Motivations for Greener Living : Lessons from a South African Eco-Village

• Main Author: Györgyfalvai Lindgren, Adam
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: Uppsala universitet, Statsvetenskapliga institutionen 2016
• Subjects: Post-materialism; eco-village; green living; Lynedoch Eco-Village; transition initiative
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-279891

By means of a case study of a small, socially mixed, and ecologically oriented community in South Africa, known as the Lynedoch Eco-Village, this thesis sets out to identify motivations of people from different socio-economic backgrounds for joining such a community, and as a result live a more sustainable life. The case was studied during a minor field study (MFS) in the South African spring of 2015, during which sixteen eco-villagers were interviewed. The study discovers a wide range of motives reported by the respondents; some motives stemming from materialistic concerns and others being of a more idealistic nature. The socio-economic comparison of the respondents´ accounts is analysed using post-material theory and, interestingly, some accounts directly contradict the accounts that this influential theory would predict, with respondents from a lower socio-economic background reporting highly idealistic motives and views.