The contribution of schools to foster students’ sustainable consumption: building a culture of sustainable consumption
Matthias Barth Daniel Fischer Claudia Nemnich Institute for Environmental and Sustainability Communication Leuphana University of Lüneburg BINK – Educational Institutions and Sustainable Consumption
www.konsumkultur.de
The Rationale: Let‘s talk about Sustainable Consumption
Sustainable consumption as the use of goods and services that respond to basic needs bring a better quality of life minimise environmental impacts over the life cycle
The aspect of social justice Very high consumption patterns in certain parts of the world basic consumer needs of a large section of humanity are not being met
Action needed according to Agenda 21 develop a better understanding of the role of consumption promote patterns of sustainable consumption
BINK – Educational Institutions and Sustainable Consumption
«Was one to globalise the average German lifestyle, we would need an additional three globes»
www.konsumkultur.de
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The Rationale: What Schools have to do with it
Key role of education and especially schools for contributing towards such a change consumption‐related educational opportunities (formal learning) places in which consumption takes place (informal learning)
Relevance of the target group students, more than other age groups, define themselves by their consumption styles Consumption styles are more fluid and not that stable than in other age groups
How can schools contribute to the promotion of sustainable consumption among students? BINK – Educational Institutions and Sustainable Consumption
www.konsumkultur.de
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Aims of the project Fostering and enabling individual sustainable consumption Promotion of an institutional culture of sustainable consumption
Approach of the project Initiating of institutional change processes to change individual behavior Institutional sustainable culture of consumption and individual sustainable consumer competency as goals of transdisciplinary planned interventions
Key actors Transdiciplinary collaboration of research partners and educational institutions
BINK – Educational Institutions and Sustainable Consumption
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individual
institutional
Research Project: Schools and the Promotion of Sustainable Consumption
changes
Partners in Research Partners in Practice www.konsumkultur.de
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Background: Framework of Action Analytical framework «Schools‘ Culture of Consumption« Theoretical Grounding
Theorizing within the theory of school culture
Adaption towards the domain of consumption
Specification for different types of schools
BINK – Educational Institutions and Sustainable Consumption
www.konsumkultur.de
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Background: Framework of Action Analytical framework «Schools‘ Culture of Consumption« Theoretical Grounding
Specification in transdisciplinary collaboration processes
Transdiciplinary discussion of the theoretical framework
Adoption for the specific schools
Trial with partners of practice in institutional workshops
BINK – Educational Institutions and Sustainable Consumption
www.konsumkultur.de
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Background: Framework of action Analytical framework «Schools‘ Culture of Consumption« Theoretical Grounding
Specification in transdisciplinary collaboration processes
Empirical study with additional schools as reference framework
Study of drivers and barriers for implementation processes as well as findings for a judging of the relevance of the different aspects of schools‘ culture of consumption
BINK – Educational Institutions and Sustainable Consumption
Empirical Validation
Context ursächliche Bedingungen
Culture of Consumption Intervenierende Bedingungen
Consequences
Strategies www.konsumkultur.de
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Consequences for schools: From an abstract Model… Institutional Culture of Consumption
PP Setting of goals Analysis of Culture of Consumption Collection of Ideas for Interventions Recommen‐ dations from empirical studies Recommen‐ dations from scholarly literatur
PR
IV 1
Sustainable Culture of Consumption
IV 2
Sustainable Consumption Competency
IV 3
Sustainable Consumption Awareness
IV 4
IV 5
MI
Psychological Factors Individual
BINK – Educational Institutions and Sustainable Consumption
Sustainable Consumer Behaviour
Consequences for schools: … towards specific action in school
Analysis of the institution‘s Culture of Consumption State of the art in the different fields of the theoretical model Discussion of blind spots
Participatory setting of objectives Formulating of overall objectives and specific goals Prioritizing specific goals
Development of an «intervention package» Development of individual activities Prioritizing and selecting of a set of interventions
BINK – Educational Institutions and Sustainable Consumption
www.konsumkultur.de
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The Rationale: What Schools have to do with it Conclusion and Outlook: Where do we go to?
First wave of interventions starting in September
Measurement of the state of the art of Key role of education andculture consumption («baseline») especially schools for contributing towards such a change consumption‐related educational opportunities Sets of intervention planned and Monitoring and evaluating (formal learning) organised at the moment in preperation places in which consumption takes place (informal learning)
Action needed according to Agenda 21 develop a better understanding of the role of consumption promote patterns of sustainable consumption
BINK – Educational Institutions and Sustainable Consumption
www.konsumkultur.de
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Visit us: www.konsumkultur.de (Information available in English and German)
Contact Matthias Barth Institute for Environmental and Sustainability Communication Leuphana University of Germany
[email protected] BINK – Educational Institutions and Sustainable Consumption
www.konsumkultur.de
