Sustainable Lifestyles – How Values Affect Sustainable Practises

Abstract

This paper presents a project that explores how different values and lifestyle choices are related to sustainable practices. The goal has been to develop an understanding of both complexity in people’s everyday practices as well as patterns in this complexity to be used when designing interventions for sustainable lifestyles. In the project, we have used a mixed methods approach in order to develop a more comprehensive picture of both the larger patterns of the complexities of everyday practices as well as the particulars of sustainability engagement in Sweden. In this paper we present the initial results from a Swedish study of people with different values and their relations to sustainability, based on Schwartz Theory of Basic Human Values. In particular, we present their overall perspective on sustainability, their existing sustainable practices, and their needs for transitions towards more sustainable lifestyles.