Changes in life style and energy usage
The project is bases on an understanding of lifestyle as very deep structures that are difficult to change. The question then is how are changes possible. In order to give some answers to that the project has analysed an energy saving project that was held 1990-92 in a smaller community.
The project is a part of a longer project (3 years in total) and is based on the results from the Ph.D.-study 'lifestyle, behavior and energy use'. The aim of the new project is to analyze if and to what extent participation in energy and environmental-related activities in communities and neighbourhoods and at places of work can lead to changes in the perception of energy use and environmental issues and thereby to changes in the actual life style of the individuals and their families. The assumption is that experience is socially constructed and that it can perhaps be altered through participation in communities. Another assumption is that is it very difficult to achieve changes in life styles as it is the profound social identity that is at stake. During the last 5-10 years many initiatives have been taken to investigate how to involve individuals in energy and environmental related activities. This has been done in municipalities and at workplaces such as, for instance, in the public sector. The project concentrates on two specific initiatives; one in a municipality in Northern Jutland where 50-60 families in the beginning of the nineties participated in a two-year project analyzing how much the families could reduce their energy use for heating, electricity and transport. The families produced monthly reports on their energy consumption and recieved specific and general advice about how to make improvements in their homes and how much altered behavior would reduce the energy use. The other project focuses on the activities to run energy management in the public institutions in a county. These activities to some extent involve the employees as emphasis is on behavioral changes and as some of the investment in energy savings affect the physical surroundings on the workplace. Through qualitative interviews with participants from the two types of activities it will be analyzed if activities in communities can lead to reflexion on the individual energy use and if that leads to changes in life style
During the 90'es the notion of lifestyle has become widely used within debates about energy use and environmental matters as well as in research in this field. The idea is to identify elements in the modern way of life that causes high energy consumption and environmental problems. The hope is by identifying the causes it will be possible to alter them in a more sustainable direction. The crucial point is the understanding of the notion lifestyle. The project is bases on an understanding of lifestyle as very deep structures that are difficult to change. The question then is how are changes possible. In order to give some answers to that the project has analysed an energy saving project that was held 1990-92 in a smaller community. An energy watch club was formed with 60-40 families participating. The families registered and reported their monthly energy use to the club and received a feed-back about their effort in comparison with the other participants. Information, motivation and transfer of knowledge about energy technologies were essential. The project had very good result while running but the interesting question is whether the, intense information and motivation activities led to long lasting reductions in energy use among the participant and in one can characterise these as lifestyle changes 15 families were contacted and the development in their energy use has been analysed. The result is that very few of the families had very low energy uses before, during and after the project. Some families achieved very good results during the project and have been able to continue the effort. But the majority is back on the same level as before the project or even higher. In other words, the analyse shows that despite a massive support it is very difficult to continue the effort. The theory of social ritual are used to explain the short time good results and the decline in the long run. By participating in a group, meeting with the others a feeling of commitment and belonging to the same idea was created. The result was a feeling of emotional strength with enabled the participants to do what they could never have achieved on their own. By the end of the project the community ceased, and the families were on their own again. Other explanations that are analysed are the dynamics in consumption that pull towards higher energy use despite technological improvement in appliances etc. It is also discussed what lifestyle changes should imply; is it just the direct energy use or also the indirect, embodied the goods etc. Finally the project discusses to what extend different groups are willing to make lifestyle changes
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| Partner | Subsidy | Auto financing |
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Contact
Linnesgade 22
DK-1361 København K, Denmark
Gundelach, Peter (prof.), 35323280, susanne.kuehn@sociology.ku.dk
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