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