Facilitating Sustainable Consumption: Promoting the link between Environmental Impact and Wellbeing

A Research Proposal by Regan Phillips, supervised by Dr Sally Russell

Introduction Hart (1997) argued that only technology can reduce human impact on the Earth (I=PAT*) however I believe a consumption pattern change must come first and would force the corporate sector into greener innovation Using climate change as a lever against environmentally damaging behaviour is too distant from everyday life and doesnt portray the personal health benefits which can be a much stronger motivator (Chatterton, 2009)

Methods I have chosen three parts of the daily routine that everybody in the developed world can relate to: Diet, Transport and the Workplace I will collect quantitative and qualitative data by conducting surveys and holding interviews with selected organisations and individuals and the public, I will use descriptive statistics to display my results My questioning will revolve around how people consume, why they consume the way they do and if they would take up pro-environmental behaviours if shown how it can benefit their personal wellbeing Limitations To ensure I collect truthful data and conclude with valuable solutions I will need to eradicate social desirability bias when collecting my data (Pedregon et al, 2012)

We are encouraged to Think Global, Act Local whereas this research will use the impacts on personal wellbeing as instigators for sustainable consumption My research will be aimed at everybody in modern society and will identify if using alternative messages to promote sustainable behaviour is the key to facilitating a sustainable consumption revolution

Diet
I will be addressing the benefits associated with local, organic produce compared to imported foods, looking at which foods support both a healthy diet and the environment whilst highlighting the issues with food imports (Saba, 2003).

Transport
The transport sector is a key contributor to air pollution and the demand for non renewables (Redman et al, 2013). I will target this sector by analysing alternative methods of transport and amplifying their variety of benefits.

Workplace
The link between employee satisfaction and Corporate Citizenship is evident (Paille & Boiral, 2013). My research will focus on what motivates pro-environmental behaviour in the workplace and how it can become a descriptive norm.

References: Chatterton T J, Coulter A, Musselwhite C, Lyons G & Clegg S (2009) Understanding how transport choices are affected by the environment and health: Views expressed in a study on the use of carbon calculators. Public Health, 123, p45-e49; Hart, S. L (1997) Beyond Greening: Strategies for a Sustainable World. Harvard Business Review, 75, p67-76; Paille P & Boiral O (2013) Pro-Environmental Behaviour at work: Construct Validity and Determinants. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 36, p118-128; Redman L, Friman M, Garling T & Hartig T (2013) Quality attributes of public transport that attract car users: A Research review. Transport Policy, 25, p119-127; Saba A & Messina F (2003) Attitudes Towards Organic Foods and risk/benefit perception associated with pesticides. Food Quality and Preference, 14, p637-645; Pedregon C A, Farley R L, Davis A, Wood J (2012) Social Desirability, Personality Questionnaires, and the Better than Average effect Personality and Individual Differences 52, p213-217

*Where I=PAT is Human Impact = Population x Affluence (consumption) x Technology (Hart, 1997)