Responsibility for Sustainability: Outcomes vs. Behaviors

While many consumers, businesses and the government are increasingly concerned with the issue of sustainability, progress towards a more sustainable future has been relatively limited. To a large degree, the problem is not the lack of recognition that change is needed, but, as our research suggests, a lack of sufficient assumption of responsibility for change. Indeed, the popular press and academic literature are replete with evidence suggesting that while many consumers believe that sustainability is important, a much smaller percentage of consumers actually make a concerted effort to change their behaviors, e.g. by consuming less and/or consuming differently...read more