Centers promoting sustainable building and living: characteristics, concepts and lessons learned

Panel: 3. Local action

This is a peer-reviewed paper.

Author:
Erica Löfström, NTNU Department of Psychology, Norway

Abstract

The project has performed a report which includes a mapping and description of centers (for) promoting Sustainable housing/lifestyles/neighborhoods. A description of the characteristics, concepts and lessons that have been learned is included, with a particular focus on characteristics that can be easily transferred to a Norwegian context. The included examples vary in form of organization, localization (urban or rural) as well as in size and activities involved. We have included both centers that are localized in or connected to a residential area with an explicit ambition of promoting low-carbon or environmentally sustainable lifestyles and/or technologies as well as "independent" ones. We have been particularly interested in the centers' form of organization, public profile and interaction with the public (existing/future residents and other interested individuals) and its (potential or existing) cooperation with or effect on local and/or so called "green businesses" and activities.

In the report, climate center is defined as "an organization offering activities or information to promote sustainable lifestyles and/or technologies to the public and that are founded at a particular location/building". As this is a broad definition, we do not claim to have included all possible relevant such centers, but to present examples of climate centers that for different reasons are of relevance for the Norwegian context. This means that the centers included in the report are biased to the Nordic countries. Each center is described with particular focus on factors that can be applied to the Norwegian context. The aim of the project is to map relevant strategies to promote sustainable lifestyles and neighborhoods to the public.