past behaviors.
In addition, although TPB has faced much criticism and debate including its predictive validity
from intention to behavior, the role of past behaviors, and the need to control background varia-
bles (Ajzen, 2011); this research takes these anomalies into account by (1) conducting two empir-
ical studies to warrant the link between intention and behavior, (2) accounting for the variance
of past behavior, and (3) controlling for attendees’ background information. The proposed frame-
work also takes into consideration Triandis’ (1977) theory of interpersonal behavior with respect
to how attitude and social factors (e.g., norms) and past behaviors could affect actual behaviors
through the mediation of intention and the moderation of facilitating factors (e.g., involvement).
Details about the research framework and the corresponding hypotheses are presented in the
sections that follow.
Hypothesis development
Event perceived value and patronage intention
A green event is commonly referred to as “an event that has a sustainability policy or incorpo-
rates sustainable practices into its management and operations” (Laing & Frost, 2010, p. 262).
Prior studies reveal that people who have a positive attitude and belief (such that the outcomes
of a specific behavior are positively evaluated), are more likely to have a strong attitude toward
performing such a behavior (Han, 2014; Oliver, 1980). These studies have evidenced that event
attendees’ participation in pro-environmental activities in an event is affected by an individual’s
green attitude. For instance, Han et al. (2010) reported that people participating in a green event
believe that they could enjoy the organic and healthy food, experience an eco-friendly atmos-
phere, and fulfill some of their social responsibilities. Wang (2017) showed that participants
believe that it would enhance their satisfaction in daily life and help reduce environmental
harms after attending a green event.
In addition, an individual’s green attitude is associated with his/her value perceptions, which
implies that one’s evaluation of an object such as a planned event could be a direct result of
their attitudes toward the object (Ruiz-Molina & Gil-Saura, 2008). Perceived value is the conse-
quence of the comparison between perceived benefits and sacrifices by a customer (Zeithaml,
1988). It is a subjective judgement on what is received and what is given or paid (Zeithaml,
1988). Although there are various types of values (e.g., emotional, social, monetary, functional;
see Sweeney & Soutar, 2001), this study focuses on the functional aspect, because functional
value is associated with real benefits associated with green initiatives and practices in events,
and it would be easier for event attendees to gauge the services received in exchange for their
expenditures (Wong et al., 2015). Perceived value in this study adopts Zeithaml’s (1988, p. 14)
definition: “the consumer’s overall assessment of the utility of a product based on perceptions of
what is received and what is given.” Green valuation therefore can be defined as “the functional
aspects of what people perceive as environmentally friendly in respect to the money they spend”
(Wong et al., 2015, p. 298). Perceived value of attending a green event renders environmental
benefits that can be obtained through protecting the local culture and environment, for
example. The underpinning reasoning behind the relationship between attitude and value per-
ception comes from the expectancy–value model, which lays the foundation for outcome expect-
ancy theory (Wigfield & Eccles, 2000). This theoretical strand assumes a strong linkage between
attitude and value perceptions. In particular, the theory posits that expectancy underlies a motiv-
ational force, in that a person expects greater effort would translate to a better outcome
(Reinharth & Wahba, 1975). Hence a person’s attitude toward a certain behavioral outcome is a
result of how well the person perceives that certain efforts (e.g., attending an event) would bring
benefits as rewards. Accordingly, favorable attitudes driven from attending an event could lead
to favorable perceived value of the event.
Prior studies also illustrate the direct relationship between attitude and consumer behaviour
such as patronage intention. According to the theory of planned behavior, consumer behaviour
is determined by intentions, which are also influenced by their attitudes (Ajzen, 1991). The rela-
tionship between attitude and behavioural intentions has been widely tested and supported by
the extant literature (Han et al., 2010; 2011). The theoretical foundation of this logic stems from
several theoretical grounds including the expectation–disconfirmation paradigm, in which one’s
expectation of an outcome forms positive or negative attitudes toward the outcome depending
on the perceived benefit or consequence (Oliver, 1980; Wong et al., 2019). Likewise, a favorable
attitude resulting from favorable expectation would emanate positive motivational appeal to
drive certain behaviors (i.e., behavioral intention), while an unfavorable expectation would result
in avoidance behaviors. In essence, a favorable attitude toward an object or event renders a
motivational force that pushes an individual in pursuit of certain behaviors for an expected out-
come (Bargh et al., 2010; Mitchell, 1973). Given the above discussion, the following hypothesis
was proposed:
Hypothesis 1: Green event attitude is positively related to (a) perceived value of the green event and (b)
green event patronage intention.
According to the TPB, an individual’s behavioral intention is a function of his/her subjective

norm (Ajzen, 1991). Subjective norm (SN) refers to “the perceived social pressure to perform or
not to perform the behavior” (Ajzen, 1991, p. 188). Subjective norm is a normative belief or a
socially acceptable behavior that members of a community consider valid and conventional. It is
a motivational force that disposes one to be compliant with social referents (Horng et al., 2013).
It signifies things that are right, acceptable and of good value amongst the social group, which
affects the attitudes and actions of members of the group (Zhang & Tenkasi, 2017). Norms are
embedded with certain values, goals and rules of a social group. For instance, an individual is
likely to attend a green festival if his/her peers think that it possesses good value. As a result, SN
is associated with the perceived value of an event (i.e., its subjective valuation) by members of a
social group.
Also, SN is positively linked to behavioral intentions such as loyalty and repeat patronage
(Choo et al., 2016; Duarte Alonso et al., 2015). Bargh et al. (2010, p. 271) argue that “social con-
text cues, such as normative expectations of the social community, may also influence a person’s
goal selection” including patronage of a green event. In fact, SN is a key predictor of one’s green
behavior. Park and Ha (2012), for instance, found that social norms reinforce recycling intentions.
Han et al. (2010) reported that the attitudes and behavioral intention of individuals to visit green
hotels heavily relied on the opinions of family, friends, and co-workers regarding the phenom-
ena. In the event literature, Cunningham and Kwon (2003) confirmed that SN played an import-
ant role in influencing spectators’ intentions to attend a sporting event in the future. Duarte
Alonso et al. (2015) also reported that SN is a good predictor for people in the United Kingdom
to attend the Derbyshire Food and Drink Fair. In view of the foregoing discussion, the following
hypothesis was formed:
Hypothesis 2: Green event subjective norms are positively related to (a) perceived value of the green event
and (b) green event patronage intention
In accordance with the TPB, an individual’s behavioral intentions are associated with his/her
perceived behavioral control (PBC) (Ajzen, 1991). Perceived behavioral control refers to “the per-
ceived ease or difficulty of performing the behavior” (Ajzen, 1991, p. 188). Such perception can
reflect an individual’s past experience and perceived obstacles (Ajzen, 1991). A perceived obs-
tacle can be, for instance, an individual’s perceived difficulties in attending an exhibition due to
lack of travel time or budget, which may ultimately discourage him/her to further acquire
information about the event. In the event context, the inability of an attendee to appreciate and
understand the value of attending a green festival because of the lack of understanding of glo-
bal and local environmental issues can pose an obstacle for him/her to attend such a green
event, for example. Several studies have confirmed that a lack of environmental awareness and
pro-environmental management mindset and values lead to unfavorable perceptions of eco-
friendly products and services (Han et al., 2010; Wan et al., 2017). Thus, it can be argued that
event attendees’ valuation of a green festival is related to his/her perceived obstacles (or control)
in attending the festival.
The above discussions also lead to the hypothesis that PBC has an impact on behavioral
intention such as repeat visiting and loyalty toward an event. Horng et al. (2013) argues that
PBC such as lack of information and inconvenient transportation significantly influence the
behavioral intentions of tourists who have previously visited food festivals. Removal of these
obstacles would improve the likelihood of attendees to revisit the same event. Shen (2014)
showed that PBC had the strongest effect on the revisit intention of festival attendees of the
Qinhuai Lantern Festival in China. In essence, one’s behavioral control perceptions dictate his/her
value perceptions and patronage intention for certain events (Mao & Lyu, 2017; Perugini &
Bagozzi, 2001). Ease of behavior control renders benefits that can easily be obtained from joining
an event without hassle, and such a perceived ease of controlling one’s behavior can certainly
compel one to pursue an intended outcome (Han, 2015) (e.g., revisiting the event). Based on the
forgoing discussion, the following hypothesis was formed:
Hypothesis 3: Green event perceived behavioral control is positively related to (a) perceived value of the
green event and (b) green event patronage intention.
Pro-Environmental behavior
Pro-environmental behavior or environmentally responsible behavior can be defined as behavior
that consciously seeks to minimize the negative impact caused by one’s actions on the natural
and built environment (Kollmuss & Agyeman, 2002; Wang et al., 2020) . Examples of event
attendees’ pro-environmental behavior include consuming less, avoiding food waste and litter-
ing, and purchasing green-labeled products. Several factors may affect people’s pro-environmen-
tal behavior, such as their environmental knowledge and awareness, value system, social group
influence, and more (Esfandiar et al., 2020; Wan et al., 2017). A recent study about a music festi-
val in Portugal found that attendees who are more attached to the place (place attachment)
where a festival is held are more likely to engage in onsite pro-environmental behavior (Alonso-
Vazquez et al., 2019). Concerning sporting events, attendees’ perception of destination environ-
mental responsibility is another factor reported (Han et al., 2015).
This study focuses on how people’s pro-environmental value system might include the ability
to influence their pro-environmental behavior through an event. In fact, perceived functional
green value was found to be very influential in green purchase decision-making (Green & Peloza,
2011). An example includes consumers’ purchase of organic food because they perceive that
these kinds of foods are healthier and more nutritious. To €lkes and Butzmann (2018) reported
that event attendees who realized the values of learning about environmental protection in the
Munich Street Life Festival demonstrated more pro-environmental behaviors in the event than
other attendees. Accordingly, we argue that attendees who perceive functional values in event
greening should be more likely to engage in pro-environmental behaviors.
Furthermore, the positive relationship between consumers’ pro-environmental behavior and
green event patronage intention is also evidenced in the prior literature (Hu et al., 2010; Laroche
et al., 2001). People who like to engage in pro-environmental behavior are more likely to visit
and become loyal to eco-friendly organizations (Kim et al., 2020; Pronello & Gaborieau, 2018).
This relationship is confirmed by the extant literature. For instance, Laroche et al. (2001) found
that consumers concerned with environmental issues were more likely to act green and seek
ways to spend more on green products when making purchase decisions. Dodds and colleagues
(Dodds et al., 2016) also reported that participants who were pro-environmental were more
eager to purchase apparel brands in festivals that portray environmentally positive messaging
than in other festivals. Furthermore, Mair and Laing (2012) examined the motivations, barriers
and outcomes of green music festivals in Australia and revealed that the green music festivals
attracted people who demanded sustainable practices and facilities and expected to have the
opportunities to engage in pro-environmental practices when attending.
In essence, the benefits perceived from greening and propensity to participate in greening
through events render motivational appeal for an individual to further engage in pro-environ-
mental behaviors. The goal setting theory of motivation (Latham & Locke, 2001) points to how
humans are motivated to set and then attain certain goals in response to environmental stimuli.
A goal renders a powerful force that allows people to be persistent in striving to reach the goal
through various coping strategies (Bargh et al., 2010). Drawing on this theoretical logic, we posit
that people may develop green-related goals such as reducing waste, recycling materials, and
protecting the environment in response to greening stimuli (e.g., a green festival). Such stimuli
render motivational forces that push people to continue striving for these goals with greater
awareness about and desire for the products and services they consume, as well as higher will-
ingness to pay a price premium for eco-friendly commodities (Han et al., 2015; Wong et al.,
2015). This motivational force directed from our goals may also reflect a spillover effect that tran-
sition human behaviors from one domain (i.e., special events) to another (pro-environmental
behaviors in our ordinary lives) (Holmes et al., 2019; Nilsson et al., 2017) and vise versa (Xu et al.,
2020). Accordingly, the following hypotheses were proposed.
Hypothesis 4: Green event valuation is positively related to pro-environmental behavior.
Hypothesis 5: Green event patronage intention is positively related to pro-environmental behavior.
The moderation of involvement

The aforementioned discussions illustrate that when considering attendees’ attitudes toward a
green event, the SN and PCB are positively related with the value attendees perceive in attend-
ing such an event. Thus, if an event attendee has a positive attitude toward a green event, has
regarded attending such an event as a good and acceptable behavior within his peer group, and
has faced few difficulties in attending such an event, he/she should be more likely to perceive
higher value in it. However, we argue that the notion of green involvement has moderating
effects on this relationship. Involvement is defined as “the interest a consumer finds in a
product” (Mittal & Lee, 1989, p. 365); it indicates the personal relevance or importance of a prod-
uct to the consumer (Celsi & Olson, 1988). Consumers who are involved in a particular product/
service are more likely to perceive its higher importance and relevancy and would spend more
effort to search for information about it (Beatty & Smith, 1987). Green event (GE) involvement is
further defined as “event attendees’ personal involvement with green attributes and activities
offered by [an event]” (Wong et al., 2015, p. 298).
To understand how involvement in a green event could serve as a boundary condition to the
direct effects leading to perceived value and intention in event greening, we draw upon goal
setting theory (Latham & Locke, 2001) and goal systems theory (Kruglanski et al., 2015). Goal set-
ting theory posits that people set personal goals (e.g., pro-environmental behaviors) in response
to personal needs based on their attitudes and ease of attachment (e.g., behavioral control)
toward these goals, while personal goals may also be influenced by social beliefs such as
“normative expectations of the social community” (Bargh et al., 2010, p. 270). Goal systems the-
ory (Kruglanski et al., 2002) further articulates that goal setting and striving fall into three tenets.
First, there are many means to achieve specific goals; second, a person would put more efforts
toward a specific goal while giving less to others; and third, “only contextually available means
can be considered for selection, and among these available means the most salient, vivid, and
accessible will win out” (Bargh et al., 2010, p. 280). Importantly, the theory posits that when one
focuses on a specific goal, he/she would reduce resources in attaining other goals due to limita-
tion of resources (Kruglanski et al., 2015).
Given that personal involvement represents a motivational state that compels an individual to
further consume his/her resources and spend efforts to achieve a goal/task (Sigala, 2014;
Zaichkowsky, 1994), it represents an intriguing force that can alter one’s perceptions and behav-
iors (i.e., intensify the effect of one’s attitude, normative belief, and behavioral control). In other
words, green involvement represents a shift of resources in attaining the goal of pursuing event
greening (Wong et al., 2015). As goal systems theory acknowledges, one would allocate more
resources and attention to achieving this goal if they have a persistent attitude and ability (i.e.,
conformity with the norm and hence, behavioral control) (Bargh et al., 2010). Albarracin and
Vargas (2010) further assert that “when people are both motivated and able to think carefully
about the message (i.e., they engage in high elaboration, as they are highly involved), they tend
to rely on factors other than their thoughts about the central issues” (p. 412). In other words,
highly involved individuals would engage in high elaboration by exerting greater efforts and
resources in acquiring green products and services. Such a force helps to intensify the impact of
one’s attitude, SN, and PBC on their value perception and patronage propensity toward green
events. Accordingly, the following hypotheses were proposed.
Hypothesis 6: The relationship leading from green event attitude, subjective norm, and perceived
behavioral control to perceived green event value is moderated by green event involvement, in that the
relationship is stronger for highly involved attendees.
Hypothesis 7: The relationship leading from green event attitude, subjective norm, and perceived
behavioral control to green event patronage intention is moderated by green event involvement, in that
the relationship is stronger for highly involved attendees.
The moderation of past behavior

The spillover effect from an event to ordinary life is not as straightforward and linear as early
research shows, since there are plausible factors that could condition the two boundaries
(Nilsson et al., 2017). Recall that the goal setting/striving theoretical strand is rooted in human
motivation. When people set goals and strive to achieve these goals (i.e., goal implementation)
they are dependent on a number of factors that motivate them, as the theory posits. Bargh et al.
(2010, p. 276) contend that, in implementing a goal,
whether a desired goal is attained depends on how well this goal striving is executed. Successful goal
striving depends first on what kind of goals people have set for themselves … [as well as] on coping
effectively with a few typical problems: … persisting in the face of difficulties, shielding the goal from
distraction, disengaging from ineffective means, and not overextending oneself.
In particular, one’s frequency of past behaviors that are directed toward the goal (i.e., fre-
quency in attending green activities such as events) manifests as a person’s persistent efforts to
accomplish the goal (Ajzen, 1991) – to engage in pro-environmental behaviors in ordinary life,
for example. Other researchers suggest that past behaviors become a habit and hence, lead to a
desire to engage in certain tasks (Perugini & Bagozzi, 2001). Such a dynamic, in the context of
this study, should strengthen the impact of green event valuation and of intention toward
green-directed outcomes. In essence, persistence in striving for a specific goal renders a bound-
ary condition that on one hand could elevate the impact of a green event (e.g., valuation and
patronage) on a person’s pro-environmental behavior if the persistence is high (i.e., high
Table 1. Correlations and descriptive statistics.

Mean S.D. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1.Green event (GE) attitude 5.39 1.07 (.90)
2.GE subjective norm 4.64 1.35 .42 (.92)
3.GE perceived behavioral control 5.58 1.04 .53 .42 (.74)
4.GE value 4.80 1.25 .51 .51 .41 (.79)
5.GE intention 5.29 1.12 .51 .46 .60 .57 (.87)
6.GE involvement 5.25 .90 .49 .46 .48 .55 .58 (.87)
7.Pro-environmental behavior 5.18 1.17 .38 .43 .51 .55 .65 .60 (.88)
8.Frequency of past behavior 2.90 1.07 -.09 .05 .07 -.09 .07 -.04 -.02
Note: p < .001 when r > .20.
Values in parentheses are Cronbach’s alpha.
frequency of behavior); but on the other hand it could demote this impact if the persistence is
low (Bargh et al., 2010). Accordingly, we hypothesized this boundary condition as follows.
Hypothesis 8: The relationship between green event valuation and pro-environmental behavior is
moderated by frequency of past behaviors in that the relationship is stronger for more frequent attendees.
Hypothesis 9: The relationship between green event patronage intention and pro-environmental behavior
is moderated by frequency of past behaviors in that the relationship is stronger for more
frequent attendees.
Methods
Sample and data collection procedure
The population of interest in this study was attendees who participated in green festivals. The
Macau Food Festival was selected as the research context because it is the most popular event
in the city, draws a large crowd of event-goers, and has implemented numerous green event
practices. It is the city’s strategic initiative to utilize the event to promote pro-environmental
practices (Un, 2015). In particular, the festival organizers have put forward efforts to provide
more organic food and veggie diet options, offer greening educational programs, utilize recyc-
lable decoration materials, and arrange more public transportation for attendees (Wong et al.,
2015). The festival lasts for three weeks in the middle of November each year. We collected data
at the exit of the event through a person-administered survey to ensure attendees experienced
the festival. Participants were intercepted and greeted with the objective of the study by a group
of trained field investigators. A systematic sampling method was used, where investigators inter-
cepted every third attendee at the exit of the venue. Non-responses were replaced by the next
available attendee. The questionnaire was available in both English and Chinese (both simplified
and traditional Chinese), and it was prepared by three bilinguals through the back-translation
approach. The questionnaire was pilot tested through a group of 172 students, and wordings
were revised based on the results. In particular, the pilot study offered several insights into refin-
ing the main study, including (1) refinement of the questionnaire with more precise Chinese
wordings for ease of understanding; (2) support of the multi-item scales with adequate measure-
ment model fit (comparative fit index [CFI] > ¼ .95, root mean square error of approximation
[RMSEA] < ¼ .08, and standardized root mean square residual [SRMR] < ¼ .08); (3) refinement of
the dimensionality of the tourist involvement scale.
A total of 406 complete responses were retained, representing a response rate of about 70%.
The sample included 62.6% females; 67.0% were between the age of 18 and 27, while 15.3%
were between the age of 28 and 37; 48.4% received up to high school education, while about
50% had at least some college education; 49.0% were local residents, while the rest came from
mainland China (27.3%), Hong Kong (9.1%), Europe (3.2%), Taiwan (2.7%), and other places.
Measures
Instruments used in the study were all adopted from existing literature, and they were carefully
revised based on the research context by drawing inferences to green studies (e.g., Chancey,
2009; Han & Hwang, 2015; Hu et al., 2010; Mealey, 2012; Rosenbaum & Wong, 2015; Wong et al.,
2015). A 7-point Likert scale was used unless otherwise specified. Each scale exercised adequate
internal consistency with Cronbach’s alpha > .70 (see Table 1 for more details). Convergent valid-
ity was supported with t-values all significant at the .001 level and average variance extracted
(AVE) all above .50. Discriminant validity was warranted with square root of AVEs > the inter-cor-
relations of the constructs of interest. The overall measurement model demonstrates adequate
fit with comparative fit index (CFI) ¼ .97, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) ¼
.07, and standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) ¼ .06. The corresponding items for each
scale are presented in Appendix.
Green event (GE) attitude was assessed using a 7-point bipolar scale with five items: non-enjoy-
able/enjoyable, undesirable/desirable, unpleasant/pleasant, foolish/wise, and negative/positive;
GE subjective norm (three items) and GE perceived behavioral control (three items) assessed the
three drivers of behavioral intention using the theory of planned behavior, and they were
adopted from (Ajzen, 1991; Han, 2015). GE intention assessed an attendee’s propensity to attend
a green event in the future. It was evaluated based on a four-item scale adopted from (Perugini
& Bagozzi, 2001). GE involvement assessed the extent to which green attributes presented in an
event were important to an attendee. It was measured using a 14-item scale adopted from
Wong et al. (2015), and each item was evaluated using a 7-point anchor ranging from very unim-
portant (1) to very important (7). GE value assessed the benefits that a green event could bring
to an attendee. This three-item scale was adopted based on Wong et al. (2015). Pro-environmen-
tal behavior assessed an attendee’s propensity for engaging in eco-friendly behaviors in his/her
daily life with the statement “Please indicate your likelihood to engage in the following practices
after you attend the festival.” The construct was evaluated using a four-item scale adopted from
Loroche et al. (2001) and Straughan and Roberts (1999). Frequency of prior behavior assessed the
frequency of prior participation in the festival. It was operationalized by a 5-point scale ranging
from 1 (zero time) to 5 (more than six times).
Figure 1. Research framework - green event directed pro-environmental behavior model.

Table 2. Results of parameter estimates.

Model 1 Model 2 Pro-environmental behavior
Main Effect GE Value GE Intention GE Value GE Intention Model 3 Model 4
Green event (GE) attitude .25 .12 .18 .07
GE subjective norm .22 .09 .17 .06
GE perceived behavioral control .30 .98 .27 .85
GE value .23 .21
GE intention .43 .45
Moderating Effect
GE involvement .28 .25
GE involvement GE attitude -.15 -.11
GE involvement GE .02 -.07
subjective norm
GE involvement GE perceived .13 .12
behavioral control
Frequency of past -.05
behavior (FPB)
FPB GE value .05
FPB GE intention -.07
R2 .46 .63 .54 .69 .57 .58
CFI .97 .97 .97
RMSEA .08 .07 .07
SRMR .07 .05 .05
Note:
p < .05.
p < .01.
p < .001.
Prior to testing the proposed model in Figure 1, we diagnosed common method bias (CMB)
based on Harman’s single factor test. Results reveal that v2/df ¼ 7.17, greater than the 2.0
threshold. We further examined CMB based on the partial correlation method by partialing out
the marker variable origin (tourists vs. residents); results indicate that parameters of estimate
remain unchanged. Both methods suggest that CMB is not a concern of the study. We then diag-
nosed multicollinearity using the variance inflation factor (VIF). Results reveal that all VIFs were
below 2.0, suggesting that collinearity is not a limitation.
Study 1: findings
Table 1 presents the descriptive statistics and zero-order correlations among the constructs of
interests. We tested the proposed relationships using structural equation modeling in LISREL
8.80, and we controlled for origin with the endogenous variables. Hypotheses 1–3 proposed a
direct relationship leading from GE attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control
to GE value and GE intention. Results from Model 1 (see Table 2) provide support to these
hypotheses (Value: battitude ¼ .25, p < .001; bsubjective norm ¼ .25, p < .001; bperceived behavioral control
¼ .25, p < .001; Intention: battitude ¼ .12, p < .05; bsubjective norm ¼ .09, p < .05; bperceived behavioral
control ¼ .98, p < .001).
Hypotheses 6 and 7 proposed a moderating effect of GE involvement on the relationship
between GE attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control. Model 2 examined
these two hypotheses by including the moderator – GE involvement and the interaction terms –
into the equation. Results reveal that the direct effect of GE involvement is significant (Value: b
¼ .28, p < .001; Intention: b ¼ .25, p < .001). The interaction term GE involvement attitude
(Value: b ¼ .15, p < .01; Intention: b ¼ .11, p < .05), GE involvement subjective norm
(Intention: b ¼ .07, p < .05), and GE involvement perceived behavioral control (Value: b ¼
.13, p < .05; Intention: b ¼ .12, p < .01) are significant at or below the .05 level. Results partially
support the two hypotheses. Importantly, after partially out the moderator and the interaction
terms, the effects of GE attitude and subjective norm on intention vanished. This result suggests
Figure 2. (a) GE involvement by GE attitude interaction on GE value; (b) GE involvement by GE perceived behavioral control
interaction on GE value.
that the moderating effect of GE involvement plays a more salient role in affecting GE intention
than that of GE attitude and subjective norm.
To further understand the moderating effect, we followed Aiken and West (1991) simple slope
approach to partition the independent variable and moderator into plus and minus one standard
deviation from the mean. Results clearly acknowledge that attendees with a higher level of GE
involvement have a higher level of value and future patronage perceptions regardless of the
level of attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control. However, slopes of GE atti-
tude and subjective norm are more acute for attendees with low GE involvement (see Figures
2a, 3a, and 3b), suggesting that influences of GE attitude and subjective norm are more effective
and salient for attendees whose GE involvement is relatively low. The findings indicate that
attendees with high GE involvement are relatively ambivalent with respect to their attitude
toward and normative belief about a green event, while attendees with low GE involvement are
relatively more affected by such attitude and norm. On the contrary, the effect of perceived
behavioral control (PBC) is more salient for attendees with high GE involvement. In other words,
participants would value and hence be more inclined to patronize a green event when they
have control over whether or not they could attend a green event, especially for those who are
highly involved in (i.e., attach great importance to attending) such an event (see Figures 2b
and 3c).
Figure 3. (a) GE involvement by GE attitude interaction on GE intention; (b) GE involvement by GE subjective norm interaction
on GE intention; (c) GE involvement by GE perceived behavioral control interaction on GE intention.
Hypotheses 4 and 5 propose a relationship leading from GE value and intention to pro-envir-
onmental behavior (PEB) in ordinary occasions. Results from Model 3 reveal that both GE value
(b ¼ .23, p < .001) and GE intention (b ¼ .43, p < .001) are significantly related to the
Figure 4. Past experience by GE intention interaction on pro-environmental behavior.
dependent variable, supporting both hypotheses. Hypotheses 8 and 9 propose a moderation

effect of frequency of past behavior on the relationships of GE value – PEB and GE intention –
PEB. Results from Model 4 show that the past behavior moderation is only significant for the
past behavior GE intention (b ¼ .07, p < .05); but results fail to support the hypothesis.
Using the sample slope approach described above, we depict the interaction in Figure 4. Results
illustrate that the GE intention effect is more acute for attendees with little past experience with
the festival. The results suggest that exposure to a green event may offer stronger stimulus and
hence, propensity to engage in eco-friendly behavior in one’s daily life routine, particularly with
initial exposures to such an event.
Discussion
With the deteriorating health of the earth, pro-environmental awareness and behaviors are now
on the center stage of our daily lives (Pronello & Gaborieau, 2018). There is an urgent need to
engage people through meetings and festivals to increase their level of green involvement and
intentions to adopt green behaviors. Yet, there is a gap between such events and actual attend-
ees’ life routines germane to greening. This study seeks to bridge this gap by developing the
green event-directed pro-environmental behavior model to assess a mechanism leading from
event greening to pro-environmental behaviors. This boundary crossing process is further mani-
fested through a moderated mediation model leading from attitudes, subjective norms, and per-
ceived behavioral control of pro-environmental behaviors through green event value and
patronage intention, as well as the moderation of green event involvement and past behaviors.
Further discussion and implications of the research are presented below.
Theoretical implications
For years, the theory of planned behavior has helped explain how behaviors are formed. Yet,
this theoretical line of inquiry has its limitations, as discussed in the literature review above. This
study, however, supplements it with respect to how goals could help explain the conditioning
factors of involvement and past behaviors. Drawing on goal-related theories such as those con-
cerning goal setting and striving, this study highlights how personal involvement with green
events and frequency of past behaviors in attending such events could possess boundary condi-
tions that moderate the role of green event attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behav-
ioral control (PBC) on pro-environmental behaviors through one’s valuation and patronage
propensity of event greening. To this end, this study echoes Albarracin and Vargas (2010) who
acknowledge that “attitudes toward a stimulus may become more favorable with increasing fre-
quency of exposure to the stimulus” (p. 403). However, our findings further reveal that increased
level of involvement does improve the salience of the effect of attitude, subjective norm, and
PBC; but increased exposure to green stimulus (e.g., frequency of attending green events) may
have a weaker moderating effect on one’s pro-environmental behaviors. This counterintuitive
result may be explained by the discrepancy theory, in that “when people are weakly committed
to their goals, interpreting their past activities in terms of lack of progress discourages goal
striving” (Bargh et al., 2010, p. 287). In other words, results of the study may point to a problem
that green event attendees may only be weakly committed to pro-environmental behaviors; and
that greening initiatives from a single event or attraction may not have enough impact on
attendees to fully attain pro-environmental goals (Esfandiar et al., 2020). As a result, the effect of
event greening deteriorates over time.
An alternative explanation rests on the premise of adaptation-level theory, which posits that the
effect of a stimulus would deteriorate overtime as a person’s frequency of exposure to the stimulus
increases (Rubin & Corbett, 1982). The theory articulates a phenomenon in which humans become
insensitive to the impacts of constant stimulations. Our finding adds new knowledge to the pro-environ-
mental behavior literature (Kim et al., 2020; Miao & Wei, 2013) by pinpointing the salience of greening
as an evolutionary process that would not change people’s behavior overnight (Esfandiar et al., 2020;
Han, 2015). The gradual progression of a more eco-friendly lifestyle must be reinforced through green
initiatives such as those showcased through green events. Yet, an integration of the theoretical ration-
ales from discrepancy theory and adaptation-level theory may allow us to better understand the effect
of event greening on people’s pro-environmental behaviors, as constant exposure to the same greening
stimuli may only result in a weakening impact on eco-friendly outcomes due to lack of progression in
achieving a high-level goal. This paradoxical implication on one hand points to the salience of the
human stimulus-response system in striving for environmental goals, as such a system does evolve over
time (i.e., humans are constantly craving for higher level needs and hence, goals). On the other hand, it
illuminates the peril of focusing narrowly and repeatedly on specific greening initiatives, to avoid fatigue
from greening, as indicative from the adaptation-level theory (Bowling, 2014). In sum, greening helps to
promote an event’s image and is deemed as a viable strategy to sustain the event’s competitive advan-
tage (Andersson et al., 2013). That said, this research complements the recent work from Wang et al.
(2020) and Esfandiar et al. (2020), for example, to articulate how personal goals render potential forces
that motivate people to be more engaged in pro-environmental behaviors.
In a similar vein, although prior tourism/hospitality literature has utilized various models, such
as the norm activation model (Han, 2014) and value-belief-norm theory (Han, 2015), to explain
consumer green-related intentions and even behaviors, the primary focus of these empirical
models rests on the role of normative beliefs on an individual’s green behaviors. This research
takes a different theoretical stance to focus on the motivational force germane to goals. It fills
the gap in the literature, where there is little emphasis placed on how goals could help explain
green perceptions and behaviors. More importantly, this study takes an opportunity to articulate
the aforementioned process of green-event directed pro-environmental behavior through two
goal-related streams of work: goal setting/striving (Bargh et al., 2010; Latham & Locke, 2001) and
goal systems theory (Kruglanski et al., 2002). As Kruglanski et al. (2015) articulate:
In carrying out such a construction [task], individuals map out the motivational space they intend to
navigate and chart the trajectory that best suits their intentions. The mental map thus created contains a
representation of the various goals salient for individuals in the situation in which they find themselves; it
also contains the representation of possible means to the goals in question as well as obstacles that may
interfere with the attainment of these goals. (p. 70)
In other words, goals play a rather salient role in directing one’s attitude and behaviors
toward a specific task of interest. Hence, application of goal-related theoretical underpinnings to
the tourism/hospitality field of study affords new insights from a cross-disciplinary approach,
with literature drawing from event greening, goal setting and attainment, and planned behaviors
(e.g., pro-environmental behaviors). Such an approach affords a fuller understanding of how indi-
vidual attendees sustain their goals to practice a pro-environmental lifestyle that spans across
the boundary between special events and human life.
More specifically, this research integrates the goal systems theoretical perspective into under-
standing the boundary conditions of involvement and past behaviors on the effect of event green-
ing. As attendees placed more emphasis and attention onto greening characteristics of an event,
they become more inclined to utilize these properties as a means to attain their eco-friendly goals
(i.e., means–goal relationship), as Kruglanski et al. (2015) suggest. Yet, “this implies the need to exer-
cise choice between the different means; it also extends the possibility of substituting, if need be,
each of the means for any of the others” (Kruglanski et al., 2015, p. 71). As such, people may be mes-
merized by multiple possibilities in achieving their goals to go green, while adhering to multiple
means may dilute or reduce the instrumentality of each specific means. This situation creates mul-
tiple possibilities in which special events could ultimately foster greater environmental awareness
and behaviors that go beyond evidence collated from this research and other existing studies (e.g.,
Esfandiar et al., 2020; Han et al., 2018; Kim et al., 2020; Miao & Wei, 2013; Wang et al., 2020). Putting
it together, the present inquiry opens a window of opportunity to deepen our knowledge about
pro-environmental behaviors, which are far beyond the linear and singular relationships proposed
from the extant literature, while personal goals may render as means as well as obstacles (i.e., too
many possibilities) in sustaining our greening pursuit.
The findings also demonstrate that event greening is part of a process of promoting pro-
environmental behaviors such as finding ways to reduce waste and energy consumption. The
essence of the research contribution lies in its proposed mechanism driven by green events to
bring about and promote eco-friendly behaviors (Pronello & Gaborieau, 2018). This process helps
us to understand the transformation from event-driven experience to ordinary life behavior that
is germane to greening (Coghlan & Weiler, 2018; Mair & Laing, 2013). Importantly, such trans-
formation is not linear but is conditioned based on two altering factors – namely, one’s involve-
ment and past behaviors. This transformative learning process is appealing to event tourism
studies as it reflects the principles of transformative travel the literature has espoused (Lean,
2009; Reisinger, 2013). Although a green event does not provide the very appeals such as health
and wellness as well as spiritual and cultural benefits that Wolf et al. (2017) report, it points to
an even more important area of interest – sustainability of the Earth – that goes beyond per-
sonal interest. To this end, this research heeds the call from the literature (Anderson et al., 2013)
to delve deeper into transformative services with respect to how events could ultimately contrib-
ute to environmental conservation. Although the present research looks at the individual level,
findings have important implications pertaining to the ecosystem at a collective level. As
Anderson et al. (2013) assert, “service activities cannot be achieved without relying on the earth’s
ecosphere resources” (p. 1209). Because pro-environmental behaviors are collective activities that
are meant to contribute to the overall wellbeing of the Earth and humanity, our findings go
beyond individual specific outcomes (e.g., satisfaction, travel experience, and wellbeing) to high-
light a transformative mechanism, manifested through subsequent knowledge gain and then
behavioral change impelled from attending green events, as a collective action that can ultim-
ately benefit the entire world. Yet, this learning process renders a synthesis between short-term
knowledge acquisition and long-term reflection of life, which may echo Coghlan and Weiler
(2018) work to suggest that transformative travel inspires tourists’ critical life reflection, as “it
involves individuals becoming aware of why they perceive, think, feel, or act as they do” (p. 576).
This transformation may also hint at a boundary-crossing phenomenon (Ashforth et al., 2000)
that could spill over from special events to ordinary life (Nilsson et al., 2017) and vice versa (Xu
et al., 2020). Although most discussions on boundary-crossing emphasize the transition between
work and life (Ashforth et al., 2000, 2007; Yang, 2020), as discussed mostly in the management
literature, this study points to another area of application of the boundary theory that spans
across the boundary between planned events and ordinary human behaviors. Bridging these two
boundaries may potentially assist scholars to better understand how temporal activities could
ultimately persist as motivational appeal for certain daily life behaviors (Holmes et al., 2019).
Individual tourists who span such different boundaries represent an avenue or means to reach
life goals (i.e., means–goal relationship) that are geared toward sustainability of humanity. Such
“premise reflection and change” brings “opportunit[ies] to reinforce [people’s] choice of life
direction” as Coghlan and Weiler (2018, p. 579) acknowledge.
In summary, this research sheds new light on how greening programs (e.g., green events)
could translate into more sustainable practices that are diffused into our daily routines. It thus
demonstrates that motivational force directed from our goals may reflect a spillover effect that
transfers human behaviors from one domain (i.e., special events) to another (i.e., our ordinary
lives) (i.e., our ordinary lives) (Holmes et al., 2019; Nilsson et al., 2017; Xu et al., 2020); hence, it
opens a new avenue of research on how meanings imbued in green events and other hospitality
contexts could help reap a constellation of positive environmental benefits. This research also
adds new knowledge to the literature by synthesizing goal systems theory with other theoretical
streams (e.g., adaptation-level theory, transformative learning, boundary crossing) to provide aca-
demia a fuller understanding of the symbiotic role of event greening.
Managerial implications
This research has significant managerial implications, discussed below. First, there is a need to engage
people through meetings and festivals to increase their level of green involvement and their intentions
to adopt green behaviors; as such involvement is found to improve the salience of the effect of attitude,
subjective norm, and PBC. It thus renders a mechanism that inspires individuals to strive to attain their
goals in pursuing an eco-friendly lifestyle and ways to reduce environmental harms caused by human
activity. Facilitating attendees’ understanding of green values through event-induced education is there-
fore essential to enhance their green involvement. One avenue to accomplish this is to provide concrete
information on how attendees participate in recycling at an event that can reduce extra manpower to
separate waste in events, resulting in lowering the operation costs and fees levied on the event attend-
ees. In turn, it could help attendees to better realize the benefits of participating in event greening. In
addition, demonstrating to event attendees some practical and low-cost methods to reduce energy and
cost, pollution and waste at home may also facilitate more pro-environmental behavior among attend-
ees. In other words, offering incentives for those who behave in eco-friendly ways at an event may also
help to mold the attendees’ positive attitude toward the green event, as they realize the value they can
obtain by doing so.
The existing urban and tourism literature hints that residents are motivated to participate and
voice their concerns about local tourism development only if their voices are being heard and
some suggestions are being adopted by the authorities (Wan & Bramwell, 2015). Applying this
rationale to this study, highly exposed green event attendees may feel discouraged from con-
tinuously practicing green behaviors in events because they may be disappointed with the lack
of progress on greening. Thus, to encourage this segment of attendees to persist in their green
behaviors at events, event organizers together with the local tourist office/environmental bureau
can widely report the information about how much waste and energy are reduced after the
events. If the contact information of those attendees who are frequently attending green events
is collected, the event organizer can directly report the information to these attendees through
various social media platforms (Huang et al., 2020). However, there may be some other factors
that lead to the lack of persistence to practice green behaviors at events, such as attendees set-
ting unrealistic greening goals, facing obstacles and lacking effective means to practice greening
(Bargh et al., 2010). Event organizers should therefore avoid green-washing, as misleading infor-
mation and unsubstantiated claims on greening would result in customer attrition and negative
word of mouth. Green event organizers can cooperate with academics to further investigate the
factors involved and deal with these constraints and anomalies.
Finally, results also reveal that environmental knowledge gained from such events could grad-
ually diffuse into attendees’ everyday life. Despite the slow pace and gradual changes, green
event organizers should not feel discouraged but realize that attendees need continuous stimu-
lus, reinforcement, and education, allowing them to absorb more environmental knowledge and
hands-on practices that can transfer into daily routines. Continuous execution and promotion of
green events are adding traction to alter people’s green attitudes and behavior in an incremental
way (Jones, 2014; Mair & Laing, 2013). To this end, academics may help to conduct research
regularly to observe the effects of the prolonged impact of green events on attendees’ everyday
activities. Research should seek to understand how more effort put in green events leads to
changes in event attendees’ pro-environmental behavior in their daily lives, and the extent of
the transformative learning process. Local authorities could then look to the research results to
tailor their strategies toward further elevating the intensity of residents’ greening behaviors, for
example through collaboration with businesses and enactment of rules and regulations (e.g.,
ecolabeling, industry code of conduct, and tax incentives) to co-promote a healthier ecosystem.
Limitations and future research directions

The cross-sectional nature of the study poses a research limitation in that relationships among
variables revealed in this study may not warrant causality. This weakness can be addressed
through a longitudinal design to assess attendees’ pro-environmental behaviors over time.
Although there is a methodological challenge in collecting this type of data, it could help
researchers to better answer why the impact of green events on people’s pro-environmental
behavior deteriorates over time. Experiments could also be used to supplement findings of the
study to assess the impact of different conditions and designs of a green event on green practi-
ces in people’s daily life. For example, experiments could manipulate the greening of the event
venue and program to understand how a combination of attributes could most effectively pro-
mote attendees’ greening behaviors during and beyond the event itself. We also acknowledge
that the distribution of the place of origin was skewed, which may limit the study’s generalizabil-
ity to the true population of interest.
Conclusion
For years, we have craved avenues to instill pro-environmental sentiment and hence, behaviors,
into consumers’ daily life. Whereas tourism may negate our genuine intent in protecting the
Earth, as the industry is acknowledged to produce substantial waste, the present research show-
cases that partaking in green events could offset the harm from traveling by delineating a trans-
formative learning mechanism that pro-actively reinforces attendees’ will to practice greening in
everyday life. This mechanism works as an evolutionary process that does not change a person’s
pro-environmental behaviors overnight; rather, the changes are gradually implemented and often
regress, and they require continuous endeavors to shape one’s attitudes toward and perceptions
on greening. One such avenue can be through event greening; where one’s involvement and
past behaviors associated with greening goals can be manifested as motivational factors that
could facilitate this process.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Funding
Our deepest appreciation goes to the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant No.
19wkpy66) and Guangdong Provincial Department of Education (Grant No.2019GXJK052).
Notes on contributors
Prof. IpKin Anthony Wong (Sun Yat-Sen University, Tang Jia Wang, Xiangzhou, Zhuhai, China).
<wongipk@mail.sysu.edu.cn> He has a wide range of teaching and research interests especially in tourist motiv-
ation and behaviors, consumer behaviors, social media usage, tourism and service marketing, and research meth-
ods. His articles appeared at Tourism Management and Journal of Travel Research. He is currently serving as a
coordinating editor at the International Journal of Hospitality and Management and advisory board members in
leading tourism and hospitality journals.
Dr. Yim King Penny Wan (Institute for Tourism Studies, Colina de Mong-Ha, Macau, China).
<pennywan@ift.edu.mo> Her research interests include tourism planning and development, casino management
and hospitality services. Her articles appeared at Tourism Management and Journal of Travel Research.
Dr. GuoQiong Ivanka Huang (Sun Yat-Sen University, Tang Jia Wang, Xiangzhou, Zhuhai, China). <
huanggq26@mail.sysu.edu.cn> She is a post-doctoral fellow at the School of Tourism Management, Sun Yat-Sen
University. Her research interests are tourism and hospitality marketing, consumer behaviors, and social media
usage in tourism. Her articles appeared at International Journal of Hospitality and Management and International
Journal of Contemporary Hospitality and Management.
Dr. Shanshan Qi (Institute for Tourism Studies, Colina de Mong-Ha, Macau, China). <shanshan@ift.edu.mo> Her
research interests computer technology applications in tourism and tourism/hospitality website evaluations. Her
articles appeared at Tourism Management and Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing.
ORCID
IpKin Anthony Wong http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4597-2228
References
Abraham, C., & Sheeran, P. (2003). Implications of goal theories for the theories of reasoned action and planned
behavior. Current Psychology, 22(3), 264–280. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-003-1021-7
Aiken, L. S., & West, S. G. (1991). Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Sage.
Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2),
179–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T
Ajzen, I. (2011). The theory of planned behaviour: Reactions and reflections. Psychology & Health, 26(9), 1113–1127.
https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2011.613995
Ajzen, I., & Fishbein, M. (1980). Understanding attitudes and predicting social behavior. Prentice-Hall.
Ajzen, I., & Madden, T. J. (1986). Prediction of goal-directed behavior: Attitudes, intentions, and perceived behav-
ioral control. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 22(5), 453–474. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-
1031(86)90045-4
Albarracin, D., & Vargas, P. (2010). Attitudes and persuasion: From biology to social responses to persuasive intent.
In S. T. Fiske, D. T. Gilbert, & G. Lindzey (Eds.), Handbook of social psychology (5th ed., pp. 394–427). John Wiley
& Sons.
Alonso-Vazquez, M., Packer, J., Fairley, S., & Hughes, K. (2019). The role of place attachment and festival attachment
in influencing attendees’ environmentally responsible behaviours at music festivals. Tourism Recreation Research,
44(1), 91–102. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2018.1545393
Anderson, L., Ostrom, A. L., Corus, C., Fisk, R. P., Gallan, A. S., Giraldo, M., Mende, M., Mulder, M., Rayburn, S. W.,
Rosenbaum, M. S., Shirahada, K., & Williams, J. D. (2013). Transformative service research: An agenda for the
future. Journal of Business Research, 66(8), 1203–1210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2012.08.013
Andersson, D. T., Jutbring, H., & Lundberg, E. (2013). When a music festival goes veggie: Communication and envir-
onmental impacts of an innovative food strategy. International Journal of Event and Festival Management, 4(3),
224–235. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEFM-06-2013-0015
Ashforth, B. E., Kreiner, G. E., & Fugate, M. (2000). All in a day’s work: Boundaries and micro role transitions. The
Academy of Management Review, 25(3), 472–491. https://doi.org/10.2307/259305
Bagozzi, R. P., Gopinath, M., & Nyer, P. U. (1999). The role of emotions in marketing. Journal of the Academy of
Marketing Science, 27(2), 184–206. https://doi.org/10.1177/0092070399272005
Bargh, J. A., Gollwitzer, P. M., & Oettingen, G. (2010). Motivation. In S. T. Fiske, D. T. Gilbert & G. Lindzey (Eds.),
Handbook of social psychology (5th ed., pp. 268–316). John Wiley & Sons.
Beatty, S. E., & Smith, S. M. (1987). External search effort: An investigation across several product categories. Journal
of Consumer Research, 14(1), 83–95. https://doi.org/10.1086/209095
Bowling, N. (2014). Adaptation-level theory. In A. C. Michalos (Ed.), Encyclopedia of quality of life and well-being
research (pp. 28–29). Springer.
Bulger, C. A., Matthews, R. A., & Hoffman, M. E. (2007). Work and personal life boundary management: Boundary
strength, work/personal life balance, and the segmentation integration continuum. Journal of Occupational
Health Psychology, 12(4), 365–375. https://doi.org/10.1037/1076-8998.12.4.365
Celsi, R. L., & Olson, J. C. (1988). The role of involvement in attention and comprehension processes. Journal of
Consumer Research, 15(2), 210–224. https://doi.org/10.1086/209158
Challis, B. (2013). What fans wants - Green events - And their fave brand! Retrieved November 15, 2013, from http://
www.agreenerfestival.com/2013/01/what-fans-want-green-events-and-their-fave-band/
Chancey, B. (2009). What makes it green? The science behind eco-friendly restaurant tools and systems. Retrieved
October 22, 2012, from http://www2.qsrmagazine.com/articles/features/126/eco-friendly-1.phtml
Choo, H., Ahn, K., & F. Petrick, J. (2016). An integrated model of festival revisit intentions: Theory of planned behav-
ior and festival quality/satisfaction. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 28(4), 818–838.
https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-09-2014-0448
Coghlan, A., & Weiler, B. (2018). Examining transformative processes in volunteer tourism. Current Issues in Tourism,
21(5), 567–582. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2015.1102209
Cunningham, G. B., & Kwon, H. (2003). The theory of planned behaviour and intentions to attend a sport event.
Sport Management Review, 6(2), 127–145. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1441-3523(03)70056-4
Dodds, R., Pitts, R. E., & Smith, W. W. (2016). Willingness to pay for environmentally linked clothing at an event:
Visibility, environmental certification, and level of environmental concern. Tourism Recreation Research, 41(3),
283–290. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2016.1196029
Duarte Alonso, A., Sakellarios, N., & Cseh, L. (2015). The theory of planned behavior in the context of a food and
drink event: A case study. Journal of Convention & Event Tourism, 16(3), 200–227. https://doi.org/10.1080/
15470148.2015.1035822
Esfandiar, K., Dowling, R., Pearce, J., & Goh, E. (2020). Personal norms and the adoption of pro-environmental bin-
ning behaviour in national parks: An integrated structural model approach. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 28(1),
10–32. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2019.1663203
Green, T., & Peloza, J. (2011). How does corporate social responsibility create value for consumers?. Journal of
Consumer Marketing, 28(1), 48–56. https://doi.org/10.1108/07363761111101949
Han, H. (2014). The norm activation model and theory-broadening: Individuals’ decision-making on environmen-
tally-responsible convention attendance. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 40, 462–471. https://doi.org/10.
1016/j.jenvp.2014.10.006
Han, H. (2015). Travelers’ pro-environmental behavior in a green lodging context: Converging value-belief-norm
theory and the theory of planned behavior. Tourism Management, 47, 164–177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tour-
man.2014.09.014
Han, H., Hsu, L.-T J., Lee, J.-S., & Sheu, C. (2011). Are lodging customers ready to go green? An examination of atti-
tudes, demographics, and eco-friendly intentions. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 30(2),
345–355. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2010.07.008
Han, H., Hsu, L.-T., & Sheu, C. (2010). Application of the theory of planned behavior to green hotel choice: Testing
the effect of environmental friendly activities. Tourism Management, 31(3), 325–334. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
tourman.2009.03.013
Han, H., & Hwang, J. (2015). Norm-based loyalty model (NLM): Investigating delegates’ loyalty formation for envir-
onmentally responsible conventions. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 46, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.
1016/j.ijhm.2015.01.002
Han, H., Hwang, J., Kim, J., & Jung, H. (2015). Guests’ pro-environmental decision-making process: Broadening the
norm activation framework in a lodging context. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 47, 96–107.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2015.03.013
Han, W., McCabe, S., Wang, Y., & Chong, A. Y. L. (2018). Evaluating user-generated content in social media: An
effective approach to encourage greater pro-environmental behavior in tourism? Journal of Sustainable Tourism,
26(4), 600–614. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2017.1372442
Han, J. H., Nelson, C. M., & Kim, C. (2015). Pro-environmental behavior in sport event tourism: Roles of event attend-
ees and destinations. Tourism Geographies, 17(5), 719–737. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2015.1084037
Han, H., & Yoon, H. J. (2015). Hotel customers’ environmentally responsible behavioral intention: Impact of key con-
structs on decision in green consumerism. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 45, 22–33. https://doi.
org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2014.11.004
Hanchar, T. (2017). The latest event industry insights. Retrieved July 23, 2019, from https://www.gevme.com/blog/
top-10-event-greening-solutions/
Havitz, M. E., & Dimanche, F. (1997). Leisure involvement revisited: Conceptual conundrums and measurement
advances. Journal of Leisure Research, 29(3), 245–278. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222216.1997.11949796
Holmes, M. R., Dodds, R., & Frochot, I. (2019). At home or abroad, does our behavior change? Examining how every-
day behavior influences sustainable travel behavior and tourist clusters. Journal of Travel Research. 1–15. https://
doi.org/10.1177/0047287519894070.
Horng, J.-S., Su, C.-S., & So, S.-I A. (2013). Segmenting food festival visitors: Applying the theory of planned behavior
and lifestyle. Journal of Convention & Event Tourism, 14(3), 193–216. https://doi.org/10.1080/15470148.2013.
814038
Hu, H.-H., Parsa, H. G., & Self, J. (2010). The dynamics of green restaurant patronage. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly,
51(3), 344–362. https://doi.org/10.1177/1938965510370564
Huang, G. I., Chen, Y. V., & Wong, I. A. (2020). Hotel guests’ social commerce intention: The role of social support,
social capital and social identification. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 32(2),
706–729. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-04-2019-0380
Jones, M. (2014). Sustainable event management: A practical guide. Routledge.
Kim, S., Filimonau, V., & Dickinson, J. E. (2020). The technology-evoked time use rebound effect and its impact on
pro-environmental consumer behaviour in tourism. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 28(2), 164–184. https://doi.
org/10.1080/09669582.2019.1643870
Kollmuss, A., & Agyeman, J. (2002). Mind the gap: Why do people act environmentally and what are the barriers to
pro-environmental behavior? Environmental Education Research, 8(3), 239–260. https://doi.org/10.1080/
13504620220145401
Kruglanski, A. W., Chernikova, M., Babush, M., Dugas, M., & Schumpe, B. M. (2015). The architecture of goal systems:
Multifinality, equifinality, and counterfinality in means—End relations. In A. J. Elliot (Ed.), Advances in motivation
science (Vol. 2, pp. 69–98). Elsevier.
Kruglanski, A. W., Shah, J. Y., Fishbach, A., Friedman, R., Woo Young, C., & Sleeth-Keppler, D. (2002). A theory of
goal systems. In Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 34, pp. 331–378). Academic Press.
Laing, J., & Frost, W. (2010). How green was my festival: Exploring challenges and opportunities associated with
staging green events. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 29(2), 261–267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.
ijhm.2009.10.009
Laroche, M., Bergeron, J., & Barbaro-Forleo, G. (2001). Targeting consumers who are willing to pay more for environ-
mentally friendly products. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 18(6), 503–520. https://doi.org/10.1108/
EUM0000000006155
Latham, G. P., & Locke, E. A. (2001). Goal setting - A motivational technique that works. In W. E. Natemeyer & J. T.
McMahon (Eds.), Classics of organizational behavior (3rd ed., pp. 129–140). Waveland.
Lean, G. L. (2009). Transformative travel: Inspiring sustainability. In R. Bushell & P. J. Sheldon (Eds.), Wellness and
tourism: Mind, body, spirit, place (pp. 191–205). Cognizant Communication.
Mair, J., & Laing, J. (2012). The greening of music festivals: Motivations, barriers and outcomes. Applying the Mair
and Jago model. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 20(5), 683–700. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2011.636819
Mair, J., & Laing, J. H. (2013). Encouraging pro-environmental behaviour: The role of sustainability-focused events.
Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 21(8), 1113–1128. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2012.756494
Mao, Z., & Lyu, J. (2017). Why travelers use Airbnb again?: An integrative approach to understanding travelers’
repurchase intention. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 29(9), 2464–2482. https://
doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-08-2016-0439
Martinho, G., Gomes, A., Ramos, M., Santos, P., Gonçalves, G., Fonseca, M., & Pires, A. (2018). Solid waste prevention
and management at green festivals: A case study of the Andanças Festival, Portugal. Waste Management (New
York, N.Y.).), 71, 10–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2017.10.020
Mealey, L. (2012). How to go green at your restaurant? Retrieved October 22, 2012, from http://restaurants.about.
com/od/resources/a/Go_Green.htm
Miao, L., & Wei, W. (2013). Consumers’ pro-environmental behavior and the underlying motivations: A comparison
between household and hotel settings. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 32, 102–112. https://doi.
org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2012.04.008
Mitchell, T. R. (1973). Motivation and participation: An integration. Academy of Management Journal, 16(4), 670–679.
https://doi.org/10.2307/254699
Mittal, B., & Lee, M.-S. (1989). A causal model of consumer involvement. Journal of Economic Psychology, 10(3),
363–389. https://doi.org/10.1016/0167-4870(89)90030-5
Nilsson, A., Bergquist, M., & Schultz, W. P. (2017). Spillover effects in environmental behaviors, across time and con-
text: A review and research agenda. Environmental Education Research, 23(4), 573–589. https://doi.org/10.1080/
13504622.2016.1250148
Oliver, R. L. (1980). A cognitive model of the antecedents and consequences of satisfaction decisions. Journal of
Marketing Research, 17(4), 460–469. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378001700405
Park, E., & Boo, S. (2010). An assessment of convention tourism’s potential contribution to environmentally sustain-
able growth. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 18(1), 95–113. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669580903147936
Park, J., & Ha, S. (2012). Understanding pro-environmental behavior: A comparison of sustainable consumers and
apathetic consumers. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 40(5), 388–403. https://doi.org/10.
1108/09590551211222367
Perugini, M., & Bagozzi, R. P. (2001). The role of desires and anticipated emotions in goal-directed behaviours:
Broadening and deepening the theory of planned behaviour. The British Journal of Social Psychology, 40(Pt 1),
79–98. https://doi.org/10.1348/014466601164704
Prebensen, N. K., Woo, E., Chen, J. S., & Uysal, M. (2013). Motivation and involvement as antecedents of the per-
ceived value of the destination experience. Journal of Travel Research, 52(2), 253–264. https://doi.org/10.1177/
0047287512461181
Pronello, C., & Gaborieau, J.-B. (2018). Engaging in pro-environment travel behaviour research from a psycho-social
perspective: A review of behavioural variables and theories. Sustainability, 10(7), 2412–2422. https://doi.org/10.
3390/su10072412
Reinharth, L., & Wahba, M. A. (1975). Expectancy theory as a predictor of work motivation, effort expenditure, and
job performance. Academy of Management Journal, 18(3), 520–537. https://doi.org/10.2307/255682
Reisinger, Y. (2013). Transformational tourism: Tourist perspectives. CABI.
Rosenbaum, M. S., & Wong, I. A. (2015). Green marketing programs as strategic initiatives in hospitality. Journal of
Services Marketing, 29(2), 81–92. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-07-2013-0167
Rubin, D. C., & Corbett, S. (1982). Adaptation-level theory and the free recall of mixed-frequency lists. Bulletin of the
Psychonomic Society, 20(1), 27–29. https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03334792
Ruiz-Molina, M.-E., & Gil-Saura, I. (2008). Perceived value, customer attitude and loyalty in retailing. Journal of Retail
& Leisure Property, 7(4), 305–314. https://doi.org/10.1057/rlp.2008.21
Shen, S. (2014). Intention to revisit traditional folk events: A case study of Qinhuai Lantern Festival. International
Journal of Tourism Research, 16(5), 513–520. https://doi.org/10.1002/jtr.1949
Sigala, M. (2014). Customer involvement in sustainable supply chain management: A research framework and impli-
cations in tourism. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 55(1), 76–88. https://doi.org/10.1177/1938965513504030
Straughan, R. D., & Roberts, J. A. (1999). Environmental segmentation alternatives: A look at green consumer behav-
ior in the new millennium. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 16(6), 558–575. https://doi.org/10.1108/
07363769910297506
Sweeney, J. C., & Soutar, G. N. (2001). Consumer perceived value: The development of a multiple item scale. Journal
of Retailing, 77(2), 203–220. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-4359(01)00041-0
Tolkes, C., & Butzmann, E. (2018). Motivating pro-sustainable behavior: The potential of green events—A case-study
from the Munich Streetlife Festival. Sustainability, 10(10), 3731–3715. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10103731
Tommy, D. A. (2013). When a music festival goes veggie: Communication and environmental impacts of an innova-
tive food strategy. International Journal of Event and Festival Management, 4(3), 224–235.
Triandis, H. C. (1977). Interpersonal behaviour. Brook/Cole.
Un, A. (2015). Environmentally friendly utensils favored by food festival exhibitors. Retrieved July 20, 2019, from
https://macaudailytimes.com.mo
Wan, Y. K. P., & Bramwell, B. (2015). Political economy and the emergence of a hybrid mode of governance of tour-
ism planning. Tourism Management, 50, 316–327. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2015.03.010
Wan, Y. K. P., Chan, S. H. J., & Huang, H. L. W. (2017). Environmental awareness, initiatives and performance in the
hotel industry of Macau. Tourism Review, 72(1), 87–103. https://doi.org/10.1108/TR-06-2016-0016
Wang, J. (2017). Perceptions of individual behavior in green event—From the theory of planned behavior perspec-
tive. American Journal of Industrial and Business Management, 07(08), 973–988. https://doi.org/10.4236/ajibm.
2017.78070
Wang, S., Wang, J., Li, J., & Yang, F. (2020). Do motivations contribute to local residents’ engagement in pro-envir-
onmental behaviors? Resident-destination relationship and pro-environmental climate perspective. Journal of
Sustainable Tourism, 28(6), 834–852. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2019.1707215
Whitfield, J., & Dioko, L. A. N. (2012). Measuring and examining the relevance of discretionary corporate social
responsibility in tourism: Some preliminary evidence from the U.K. conference sector. Journal of Travel Research,
51(3), 289–302. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287511418369
Wigfield, A., & Eccles, J. S. (2000). Expectancy–value theory of achievement motivation. Contemporary Educational
Psychology, 25(1), 68–81. https://doi.org/10.1006/ceps.1999.1015
Wolf, I. D., Ainsworth, G. B., & Crowley, J. (2017). Transformative travel as a sustainable market niche for protected
areas: A new development, marketing and conservation model. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 25(11),
1650–1673. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2017.1302454
Wong, I. A., & Tang, S. L. W. (2016). Linking travel motivation and loyalty in sporting events: The mediating roles of
event involvement and experience, and the moderating role of spectator type. Journal of Travel & Tourism
Marketing, 33(1), 63–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2015.1038417
Wong, I. A., Wan, Y. K. P., & Qi, S. (2015). Green events, value perceptions, and the role of consumer involvement in
festival design and performance. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 23(2), 294–315. https://doi.org/10.1080/
09669582.2014.953542
Wong, I. A., Xu, Y. H., Tan, X. S., & Wen, H. (2019). The boundary condition of travel satisfaction and the mediating
role of destination image: The case of event tourism. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 25(2), 207–224. https://doi.
org/10.1177/1356766718763691
Xu, F., Huang, L., & Whitmarsh, L. (2020). Home and away: Cross-contextual consistency in tourists’ pro-environmen-
tal behavior. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2020.1741596.
Yang, F. X. (2020). Social media friending in building coworker guanxi: A study in the hotel industry. International
Journal of Hospitality Management, 84, 102183. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2018.10.020
Zaichkowsky, J. L. (1994). The personal involvement inventory: Reduction, revision, and application to advertising.
Journal of Advertising, 23(4), 59–70. https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.1943.10673459
Zeithaml, V. A. (1988). Consumer perceptions of price, quality, and value: A means-end model and synthesis of evi-
dence. Journal of Marketing, 52(3), 2–22. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224298805200302
Zhang, L., & Tenkasi, R. (2017). A test of the theory of planned behavior: Influencing behavioral change to go green.
Academy of Management Proceedings, 2017(1), 17857. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMBPP.2017.17857abstract
Appendix: Scale items
Scale Item
GE Attitude I think attending a green food festival would be Non-enjoyable / enjoyable
… undesirable / desirable
… unpleasant / pleasant
… foolish / wise
… negative / positive
GE Subjective Norm Most people around me think that attending a green event is important
Most people who are important to me would want me to attend a
green event
People whose opinions I value would prefer that I attend a green event
GE Perceived Behavioral Control Whether or not I attend a green event is completely up to me
I am confident that if I want, I can attend a green event
I have resources, time, and opportunities to attend a green event
GE Value Green food product provides good value for me
You attend the food festival because it is environmental friendly
You attend the food festival because it has more environmental benefits than
other festivals
GE Intention I am likely to attend a food festival that is green
I am likely to attend a food festival that practices food waste management
I am likely to attend a food festival that offers green food
I am likely to attend a food festival that offers green education program
GE Involvement Locally produced food being the focus of the festival
The provision of organic food
The provision of vegetarian food
The use of compostable and reusable dishes and flatware
Being able to bring our utensils
Provide education program about green lives
Offer green related themes
Offer green materials used for the decoration of displays or stalls
Provide simple decor to reduce unnecessary decoration
The availability of shuttle buses
The availability of public transport
Offer entertainments that promote a green culture
Offer cooking smoke-free environment
Offer second-hand smoke-free environment
Pro-environmental behavior Willing to consume different types of green food
Willing to join waste management activities
Willing to learn better pollution control and energy use
Willing to engage in green education programs

Green Event Directed Pro Environmental Behavior An Application of Goal Systems Theory

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Green Event Directed Pro Environmental Behavior An Application of Goal Systems Theory

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Journal of Sustainable Tourism

ISSN: (Print) (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rsus20

Green event directed pro-environmental behavior:

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/09669582.2020.1770770

Published online: 26 May 2020.

Submit your article to this journal

Article views: 1004

View related articles

View Crossmark data

Citing articles: 7 View citing articles

Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at

Green event directed pro-environmental behavior:

ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY

According to the TPB, an individual’s behavioral intention is a function of his/her subjective

Hypothesis 5: Green event patronage intention is positively related to pro-environmental behavior.

The moderation of involvement

The moderation of past behavior

Table 1. Correlations and descriptive statistics.

Figure 1. Research framework - green event directed pro-environmental behavior model.

Table 2. Results of parameter estimates.

Figure 4. Past experience by GE intention interaction on pro-environmental behavior.

dependent variable, supporting both hypotheses. Hypotheses 8 and 9 propose a moderation

Limitations and future research directions

Appendix: Scale items

You might also like