Office for Environmental Programs - Theses
Permanent URI for this collection
Search Results
1 - 6 of 6
-
ItemValues and environment: a review of the literature in environmental behaviour (Research Review)( 2010)In the face of the current environmental situation and climate change crisis as McKenzie-Mohr (2000, p. 544) states "changing individual behaviour is central to achieving a sustainable future". A first step in designing effective strategies to create this change and get people supporting the environmental movement is understanding the empirical work on environmental behaviour. The aim of this paper is to examine two theories that explain the source of human behaviour with respect to the environment: the value orientation theory by Stern and colleagues and the psychological environment behaviour proposed by Wood and Koger.
-
ItemThe pedagogy of sustainable design: an investigation into the influence of sustainable workplaces on occupants( 2007)This research project looked at the influence that working in a sustainable built environment has on occupants. The majority of research in this area has focused on measurable effects of improved design and theoretical studies of social impacts on occupants, with a lack of research investigating this theory on a case study basis. This research project endeavours to help fill this gap, asking how, if at all, people's beliefs, attitudes and practices are affected by their engagement with sustainable built environments. Using semi-structured interviews, participants from three study sites in Melbourne were interviewed. Participants were asked about their perceptions of their I workplace, noting discussions of topics such as behaviour change and environmental awareness. The interviews were informal, allowing participants to explore areas of the most concern to them, leading to rich descriptions of their workplaces. The findings illustrate that people are concerned about workplace design and aware of how this affects them on a daily basis. Pro-environmental behaviour change I influenced by design was seen in all three study sites, as was a desire to maintain a connection with nature through the workplace design. The findings also indicate that the sustainable design of these sites has encouraged a dialogue around environmental sustainability. The insights from this research can be used to better understand the connection people have with the built environment and potentially to improvements in workplace design, with a focus on maximising the educative potential of sustainable built environments.
-
ItemNo Preview Available
-
Item
-
ItemHope, optimism, commitment to beliefs & pro-environmental behaviour: in the search for the links among different Christian traditions( 2013)The relationship between pro-environmental behaviour and the factors that promote it have been a topic of interest for decades. Since White Jr. (1967) proposed the Judeo-Christian tradition was to blame for the state of the environment dropped a bomb on the academic world, the interest took a religious outlook for many within the discussion. Even though there exists a growing body of literature that is exploring the link between hope, optimism and pro-environmental behaviour (Ojala 2012a, Ojala 2007, Ojala 2012c, Ojala 2013, Ojala 2012b), many that look into religious affiliation (Sherkat and Ellison 2007, Holland and Carter 2005), commitment to beliefs (Martin and Bateman 2013) and pro-environmental behaviour, there is a gap in the literature regarding the relationships between all of these variables. The complexity of pro-environmental behaviour and the extent of the environmental crisis garner an in-depth look into factors that are connected to it. The present study tackles this gap in the literature by looking at the interaction between commitment to beliefs, hope, optimism, and pro-environmental behaviour among Australian Christian Adults from different traditions. To this end the statistical analysis focuses on a survey which was distributed in collaboration with the National Christian Life Survey. The population of interest was Australian Christian adults; 785 responses were obtained. Results indicate no relationship - positive or negative - between commitment to beliefs and pro-environmental behaviour. The study identified positive relationships between mainstream Protestant, hope, optimism and pro-environmental behaviour. Practical implications are discussed, including but not limited to the acknowledgement that mainstream Protestants have good pro-environmental initiatives. Their pro-environmental behaviour is linked to both hope and optimism. There appears to be something to be learnt by other Christian traditions from their approach.
-
Item