NEW ARTICLE ALERT

The ways in which people engage with #community #Sustainability is central to our own interactions. We distinguish ourselves in opposition and "Other" those that do not do the same as us.

Why so important? A

@OpenAcademics https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.121933

Do you like and want to know more about:

#Sustainability
#ClimateAction
#PublicEngagement
#Psychology
#Geography
How to address the challenges facing communities and the ways in which sustainable solutions can be improved?

Then...

#Community #Sustainability projects have often been touted as one way to scale-up sustainability efforts to address the #ClimateCrisis.

To be successful, they require meaningful and sustained public #participation.

But this can often be a challenge in itself!

Community-based sustainability projects are amazing, they can:
ground #ClimateAction in more visible and practical ways
bring people together in creative ways for #collectiveaction
tailor responses to the needs and priorities of communities around #SustainableLiving

The findings from this study show that we often categorise individuals based on what they do or do not do in a local project. This can manifest in responses like:
People doing too much
People not doing anything
People who many not identify with the project at all

What happens is we hold positive or negative views about "Others" based on their level of participation.

Othering can be an active process: demarcate between "them" (an out-group) and "us" (an in-group).

This can be deliberate and exclusionary - not good for #Sustainability

I found that often people refer to others in very judgmental ways using pejorative comments. This goes against what #Sustainability should be, which is #inclusive, #participatory and #equitable

But these framings were underpinned by numerous characteristics!

Why is this important? Well...
the ways in which people talk about each other is not a conducive environment for inclusivity
does not facilitate participation for others
may lead to tension between community residents
change is not viewed as a positive

#inclusion, #participation, and #equity are central tenets of #Sustainability and #ClimateAction.

#Community projects should evolve, otherwise they become stagnant and cannot engage more people

This could become a #publicengagement nightmare!

These preoccupations with "Others" and their levels of engagement, or lack thereof, form a large part of the socio-cultural dimensions of community-based sustainability.

The implications of which could cause: #exclusion, #marginalisation and #rejection https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652620319806

Further studies are required to explore the character of these socio-cultural elements of sustainability further. Particularly:
what interventions can be applied to minimise the implications
what #publicengagement methods are needed to resolve differences

I'd be very grateful if the wonderful #AcademicTwitter @AcademicChatter @OpenAcademics community would share & retweet this thread! Pretty please!

I'm immensely proud of this paper. It came out on #Maythe4th #StarWarsDay. You'd be one with the dark side if you didn't share this!