The Power of Connection: Sustainable Lifestyles and Sense of Place

Urban Farm DB summary

This study examined what motivates residents of Melbourne, Australia, to lead an environmentally sustainable lifestyle, focusing specifically on the role of "sense of place." Nineteen in-depth interviews were conducted with residents engaged in three types of sustainability activism: personal (e.g., energy and water saving, shopping at farmers' markets), group (e.g., community gardens, sharing neighborhood goods), and political (e.g., lobbying and organizing for structural change). Participants did report a sense of place in Melbourne, but what motivated their action was a broader sense of connection with nature and the planet, awareness of the human-made and cultural/political environment, and their personal health, relationships and community — not necessarily tied to a specific geographical location within the city. Motivating factors differed slightly across activist types, though connection with nature was consistent across all groups; the authors suggest that in urban settings, local sense of place may act as an enabler and reinforcer of action — providing a place to act and people to act with — rather than as a motivator in itself.