Scientists and policymakers recognize the need to address consumption and lifestyles in order to reconcile environmental and development agendas. Sustainability-oriented grassroots initiatives emerge bottom-up to create opportunities for sustainable lifestyles; yet no prior assessment has ascertained the efficacy of their members to reduce carbon footprints (CF) and enhance well-being. We compare the CF of non-members and members of grassroots initiatives in the domains of food, clothing, housing and transport. We further compare the groups by testing the influence of socio-economic variables that are typically associated with both footprint and well-being. Here we show that grassroots initiative members have 16% lower total carbon footprint, and 43% and 86% lower carbon footprints for food and clothing respectively, compared to their "non-member" regional socio-demographic counterparts. We find a higher adoption of some energy-saving behaviors for initiative members such as greater active travel distance and lower indoor temperatures in the winter, yet no significant differences in the CF of housing and transport. Interestingly, increases in income are not associated with increases in the total CF of members, while the influence of income is confirmed for the CF of the total sample. Instead, factors such as age, household size, and gender better explain the variation in the domain-specific CFs of initiative members. Finally, members show higher life satisfaction compared to non-members and are 11-13% more likely to evaluate their life positively. Our results suggest that initiative members uncover lifestyle features that not only enable lower emissions, but also reconcile emissions with income and well-being.
Environmental problems have been perceived as more worrying when they take place at greater distances. This phenomenon has been called “environmental hyperopia” (Uzzell, 2000; Uzzell, Rice, Ballantyne, & Podlucká, 1994). Some studies have demonstrated that local environmental problems are perceived as being less important than the problems generated in other places, such as global warming or Amazon deforestation, unless the problem leads to an immediate risk. This article is part of a broader research programme, which tries to analyse the most relevant variables in the formation of pro‐environmental attitudes. More precisely, our intention is to explore the difference between attitudes about local and global environments. We present a study of the assessment of several environmental problems, in which 12 scales measured the importance given to these problems by a sample of students. The results were analysed with multidimensional methods, allowing us to establish temporal and space dimensions in the perception of environmental problems. The conclusions allowed us not only to explore the social representation of environmental problems, but also to establish priorities and recommendations for future environmental education programmes.
Large organizations are responsible for a significant amount of GHG emissions. This trend will even increase over the next 100 years. An issue for environmental research is the investigation of the factors promoting or hindering the transition to more sustainable energy behaviors in the workplace. This study is part of a larger project, funded under the EU-FP7 program, called "Low Carbon at Work" (LOCAW). We present the results of a qualitative study assessing the existing everyday behaviors in two large-scale organizations: an Italian-based multinational renewable energy producer, and a Spanish public university (The University of A Coruña). Data obtained by interviews with key-informers and focus groups were content analyzed, using ATLAS.ti. Results indicate many commonalities and some differences between the two case studies. Working in a green anergy company leads individuals to be more sensitized about environmental issues, although a core thematic category refers to the concept that energy-related behaviors "rely on individual feeling". Data from the University of A Coruña suggest this organization has the right values and objectives, but it does not always adequately implement organizational policies to support sustainable energy use among students and employees. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed
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