How can communities support the change towards a more sustainable lifestyle? Experiences of a participatory research
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15170/MM.2023.57.01.02Keywords:
sustainability, consumption, participatory research, eco-clubAbstract
THE AIMS OF THE PAPER
The deepening global-scale ecological crisis poses a significant threat for contemporary societies, while the connection between climate change and consumerism is widely recognised. Despite the much needed adaptation of sustainable lifestyles, behaviour change is hindered by multiple barriers. The present research focuses on the actual behaviour and its change and presents the importance of communities for encouraging a sustainable lifestyle, while emphasizing the potential of participatory research.
METHODOLOGY
Participatory research was conducted with young, educated people in Budapest by organising so called eco-clubs. The qualitative data analysis was based on varied sources, such as preliminary questionnaires on sustainable behaviour, online video recordings and transcripts of eco-club meetings, weekly measurements of sustainable behaviour, individual reflection texts and in-depth interviews.
MOST IMPORTANT RESULTS
Our research results suggest the importance of communities in pursuing a sustainable lifestyle. The eco-club helped participants with theoretical and practical knowledge, while also served as a tool for consumer empowerment. In addition, our research revealed the typical reasons for the gap between sustainable intention and behaviour, as well as the factors that help and hinder the pursuit of a sustainable lifestyle. Furthermore, our study clearly indicates the usefulness of participatory research in the examination of sustainable lifestyles and consumption.
RECOMMENDATIONS
According to our results, consumers need help to develop and maintain sustainable practices, which can come from actors of the public, civil and corporate spheres. The results of our research argue in favour of sustainability-related communities. From a research methodology point of view, we recommend the use of participatory research for a deeper understanding of the topic.
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