This document discusses communication and education approaches for sustainable consumption. It describes Daniel Fischer's research group which focuses on how consumption satisfies human needs and how to encourage more sustainable alternatives. The group explores how different communication formats can help achieve more sustainable consumption. Key aspects of the group's work include that education and communication are not sufficient for change on their own and that their potential lies in stimulating social learning rather than direct behavioral change. The document also describes the group's research into using mindfulness training to bridge attitudes and behaviors regarding consumption.

1. COMMUNICATION AND EDUCATION
FOR SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION
Reflections from the field (5)
Daniel Fischer, Leuphana University of Lüneburg, Germany
04.05.2017DANIEL FISCHER | LEUPHANA UNIVERSITY OF LÜNEBURG, GERMANY

2. DANIEL FISCHER | LEUPHANA UNIVERSITY OF LÜNEBURG, GERMANY 04.05.2017
Gate at the Japanese Garden in Denver Botanical Gardens
Education for
Sustainable
Consumption
Sustainability
Communication

3. Research Group
DANIEL FISCHER | LEUPHANA UNIVERSITY OF LÜNEBURG, GERMANY 04.05.2017
We focus on the role of consumption in satisfying
human needs, investigate into its social and
ecological impacts, and explore new ways how
human beings can be encouraged and enabled to
take up more sustainable alternatives. A special
interest lies in the analysis of how different formats of
communication can help to achieve this aim. Our
research is driven by the broader motivation to
advance more responsible ways of living in
contemporary society.
https://www.leuphana.de/en/institutes/infu/suco2.html
Working Group SuCo²
Sustainable Consumption & Sustainability Communication

4. How can education and communication engage people in change towards SCP?
http://quepourmagueule.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Titanic1-682x351.png
04.05.2017DANIEL FISCHER | LEUPHANA UNIVERSITY OF LÜNEBURG, GERMANY

5. How can education and communication engage people in change towards SCP?
Fischer, D. & Barth, M. (2014). Key Competencies for and beyond Sustainable
Consumption. An Educational Contribution to the Debate. GAiA, 23 (S1), 193-200.
Key tenets of our work
—Education and communication are
mandatory, but not sufficient conditions
for progressing towards or SSCP
—Progressing towards SSCP requires
both soft and hard instruments (weak
and strong SC)
—The potential of education and
communication is on stimulating
social learning (emancipatory) rather
than on behavioral change
(instrumental)
Key Competencies for Sustainable Consumption
04.05.2017DANIEL FISCHER | LEUPHANA UNIVERSITY OF LÜNEBURG, GERMANY

6. DANIEL FISCHER | LEUPHANA UNIVERSITY OF LÜNEBURG, GERMANY
How can education and communication engage people in change towards SCP?
Key tenets of our work
—Concept of needs
—Needs ≠ satisfiers
Manfred Max-Neef
“Cultural change is, among other things,
the consequence of dropping
traditional satisfiers for the purpose of
adopting new or different ones.”
 How can needs (e.g. for developing and
expressing identity) be satisfied differently?
04.05.2017

7. DANIEL FISCHER | LEUPHANA UNIVERSITY OF LÜNEBURG, GERMANY 04.05.2017
Mindfulness

8. Communication and Education for Sustainable Consumption | Mindfulness
DANIEL FISCHER | LEUPHANA UNIVERSITY OF LÜNEBURG, GERMANY 04.05.2017
Education for sustainable consumption
through mindfulness training
2015-2018
Features associated with the concept of mindfulness
Deliberate awareness
Non-judgmental focus on the present moment
Evidence on the effectiveness of mindfulness-
based trainings for treating stress/depression
Buddhist
Secular

9. ?Intention
Initial hypothesis:
Mindfulness helps to bridge the attitude-behavior gap with regards to
sustainable consumption
Cognition
Attitude
Affect
Behavior
Communication and Education for Sustainable Consumption | Mindfulness
04.05.2017DANIEL FISCHER | LEUPHANA UNIVERSITY OF LÜNEBURG, GERMANY

10. 04.05.2017DANIEL FISCHER | LEUPHANA UNIVERSITY OF LÜNEBURG, GERMANY
Communication and Education for Sustainable Consumption | Mindfulness
Education for
Sustainable
Consumption
Mindfulness
Students Pupils Employees
Mindfulness training (= intervention)
• Weekly sessions (1.5h) for 8 weeks
• 4h day of mindfulness
• Daily informal meditation practice

11. 04.05.2017DANIEL FISCHER | LEUPHANA UNIVERSITY OF LÜNEBURG, GERMANY
Communication and Education for Sustainable Consumption | Mindfulness
t1quant t2quant t3quant
t1qual
Quantitative Pre-Post-
Design
Qualitative Interviews Additional
Data
Disruption
of routines
Congruence
(attitudes/
behaviors)
Pro-social
behavior
Non-
materialism
/ wellbeing
…?

12. DANIEL FISCHER | LEUPHANA UNIVERSITY OF LÜNEBURG, GERMANY 04.05.2017
Mindfulness
Co-Design

13. —Assessing and reducing food waste
using nudging with a citizen science
approach
—Developing campaigns to communicate
labels to children and young adults (for
UBA)
—1.700 freshmen collaborate for 1
semester with stakeholders to develop
visions for a sustainable Lüneburg
2030+. A second project phase just
commenced to develop concepts for
implementation.
DANIEL FISCHER | LEUPHANA UNIVERSITY OF LÜNEBURG, GERMANY 04.05.2017
Co-Design in Communication and Education for Sustainable Consumption

14. Engaging
Communication
DANIEL FISCHER | LEUPHANA UNIVERSITY OF LÜNEBURG, GERMANY 04.05.2017
Mindfulness
Co-Design

15. Problem Awareness: New Sensual Experiences
By Chris Jordan
04.05.2017DANIEL FISCHER | LEUPHANA UNIVERSITY OF LÜNEBURG, GERMANY
https://thinkprogress.o
rg/listen-to-this-graph-
youll-hear-a-song-of-
our-warming-planet-
d91bd053f5d7
By Chris
Jordan:
http://chrisjorda
n.com/gallery/rt
n2/#gyre

16. Knowledge?
How are you cutting
down on your electricity
consumption?
We never buy
energy drinks.
04.05.2017DANIEL FISCHER | LEUPHANA UNIVERSITY OF LÜNEBURG, GERMANY

17. Awareness of the Relevance of Consumption: The Flight To Rio
Developed by students of HS Bremen, supported by a team of HU Berlin in the project BINK.
04.05.2017DANIEL FISCHER | LEUPHANA UNIVERSITY OF LÜNEBURG, GERMANY
https://youtu.be/_Y79OMBqMUs

18. Narrative: Renuntiation
http://player.slideplayer.org/10/2877753/data/images/img10.jpg
You know it, I
have to shop,
darling!
Don‘t go, Jochen.
Please don‘t go!
04.05.2017DANIEL FISCHER | LEUPHANA UNIVERSITY OF LÜNEBURG, GERMANY

19. Narrative: Renuntiation
Swap new junk
for old values
04.05.2017DANIEL FISCHER | LEUPHANA UNIVERSITY OF LÜNEBURG, GERMANY

20. Storytelling: Anecdote concerning the lowering of productivity (Labour Day 1963)
Heinrich Böll
Böll, Heinrich (1995). "Anecdote
Concerning the Lowering of
Productivity". The Stories of Heinrich
Boll. Leila Vennewitz (translator).
Northwestern University Press. pp. 628–
630.
04.05.2017DANIEL FISCHER | LEUPHANA UNIVERSITY OF LÜNEBURG, GERMANY
https://www.uni-
hildesheim.de/media/_migrated/content_uploads/Translating_Heinrich_Boell.pdf

21. Illustration by Christiane Pieper, Wuppertal
Liedtke, C., Welfens, M.-J., Baedeker, C., Schaefer, I., Onischka, M., Stengel, O. et al. (2008). Konsum (Mut zur
Nachhaltigkeit, Bd. 2). Wuppertal: Stiftung Forum für Verantwortung, p. 90-92
Visual Storytelling: Growth in the Kitchen
04.05.2017DANIEL FISCHER | LEUPHANA UNIVERSITY OF LÜNEBURG, GERMANY

22. Thank you
Prof. Dr. Daniel Fischer
Working Group SuCo²
Institute for Environmental
and Sustainability
Communication (INFU)
Leuphana University
Scharnhorststraße 1
21335 Lüneburg
Germany
+49 (0)4131-677-2927
dfischer@leuphana.de
http://opensourceeducator.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/possibility.jpg
Immaterial and non-
consumptive ways
of satisfying needs?
Effective
communication
and education
approaches to
stimulate
reflection and
change agency?
Trans…
• … cultural
• … national
• … disciplinary
collaboration!
Potential of
comparative
research
04.05.2017DANIEL FISCHER | LEUPHANA UNIVERSITY OF LÜNEBURG, GERMANY