Moral, wasteful, frugal, or thrifty? Identifying consumer identities to understand and manage pro-environmental behaviour

Moral motives are important for pro-environmental behavior. But such behavior is not only motivated by moral or environmental concerns. We examined what higher order motives, other than morality, may be important for understanding pro-environmental behavior, by studying consumer identities. In three studies (N = 877) four consumer identities were distinguished: moral, wasteful, frugal, and thrifty. Frugal and moral consumer identities were most salient and were the strongest predictors of pro-environmental behaviors, but in different ways. Frugality, which is related to, but distinct from thriftiness, was particularly important for behaviors associated with waste reduction of any kind (including money). The findings suggest that people adopt the same behavior for different reasons, in ways consistent with their consumer identities. People manage multiple consumer identities simultaneously, and environmental policy is likely to be more effective if it addresses these multiple identities

Environmentally conscious consumption patterns in Hungarian households

This article provides a comprehensive review of the literature on the theoretical aspects of sustainable consumption. The conditions for consumers’ social responsibility and the formation of environmentally conscious behavior patterns will also be discussed, along with possible methods for motivating behavioral changes. The authors have completed a primary research study with the purpose of surveying environmentally conscious consumption patterns in Hungary. They also examined how the provision of appropriate information and the raising of awareness might encourage sustainable consumption. According to their findings, the respondents’ knowledge on environmentally conscious behavior was rather limited, and reinforcement was needed in identifying appropriate activity alternatives. This paper provides a summary of the qualitative research phase which employed in-depth interviews, logging and focus groups. The consecutive application of these methods enabled the authors to keep track of the process and the consequences of raising awareness

Facilitating positive spillover effects: new insights from a mixed-methods approach exploring factors enabling people to live more sustainable lifestyles

Positive spillover occurs when changes in one behavior influence changes in subsequent behaviors. Evidence for such spillover and an understanding of when and how it may occur are still limited. This paper presents findings of a 1-year longitudinal behavior change project led by a commercial retailer in the United Kingdom and Ireland to examine behavior change and potential spillover of pro-environmental behavior, and how this may be associated with changes in environmental identity and perceptions of ease and affordability as well as perceptions of how participation in the project has helped support behavior change. We draw on both quantitative and qualitative data. Study 1 examines quantitative data from the experimental and a matched control group. Study 2 reports qualitative findings from a follow up interview study with participants of the experimental group. As expected, we found significant changes in reported pro-environmental behavior and identity in the experimental group as well as some indications of behavioral spillover. These changes were not significantly associated with changes in environmental identity. The interviews suggested that group dynamics played an important role in facilitating a sense of efficacy and promoting sustained behavior change and spillover. Moreover, the support by a trusted entity was deemed to be of crucial importance

Above and beyond? How businesses can drive sustainable development by promoting lasting pro-environmental behaviour change: an examination of the IKEA Live Lagom project

Current global changes require new business approaches driving sustainable development on all fronts. To date, most business approaches have focused on sustainable marketing and corporate social responsibility initiatives. In this field study, we examine IKEA’s Live Lagom project, a three year behaviour change initiative that aimed to explore how to go above and beyond conventional approaches demonstrating how businesses could support sustainable development by supporting their customers’ attempts to live more sustainable lifestyles. We examined the effectiveness of the project involving multi-faceted behaviour change interventions, testing for behavioural changes both during and after the project period. In addition, we explored changes in participants’ attitudes towards the company. Findings show that the extensive set of interventions led to changes in pro-environmental behaviours across all three participant groups with potentially positive impacts on the customer-company relationship. The article thus provides a call for further businesses to engage in similar behaviour change projects that would allow citizens to engage in more sustainable lifestyles and behaviours across contexts

One More Awareness Gap? The Behaviour–Impact Gap Problem

Preceding research has made hardly any attempt to measure the ecological impacts of pro-environmental behaviour in an objective way. Those impacts were rather supposed or calculated. The research described herein scrutinized the ecological impact reductions achieved through pro-environmental behaviour and raised the question how much of a reduction in carbon footprint can be achieved through voluntary action without actually affecting the socio-economic determinants of life. A survey was carried out in order to measure the difference between the ecological footprint of “green” and “brown” consumers. No significant difference was found between the ecological footprints of the two groups—suggesting that individual pro-environmental attitudes and behaviour do not always reduce the environmental impacts of consumption. This finding resulted in the formulation of a new proposition called the BIG (behaviour–impact gap) problem, which is an interesting addition to research in the field of environmental awareness gaps

The problematic role of materialistic values in the pursuit of sustainable well-being

Strong materialistic values help to maintain consumer capitalism, but they can have negative consequences for individual well-being, for social equity and for environmental sustainability. In this paper, we add to the existing literature on the adverse consequences of materialistic values by highlighting their negative association with engagement in attitudes and actions that support the achievement of sustainable well-being. To do this, we explore the links between materialistic values and attitudes towards sufficiency (consuming “just enough”) as well as mindfulness (non-judgmental awareness of the present moment) and flow (total immersion in an activity), which have all been linked to increased well-being and more sustainable behaviours. We present results from three correlational studies that examine the association between materialistic values and sufficiency attitudes (Study 1, n = 310), a multi-faceted measure of mindfulness (Study 2, n = 468) and the tendency to experience flow (Study 3, n = 2000). Results show that materialistic values were negatively associated with sufficiency attitudes, mindfulness, and flow experiences. We conclude with practical considerations and suggest next steps for tackling the problematic aspects of materialism and encouraging the development of sustainable well-being

Auswirkungen von Bewirtschaftungsmaßnahmen auf die Treibhausgasemissionen eines kleiüberdeckten Niedermoores

Für die klassische landwirtschaftliche Nutzung von Moorflächen ist die Entwässerung unerlässlich, verursacht aber Emissionen der Treibhausgase (THG) Kohlendioxid (CO2) und Lachgas (N2O). THG-Emissionen aus "echten" Torfböden sind hinsichtlich der Auswirkungen von Hydrologie und Bewirtschaftung gut untersucht, aber es gibt wenig Daten zu THG-Emissionen von überdeckten organischen Böden. Die Mineralbodenhorizonte können entweder anthropogen Ursprungs sein oder sind, z.B. durch die Ablagerung von fluviatilen oder marinen Sedimenten natürlich entstanden. Überdeckte Moorstandorte sind in Nordwestdeutschland und anderen Regionen mit intensiv genutzten Torfgebieten oder (ehemaliger) Überflutungsdynamik weit verbreitet. Hier wollen wir die Auswirkungen der Bewirtschaftung, des Wasserstandes und der Eigenschaften der Kleiauflage auf die Emissionen von CO2, N2O und Methan (CH4) quantifizieren. Das Untersuchungsgebiet wird als Intensivgrünland genutzt (4 bis 5 Schnitte pro Jahr, N-Düngung von 112 bis 157 kg/ha a) und künstlich entwässert. Der Niedermoortorf mit einer Mächtigkeit von 0,6 bis 1,50 m ist mit Klei überdeckt. Es wurden sechs Messstandorte ausgewählt, welche für das Gebiet typische Bedingungen repräsentieren. Die Standorte unterscheiden sich im Gehalt des organischen Bodenkohlenstoffes (SOC) der Kleiauflage (4 – 1 % SOC), im Auftreten eines Pflughorizontes sowie der Entwässerung und der Bewirtschaftung. Wir verwenden manuelle Hauben zur Messung von CO2-, CH4- und N2O-Flüssen. Ganztägige CO2-Messkampagnen mit transparenten und nicht-transparenten Hauben finden je nach Jahreszeit jede dritte oder vierte Woche statt. Gasproben für die Messung der CH4 und N2O-Flüsse werden alle zwei Wochen und zusätzlich am ersten, dritten und siebten Tag nach Düngeranwendung genommen und gaschromatographisch analysiert. Erste Ergebnisse zeigen aufgrund des niedrigen Grundwasserspiegels sehr geringe CH4-Flüsse. Kumulierte N2O-Emissionen spiegeln vor allem die unterschiedlichen Düngergaben wieder, obwohl es im bisherigen Messzeitraum selten N2O-Peaks direkt nach der Düngerapplikation gab. Dies ist wahrscheinlich durch die geringe Bodenfeuchte zu erklären. Hochgerechnet von den Daten der ersten sechs Monaten zeigte sich, dass die N2O-Emissionen des kleiüberdeckten Niedermoores gleiche Größenordnungen wie die Emissionen von „echten“ Torfböden mit vergleichbarer N-Düngung erreichen. Die Ergebnisse der CO2-Messungen des ersten Jahres werden ebenfalls präsentiert werden

Precautionary action against overheating in English homes: What influences householders’ intentions?

Temperate zones including the UK and mainland Europe continue to be exposed to increasing temperatures and more frequent heatwaves as global warming continues. The built environment can mitigate the risk and recommendations for precautionary actions have been published by government and others. A key player in improving resilience is the householder, who determines whether precautionary measures will be installed in their home. Previous research on flooding has applied Protection Motivation Theory to examine determinants of householder engagement. However, flooding risks differ from those of overheating in several ways. The current study builds on this work to address the gap on understanding householder propensity to install precautionary measures against overheating. A large-scale survey (n = 1,007) of householders was conducted in the south of England. The findings show that householders are ill-prepared to deal with predicted temperature rises. While perception of threat risk and severity has an influence on their intention to take action, their appraisal of their ability to make changes, of the effectiveness of the changes and of convenience are stronger factors, particularly for flat dwellers. Policy recommendations include raising awareness of specific measures for mitigation and of effectiveness of recommended actions, and targeting older householders

What is the best way of delivering virtual nature for improving mood?: An experimental comparison of high definition TV, 360º video, and computer generated virtual reality

This is the final version. Available on open access from Elsevier via the DOI in this record. Exposure to ‘real’ nature can increase positive affect and decrease negative affect, but direct access is not always possible, e.g. for people in health/care settings who often experience chronic boredom. In these settings ‘virtual’ forms of nature may also have mood-related benefits (e.g. reducing boredom) but it has been difficult to separate effects of nature content from those of delivery mode. The present laboratory-based study explored whether exposure to three different delivery modes of virtual nature could reduce negative affect (including boredom) and/or increase positive affect. Adult volunteer participants (n = 96) took part in a boredom induction task (to simulate the emotional state of many people in health/care settings) before being randomly assigned to view/ interact with a virtual underwater coral reef in one of three experimental conditions: (a) 2D video viewed on a high-definition TV screen; (b) 3600 video VR (360-VR) viewed via a head mounted display (HMD); or (c) interactive computer-generated VR (CG-VR), also viewed via a HMD and interacted with using a hand-held controller. Visual and auditory content was closely matched across conditions with help from the BBC’s Blue Planet II series team. Supporting predictions, virtual exposure to a coral reef reduced boredom and negative affect and increased positive affect and nature connectedness. Although reductions in boredom and negative affect were similar across all three conditions, CG-VR was associated with significantly greater improvements in positive affect than TV, which were mediated by greater experienced presence and increases in nature connectedness. Results improve our understanding of the importance of virtual nature delivery mode and will inform studies in real care settings.EU Horizon 202