Selective Sustainability Practices: Evidence from Local Government

Abstract

With anthropogenic harm to the environment, ranging from pollution to climate change and loss of biodiversity, there is a desperate need to adopt environmentally friendly practices. Through participation in pro-environmental behaviours (PEBs) as individuals and communities, we contribute to sustainability. The study aimed to examine the PEBs practised by local government officials, the factors that affect their behaviours, and their views on environmental issues. The article focused on 10 municipalities in the KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa. A qualitative approach and a case study research design were used, with 16 interviews and 25 observations conducted. Data were analysed following the principles of thematic analysis and triangulated with quantitative content analysis. The results show that while officials have an understanding of environmental issues, their participation in PEB is selective, with a prominent preference for recycling and green commuting over comprehensive sustainability practices. Furthermore, some officials indicated that these behaviours went beyond the workplace into their households and communities, mainly in rural areas. Barriers to participation were resource limitations and varying levels of interest. These insights can be used by policy makers and cross-sector stakeholders to promote the mitigation of environmental impacts and develop sustainability interventions.

1. Introduction

The environment is important for our health and well-being and provides water, soil, air, food, and space for humanity to use. As such, it is a critical component for mankind [1]. Unfortunately, the remaining segments of the natural environment are at risk of being exploited and degraded due to anthropogenic activities in search of, among others, enjoyment, physical comfort, personal security, and mobility [2,3]. It is against this background that environmental deterioration is linked to human behaviour. To lessen these detrimental effects, there have been increasing calls for changes in how individuals deal with the environment to promote pro-environmental behaviour change. PEBs have received interest from a wide range of disciplines, including environmental management, psychology, economics, and social science; however, multidisciplinary approaches blending knowledge from various disciplines are still missing.

PEBs have become one of the key strategies for confronting environmental degradation, and several studies have been conducted internationally on PEBs [4,5,6,7]. These studies have also been conducted in South Africa [8,9,10,11], and there has been an increase in the number of studies conducted and published in the last decade. As the government closest to the people, local government officials have the potential to influence not only legislation implementation but also the behaviours of citizens through their actions. Understanding the behaviours of local government officials and the factors that affect these behaviours is significant.

In countries around the world, local governments have developed an interest in the implementation of PEBs in the workplace. Several studies have investigated the format and implementation of these behaviours, such as Rangarajan and Rahm [12] in the United States, Batel and Devine-Wright [13] in the United Kingdom, Azhar and Yang [14,15] in Florida, Chukwuorji et al. [16] in Nigeria, and Fang et al. [17] in Taiwan. Despite this international focus, few studies have been conducted at the local government level in South Africa. PEBs can be defined as all actions taken by an individual to reduce the negative impacts of human activities on the environment to provide benefits to the environment [2,6]. Understanding PEBs is essential to informing policy makers when developing intervening policies to promote behaviour changes. Various scholars in the field of environmental psychology have proposed a variety of theories to explain what drives PEBs.

These theories include the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) [18], the Norm Activation Model (NAM) [2], the Value-Belief-Norm (VBN) theory [19], and Social Identity Theory (SIT) [20]. These theoretical frameworks offer a solid basis for understanding PEBs. Although each theory highlights unique aspects of human behaviour, they all recognise that individual, social, and contextual factors shape people’s engagement in PEBs. We used the TPB and the VBN theory to explore the factors that affected the PEBs of local government officials. The TPB provides a framework for examining how behavioural intentions are shaped by attitudes toward behaviour, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control [18]. In the context of local government sustainability, this theory is significant in understanding how officials assess the feasibility and desirability of adopting PEBs. By applying TPB qualitatively, we want to move beyond predictive modelling to explore how these approaches are experienced and interpreted in real-life governance settings.

The VBN theory posits that personal values, ecological worldviews, and personal norms play a key role in promoting PEBs [18]. In the local government, these values can influence the long-term adoption of PEB by officials. Using this theory in a qualitative study allowed for the identification of deep motivations that underlie sustainability efforts. The use of the TPB and VBN framework is beneficial for qualitative studies, as it accommodates the contextual, emotional, and relational dimensions of behaviour that are often overlooked in quantitative approaches. Qualitative studies are critical to uncovering latent motivations, organisational cultures, and informal norms that offer a rich and nuanced interpretation of how sustainability is enacted or resisted within organisations.

Some studies have reported gaps between theory and the actual behaviour of individuals [21]. Pongiglione [22] revealed that these gaps are the result of the absence of a supportive social context.

Pongiglione [22] stressed the importance of the family, neighbours, friends, colleagues, schoolmates, and social/institutional peers of an individual when participating in PEB. He argued that people make decisions based on the pure need to imitate what other people around them are doing. Moreover, Udall et al. [23] reported that in addition to theories, identity can also be used to explain PEB. They argued that how individuals view themselves also has an impact on behaviour. Joseph [24] reported that, generally, PEB is driven by intrinsic factors (attitude, awareness and environmental knowledge, education, age, and concern for the environment) and extrinsic factors (income, culture, time, and social relations).

The adoption of PEBs by governments would have a larger reach through the implementation of environmentally friendly activities and encourage the general population to participate through awareness using clean-up campaigns, workshops, and themed activities revolving around national or global environmental awareness, such as Earth Day, Arbour Day, and World Environment Day. The local government, as the first point of contact between an individual and a government institution, is important in influencing the general public. In developing countries such as South Africa, the local government plays an important and greater role in economic and social development.

The local government in South Africa is constitutionally obligated to provide essential services such as electricity, water, road and storm water drainage, town and city planning, waste management and emergency services, parks, libraries, air pollution control, child care facilities, building regulations, local tourism, municipal airports, and municipal health services within its jurisdiction [25]. Proving these activities sustainably would promote sustainability in communities. Furthermore, when local government officials adopt sustainability practices, it may also encourage the general public to adopt the same practices given the several interactions between the officials and the public. Researchers have identified various factors that affect the adoption of PEBs in local government, including personal and organisational values [15], awareness [17], green transformational leadership [26], social context [22], locus of control, and place attachment [16].

Organisational culture is important when promoting sustainability in local government. All organisations have their own culture, which has been developed over time by behaviours that become normal or norms and then become the culture of an organisation [27]. Organisational culture refers to the shared values and beliefs that model how individuals in an organisation approach their work and relate to each other. This culture is displayed through the behaviour, customs, and practices that individuals collectively show [15]. The connection between what individuals who work for an organisation consider important and what needs to be regarded as important results in functional culture.

In most cases, the visible aspect of the organisational culture is minor compared to the unseen organisational culture, which is the result of many key elements and factors such as individual values, organisational values, alignment between personal and organisational values, and ideas that an individual considers significant. According to Azhar and Yang [15], an environmental culture in an organisation encourages employees to adopt PEB. Fatoki [28] revealed that there are significant positive relationships between leadership behaviour, institutional support, and the PEB of employees. Westerbeek [26], in a study of PEBs in Dutch municipalities, also showed that instrumental leadership drives PEBs of public servants.

Chukwuorji et al. [16] reported that the locus of control and attachment to as location can be used to drive PEBs in government institutions. The load of control deals with how much control individuals believe they have over the outcomes of their lives. Attachment to a place can be defined as the emotional bond between people and their environment. Individuals are more likely to adopt PEBs when they are aware of the harmful consequences of their actions on the environment. Fang et al. [17] discovered that public servant awareness has a direct effect on PEBs. Joseph [24] revealed that awareness and knowledge of environmental issues form an attitude that leads to concern for the environment. When people have environmental concerns, they attribute responsibility to the outcomes of their behaviour and begin to adopt PEBs.

Scholars have reported that the performance of one PEB can influence the probability of the performance of the same PEB in a different context or the performance of another future PEB [29]. This phenomenon is known as PEB spillover. Verfuerth [30] and Nash and Whitmarsh [31] discovered that in some cases, a positive spillover occurs for conceptually linked behaviours. The spillover is critical to the promotion of sustainability in communities. When local government officials practice sustainability, measures must be put in place to ensure the spillover of these practices into surrounding communities.

The local government in South Africa and around the world is responsible for the employment of a considerable number of people. This group of individuals is considered significant not only for their population but also for their impact on the overall population and for their greater contribution to tackling global environmental problems. Therefore, they can be used to test interventions to promote sustainability. Understanding the PEBs they adopt is the first step towards sustainability. The study aimed to explore the PEBs of local government officials, specifically assessing the PEBs adopted, the factors that affect the adoption of PEBs, and the views of these officials about environmental issues. Through understanding this knowledge, we aim to offer insights that can inform policy and practice and promote sustainability not only in government but also in wider communities.

2. Materials and Methods

The article reports on PEBs in local government. The purpose of the main study was to explore, understand, and interpret the PEBs adopted by local government officials, specifically focusing on the KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa. Semi-structured interviews with local government officials were conducted together with observations to obtain an in-depth understanding of the behaviours adopted, the factors that influence the adoption of behaviours, and their views about environmental issues. We used the following research questions to guide our investigation:

What are the views of local government officials on environmental issues?

What are the PEBs practised by local government officials?

What are the factors that affect PEBs in local government?

Ethical Considerations

Ethical clearance was obtained from the Research Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences of the University of South Africa (Ethical clearance number: 2022/CAES_HREC/180) and approval was also obtained from each of the 10 municipalities sampled. The municipalities we selected purposely contain geographical variability, with rural and urban contrast.

2.1. Research Design

The research design was guided by the interpretivist paradigm, which posits that knowledge can only be obtained through a deep interpretation of a subject [32]. We used this paradigm because we deemed it appropriate for a deep understanding of the PEBs practised by local government officials and their interpretation or understanding of environmental issues. The qualitative research approach was used to make progressively deeper sense of PEBs by comparing, contrasting, replicating, and categorising the data. We used the case study research design to explain in detail, identify factors influencing the adoption of practices, and identify patterns.

2.2. Sampling Methods

We used purposive sampling techniques to select participants who participated in operational and decision making in selected municipalities. A total of 16 officials participated in the study representing different departments, including planning, waste and water, project management, public health, and environmental services.

2.3. Data Collection

We conducted semi-structured interviews to gain in-depth insights into the environmental behaviours and views of the officials. The interviews were mainly conducted face-to-face, and only in exceptional cases were they conducted virtually due to the availability of the participants. Furthermore, observational data were collected to assess actual PEBs within the local government. The observations focused on six key areas: energy-saving measures, recycling, air purification, printing practices, green commuting, and consumer action. Each of these practices was systematically observed from March 2023 to May 2024 to identify the occurrence and nature of these practices in the workplace. We conducted our observations during site visits to the study sites and during semi-structured interviews. We observed in the offices, during lunchtimes, and at the end of the business day.

2.4. Data Analysis

2.4.1. Qualitative Data Analysis

We analysed the data using a generic qualitative approach that includes iterative analysis [33], following a six-phase process described by Braun and Clarke [34]. We started by reading all the transcripts to familiarise ourselves with the data. The analysis was theoretically informed by the TPB and the VBN. These ideas were coded, and later grouped and categorised as we proceeded with systematic analysis of the data. All interviews were transcribed verbatim, and observation field notes were systematically compiled. We familiarised ourselves with the data through repeated reading of the transcripts and began the coding process.

The process of coding each document began by assigning essence-capturing or descriptive labels to portions of the texts studied. Several text segments were highlighted as quotations and coded. The process resulted in 513 codes. Generally, in qualitative research, it is very rare for a researcher to perfect the coding during their first attempt. As a result, during this process, while striving to refine and conceptualise the codes, several initial codes were re-labelled and merged, and others deleted.

Categorising the data allowed us to collect all the data that belong to each category in one place (Figure 1). This allowed us to begin looking for recurring patterns and ideas, which resulted in the naming of three themes. To enhance the trustworthiness of the analysis, we used measures and accepted procedures, which included credibility, transferability, dependability, and conformability.

2.4.2. Quantitative Content Analysis

To complement thematic analysis and enhance the validity of theory-driven frameworks, a quantitative content analysis was conducted on the coded data. We transformed the qualitative codes into categorical variables, enabling descriptive statistics to assess distribution, frequency, and co-occurrence of the theoretical constructs.

Each transcript was analysed based on TPB constructs; attitude toward behaviour (beliefs about sustainability), subjective norms (perceived social pressure to perform PEBs), perceived behavioural control (perception of control over engaging in PEBs), and the VBN theory; awareness of consequences (understanding negative effects of unsustainability), ascription of responsibility (feeling responsible for addressing environmental issues) and personal norm (moral obligation to act sustainably). Each occurrence of the contrast was counted, allowing for the calculation of the frequency of the construct per participant and cooccurrence patterns across contrasts.

3. Results

3.1. Sample Demographics

Sixteen (eight men and eight women) participants aged between 25 and 60 years took part in the study. They had varying experience, working in local government between two and thirty years. Their educational background ranged from a bachelor’s to a master’s degree. The demographic details of the participants are shown in

Table 1. Demographic details of the participants.

	Men (n = 8)	Woman (n = 8)
Age group (years)
21–30	1	2
31–40	5	4
41–50	2	1
51–60	0	1
Marital status
Single	2	6
Widowed	0	1
Married	6	1
Designations
Officer	3	6
Manager	5	2
Qualifications
Degree	6	5
Hons	1	3
Master’s degree	1	0
Years of service
2–5	1	1
6–10	4	2
11–15	2	2
16–30	1	3

.

3.2. Themes

Three main linked themes (improper waste management causes pollution and affects public health; municipal officials selectively engage in PEBs favouring recycling and green commuting over comprehensive sustainability practices; lack of institutional support equals lack of PEBs) were identified from the analysis to address local government views on environmental issues, the PEBs they adopt, and factors influencing these practices.

3.2.1. Improper Waste Management Causes Pollution and Affects Public Health

There was a strong theme of landfill sites and illegal waste disposal that causes environmental pollution and affects public health in various ways. The participants associated this with a lack of environmental awareness and resources. This is illustrated by a quote from participant 26, a 42-year-old. “Illegal waste disposal is one of the major issues we have here in the local government, and this could be due to financial resources, lack of environmental awareness, and ignorance on the part of communities.”.

The participants described how improper waste management causes pollution and affects public health. They pointed out the handling of medical waste and improper disposal in communities and rivers, where it affects communities, particularly vulnerable groups. The participants identified communities and municipalities as the main causes of such pollution.

3.2.2. Municipal Officials Are Selectively Involved in PEBs That Favour Recycling and Green Commuting over Comprehensive Sustainability Practices

The theme of municipal officials selectively engaging in recycling, green commuting, and double-sided printing while neglecting consumer actions, office greening, and energy savings was prominent. Two extracts are shown here. ‘I encourage recycling to my family and also try to recycle. As part of my work, I run awareness campaigns to educate the community and the business sector on recycling and keeping the environment clean’ (Participant 1, a 54-year-old).

Some participants adopted recycling practices; these activities had also spread to their households and communities through awareness. This view is seen in participant 6, who lives in a rural area but participates in PEBs and raises community awareness.

‘As one, I changed that thing of littering to a point where my family is anti-littering people, we only throw our waste out in designated places. I am also very aware as a person who lives in the village that there is no proper waste management, we do not have a truck that collects waste, so we do not burn our waste. I have even taught my neighbours that we must separate waste, for example, taking metal tins back to be recycled. I am trying to educate people around me and tell them the little things that they can do to make the difference, such as not throwing waste out of your window, when you are driving, keep your trash in the car and drive until you reach the trash bin or trash can, and also the point of not burning waste even during the day. I have taught them that there is no need to burn waste, you can always do something with it. Mostly I use my mouth more (to raise awareness) to try and educate someone next to me.’

In this theme, the participants showed that they participate in PEBs at work, as well as in their domestic family lives. The participants also emphasized that raising awareness of PEBs among others was equally important.

3.2.3. Lack of Institutional Support Equals Lack of Environmental Behaviour

From the analysis of the responses of the participants, a recurring theme identified underlying the lack of adoption of PEBs was the lack of institutional support, particularly through resources and policies. Participant 12 explained how the lack of resources and support affected the adoption of PEBs. The participant proposed including the adoption of pro-environmental practices in policies. “Things like energy saving, recycling, and water conservation must be included in policies. Perhaps not water because we will first need to have water to conserve it. But I am not sure how we can navigate even energy conservation because, for instance, all our offices on this side have windows with natural light coming through, but you will never find our window blinds open and the lights are controlled centrally anyway. So I might want to contribute, but the system does not allow me. This is so critical since our country is experiencing load shedding” (Participant 12).

Under this theme, the participants provided evidence that PEBs are largely reduced or brought to a standstill due to a lack of support, particularly financial, from municipalities. It was also suggested that PEBs could see a rise among officials if there was an incentive to be obtained from engaging in them.

3.3. Quantitative Content Analysis

The quantitative results revealed how attitudes toward behaviour (TPB) and awareness of consequences (VBN) were present in all participants (100%), indicating a widely positive orientation toward environmental issues and a common understanding of consequences of inaction (Figure 2).

Cross-Construct Analysis

The co-occurrence analysis of the construct revealed a strong alignment between attitude towards behaviour, subjective norm, and perceived behavioural control (Figure 3). The officials who demonstrated awareness of consequences also articulated the ascription of responsibility and personal norms. Although the analysis does not establish causal relationships, it provides an overview of the prominence of theoretical constructs, thereby enhancing the rigour and transparency of the qualitative findings.

These findings were mapped to the PEBs observed in practice. Participants who expressed high personal norms and a strong sense of control were more likely to be observed engaging in a broader range of sustainable behaviours. However, PEBs were largely restricted to recycling, printing practices, and green commuting, with little evidence of more extensive sustainability actions such as energy conservation, air purification, and consumer action (Figure 4). The findings suggest a disparity between environmental beliefs and comprehensive behaviour engagement, implicating institutional barriers such as a lack of policy support and resources.

4. Discussion

The results of this study indicate the insights and complexities of the adoption of PEB in local government. The triangulation of qualitative themes with construct-level frequencies derived from the TPB and VBN theory provides a comprehensive understanding of the environmental behaviour of local government officials. The alignment of the themes with the prevalent theoretical constructs suggests that psychological factors at the individual level are intricately embedded in the practical implementation of municipal sustainability.

The identification of improper waste management as a significant factor contributing to pollution and public health challenges suggests that local government officials understand the correlation between environmental pollution and public health. In South Africa, local governments bear the responsibility for waste management, and thus, their ability to acknowledge the contribution of their activities to pollution exemplifies a sense of ownership and accountability for environmental issues. However, there appears to be a lack of action to address this issue. Additionally, the theme indicates the concern of municipal officials about the environmental and health ramifications of inadequate waste management. This observation is consistent with the complete prevalence of the awareness of the consequences construct in quantitative analysis. The participants consistently recognised the adverse effects associated with environmental pollution. Profound cognitive awareness, as demonstrated through both narrative accounts and coded frequencies, highlights the foundational importance of environmental knowledge in forming the adoption of PEBs.

The findings suggest that local government officials are primarily engaged in convenient, cost-effective, and visible behaviours, such as recycling, printing practices, and green commuting. However, they tend to overlook actions that require additional resources, including energy conservation, consumer initiatives, and air purification. This observation corresponds to the discrepancies identified in perceived behavioural control (73%) and subjective norms (78%). Despite attitudes toward these behaviours achieving a 100% rate, indicative of strong pro-environmental convictions, the limited scope of behaviours suggests that certain PEBs are perceived as more feasible and institutionally supported than others.

Previous scholars in other workplace settings have shown that people tend to adopt straightforward behaviours that are easier to incorporate into daily routines. Corrado et al. [35] revealed that individuals engage in behaviours based on how their actions will make a difference. Carducci et al. [36] reported that PEBs cannot be considered as a whole. The finding that local government officials adopt recycling and neglect consumer action is supported by the study by Poskus [37], who reported that recycling is the most adopted PEB compared to consumer action.

Joseph [24] revealed that the driver of pro-consumer behaviour is attitude. He indicated that to change this attitude, incentives will be needed. The findings of this study are also consistent with those of Pothitou et al. [38], who revealed that knowledge is important in adopting energy-saving PEB. However, Pongiglione [22] argued that the presence of environmental knowledge and attitude does not guarantee the adoption of PEB if there is an absence of a supportive social context. This study supports the exploration of the use of social context in local government to promote neglected PEBs. In any case, when an individual is part of a group that adopts a certain PEB, they feel like they are not alone and have the opportunity to give feedback and feel more effective. The study by Berger et al. [39] recommended the use of social tipping to encourage the adoption of certain PEBs. Furthermore, Abbot et al. [40] reported that social norms, peer effect, and environmental concerns influence the adoption of behaviours, particularly recycling.

Our finding of the link between a lack of institutional support and a lack of PEB indicates that individuals lack the resources to implement practices. Therefore, in these three themes, the lack of institutional support prevents full participation in PEBs. At one end, the officials have some knowledge and engage selectively in PEBs, but institutional barriers prevent them from implementing comprehensive behaviours. The findings align with the TPB and VBN frameworks, particularly when examined through the constructs of perceived behavioural control (73%) and assignment of responsibility (81%). Despite the strong expression of the personal norm (96%) and moral obligation towards sustainable actions by officials, the deficit in financial resources, policies, and leadership has been identified as a significant barrier to consistent participation. The findings indicate that in the absence of supportive systems, even the most motivated individuals encounter obstacles that restrict their ability to act. This institutional limitation weakens the conversion of positive intentions into sustained behaviours, thereby reinforcing the argument that normative support is crucial to facilitating behavioural change within organisational environments.

These findings find support in the literature. Byerly et al. [41] reported the importance of policies in promoting PEB. These findings are also in line with those of Sharpe et al. [42], who revealed that people who adopt PEB also support environmental policies. These findings reveal the importance of institutional support in promoting PEB in accordance with studies by Blankenberg and Alhusen [43] and Fatoki [28]. Ture and Granesh [44] revealed that it is critical that organisations take steps to make employees aware of their deep concern for the environment. Mouro and Duarte [6] reported that employees who perceive themselves as sharing values and interests with their organisation display positive PEB. Positively, the findings indicate the spread of PEB from work to home and the community through awareness. This finding is supported by the studies of Verfuerth [30] and Nash and Whitmarsh [31], who also reported a positive spillover for conceptually linked behaviours. This spillover of behaviours indicates that even though institutional barriers prevent some PEBs, personal commitment drives some local government officials to practice sustainability at home and in communities.

The results showed the importance of integrating the TPB and VBN theory in understanding behaviours within institutional contexts. The integration of qualitative themes with quantitative contrast frequency provided nuanced insight into the environmental behaviour of municipal officials. Expression of positive attitudes and awareness of consequences confirms the previous finding that cognitive recognition of environmental problems is a prerequisite but not a guarantee of behaviour change [2,45].

High levels of moral obligation to act sustainably and the feeling of being responsible for addressing environmental issues indicate readiness to act, but this was inconsistently translated into comprehensive behavioural engagement. The moderate occurrence of subjective norms and perceived behavioural control suggests that social and institutional environments do not allow sustainable practices to be adequately incorporated. This gap between intention and action underscores the importance of institutional support in enabling PEBs. Without clear policy provisions, sufficient resources, and organisational leadership that promote sustainability, even the most environmentally conscious individuals can struggle to operationalise their values.

Our findings indicate that sustainable practices in local government are not solely a matter of individual disposition, but are deeply rooted within broader organisational and structural contexts.

Our results have several implications for policy and practice. The lack of extensive sustainability practices, such as energy-saving, consumer action, and office greening, indicates that the lack of institutional support and perceived complexity shapes the behaviour of the officials. The widespread presence of VBN-related constructs suggests a readiness for change that is not fully realised due to limitations in perceived control and systematic support. These insights highlight the importance of policy interventions, capacity building, and normative leadership to promote sustainability. This implies that future interventions should simplify the adoption of comprehensive practices and offer clear, manageable steps to make them more feasible for local government officials. Designing programmes that incrementally build towards broader sustainability goals could improve overall engagement. The local government must provide institutional support through policies and resources to enable the auction of knowledge and the adoption of comprehensive PEBs. Leaders in local government must encourage officials who are already involved in PEBs at work to promote sustainability in communities.

4.1. Suggested Measures to Promote Sustainability in Local Government

Although structural and technological interventions are significant in promoting sustainability, the role of human behaviour, particularly at the organisational level, is increasingly recognised as a critical component of effective sustainability. Policy makers are uniquely positioned to influence the daily choices of local government officials by creating enabling environments that support the adoption of PEB. Behaviours such as energy conservation, recycling, office greening, printing practices, green commuting, and consumer actions are key to reducing environmental impacts. However, promoting such behaviours requires more than awareness and capacity building; it requires strategic interventions that shape habits and make sustainable practices easier and rewarding. Some effective approaches suggested in this article include role modelling, green awards, feedback, and nudges.

4.1.1. PEB Role Modelling by Officials

Leaders in local government, such as mayors, speakers, and municipal managers, can be trained and encouraged to personally adopt and visibly model green behaviours. This is critical to strengthening the social legitimacy of sustainable practices. These can include maintaining home composting systems, sometimes commuting by bike, or publicly pledging to reduce single-use plastics. These behaviours can then be published in municipal newsletters, town halls, and social networks. Studies such as [28] have shown that when sustainability actions are modelled by trusted public figures, they become socially acceptable and aspirational to adopt.

4.1.2. PEB Recognition Programmes

Local government coordinators can create green awards based on observable behaviours. These can include the recognition of officials, residents, schools, and businesses that demonstrate sustained PEB. Community recognition and social status are strong motivators of sustainability [46].

4.1.3. Feedback on Environmental Impact

Municipalities can provide officials with personalised feedback on their environmental impact using smart metres, water trackers, energy monitor displays, and gas analysers that can be used to measure oxygen produced in office greening. When officials understand the direct impact of their actions and have a benchmark, they are likely to improve [47].

4.1.4. PEB Informed Public Campaigns (Nudges)

Municipalities can enrol households in municipal composting programmes and allow them to opt out. Ref. [41] showed that people tend to stick to default settings. Furthermore, using social norms in public awareness campaigns (for example, 90% of your neighbours recycle) can be used to promote PEB adoption. Scholars have shown that individuals are likely to adopt behaviours when they feel that others are doing the same and when the behaviour feels rewarding and visible.

Policy makers have the power to normalise and reinforce sustainable behaviours in government and the community through policy design, role modelling, rewards, and feedback mechanisms.

5. Conclusions

This study investigated the perceptions of local government officials about environmental issues, their PEBs, and obstacles to the adoption of PEBs. Although the findings demonstrate environmental awareness and the adoption of behaviours such as recycling and green commuting, more comprehensive sustainability behaviours, such as energy conservation, were overlooked. This observed selective engagement is predominantly driven by the absence of institutional support, indicating that even officials who may have a personal commitment to sustainability may encounter difficulties in enacting their commitment.

Although PEBs have been adopted in some municipalities, their impact remains constrained unless they are integrated into formal policy frameworks. It is imperative for local governments to transcend viewing these approaches as supplementary and instead acknowledge their significant potential as primary instruments within sustainability policies. Incorporation of such strategies into policy frameworks, such as zoning, planning, land use, and climate change frameworks, improves accountability, resource allocation, and monitoring. These are the critical components needed to achieve long-term behavioural and environmental outcomes. Furthermore, the spillover of practices to households and communities illustrates the opportunity to inspire and drive sustainability through local government officials. Future research should investigate the use of interventions such as social tipping points within local governments to promote the adoption of PEB.