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The Practice of Green Consumption

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Environment and Society

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Environmental Sociology and Policy ((PASTESP))

Abstract

This chapter problematizes the dominant viewpoint of sustainable consumption as a personal and voluntary act by arguing that such a conceptualization makes individuals appear responsible for complex, systemic issues and then limits individuals to respond solely as consumers. We argue that environmental policy solutions based on this dominant conception are limited and we make a case for a more promising conceptualization of green consumption: the ‘social practice approach.’ Social practices analyze patterns of behavior rather than individual acts, recognizing that individual characteristics are in constant dialogue with structural arrangements. This chapter provides commentary on the limitations of the individualistic approach, an overview of how social practice theory is an improved conceptualization of sustainable consumption, and argues that social practice theory can rejuvenate environmental political discourse.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Behaviour as a standalone concept is usually avoided in work employing practice theories, however, in this context we use the phrase ‘patterns of behaviour’ to visualize the bundles of elements comprising practices.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA

    Emily Huddart Kennedy & Darcy Hauslik

Authors
  1. Emily Huddart Kennedy
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  2. Darcy Hauslik
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Correspondence to Emily Huddart Kennedy .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Humanities Education and Social Sciences, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden

    Magnus Boström

  2. Department of Resource Economics and Environmental Sociology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada

    Debra J. Davidson

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Kennedy, E.H., Hauslik, D. (2018). The Practice of Green Consumption. In: Boström, M., Davidson, D. (eds) Environment and Society. Palgrave Studies in Environmental Sociology and Policy. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76415-3_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76415-3_9

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-76414-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-76415-3

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