Today, more than ever, curbing the environmental impact of individual behavior is essential. An increasingly researched approach among academics and social marketers is to use various types of short-term nature interventions to encourage pro-environmental behavior. While some of these interventions refer to humans' relationship with nature, there is a lack of understanding regarding their conceptual design and actual effectiveness. We address this gap in the literature by using the environmental identity framework to explain why interventions directly targeting individuals’ relationship with nature can be an effective strategy to boost pro-environmental behaviors. Our six studies implement interventions in the form of messages focusing on the core relational aspect of environmental identity, test their effects on pro-environmental behavioral tendencies and explore their underlying mechanisms. The online and laboratory experiments using different types of stimuli, population samples and behavioral measures converge to confirm the effectiveness of the proposed interventions. The findings carry substantial implications regarding the framing of such interventions and offer practical suggestions for educators, policymakers, and marketers who wish to promote pro-environmental behaviors.
