Understanding social practices, uncovering norms and values, and learning how to change
The Industrial Ecology Group has just been awarded a three-year grant by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), as part of their NRP71 Managing Energy Consumption and with a focus on socio-economic questions.
This three-year project, under the direction of Professor Suren Erkman and with lead researcher Dr Marlyne Sahakian, will aim to uncover how electricity consumption can become meaningful when it is tied up with everyday social practices and in what way such an approach would lead to more efficient energy consumption in the home. The project combines notions from industrial ecology, social practice theory and social learning theory, and will contribute innovative conceptual and methodological approaches, as well as new empirical research in Switzerland - both quantitative and qualitative.
The results will be relevant to researchers and consumer interest groups, as well as future campaigns by the public and private sector, applicable at different levels including neighborhoods, cities, cantons or the federal level - towards the Swiss Energy Strategy 2050.