WAKE-UP CALL
Welcome to
the September 2008 Wake-Up Call, Awake’s monthly newsletter for research and
news about behaviour change for sustainability.
To
view this newsletter as a webpage, click here
In this
edition of Wake-up Call…
·
Feature Article – Why do we care?
·
Awake in “The Age” – What Makes a Green-Collar Worker?
·
60 seconds with… Mae Ercolani from EPA Victoria
·
Interesting Article of
the Month – Forecasting
Psychological Consequences of Car Use Reduction
·
Exercise of the Month –
Why Do You Care?
Feature Article – Why Do We Care?
After scanning
the room at a recent sustainability function, a friend observed that “greenies
certainly look and smell a lot nicer these days, don’t they?” It’s true that not all people interested in
sustainability are tree-hugging hippies, especially as green issues become more
mainstream.
There are,
in fact, a variety of reasons why people
are dedicated to working towards a more sustainable future. A key researcher in the area, Stern, Dietz &
Kalof identify 3 distinct categories of environmental concern. The first of these is an egoistic
orientation, which is based on the implications to oneself of environmental
degradation. Someone with this concern
may say “I am worried that sea level rises may affect the value of my coastal
property”. The second category
identified is altruistic orientation, which relates to a concern for society as
a whole. These people might be concerned
for the impact of climate change on world poverty levels. Finally, biospheric orientation relates to a
concern for all forms of life. This is likely to result in being worried about
species loss for instance.
It is
important to note that these types of environmental concern are not unrelated,
and indeed many people are concerned for all three reasons to some extent. It could also be argued that they are not
mutually exclusive concerns. For instance, many believe that a loss of
biodiversity will upset fragile eco-systems, resulting in a dire consequences
for society, which could well affect their weekly food bill. But it also appears that, for most of us, one
of these concerns is at the forefront of our minds more than others when we
think about environmental issues (see Exercise of the Month
below).
Research
into the sources of these different orientations has led Schultz
and others to conclude that they are largely a result of different values that
we hold. For instance, unsurprisingly,
those with a self-centred set of values are more likely to have an egoistic
focus in their concern for environmental problems. Their primary concern is
“how will this affect me”?
The next
question is, how does this relate to our behaviour? Theoretically, one would expect that we would
carry out a behaviour if we thought it would protect something we value
highly. However, the results of research
into this area are not so clear cut.
Stern’s team found that the type of environmental concern which people
displayed did not make any difference to their willingness to engage in
political action to protect the environment.
However, people were more likely to accept paying taxes to protect the
environment if they felt that they would be personally affected (an egoistic
orientation). Other researchers have
found that a biospheric orientation is a fairly consistent predictor of
pro-environment behaviour, whereas mixed results have been found for the other
orientations. One possible conclusion
from this finding is that a concern for the natural environment is the most
self-less orientation and therefore likely to result in behaviours which can
sometimes require some sacrifice and inconvenience.
So, why
does any of this matter? Some would
argue that it does not matter why people act to protect the environment, as
long as they get on board. This argument
is often extended to the motive for an organisation to become involved in
environmental initiatives. Bob Willard,
author of the Sustainability
Advantage and other books, is one who draws the distinction between
companies who get involved for compliance or financial reasons, and those who
do it because it is a passion, and the right thing to do. His advice is not to worry too much about why
they are doing it, as long as they do it.
However,
sustainability advocates can benefit from understanding the reasons why people
may be concerned about the environment, in order to tailor their message. For instance, if a group voices concern for
the environment because the drought is costing jobs in the agricultural
sector, then efforts to restrict carbon
emissions must show how this will benefit society and the economy, not just
polar bears. Any benefit offered must
take into consideration the orientation which this group is operating through.
While
techniques such as surveys and market research can assist in identifying the
predominant reason why people care about the environment, the key message is
that sustainability advocates need to consider all forms of environmental
motive in designing their communications.
The more people feel like “they are speaking to me”, the more they will
enrol in the changes being requested of them.
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Awake provides psychology-based services to support the development of
sustainable behaviour in individuals, groups and organisations. Visit www.awake.com.au
for more info
Awake in “The Age” – What Makes a Green-Collar
Worker?
A recent
Environment & Sustainability Careers feature in The Age newspaper included
an article by Tim Cotter which looked at the characteristics which attract
people to pursuing a career in the green field.
The feature is not online at The Age, but you can read the article at www.awake.com.au/greencollar.html
60 Seconds with… Mae Ercolani, from EPA Victoria
What first
got you focused on sustainability?
It’s been a
long-term thing, so there is no real point at which I got focused on it. Traveling has raised my awareness of it,
seeing how
What is the
sustainable choice you have recently made of which you are most proud?
Taking
short showers. I’ve been much more aware
of this since moving from the
What is a
less sustainable choice that you are not so proud of?
Going to
the grocery store and ending up with more packaging than I would prefer. Sometimes it is a real challenge to keep
aware and educated about the environmental impact of products.
Research Article of the Month – Forecasting
Psychological Consequences of Car Use Reduction
Where?
Forecasting
Psychological Consequences of Car Use Reduction: A Challenge to an
Environmental Psychology of Transportation.
Garling T ,
Garling A & Loukopoulos P (2002) Applied
Psychology: An International Review, 51
(1), 90–106
What is it about?
This study
looks at a future where various global factors result in a significant
reduction in private car use. While
most analyses focus on economic and infrastructure implications, this study
provides a prediction of the psychological consequences for people.
What did
they find?
A
significant aspect of the way we have organised our life is dependent on
private car use – where we live, what leisure activities we pursue, the nature
of our relationships. If we were to experience
significant reduction in car use, we would probably leave the house less due to
the longer time it takes to get places on public transport. Our leisure activities would need to change,
and we would need to start cooperating with others more in order to car pool
etc. The psychological consequences
forecasted by the authors include the stress from perceived loss of control and
autonomy. However benefits are also noted,
including the reduction in noise pollution and car accidents.
What can we
take from this?
Many
believe that we have no choice but to reduce our dependence on the car in order
to meet the environmental and energy challenges of the future. This article provides an interesting overview
of the way our lives will need to change in order to adapt to the new kind of
community that will exist. Much of the
negative impact appears to be driven by the lack of choice and control we will
experience. By understanding these
changes and their likely impact on our community, perhaps we can takes steps to
prepare people for a new way of living, in order to lower the impact of having
involuntary lifestyle changes forced upon us when the situation is really
desperate.
Exercise of the Month – Why Do You Care?
Following
on from the feature article above, here are a couple of questions to get you
thinking about your primary motivation for protecting the environment.
1.
Complete this sentence: “It is
really important that we act to protect the environment, because….”
2.
Thinking about your interest in
protecting the environment, which of the following comes closest to your
primary reason…
a.
Because I rely upon a healthy
environment for the wellbeing and prosperity of myself and my family
b.
Because the ability of current and
future generations to experience life as we know it is under threat
c.
Because of the threat to
biodiversity and potential extinction of many species
If you
answered A, this may indicate an egoistic orientation, Answer B suggests an
altruistic orientation, while C equates to a biospheric orientation.
The
exercise of the month provides a tool to help you get engaged, inspired, aware
and in action around sustainability. Feel free to use it on your own,
with a friend, or in your work. If you do use it with others, please tell
them where you got it!
About Awake
Awake
provides psychology-based services to support the development of sustainable
behaviour in individuals, groups and organisations. Visit www.awake.com.au
for more info
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© Awake 2008