• about up2u
    Marine litter has been a problem in the South Texas Coastal area. A non-profit known as the Nueces River Authority created a campaign known as Up To You (Up2U), whose mission is to involve more participation in cleanups, distribute their mesh reusable trash bags, and educate the community and visitors that visit the marine environments on littering.


  • objective
    The objective of this research is to reevaluate the current outreach system
    to communicate not only to residents but visitors as well, in order to increase involvement in the current program.

  • approach
    By using the Transtheoretical Model of Change to evaluate motivations and measure change, this will aid in creating an environmental health campaign that will educate individuals on how to be more litter conscious than they currently are while spending time at the beach.

    Human-centered design research methods will be used to analyze this research in order to discover possible solutions for expanding their user participation and knowledge of the program.
Depending on the store's preferences, a store could distribute one or all three of the new color-coded bag systems that represent the different types of trash. Each bag would have a unique label speaking to the type of trash that it should be filled with as well as the three-step process for getting involved in this campaign.
The three steps for getting involved are #FILLUP, #SHOWUP, and #PARTNERUP. For the first step #FILLUP, users are guided with the type of items that the bag should be filled with. It also depicts the iconography of the items that should go into the bag. Giving a beachgoer or fisherman a bag allows for them to do their part in keeping the environment clean during their visit.
Once a person has actively used the Up2U bags during their visit, Step 2 or #SHOWUP instructs that the bag be emptied into its corresponding trash receptacle. Along the beach, the current barrels used for trash are all blue; color-coding these barrels to align with the bags will allow for recycling to be brought to the beaches as well as it would feature matching branding that a person would see when passing by.
When a person is ready to dispose of the trash in their bag, they will go to their nearest trash receptacle station where there will be a sign displayed that illustrates how to show their support on social media. A user would take a picture or video with their filled-up bags being properly disposed of and post that picture on to their social media platform.
By posting their picture users become actively engaged in step three #PARTNERUP. Users who wish to share their support and show their contribution to keeping these areas clean would post to social media and use the #Up2U tag on their post as well as they will tag one of the partnered sponsors that they can receive a reward from. The partners will be featured on the back side of the bag's label with their social media handle in order to make tagging their partner store easier.
Participants can choose their partner store so that they get to choose the type of reward they want to opt-in to. Stores that wish to partner with the Up2U campaign would be given storefront stickers to place on the window or door of their business so that they can be identified as a partner store to receive a reward for participating. Grocery stores, convenience stores, bait, and fishing stores that are permit issuers will be given stickers to place on the window of their businesses explaining that they have these free reusable litter bags and to ask for a bag inside the store.
research team
Chelsea Wechsler
Principal Investigator
Grayson Lawrence, MFA
Thesis Supervisor
Dr. Tricia Burke
Thesis Second Reader
project type
Design Research
UX
thesis research
Texas State University
Digital Collection:

Up2U Full Thesis
photography
Chelsea Wechsler
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