Umweltpsychologie und Nachhaltige EntwicklungPeter Schmuck, Interdisciplinary Centre of Sustainable Development, University Goettingen
* Was ist Umweltpsychologie?
* Die globale Lage: Hoffnung oder Verzweiflung? * Psychologische Beiträge für eine Nachhaltige Zukunft
Innovative theoretische Perspektiven:* Nachhaltigkeitswissenschaft und Aktionsforschung* Göttinger Ansatz der Nachhaltigkeitswissenschaft* Das Kugelmodell der Persönlichkeit
Ergebnisse der Göttinger Forschungsgruppe* Psychologische Gewinne für NH Engagierte* ca. 80 Bioenergiedörfer in Deutschland
Was ist Umweltpsychologie? Und Nachhaltige Entwicklung (NE)?
* Umweltpsychologie: angewandte Teildisziplin der Psychologie als Wissenschaft vom Erleben und Verhalten von Menschen
* Gegenstandsbereich: •Analyse des Einflusses von Menschen auf die Mitwelt (Täter-Rolle oder Retter-Rolle)•Analyse des Einflusses der Mitwelt auf Menschen
* Nachhaltige Entwicklung: Eine Entwicklung, die auf faire Resourcenverteilung, Mitwelterhaltung heute und Erhaltung der Lebensqualität heute sowie mit Blick auf künftiges Leben anstrebt
Die globale Lage - Und die Vision der NE
Growing disparities in life chances - Intragenerational justice
Species extinction - Interspecies justice
Climate change - Intergenerational justice
Wasting ressources - Efficiency
Relying on fossile fuels - Consistency
Growing consumption - Sufficiency
Verzweiflung oder Hoffnung?
Growing advertizement
Export of consumerism
Growing consumption
Growing number of humans
Few progress since Rio
No more happy people
Rising number of diseases
Rising number of activistsengaging for SD
Rising number of peopleadopting VS lifestyles
The political agenda ofRio and Johannesburg
Incredible much happenedin only three decades
We are here today
Global trend of CO2 and mean temperature since 1000 AD
Climate change happens!
polar/greenland ice melting; sea level rising; increase of extreme weather events AND increasing social injustice
Leading (mis) beliefs Sustainability guidelines of the of the 20th century 21st century
Money buys happiness Respect, fairness and love make happy
Humans as competition driven Humans as social beings, social fairness, partici-Beings pation principle
Humans as top of evolution Humans respecting all forms of life,
Infinite growth of material Efficiency, sufficiency, precautionary principle production steady state economy
Endless material resources Consistency, cradle to cradle
Financial interest rates Fair distribution of resources, no interest rates
A new kind of research: “Sustainability science”
Traditional science Sustainability science
Monodisciplinary Interdisciplinary
Basic research as ideal Transdisciplinarity
Analytic, linear synthetic, parallel
Strict division of research Action research: Initiatingand application changes in participative
processes+ performing research
_________________________See: www.sustainabilityscience.org, www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/292/5517/641
The Göttingen approach of sustainability science
Scientists´ role A: RESEARCH_______________________________________________________________Scientists´ role B: Contribution to solve global problems
1 Select a global 6 Transfer of the solutioncritical problem toward the global level
2 Create an 3 Search for 4 Search for 5 perform a alternative political and partners in local solution financial practice demonstration Support model
Our research area: Transformation to renewable energy, focus on bioenergy
Do we have enough renewables? YES
Start on the village level: What is a Bioenergy Village ?
A village that meets electricity demand and the heat or cooling requirements with biomass.
Idea has been worked out On a future workshopIn 1998
The first bioenergy village in Germany: Jühnde (since 2005)
Bioenergy Village Jühnde
800 inhabitants
9 farmers
1300 ha farmland
800 ha forest
Göttingen
The bioenergy village JÜHNDE in Germany
CHRONOLOGY
1997: Meeting of 10 concerned scientists at University Göttingen
1999: One of the project plans: A bioenergetical village
2000: Interdisciplinary Center for Sustainability founded
2000: German Ministry for Agriculture agreed to support
2001: 18 villages could be motivated to join
2002: Jühnde was selected as model village: From 2005 heat and electricity for the village will be produced from local biomass
PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS
* Foster motivation for the transformation
* Test long term changes in well-being, control beliefs, self efficacy
•Transfer to other villages in Germany and worldwide
See:www.bioenergiedorf.info
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Model of the realised biomass energy facilities at JühndeCombined heat and power generator (CHP)
1st fermentationplant
Silage depot
2nd fermentation and storage plant
Storage hall for wood chips
Heat plant and offices
Water pond
Energy facilities at Jühnde in November 2005
Course of the hot water grid at Jühnde Central Heating Plant
Total length of thepipeline : 5.5 km
About 70 % of Jühnde´shouseholds voluntarily signed
heat supply contracts
Hot water grid under construction in 2005
Branch line to the house
heat exchanger with heat meter
Heat transfer into the house
Single fossile boilers can be removed!!
Break through for hot water grid
Universities Goettingen and Kassel in Germany
Involved Disciplines:
Agronomy & Crop Science Soil SciencesGeosciencesEconomy Sociology PsychologyPolitical Sciences
Complex problems need complex solutions!We need an interdisciplinary approach!
The inter- and transdisciplinary context
The project partners from outside the university
- People in the bioenergetical village
- The project sponsor (German Ministry for Agriculture) - An ingenieur team planning the technical parts
- An counselling expert group from different groups of society
Social implementation in the village through moti-vation and participation of individuals and groups
Information evenings, workshops, discussions with experts resulted in a strong commitment of the villagers in the project
Important success factor: to visit comparable plants - see, touch, hear, smell, and discuss!
Organisation of the planning process
Eight groups work in special fields
Planning the
1. operating company2. biogas plant3. energy crop cultivation 4. biomass conservation5. housing technique 6. central heating plant7. heat grid8. public relationsThey are moderated by the university team.
Speakers of the specific planning groups
Municipal councile.g. Mayor
Representativesof clubs, societies, and associations
University team Church council
Junior representatives Senior representatives
Members of the central planning group
District council
And the climate protection effect?
Reduction of CO2 output by 3,300 tons/a = 60 % CO2 reduction per capita and year in Juehnde
Juehnde reached now the CO2-Reduction goals of the European Union for 2050
Transfer:
Many visitors come to Jühnde
Barlissen
Reiffenhausen
Krebeck
Jühnde
Wollbrandshausen
Transfer results: Four further bioenergy villages were established between 2006 and 2009
Financially supported by the District Government of Goettingen
Bioenergy villages in Germany march 6 2012
circles: finished 66
triangles: in planningProcess 28
(number is changing almost every week)
www.wege-zum-bioenergiedorf.de
Transfer results:
Many villages in Germany areon the way to bioenergy villages
Bioenergy regions in Germany
Federal State Lower Saxony:
Ministry of Science and Culture grants the development of three „integrated renewable energy districts“
2009 – 20122012 - 2014
Dark blue: 100%-RE-Region
Light blue: Starter 100% RE regions
Yellow: Klimaschutzinitiative
Orange: European EnergyAward
Red: Klimabündnis
Green: 25 Bioenergy-regions, number will be doubled in 2012!!!
Renewable energy regions in Germany 2012
The project´s psychological part: Two main goals
* Foster motivation for the transformation Method - interviews in comparable best practice projects - applying the success factors in the own project
Hypothesis: the majority of the village will cooperate * Test of long term changes in psychological variables - sense of community, - environmentally friendly behavior, - self efficacy - well-being Method: - longitudinal study with control group based on a questionnaire - interviews with the most engaged people of the village
Hypothesis: the people will profit psychologically from the change
Results regarding main goal one
* Foster motivation for the transformation
- Success factors in similar projects: personal contacts,
visiting model-assets, media campaigns, festivities...
- Applying these principles led to a consensus among the majority of the villages´ inhabitants to perform the change: 71 % of the heating energy and 100% of the electricity will be produced by using local biomass
A new personality model: The “Globe model”
Esalen,2002
EGO
The globe model of personality
Concern may be focussed on one of three circles,The outer ones including the inner ones
HUMANS
BIOSPHERE
Four segments
COGNITIVE
BEHAVIORAL
EMOTIONAL
SPIRITUAL
From the disk to the globe: Including time perspective
Interest for the past
Concern for the future
Main prediction derived from the globe model
If the evolution provides the outlined potential for personality unfolding
And if the direction of evolution is a constructive oneaiming at growing complexity/negentropy
Then
Human individuals unfolding these potentials should berewarded with the most valueable currency evolution has to offer: Individual well-being
Results regarding main goal two: The interview results
N=11 most active inhabitants in Jühnde
Interviewed twice: in 2002 and in 2007
Sense of community : 10 report in both interviews that their contact network has improved as a consequence of the project
Self efficacy: 8 report in the second interview, that groups of people can change things, based on the experience of guiding guests in Jühnde
Well-being: All are content that their engagement was successful. 10 reported that they enjoyed the project work. 5 additionally reported that the project gave them additional sense in their life.
Data showing psychological benefits for people engaging in new lifestyles
(1) Preferring non sustainable lifegoals (i.e. toward excessivematerial consumption) correlates negatively with indicators of well-being and health
(2) Peferring of “sustainable” lifegoals may serve well-being and health
(1) Preferring non sustainable lifegoals (i.e. towardexcessive material consumption) correlates negatively with indicators of well-being and health
Kasser & Ryan, 1993, 1996: Preference of extrinsic goals (money, fame, image) correlates negatively with well-being indicators Schmuck, Kasser, Ryan, 2000; Schmuck & Sheldon, 2001; Grouzet,Kasser, Schmuck et al., 2005: Multicultural studies, same data pattern
Cohen & Cohen, 1996, 2001: Longitudinal study with representative US sample:teenagers with predominant materialistic, extrinsic goals more frequently fall illWith psychic diseases (according to DSM IV)
Salmela-Aro & Nurmi 2001: Psychopathological teenagers show more frequently self-centered goals as compared with their peers
Solberg, Diener & Robinson 2004: „Why are materialists less satisfied?“=> Open end spirale, conflict with other goals, lower relationship quality
Preference on self-centered life goals: lower self reported well-being
Example study: Schmuck 2001
Life goal preference:Importance score ofSelf centered goals (money, fame)MINUSSelf-transcending goals (community, affiliation)
Well-being:
compound score of vitality, self actualization, overall happyness, anxiety (neg.), Physical symptoms (neg.)
Correlation:Study 1: - .26 *Study 2: - .40 *Study 3: - .20 *Study 4: - .29 *
(2) Peferring of “sustainable” lifegoals may serve well-being and health
Lapierre et al. 2001: Old people engaging for social issues are healthier
Fehn 2005: People living a voluntary simplicity lifestyle report higher well-being than „average“ people
Sohr 2001; Eigner 2001: Volunteers for ecological issues report higher well-beingas compared to non engaging people (exception: „hyperactivists“ with burnoutsyndrome)
Boehnke & Fuß 1998: Teenagers engaging for social issues report higher well-being as compared to their peers
Eigner, Schmuck & Lackschewitz 2004: The active people in Juehnde (bioenergetic village) report profits by that process for their well-being
Outlook: Open questions – the challenge for us
* Future tasks:
- Theoretical work on psychology of sustainable development - Integrating relevant subdisciplines within psychology - Networking activities between psychologists and other scientists, crystallizing around specific projects - Cooperation with practicians (local Agenda 21) - Bundling local activities by initiating international research projects
* Create a research framework
* Find the most urgent open questions
Outline of a research framework
Goals of sustainable developmentConsistency Efficiency Sufficiency
Theoretical work 1 2 3
Basic research 4 5 6
Best-practice 7 8 9research
Action research 10 11 12
Evaluation 13 14 15research
The most urgent open questions in my view
How to overcome the “here and now bias” (Charles Vlek)?
What is the secret of people who did overcome it, who feel not as separated individuals but as parts of a larger evolutionary cycles,
who are not commited to the “mad rush for material gains”
But take into consideration other living beings on this world, living now as well as in the fare future
And doing this, obviously feel better, more integrated in the network of life.
How can we contribute to disseminate this mode of life?
Thanks for the attention.More Information:
www.peterschmuck.de
I can send you chapters from:
Schmuck, P. & Schultz, W. (Eds.), (2002). Psychology of sustainable development. Boston: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Schmuck, P. & Sheldon, K. (Eds.) (2001). Life goals and well-being. Towards a positive psychology of human striving. Seattle: Hogrefe & Huber.
And other publications, please contact me and indicate which you need
Lets try to find out it together, lets climb that hill
It is worth the effortSaxonian mountains near Dresden