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Sustainability
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Promoting Pro-environmental Behavior and Sustainability
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Promoting Pro-environmental Behavior and Sustainability

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sustainability and Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 August 2023) | Viewed by 7257

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Renata Dagiliute

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Environmental Science Department, Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas 44244, Lithuania
Interests: sustainable development; sustainable production and consumption; environmental awareness; pro-environmental behavior; environmental and sustainability policy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Environmental degradation and the climate crisis require rethinking and reshaping of individual behavior and the way we live and consume. Though citizens are not the only ones responsible for the local and global environmental challenges, everyday decisions regarding how to commute, where to put purchased goods, whether or not to use food leftovers, which energy provider to choose, whether or not waste is separated, whether to repair or to buy new clothes, and many others shape the current and future state of environment and sustainability. However, pro-environmental behaviors are hindered by different underlying factors and conditions and are sometimes not easy to adopt. Hence, considering the important role of consumers in reaching environmental and sustainability aims, this Special Issue focuses on pro-environmental behavior for sustainability as well as promotion and continuation of such behavior.

Reviews, original research articles, and case studies on pro-environmental behavior (food, housing, mobility, tourism, waste, apparel, energy, etc.), and its promotion featuring successful top-down and bottom-up interventions and influence on different areas of sustainability are welcomed. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Pro-environmental behavior (at home, work, or school), trends, drivers, and underlying factors
  • Informational campaigns, policies, technologies, and cases of other interventions shaping pro-environmental behavior
  • Current and future challenges of promoting and pursuing pro-environmental behavior
  • Environmental and social impacts of mainstream and pro-environmental behaviors
  • The role of consumers achieving environmental and sustainability goals on local, EU, and global scales
  • Research gaps and directions for the future

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Renata Dagiliute
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • pro-environmental behavior
  • sustainable lifestyles
  • sustainability policy
  • interventions

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 616 KiB  
Article
Environmental Information: Different Sources Different Levels of Pro-Environmental Behaviours?
by Renata Dagiliūtė
Sustainability 2023, 15(20), 14773; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152014773 - 11 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1273
Abstract
The role of final consumers for reaching different environmental policy targets is crucial. Therefore, raising awareness and fostering pro-environmental behaviours is of importance. However, there are a variety of sources for environmental information which can influence the activities undertaken. The study aims to [...] Read more.
The role of final consumers for reaching different environmental policy targets is crucial. Therefore, raising awareness and fostering pro-environmental behaviours is of importance. However, there are a variety of sources for environmental information which can influence the activities undertaken. The study aims to analyse the relationship between different environmental information sources/channels and pro-environmental behaviours indicated by EU citizens. Based on a Eurobarometer survey covering all EU member states of that time, results revealed that television news remains the dominant source of environmental information (69.3%), followed by internet sources (36.7%) and newspapers (29.1%). On average, respondents perform 4.2 of 14 analysed pro-environmental behaviours. Those who indicate books and scientific literature as a source of environmental information on average perform 5.99 activities, compared to 4.8 activities by those receiving information from the internet, and 4.7 activities when information is received from newspapers. Though scientific literature is a source of environmental information for only 6.8% of EU citizens, regression analysis indicates that usage of books or scientific papers is significantly related to the number of actions performed. Internet sources (websites, blogs, forums), newspapers, and films and documentaries on television are other rather strong predictors of pro-environmental behaviour. Though all sources might be of importance for environmental information provision, less employed ones should be promoted and used to raise awareness of environmental issues and corresponding behaviours. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Promoting Pro-environmental Behavior and Sustainability)
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27 pages, 1424 KiB  
Article
Integrating OCBE Literature and Norm Activation Theory: A Moderated Mediation on Proenvironmental Behavior of Employees
by Felix Ostertag
Sustainability 2023, 15(9), 7605; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15097605 - 5 May 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2022
Abstract
Research lacks a solid understanding of the relational patterns between intrapersonal and organizational determinants to promote proenvironmental behavior. In this study, I investigated the effects of employees’ intrapersonal and perceived organizational determinants on voluntary proenvironmental behavior of employees (VPBE) from an integrative moral [...] Read more.
Research lacks a solid understanding of the relational patterns between intrapersonal and organizational determinants to promote proenvironmental behavior. In this study, I investigated the effects of employees’ intrapersonal and perceived organizational determinants on voluntary proenvironmental behavior of employees (VPBE) from an integrative moral perspective. While primarily building on insights from norm activation theory and research on organizational citizenship behavior for the environment (OCBE), I developed a framework and empirically analyzed how interactions between ascriptions of environmental responsibility, perceptions of proenvironmental work climates, and affective organizational commitment influence VPBE. The findings show that even employees (in this study: student workforce) with little sense of responsibility towards nature can be subtly encouraged to practice VPBE. I discuss the findings against the backdrop of integrated and introjected norms and provide managerial advice. The study contributes to a theoretical broadening of the norm activation theory in workplace contexts and advances our knowledge of conditional effects and normative mechanisms underlying VPBE. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Promoting Pro-environmental Behavior and Sustainability)
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18 pages, 3064 KiB  
Article
How to Foster Sustainable Behaviors through Multi-Campaigns Rewarding Mechanisms: The AIR-BREAK Experience
by Antonio Bucchiarone, Simone Bassanelli and Annapaola Marconi
Sustainability 2023, 15(6), 5198; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15065198 - 15 Mar 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1195
Abstract
The primary objective of the AIR-BREAK mobility campaigns is to disseminate information to the general public and increase their awareness of the sustainable mobility services available. This is intended to promote the adoption of alternative, more environmentally friendly, mobility practices. Due to human [...] Read more.
The primary objective of the AIR-BREAK mobility campaigns is to disseminate information to the general public and increase their awareness of the sustainable mobility services available. This is intended to promote the adoption of alternative, more environmentally friendly, mobility practices. Due to human heterogeneity, different individuals are motivated by different factors and for this reason the effect of intrinsic and extrinsic rewards vary from subject to subject. Depending on the citizen’s personality and preferences, specific rewarding mechanisms can have different impacts in terms of behavior change. The goal of this article is to report the rewarding mechanisms developed in the context of the project to raise citizens’ awareness, encourage participation, break bad habits and promote behaviour change towards more sustainable lifestyles. It also presents an analysis assessing the impact of the implemented rewarding systems to evaluate their real influence on eco-sustainable behaviors. The results indicate that every campaign successfully achieved its objective of modifying user behavior. Furthermore, the implementation of incentivizing mechanisms proved to be a pivotal factor in attaining this goal, exerting an impact on both the experienced fun and the behavioral outcome. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Promoting Pro-environmental Behavior and Sustainability)
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Review

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17 pages, 376 KiB  
Review
Why Knowing about Climate Change Is Not Enough to Change: A Perspective Paper on the Factors Explaining the Environmental Knowledge-Action Gap
by Serena L. Colombo, Salvatore G. Chiarella, Camille Lefrançois, Jacques Fradin, Antonino Raffone and Luca Simione
Sustainability 2023, 15(20), 14859; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152014859 - 13 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2000
Abstract
A successful transition to a lower-emission society may require major changes in the patterns of individual behaviours. Yet, whilst awareness and concern about climate change have increased in recent years among the global population, global greenhouse gases emissions have not ceased to rise. [...] Read more.
A successful transition to a lower-emission society may require major changes in the patterns of individual behaviours. Yet, whilst awareness and concern about climate change have increased in recent years among the global population, global greenhouse gases emissions have not ceased to rise. This paper discusses potential reasons underlying the gap between individual knowledge of climate change and the actions implemented to contain greenhouse gas emissions. To investigate this phenomenon, we look at the scientific literature exploring the factors influencing pro-environmental behaviour. First, we highlight how an individual’s environmental knowledge is not only approximate but also biased by cognitive, affective, and cultural factors, influencing their appraisal of climate information and their motivation to act. Second, we discuss three major models of pro-environmental behaviour, such as the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), the Norm-Activation Model (NAM), and the Value-Belief-Norm (VBN), to highlight their failure to account for automatic cognitive and affective factors influencing an individual’s ability to implement pro-environmental intentions. Then, we discuss the Comprehensive-Action-Determination Model of pro-environmental behaviour (CADM), and its efforts to overcome the limits of the previous models. Finally, we examine the dispositional traits associated with pro-environmental engagement to highlight how the relationship between dispositions and pro-environmental behaviour performance appears related to self-regulation processes, supported by executive functioning; increased self-regulation would enable alignment of pro-environmental intentions and behaviours, and anticipation of the long-term consequences of present behaviours. We conclude by calling for more research to be carried out on the effect of enhanced self-regulation, and of self-regulation training, on individual reactions to the climate crisis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Promoting Pro-environmental Behavior and Sustainability)
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