Suchergebnisse

AbstractEco‐efficient services, or sustainable product–service systems, are a popular topic in discussions on sustainability and eco‐efficiency. In these discussions, 'service' actually refers to many different things. It may refer to the role of the service sector in the economy, or to a new business strategy, or to the service (utility) provided by a product. Furthermore, the discussion on eco‐efficient services has been linked to concepts such as the 'new', 'experience' or 'customized' economy. The article analyses the central arguments and evidence put forth in the discussion on eco‐efficient services. The findings address questions occupying policy‐makers, managers and researchers: how relevant are eco‐efficient services in environmental management, and what might be the next steps in exploring their potential? Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

The energy sector needs to transform towards sustainability. The multi-level perspective on sociotechnical transitions is embracing an enactment perspective, which focuses on the agency of various actors in shifting transitions pathways but has yet to study local urban experiments from such an enactment perspective. Our empirical research examines an innovation intermediary's work in destabilising the regime rules in relation to the local energy incumbent company in Helsinki, Finland. Our paper seeks answers to the questions: How does the collaboration of the intermediary and the local energy company unfold? What are the impacts of the intermediary work on the local energy company in terms of enactment of transition pathways and what are the mechanisms causing the impact? Our research shows that the intermediary contributes to the transition by disturbing existing rules, structures, practices and networks by convening innovation champions from different constituencies, renegotiating regime rules and disrupting existing R&D alliances. ; Peer reviewed

This review focuses on renewable energy technology deployment in residential buildings, which is part of current targets to develop net-zero-carbon buildings in Europe and to promote the deployment of renewable energy. We focus on the adoption of four technologies: heat pumps, solar photovoltaics, solar thermal systems for domestic hot water and space heating, and advanced biomass heating. While there are several studies on households' investment criteria, a research gap exists because building owners across Europe are quite diverse, and the European markets exhibit different stages of maturity. This article conducts a critical review of the literature on the diffusion of building-scale renewable energy solutions in order to answer the following questions: (1) to what extent can findings from studies on household adoption criteria be generalized from one country to another? and (2) what insights does the literature offer on factors that might explain the differences in adoption patterns between European countries? ; Peer reviewed

Local climate experimentation is a topical issue as cities and rural municipalities are increasingly engaging in various local energy experiments in order to act against climate change. There are high expectations toward experimentation among the policy makers, funders and local actors. Intermediary organisations have an important role as facilitators, brokers, instigators and network builders in low-energy and low-carbon experiments. However, there is still limited understanding of exactly what is the work of an innovation intermediary in contributing to local experiments. Our paper focuses on how intermediaries aggregate lessons and transfer knowledge across experiments. We study how the intermediary activities also help in going beyond existing practice and make a difference beyond the experimental context. Our analysis is based on three empirical case studies in Finland: Smart Kalasatama in Helsinki, Skaftkärr in Porvoo and HINKU with a focus on joint purchase of solar panels. Our research shows how intermediaries balance diverse demands, such as immediate benefits vs. radical change or societal learning, in order to render local climate initiatives more experimental. ; Peer reviewed

The notion that we can learn from experiments is topical in current discussions on societal transitions for combating climate change. Within a socio-technical transitions approach, strategic niche management (SNM) conceives of local experiments within protected spaces as important initiators of learning and empowerment of new technologies. Transition management –a governance approach– views "local experiments" as central in a societal learning process for sustainability. Several countries – among them Finland – aim to develop a culture of experimentation in order to meet the sustainability and climate challenges of the future. This paper presents a new perspective on experiments and learning. Analytical studies on experiments, pilots, demonstrations and living labs show that experimental uses of new technologies can reveal missing competences. For example, demonstrations of building-applied solar energy technologies show how commissioning, maintenance, operation and use can be problematic due to missing services and missing competences in existing firms and among users (Janda and Parag 2013; Killip 2013; Janda et al. 2014; Heiskanen et al. 2015).We demonstrate our approach with Finnish examples from pilots, demonstrations and experiments in embedding smart energy - solar power and other intermittent energy sources, energy management, smart metering and grids – into real-life environments. Our data consist of 8 case studies, and workshops with the users of research results (public authorities, educational bodies, interaction designers). We show how such experiments can be used to identify missing competences and anticipate future education and usability needs, i.e., how to co-adapt technologies and users to a climate-constrained future world.

Institutional entrepreneurship research has described and conceptualized dramatic cases of successful institutional change. We know less about whether it can help people trying to change institutions, for example, struggling to change the energy system. Do concepts from the institutional entrepreneurship literature offer sustainable energy practitioners insights on the political aspects of their work? And vice-versa: do practitioners have useful insights on the potential and limits of agency in institutional change? The present study contributes to these questions through collaborative inquiry together with government-affiliated organizations with a mission to promote sustainable energy. The results suggest that concepts from the institutional entrepreneurship literature do serve to make practitioners' implicit competencies explicit and hence a legitimate subject for organizational development and joint learning about the political aspects of energy systems change. We conclude that institutional entrepreneurship appears to require a form of organizing that combines environmental scanning, grand strategy and everyday tactical moves on the ground. ; Peer reviewed

Institutional entrepreneurship research has described and conceptualized dramatic cases of successful institutional change. We know less about whether it can help people trying to change institutions, for example, struggling to change the energy system. Do concepts from the institutional entrepreneurship literature offer sustainable energy practitioners insights on the political aspects of their work? And vice-versa: do practitioners have useful insights on the potential and limits of agency in institutional change? The present study contributes to these questions through collaborative inquiry together with government-affiliated organizations with a mission to promote sustainable energy. The results suggest that concepts from the institutional entrepreneurship literature do serve to make practitioners' implicit competencies explicit and hence a legitimate subject for organizational development and joint learning about the political aspects of energy systems change. We conclude that institutional entrepreneurship appears to require a form of organizing that combines environmental scanning, grand strategy and everyday tactical moves on the ground.

This open access book examines the role of citizens in sustainable energy transitions across Europe. It explores energy problem framing, policy approaches and practical responses to the challenge of securing clean, affordable and sustainable energy for all citizens, focusing on households as the main unit of analysis. The book revolves around ten contributions that each summarise national trends, socio-material characteristics, and policy responses to contemporary energy issues affecting householders in different countries, and provides good practice examples for designing and implementing sustainable energy initiatives. Prominent concerns include reducing carbon emissions, energy poverty, sustainable consumption, governance, practices, innovations and sustainable lifestyles. The opening and closing contributions consider European level energy policy, dominant and alternative problem framings and similarities and differences between European countries in relation to reducing household energy use. Overall, the book is a valuable resource for researchers, policy-makers, practitioners and others interested in sustainable energy perspectives. In Finland, energy policy is in transition towards integrating energy projects in broader sustainability, liveability and innovation contexts. While energy saving has been pursued for decades, it is now part of a broader tendency in urban planning to promote sustainable lifestyles. Transition manifests in local actors' redistribution of power, challenging conventional ways of infrastructure development, forging new networks, and seeking novel solutions. The experimental case presented in the chapter, Smart Kalasatama, shows that local governments are close to citizens and, therefore, can infuence the conditions for sustainable consumption and quality of life. Although they have an important role in energy policy, they still might lack the resources, expertise and the power to innovate, to evaluate projects, and in particular, to scale up innovative practices. ; Non peer reviewed

This article presents a case study on a demand response (DR) pilot project dealing with the application of DR in a grocery store with the utilization of refrigeration equipment as energy storage and photovoltaics (PV) as an energy source. DR has recently gained increased interest due to the growing penetration of intermittent renewable energy requiring flexibility in power consumption. The smart power grid enables the introduction of novel solutions to increase flexibility and the entrance of new actors into the markets. Developing new solutions for the mainstream markets requires experimentation in real-life settings serving the development of technological capabilities, necessary policies and regulation, and user and market needs, as well as adaptation of and to infrastructure and maintenance systems. Our case study on a DR pilot in a grocery store in Northern Finland focuses on how the project contributes to knowledge on the potential for DR and scaling up. It was found that energy efficiency, DR, and self-generated PV power can be aligned and even enhance the potential for DR. While mature technologies exist, applications and installations have not yet been standardized to enable rapid scaling up, and current DR market rules and practices fail to accommodate for small electricity consumers. ; Peer reviewed

Community action has an increasingly prominent role in the debates surrounding transitions to sustainability. Initiatives such as community energy projects, community gardens, local food networks and car sharing clubs provide new spaces for sustainable consumption, and combinations of technological and social innovations. These initiatives, which are often driven by social good rather than by pure monetary motives, have been conceptualised as grassroots innovations. Previous research in grassroots innovations has largely focused on conceptualising such initiatives and analysing their potential for replication and diffusion; there has been less research in the politics involved in these initiatives. We examine grassroots innovations as forms of political engagement that is different from the 1970s' alternative technology movements. Through an analysis of community-run Energy Cafes in the United Kingdom, we argue that while present-day grassroots innovations appear less explicitly political than their predecessors, they can still represent a form of political participation. Through the analytical lens of material politics, we investigate how Energy Cafes engage in diverse - explicit and implicit, more or less conscious forms of political engagement. In particular, their work to "demystify" clients' energy bills can unravel into various forms of advocacy and engagement with energy technologies and practices in the home. Some Energy Cafe practices also make space for a needs-driven approach that acknowledges the embeddedness of energy in the household and wider society. ; Peer reviewed

Success of strategies for solving problems of climate change, scarce resources and negative environmental impacts increasingly depends on whether changes in individual behaviour can and will supplement the technical solutions available to date.A relatively new way to influence behavior in a sustainable direction without changing values of people is nudging. Nudging can be used to help people make choices that are better for the environment or their health. The importance of the behaviour change strategies is being recognised in politics and among policy makers in diverse areas – from road safety to diet and physical activity; from pension plans to private economy and from littering to recycling. A renewed perspective on existing policy tools and potential strategies for behaviour change are entering public debate that have implications for behaviour of individuals, but that also raise critical questions about the role of the government in the society and transition to sustainability. Nudge means carefully guiding people behavior in desirable direction without using either carrot or whip. Instead when nudging one arranges the choice situation in a way that makes desirable outcome the easiest or the most attractive option. Knowledge about nudging opens up possibility to suggest new types of policy tools and measure that can contribute to sustainable consumption.In many countries, public or private knowledge centers are engaged in shaping nudging strategies and policy development. The report provides an international outlook with experiences from the USA, the UK, EU, Norway and Denmark. In the USA, nudging was institutionalised at the Office of Regulatory Affairs which develops and oversees the implementation of government-wide policies and reviews draft regulations in several areas. In the UK, nudge was firmly institutionalised when the Behavioural Insights Team (UK BIT) was established at the UK Cabinet Office in 2010. In February 2014, the team was 'spun out' of government and set up as a social purpose company but is still working primarily for the Cabinet Office. Instead of establishing a governmental unit, Denmark has an active non-profit organisation iNudgeYou outside the government that supports the use of nudges in policy making. Similarly to Denmark, Norway has an independent organisation promoting and supporting the use of nudges, GreeNudge, which has produced a report on the potential for nudging in Norway's climate policy.The guiding question is whether it is possible to help individuals make better decisions for themselves and society at large by overcoming limitations of human cognitive capacity and behavioural biases? In what way can behavioural sciences help people bridge the gap between good intentions and good deeds? Can learnings from nudge examples be used to shape behaviour in a more sustainable direction? In order to answer these questions, the report:• analyses existing academic knowledge on nudging and choice architecture• investigates lessons about effectiveness and efficiency of applied nudging tools and approaches in consumption domains of energy use in the home, food and mobility• presents evidence of factors of success of different nudge-based approaches• outlines the implications of these findings for policy strategies on sustainable consumptionThe report shows that lately applications of behavioural sciences and behavioural economics, such as nudge, have been helping policy makers in different countries and sectors to more systematically integrate behavioural insights into policy design and implementation. Some examples of these tools are:• Use default options in situations with complex information, e.g. pension funds or financial services• Simplify and frame complex information making key information more salient – energy labelling, displays• Make changes in the physical environment making preferable options more convenient for people – e.g. change layouts and functions, showing with steps and signs, give remainders and warnings of different kinds to individuals• Use of social norms – provide information about what others are doingHowever, the size of the effects of policy interventions and the actual outcomes of interventions in specific contexts remain hard to measure. Results from one experiment cannot be indiscriminately generalised to a different context or to a wider population. The problem is the complexity of human behaviour and the diversity of factors that influence it.Despite that, nudging is a useful strategy for inducing changes in contextspecific behaviour. Rather than being seen as a silver bullet, the largest promise of nudge is perhaps in helping design other initiatives better and in improving the effectiveness and efficiency of policy tools and the speed of their implementation. Nudge is a cost effective instrument that can enhance other policy tools and that targets behaviours not addressed by other policy instruments because the behaviours are based on automatic, intuitive and non-deliberative thinking.Nudging promotes a more empirical approach to policy design and evaluation, e.g. through experiments, pilots and random control trials, than the tools usually applied in policy making and ex-ante evaluation. Nudge tools are seen as a complement to the traditional policy instruments rather than as a substitute for laws and regulations and economic tools. Nudging in general and green nudges in particular are interesting tools that can be used alongside other instruments for behaviour change, but more research is needed on their effectiveness and efficiency, as well as on their theoretical underpinnings and practical applications in consumption-relevant domains.The report is written for policy makers, civil servants and representatives of the public, interested in behaviour change methods and the role of the government in shaping and facilitating the change.

Abstract
Environmental policy makers and marketers are attracted by the notion of green consumerism. Yet, green consumerism is a contested concept, allowing for a wide range of translations in everyday discursive practices.
This paper examines how young consumers construct their images of green consumerism. It makes a close reading of three narratives reflecting available subject positions for young green consumers: the Antihero, the Environmental Hero and the Anarchist.
It reveals problems in the prevailing fragmented, gendered and individualistic notions of green consumerism, and discusses implications for policy and marketing practitioners.
Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.