Collective Public Commitment: Young People on the Path to a More Sustainable Lifestyle

Abstract

Society’s development toward more sustainable lifestyles can only succeed if changes are also performed at the individual level. We, therefore investigated whether the participation of teenagers (14–19 years old) in a collective public commitment and accompanying workshop on plastic consumption strengthened their willingness and ability to take action. Previous projects such as the EcoTeam Program served as workshop templates. Over a period of five weeks, the teenagers met once a week for the workshop, an exchange of ideas, and the establishment of weekly goals for their commitment. Semi-structured interviews were carried out to investigate the outcomes directly after the project and three years later. Participants developed a more conscious environmental perception, which led to behavioral changes and the willingness to maintain or improve those changes. Beyond this outcome, most participants functioned as multipliers and ambassadors for a more sustainable lifestyle in their social environment. Even three years after the commitment project, all former participants had maintained their behavioral changes. Collective public commitment could thus be a suitable method for ESD, and a vehicle to support young people on their path to a more sustainable lifestyle.

How enterprises' public welfare low-carbon behavior affects consumers’ green purchase behavior

“…According to the China Green Consumer Report released by AliResearch [ 69 ], China's green consumers are mainly young people under the age of 35 years. Young people's green consumption behavior is more significant than that of their older counterparts [ 70 , 71 ]; therefore, we believe that the survey sample is representative.…”

Crafting a Scientific Framework to Mitigate Microplastic Impact on Ecosystems

“…Engaging in practical experiments and classroom discussions not only illuminates the profound impact of MPs on the ecosystem, but also raises a sense of responsibility and environmental stewardship among the younger generation. Educational institutions thus play a crucial role in shaping environmentally conscious citizens who are equipped to address the challenges posed by microplastic pollution [90][91][92][93].…”

‘Simply Make a Change’—Individual Commitment as a Stepping Stone for Sustainable Behaviors

“…Commitment is a strategy to achieve self-set goals, and can be defined as the binding of an individual to a behavioral act [17]. Those who commit themselves to something declare that they will change a specific behavior for a certain amount of time (e.g., biking to work for a week instead of taking the car, or trying a vegan diet [18]). Commitments can be carried out alone or in groups and have been proven successful, even though the method stimulates behavioral changes with moderate rather than hard interventions [18][19][20][21][22].…”

“…Those who commit themselves to something declare that they will change a specific behavior for a certain amount of time (e.g., biking to work for a week instead of taking the car, or trying a vegan diet [18]). Commitments can be carried out alone or in groups and have been proven successful, even though the method stimulates behavioral changes with moderate rather than hard interventions [18][19][20][21][22]. Individuals, who want to engage in pro-environmental behavior such as reducing their energy consumption or buying organic food, are often not hindered by financial or situational barriers in doing so.…”

“…Today, self-commitments are often used in the business sphere (e.g., [25,32,33], but there are also examples from schools and universities [34,35]). It should be noted that the obligatory fulfillment of pledges in the educational system could be understood as a kind of manipulation [18]. However, when Australian students had to make pledges as part of a university course, the self-commitment was not perceived as indoctrinating but as an eye-opening and valuable experience [36].…”