How do we change behaviour in a consumerist society?

By Peter Newton, Swinburne University of Technology Many Australians are happy to declare their interest in sustainability, to reducing their environmental impact. But how many of them are prepared to reduce the amount they actually consume? We recently explored whether Australian households have an “attitude-action gap” on environment and consumption. We surveyed 1200 Melbourne households, examining attitudes, intentions and opinions related to the environment and urban living. We also recorded objective data on actual household consumption of energy, water, housing space, urban travel and domestic appliances. It’s not uncommon being a material green Three lifestyle segments emerged: a majority (40.3%) …

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Ikea Targets Energy and Resource Independence by 2020

Source: Environmental Leader, Oct 23 2012 Ikea today announced a plan to become energy and resource independent by 2020, which includes constructing $2.4 billion of wind and solar projects. The retailer’s new sustainability strategy, dubbed People … continue reading on: Environmental Leader

Sustainability Business to hold 2013 event in conjunction with the Australian Making Cities Liveable Conference

The ‘Taking Care of Business: Sustainable Transformation’ Conference in 2013 will be held in Melbourne,  in Conjunction with the Australian Making Cities Liveable Conference. Our event will bring together ‘green economy’ leaders and sustainabilty practitioners from Australia and New Zealand along with the opportunity to network with others who are building profitable and sustainable business models, services and products. The conference will update delegates on a range of effective sustainable business practises including energy saving and carbon pricing. We will examine Governments’ sustainability plans  while finding business opportunities and trends in the sector. The Conference will include presentations on: Green …

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New Solar Customers Left Empty Handed in NSW

People wanting to install solar panels on their roof in NSW will have no incentive to do so as a result of the planned changes by the State Government to its Solar Bonus Scheme. The Alternative Technology Association (ATA) is also concerned about the cut to the feed-in tariff of existing solar customers, which will add another two years to the payback time for their solar systems. Damien Moyse, the ATA’s energy projects and policy manager, said there was currently no replacement to the feed-in tariff scheme for new customers – despite the fact that NSW once had a viable …

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