Nick Baker presentation "People and sustainability: Waste – culture or instinct; a new subject for research?"

Duration: 46 mins 18 secs

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Description:	In spite of the widespread acceptance of the growing crisis in balancing the energy supply and demand equation, the weight of scientific research is directed towards supply. On the face of it, the demand side is almost trivial – turn off lights, insulate buildings, don’t install air-conditioning etc etc. Yet in spite of knowing these simple measures, our demand grows ever larger. There seems to be an underlying belief that, in an ideal world, consuming more is better and demand must always be met. In studying the specific field of energy-consuming behaviour in the occupation and operation of buildings, we have observed that people are not only influenced by actual outcomes, but by their perception of outcomes, even if they don’t experience them or they are actually incorrect. If there exists a deep-seated perception that the consumption of more will always be better, it stands to reason that arguments to the contrary will probably be ineffective. Our reading of buildings is poor; after all we are new (in evolutionary terms) to living indoors, and our intuitive responses that were developed in a different and more dangerous environment have not yet adjusted. This talk is concerned with how interdisciplinary scientific study may help us compensate for this, in building design, system design and education.

Description:

In spite of the widespread acceptance of the growing crisis in balancing the energy supply and demand equation, the weight of scientific research is directed towards supply. On the face of it, the demand side is almost trivial – turn off lights, insulate buildings, don’t install air-conditioning etc etc. Yet in spite of knowing these simple measures, our demand grows ever larger. There seems to be an underlying belief that, in an ideal world, consuming more is better and demand must always be met.

In studying the specific field of energy-consuming behaviour in the occupation and operation of buildings, we have observed that people are not only influenced by actual outcomes, but by their perception of outcomes, even if they don’t experience them or they are actually incorrect. If there exists a deep-seated perception that the consumption of more will always be better, it stands to reason that arguments to the contrary will probably be ineffective.

Our reading of buildings is poor; after all we are new (in evolutionary terms) to living indoors, and our intuitive responses that were developed in a different and more dangerous environment have not yet adjusted. This talk is concerned with how interdisciplinary scientific study may help us compensate for this, in building design, system design and education.


Created:	2010-11-04 14:53
Collection:	GreenBRIDGE Conference 2010: "Taking Stock: Methods for Built Environment Research"
Publisher:	University of Cambridge
Copyright:	Nick Baker
Language:	eng (English)

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