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Senja Laakso
Centre for Consumer Society Research, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

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Journal article
Published: 05 May 2021 in Journal of Cleaner Production
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This article presents the process and results of a practice-based intervention aimed at facilitating the time and space required to experiment with and change home heating in households, to promote socially and environmentally sustainable ways of practising thermal comfort. A central feature of the intervention, called ENERGISE Living Labs and conducted across eight European countries, was that social practices were targeted, resulting in a focus on what ‘heating is for’ rather than the process of heating in and of itself. In this article, we concentrate on the three countries with the highest reported expectations of thermal comfort and describe how 113 households in Denmark, Finland and Hungary completed a set of challenges to reduce their indoor temperature to 18 °C for four weeks in the late autumn of 2018. To facilitate alternative ways of keeping warm, the participants were supported by reflexive interviews and group discussions, and aided by tips and materials. The results demonstrate how changes in skills, competences, norms, and expectations related to indoor thermal comfort (in addition to other daily practices) are essential for more sufficient energy use. Generally, the temperature level at which people felt comfortable was reduced by an average of 1 °C, and, more importantly, participants became aware of their heating-related practices, including the underlying elements of these practices, and learned how to challenge them. The results clearly indicate the potential of practice-based interventions to promote deliberation on and change in existing socially shared expectations of comfort.

ACS Style

Senja Laakso; Charlotte Louise Jensen; Edina Vadovics; Eeva-Lotta Apajalahti; Freja Friis; Anita Szőllőssy. Towards sustainable energy consumption: Challenging heating-related practices in Denmark, Finland, and Hungary. Journal of Cleaner Production 2021, 308, 127220 .

AMA Style

Senja Laakso, Charlotte Louise Jensen, Edina Vadovics, Eeva-Lotta Apajalahti, Freja Friis, Anita Szőllőssy. Towards sustainable energy consumption: Challenging heating-related practices in Denmark, Finland, and Hungary. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2021; 308 ():127220.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Senja Laakso; Charlotte Louise Jensen; Edina Vadovics; Eeva-Lotta Apajalahti; Freja Friis; Anita Szőllőssy. 2021. "Towards sustainable energy consumption: Challenging heating-related practices in Denmark, Finland, and Hungary." Journal of Cleaner Production 308, no. : 127220.

Research article
Published: 30 April 2021 in Food, Culture & Society
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The shift of society toward sustainable food culture requires collectively challenging meat and dairy-based diets and their role in current practices of eating. This study focuses on how discussions in social media can facilitate reconfiguration in eating. Three practice-theoretical perspectives – practices constituting of elements, eating as a compound practice, and communities of practice – afford us with analytical tools to investigate eating and how the constituting elements are negotiated and recrafted in social media discussions across the compound practice. As empirical data, we use altogether 14,250 social media messages on the Finnish Vegan Challenge campaign. By combining qualitative content analysis with topic modeling, we capture the various themes occurring in these discussions and their relation to changes in eating practices. The results show that within these discussions, social learning among peers covered the whole sphere of eating-related practices from production and distribution to purchasing and cooking vegan food, and to sharing stories and experiences of veganism. Our findings illustrate how these discussions can be seen as forming a reconfigurative community of practice, which can potentially support and facilitate social change of eating toward sustainability also outside the Vegan Challenge community.

ACS Style

Senja Laakso; Mari Niva; Veikko Eranti; Fanny Aapio. Reconfiguring everyday eating: Vegan Challenge discussions in social media. Food, Culture & Society 2021, 1 -22.

AMA Style

Senja Laakso, Mari Niva, Veikko Eranti, Fanny Aapio. Reconfiguring everyday eating: Vegan Challenge discussions in social media. Food, Culture & Society. 2021; ():1-22.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Senja Laakso; Mari Niva; Veikko Eranti; Fanny Aapio. 2021. "Reconfiguring everyday eating: Vegan Challenge discussions in social media." Food, Culture & Society , no. : 1-22.

Journal article
Published: 06 February 2021 in Energy Research & Social Science
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Practice-based interventions have recently emerged as one way to question established practices and experiment with new, less energy-intensive ones within households. Yet, how practice-based interventions contribute to energy transitions on a larger scale still awaits to answer. The challenge is that practices are embedded in local conditions and contexts; therefore, scaling up is not simply a matter of multiplying or transferring particular solutions at new sites and larger scales, but it requires dedicated work to translate and support the local reinvention of practices. Drawing on insights from Social Practice Theory, Strategic Niche Management and Institutional Entrepreneurship, we build a conceptual framework for analysing the types of work needed to scale up alternative, energy saving practices in practice-based interventions. Based on the empirical investigation of six European practice-based interventions and the work conducted by the organisers, researchers, participants and stakeholders of these interventions, we identified three types of work to scale up: (i) proximate work to make the practice transferable; (ii) work to gain allies and resonance for the practice; and (iii) work to shape the conditions for scaling up. The paper serves as a valuable resource for future interventions, providing a framework for researchers and practitioners to support scaling up of alternative practices for low-carbon energy transition.

ACS Style

Senja Laakso; Eva Heiskanen; Kaisa Matschoss; Eeva-Lotta Apajalahti; Frances Fahy. The role of practice-based interventions in energy transitions: A framework for identifying types of work to scale up alternative practices. Energy Research & Social Science 2021, 72, 101861 .

AMA Style

Senja Laakso, Eva Heiskanen, Kaisa Matschoss, Eeva-Lotta Apajalahti, Frances Fahy. The role of practice-based interventions in energy transitions: A framework for identifying types of work to scale up alternative practices. Energy Research & Social Science. 2021; 72 ():101861.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Senja Laakso; Eva Heiskanen; Kaisa Matschoss; Eeva-Lotta Apajalahti; Frances Fahy. 2021. "The role of practice-based interventions in energy transitions: A framework for identifying types of work to scale up alternative practices." Energy Research & Social Science 72, no. : 101861.

Research article
Published: 01 January 2021 in Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy
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In this article, we examine a change initiative designed to involve households in testing ways to transform two everyday practices ‒ heating and doing laundry. The research design included an examination of the challenges of changing practices either in a setting that fosters collective engagement or with individual households. Two different types of living labs were carried out simultaneously in eight European countries in Autumn–Winter 2018. We reflect on differences in results in terms of both changes in practices and the experiences of participating households that we argue can be at least partially attributed to householders’ engagement in different types of living labs. We discuss the implications of an individual-focused vs. community-oriented approach for change initiatives seeking to challenge social norms for sustainability transitions, concentrating in particular on differences in the nature of participants’ engagement and their willingness and ability to challenge routine practices. This is complemented by analytical reflections on the differences in design, interaction, and performance between the two types of living labs. We show that an explicit focus on collaborative engagement in living labs can produce results that reflect shared experiences, community support, challenging established norms, and collective commitment toward change.

ACS Style

Kaisa Matschoss; Frances Fahy; Henrike Rau; Julia Backhaus; Gary Goggins; Eoin Grealis; Eva Heiskanen; Tuija Kajoskoski; Senja Laakso; Eeva-Lotta Apajalahti; Audley Genus; Laurence Godin; Marfuga Iskandarova; Annika-Kathrin Musch; Marlyne Sahakian; Christian Scholl; Edina Vadovics; Veronique Vasseur. Challenging practices: experiences from community and individual living lab approaches. Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy 2021, 17, 136 -152.

AMA Style

Kaisa Matschoss, Frances Fahy, Henrike Rau, Julia Backhaus, Gary Goggins, Eoin Grealis, Eva Heiskanen, Tuija Kajoskoski, Senja Laakso, Eeva-Lotta Apajalahti, Audley Genus, Laurence Godin, Marfuga Iskandarova, Annika-Kathrin Musch, Marlyne Sahakian, Christian Scholl, Edina Vadovics, Veronique Vasseur. Challenging practices: experiences from community and individual living lab approaches. Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy. 2021; 17 (1):136-152.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Kaisa Matschoss; Frances Fahy; Henrike Rau; Julia Backhaus; Gary Goggins; Eoin Grealis; Eva Heiskanen; Tuija Kajoskoski; Senja Laakso; Eeva-Lotta Apajalahti; Audley Genus; Laurence Godin; Marfuga Iskandarova; Annika-Kathrin Musch; Marlyne Sahakian; Christian Scholl; Edina Vadovics; Veronique Vasseur. 2021. "Challenging practices: experiences from community and individual living lab approaches." Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy 17, no. 1: 136-152.

Research article
Published: 23 December 2020 in Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy
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Two streams of literature have become especially prominent in understanding social change toward sustainability within the past decades: the research on socio-technical transitions and applications of social practice theory. The aim of this article is to contribute to efforts to create dialogue between these two approaches. We do this by focusing on the concept of reconfiguration, which has become a much-used, but poorly defined notion in the discussion on sustainability transitions. To understand what is defined as reconfiguration in systems and practices, and how the understanding of reconfiguration in regimes could benefit from insights about reconfiguration in practices, we conducted a systematic and critical literature review of 43 journal articles. The findings showed a trend toward a focus on whole-system reconfiguration and interlinked dynamics between practices of production and consumption. However, our study suggests that a less hierarchical understanding of transitions utilizing insights from practice theory might be fruitful. Future research on sustainability transitions could benefit from addressing the tensions between and within niche and regime practices; the dynamics maintaining and challenging social and cultural norms; the efforts in creating new normalities and in recruiting actors in practices; and investigating the different roles the various actors play in these practices.

ACS Style

Senja Laakso; Riikka Aro; Eva Heiskanen; Minna Kaljonen. Reconfigurations in sustainability transitions: a systematic and critical review. Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy 2020, 17, 15 -31.

AMA Style

Senja Laakso, Riikka Aro, Eva Heiskanen, Minna Kaljonen. Reconfigurations in sustainability transitions: a systematic and critical review. Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy. 2020; 17 (1):15-31.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Senja Laakso; Riikka Aro; Eva Heiskanen; Minna Kaljonen. 2020. "Reconfigurations in sustainability transitions: a systematic and critical review." Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy 17, no. 1: 15-31.

Journal article
Published: 22 July 2020 in Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy
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In this article, we explore the possibilities for a transformation toward more sustainable energy usage by engaging with mundane activities, such as doing the laundry. Across European households, laundry practices rely on social norms and material arrangements, which makes these practices rather “sticky” and resistant to change. Through the lens of consumption corridors, and accounting for wellbeing in relation to the basic needs of participation, health, and autonomy, we study laundry practices and their transformation in 73 Finnish and Swiss households that took part in a challenge to reduce their weekly wash cycles by half over a four-week period in autumn 2018. By using both qualitative and quantitative data, we analyze how participants defined minimum and maximum standards for cleanliness and convenience, for themselves and for others, over the course of the challenge period. Specifically, we consider how the sequencing of tasks associated with “doing the laundry” changed, as well as the significance of social relations and sensations in representations of social norms. The participants’ experiences helped uncover how setting limits toward consumption corridors can be achieved, whereby reductions in consumption can result in sustainable wellbeing.

ACS Style

Laurence Godin; Senja Laakso; Marlyne Sahakian. Doing laundry in consumption corridors: wellbeing and everyday life. Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy 2020, 16, 99 -113.

AMA Style

Laurence Godin, Senja Laakso, Marlyne Sahakian. Doing laundry in consumption corridors: wellbeing and everyday life. Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy. 2020; 16 (1):99-113.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Laurence Godin; Senja Laakso; Marlyne Sahakian. 2020. "Doing laundry in consumption corridors: wellbeing and everyday life." Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy 16, no. 1: 99-113.

Review
Published: 29 November 2019 in Energy and Behaviour
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In this chapter, we focus on existing research evidence concerning behaviour change interventions aiming to support energy conservation. We make a review of meta-analyses and systematic reviews concerning behaviour change interventions aiming to support energy conservation and evaluate how context is taken into account in the most popular intervention types, such as convenience, information, feedback, and social influence. Drawing on the perspective of realistic evaluation, we explore how the three types of contexts, organisational and geographical context and practice as context, are likely to influence intervention outcomes. Moreover, we argue that there are multiple, overlapping contexts that all contribute to the successfulness of the interventions, and these different contextual aspects also have implications for the transferability and scalability of the interventions. We conclude with suggestions for how to better address contextual factors in sustainable energy interventions.

ACS Style

Eva Heiskanen; Kaisa Matschoss; Senja Susanna Laakso; Eeva-Lotta Apajalahti. A critical review of energy behaviour change: The influence of context. Energy and Behaviour 2019, 391 -417.

AMA Style

Eva Heiskanen, Kaisa Matschoss, Senja Susanna Laakso, Eeva-Lotta Apajalahti. A critical review of energy behaviour change: The influence of context. Energy and Behaviour. 2019; ():391-417.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Eva Heiskanen; Kaisa Matschoss; Senja Susanna Laakso; Eeva-Lotta Apajalahti. 2019. "A critical review of energy behaviour change: The influence of context." Energy and Behaviour , no. : 391-417.

Chapter
Published: 08 June 2019 in Energy Demand Challenges in Europe
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In Finland, energy policy is in transition towards integrating energy projects in broader sustainability, liveability and innovation contexts. While energy saving has been pursued for decades, it is now part of a broader tendency in urban planning to promote sustainable lifestyles. Transition manifests in local actors’ redistribution of power, challenging conventional ways of infrastructure development, forging new networks, and seeking novel solutions. The experimental case presented in the chapter, Smart Kalasatama, shows that local governments are close to citizens and, therefore, can influence the conditions for sustainable consumption and quality of life. Although they have an important role in energy policy, they still might lack the resources, expertise and the power to innovate, to evaluate projects, and in particular, to scale up innovative practices.

ACS Style

Eva Heiskanen; Senja Laakso; Kaisa Matschoss. Finnish Energy Policy in Transition. Energy Demand Challenges in Europe 2019, 127 -136.

AMA Style

Eva Heiskanen, Senja Laakso, Kaisa Matschoss. Finnish Energy Policy in Transition. Energy Demand Challenges in Europe. 2019; ():127-136.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Eva Heiskanen; Senja Laakso; Kaisa Matschoss. 2019. "Finnish Energy Policy in Transition." Energy Demand Challenges in Europe , no. : 127-136.

Research article
Published: 04 February 2019 in Sociological Research Online
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This article presents the results from an experimental project in Jyväskylä, Finland, in which five ‘pioneer households’ aimed to reduce their environmental impacts by a variety of trials in different domains of daily consumption. The article analyses this ‘home lab’ experiment from a practice-theoretical perspective, focusing particularly on everyday mobility and the social interplay that occurs in mobility practices in different contexts. In so doing, the article explores the reasons behind the various outcomes of experimentation and discusses the potential of such experimentation to facilitate transformation in mobility practices. The results suggest that in order to shift daily mobility onto a more sustainable path, the social dynamics related to mobility practices should be better addressed. For example, the negotiations both inside and outside the participating households proved important in challenging the ways of doing mobility. Moreover, the potential for the diffusion of alternative mobility practices was shown to depend on a variety of factors that maintained the normality and acceptability of private driving. Utilising practice-theoretical insights in living laboratories can open new areas for experimentation and facilitate understanding of the shift in everyday practices towards greater sustainability.

ACS Style

Senja Laakso. Experiments in Everyday Mobility: Social Dynamics of Achieving a Sustainable Lifestyle. Sociological Research Online 2019, 24, 235 -250.

AMA Style

Senja Laakso. Experiments in Everyday Mobility: Social Dynamics of Achieving a Sustainable Lifestyle. Sociological Research Online. 2019; 24 (2):235-250.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Senja Laakso. 2019. "Experiments in Everyday Mobility: Social Dynamics of Achieving a Sustainable Lifestyle." Sociological Research Online 24, no. 2: 235-250.

Book chapter
Published: 01 January 2019 in A Research Agenda for Sustainable Consumption Governance
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Chapter 10, ‘Editing out unsustainability from consumption: From information provision to nudging and social practice theory’ by Eva Heiskanen and Senja Laakso addresses the question of whether unsustainability can be edited out from consumption in the journey from information provision to nudging and beyond. The authors begin by introducing the most commonly used methods to steer consumption towards these targets - from the provision of information to nudging and interventions based on a social practice perspective - along with examples and policy implications. The chapter illustrates the journey from what can be called the ‘mainstream paradigms in pro-environmental consumer-oriented change attempts’ (Keller et al., 2016: 77), to the critique of these approaches. The authors also present the newest ideas on how to make consumption practices more sustainable by nudging consumers and designing better choice architectures that help consumers change their behaviour according to their rational interests. They argue that to edit out unsustainable consumption patterns on a large scale we need to look beyond the individual consumer and individual instances of unsustainable consumption, to historical, structural and cultural factors shaping consumer society. The authors see research needs in exploring policy practices that prevent policymakers from making decisions more aligned with strong sustainable consumption.

ACS Style

Eva Heiskanen; Senja Susanna Laakso. Editing out unsustainability from consumption: From information provision to nudging and social practice theory. A Research Agenda for Sustainable Consumption Governance 2019, 156 -171.

AMA Style

Eva Heiskanen, Senja Susanna Laakso. Editing out unsustainability from consumption: From information provision to nudging and social practice theory. A Research Agenda for Sustainable Consumption Governance. 2019; ():156-171.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Eva Heiskanen; Senja Susanna Laakso. 2019. "Editing out unsustainability from consumption: From information provision to nudging and social practice theory." A Research Agenda for Sustainable Consumption Governance , no. : 156-171.

Journal article
Published: 01 January 2018 in GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society
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Real-world laboratories (RwLs) hold potential for transdisciplinary research that considers the context of changing households’ energy practices. Taking into account stakeholders’ understandings of what would work where, how and why helps to recognize the contextual conditions for the transferability of RwL results.Reducing residential energy use and carbon dioxide emissions is a policy concern across Europe. One of the approaches to address this problem, real-world laboratories (RwLs), has recently gained prominence as a means to generate both sustainability change and social knowledge. Yet RwLs are context-bound, and transferability is an issue for scaling up change. Drawing on Realistic Evaluation (RE) and Theories of Change (ToC), this paper analyses researchers’ and practitioners’ views on the role of contexts and change mechanisms in the outcomes of interventions targeting residential energy use. The results show that extracting the underlying logic of RwL designs could help to identify where and when these designs are likely to be transferrable. This contribution has implications for the design of future RwLs, given that RwLs have until now rarely articulated their ToC.

ACS Style

Eva Heiskanen; Senja Susanna Laakso; Kaisa Matschoss; Julia Backhaus; Gary Goggins; Edina Vadovics. Designing Real-World Laboratories for the Reduction of Residential Energy Use: Articulating Theories of Change. GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society 2018, 27, 60 -67.

AMA Style

Eva Heiskanen, Senja Susanna Laakso, Kaisa Matschoss, Julia Backhaus, Gary Goggins, Edina Vadovics. Designing Real-World Laboratories for the Reduction of Residential Energy Use: Articulating Theories of Change. GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society. 2018; 27 (1):60-67.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Eva Heiskanen; Senja Susanna Laakso; Kaisa Matschoss; Julia Backhaus; Gary Goggins; Edina Vadovics. 2018. "Designing Real-World Laboratories for the Reduction of Residential Energy Use: Articulating Theories of Change." GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society 27, no. 1: 60-67.

Journal article
Published: 01 December 2017 in Journal of Cleaner Production
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ACS Style

Senja Susanna Laakso. Giving up cars – The impact of a mobility experiment on carbon emissions and everyday routines. Journal of Cleaner Production 2017, 169, 135 -142.

AMA Style

Senja Susanna Laakso. Giving up cars – The impact of a mobility experiment on carbon emissions and everyday routines. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2017; 169 ():135-142.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Senja Susanna Laakso. 2017. "Giving up cars – The impact of a mobility experiment on carbon emissions and everyday routines." Journal of Cleaner Production 169, no. : 135-142.

Review
Published: 01 December 2017 in Journal of Cleaner Production
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ACS Style

Senja Susanna Laakso; Annukka Berg; Mikko Annala. Dynamics of experimental governance: A meta-study of functions and uses of climate governance experiments. Journal of Cleaner Production 2017, 169, 8 -16.

AMA Style

Senja Susanna Laakso, Annukka Berg, Mikko Annala. Dynamics of experimental governance: A meta-study of functions and uses of climate governance experiments. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2017; 169 ():8-16.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Senja Susanna Laakso; Annukka Berg; Mikko Annala. 2017. "Dynamics of experimental governance: A meta-study of functions and uses of climate governance experiments." Journal of Cleaner Production 169, no. : 8-16.

Articles
Published: 19 May 2017 in Food, Culture & Society
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Food wastage is a growing environmental, financial, and social problem: as much as one-third of all food is thrown away. Simultaneously, malnutrition is a huge problem globally, and many people even in developed countries are unable to provide for their basic needs. A lot of attention is paid to food waste prevention in the industry, retail sector, and households, whereas the role of the food service sector (such as restaurants and canteens providing food in schools, hospitals, and workplaces) has thus far been understudied. This article uses a practice theoretical approach to study a leftover lunch service first tested in Jyväskylä in 2013. It describe how the experiment was organized, how the service has spread around Finland, and how the leftover lunch has become a routine that outlines the course of the day of the diners. These findings are used to illustrate the insights of the service for both environmental and social sustainability, and to situate the service in the field of food waste prevention and food redistribution in Finland.

ACS Style

Senja Laakso. Creating New Food Practices: A Case Study on Leftover Lunch Service. Food, Culture & Society 2017, 20, 631 -650.

AMA Style

Senja Laakso. Creating New Food Practices: A Case Study on Leftover Lunch Service. Food, Culture & Society. 2017; 20 (4):631-650.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Senja Laakso. 2017. "Creating New Food Practices: A Case Study on Leftover Lunch Service." Food, Culture & Society 20, no. 4: 631-650.

Journal article
Published: 18 May 2017 in Sustainability
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Experimentation is critical for the deployment of low-carbon technologies. New solutions need to be selected and adapted to their contexts of use, and users need to learn new skills. Society as a whole needs to create new modes of production, consumption and governance. We investigated how local pilot projects, demonstrations and trials of low-carbon technologies promote learning in Finnish society, where the government has made a commitment to a culture of experimentation. We drew on a database of 100 pilot projects and experiments and 15 detailed case studies. We identified several types of learning, beyond the formal evaluation of “what works where and when”: pilot projects served to inspire, to create commitment and to develop networks. We also investigated how lessons learned are transferred to other sites and into societal knowledge. We contribute by conceptualizing different forms of learning and transfer—particularly situated and embodied forms—alongside more techno-scientific ones. While highlighting this form of learning, we also note that it is not particularly strong in acknowledging challenges faced in experimentation. We argue that there is scope for more systematic evaluation, alongside more situated forms of learning and sharing. We also pinpoint tensions between these two forms of learning that need to be addressed.

ACS Style

Eva Heiskanen; Kaarina Hyvönen; Senja Laakso; Päivi Laitila; Kaisa Matschoss; Irmeli Mikkonen. Adoption and Use of Low-Carbon Technologies: Lessons from 100 Finnish Pilot Studies, Field Experiments and Demonstrations. Sustainability 2017, 9, 847 .

AMA Style

Eva Heiskanen, Kaarina Hyvönen, Senja Laakso, Päivi Laitila, Kaisa Matschoss, Irmeli Mikkonen. Adoption and Use of Low-Carbon Technologies: Lessons from 100 Finnish Pilot Studies, Field Experiments and Demonstrations. Sustainability. 2017; 9 (5):847.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Eva Heiskanen; Kaarina Hyvönen; Senja Laakso; Päivi Laitila; Kaisa Matschoss; Irmeli Mikkonen. 2017. "Adoption and Use of Low-Carbon Technologies: Lessons from 100 Finnish Pilot Studies, Field Experiments and Demonstrations." Sustainability 9, no. 5: 847.

Journal article
Published: 01 September 2016 in Journal of Cleaner Production
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ACS Style

Senja Laakso; Michael Lettenmeier. Household-level transition methodology towards sustainable material footprints. Journal of Cleaner Production 2016, 132, 184 -191.

AMA Style

Senja Laakso, Michael Lettenmeier. Household-level transition methodology towards sustainable material footprints. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2016; 132 ():184-191.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Senja Laakso; Michael Lettenmeier. 2016. "Household-level transition methodology towards sustainable material footprints." Journal of Cleaner Production 132, no. : 184-191.

Journal article
Published: 01 May 2014 in Science of The Total Environment
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A decent, or sufficient, lifestyle is largely considered an important objective in terms of a sustainable future. However, there can be strongly varying definitions of what a decent lifestyle means. From a social sustainability point of view, a decent lifestyle can be defined as the minimum level of consumption ensuring an acceptable quality of life. From an ecological sustainability point of view, a decent lifestyle can be defined as a lifestyle that does not exceed the carrying capacity of nature in terms of natural resource use. The paper presents results of a study on the natural resource use of 18 single households belonging to the lowest income decile in Finland. The yearly "material footprint" of each household was calculated on the basis of the data gathered in a questionnaire and two interviews. The results show that the natural resource use of the participating households was lower than the one of the average consumer. Furthermore, 12 of 18 households had a smaller material footprint than the "decent minimum" reference budget defined by a consumer panel. However, the resource use of all the households and lifestyles studied is still higher than long-term ecological sustainability would require. The paper concludes that the material footprint is a suitable approach for defining and measuring a decent lifestyle and provides valuable information on how to dematerialize societies towards sustainability.

ACS Style

Michael Lettenmeier; Satu Lähteenoja; Tuuli Hirvilammi; Senja Susanna Laakso. Resource use of low-income households — Approach for defining a decent lifestyle? Science of The Total Environment 2014, 481, 681 -684.

AMA Style

Michael Lettenmeier, Satu Lähteenoja, Tuuli Hirvilammi, Senja Susanna Laakso. Resource use of low-income households — Approach for defining a decent lifestyle? Science of The Total Environment. 2014; 481 ():681-684.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Michael Lettenmeier; Satu Lähteenoja; Tuuli Hirvilammi; Senja Susanna Laakso. 2014. "Resource use of low-income households — Approach for defining a decent lifestyle?" Science of The Total Environment 481, no. : 681-684.

Original articles
Published: 28 February 2013 in Journal of Human Development and Capabilities
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Current well-being research often overlooks human dependency on natural resources and undervalues the way environmental impacts affect human activities. This article argues that the capability approach provides an applicable framework for inquiring into ecologically sustainable well-being. Therefore, this pilot study aims to develop a research method for integrating the measurement of natural resource use with capability-based well-being research. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 18 Finnish minimum income receivers and their natural resource use (material footprints) was measured in five central functionings by using the Material Input Per Unit of Service (MIPS) method. The connections between capabilities, functionings and material footprints are interpreted from a person-centered perspective in order to explain the individual variety in material footprints. The results show that the material footprints of minimum income receivers are smaller than with an average Finn but they still exceed what is estimated to be an ecologically sustainable level of natural resource use.

ACS Style

Tuuli Hirvilammi; Senja Susanna Laakso; Michael Lettenmeier; Satu Lähteenoja. Studying Well-being and its Environmental Impacts: A Case Study of Minimum Income Receivers in Finland. Journal of Human Development and Capabilities 2013, 14, 134 -154.

AMA Style

Tuuli Hirvilammi, Senja Susanna Laakso, Michael Lettenmeier, Satu Lähteenoja. Studying Well-being and its Environmental Impacts: A Case Study of Minimum Income Receivers in Finland. Journal of Human Development and Capabilities. 2013; 14 (1):134-154.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Tuuli Hirvilammi; Senja Susanna Laakso; Michael Lettenmeier; Satu Lähteenoja. 2013. "Studying Well-being and its Environmental Impacts: A Case Study of Minimum Income Receivers in Finland." Journal of Human Development and Capabilities 14, no. 1: 134-154.

Journal article
Published: 29 June 2012 in Sustainability
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The article assesses the material footprints of households living on a minimum amount of social benefits in Finland and discusses the consequences in terms of ecological and social sustainability. The data were collected using interviews and a questionnaire on the consumption patterns of 18 single households. The results are compared to a study on households with varying income levels, to average consumption patterns and to decent minimum reference budgets. The low-income households have lower material footprints than average and most of the material footprints are below the socially sustainable level of consumption, which is based on decent minimum reference budgets. However, the amount of resources used by most of the households studied here is still at least double that required for ecological sustainability. The simultaneous existence of both deprivation and overconsumption requires measures from both politicians and companies to make consumption sustainable. For example, both adequate housing and economic mobility need to be addressed. Measures to improve the social sustainability of low-income households should target reducing the material footprints of more affluent households. Furthermore, the concept of what constitutes a decent life should be understood more universally than on the basis of standards of material consumption.

ACS Style

Michael Lettenmeier; Tuuli Hirvilammi; Senja Laakso; Satu Lähteenoja; Kristiina Aalto. Material Footprint of Low-Income Households in Finland—Consequences for the Sustainability Debate. Sustainability 2012, 4, 1426 -1447.

AMA Style

Michael Lettenmeier, Tuuli Hirvilammi, Senja Laakso, Satu Lähteenoja, Kristiina Aalto. Material Footprint of Low-Income Households in Finland—Consequences for the Sustainability Debate. Sustainability. 2012; 4 (7):1426-1447.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Michael Lettenmeier; Tuuli Hirvilammi; Senja Laakso; Satu Lähteenoja; Kristiina Aalto. 2012. "Material Footprint of Low-Income Households in Finland—Consequences for the Sustainability Debate." Sustainability 4, no. 7: 1426-1447.

Conference paper
Published: 02 November 2011 in Proceedings of The 1st World Sustainability Forum
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A decent, or sufficient, lifestyle is largely considered an important objective in terms of a sustainable future. From an ecological sustainability point of view, a the natural resource consumption of a decent lifestyle should not exceed the long-term carrying capacity of nature. The material footprint based on the MIPS concept (material input per unit of service) can be used as an indicator of the natural resource consumption of lifestyles. Thus, it can provide a rough indication of the long-term ecological sustainability of lifestyles when compared to the level of natural resource consumption that is estimated sustainable. Previous research shows that low-income households consume a relatively small amount of resources. Thus the material footprint of their consumption is assumed to be closer to the ecologically sustainable level of resource use than the consumption of an average household. In order to show the amount of natural resources a minimum consumption level requires, this paper presents the material footprint of households living on a minimum level of social benefits in the Finnish welfare state. The data was collected in a questionnaire on the consumption habits and lifestyles of 18 single households belonging to the lowest income decile in Finland. The results are compared to the results of a previous study on the material footprints of households with varying income levels as well as of an average Finn. In addition, the results are compared to the material footprint of decent minimum reference budgets defined consensually by the Finnish National Consumer Research Centre in a cooperation of experts and a consumer panel. The results show that the low-income households have a lower material footprint than average. Thus, a decrease in material footprint by a factor of 2 - 4 from present average can already be achieved. However, the resource consumption of all the households studied is still higher, in most cases by a factor of 2 and more, than long-term ecological sustainability would require although it is in most cases lower than the material footprint of the social and economic minimum defined for a decent life. The paper discusses this discrepancy and presents conclusions in order to make future lifestyles more sustainable. The central conclusion is that ecologically sustainable consumption cannot be achieved solely by households\' efforts but there is a great need for innovations in technology, business and politics.

ACS Style

Michael Lettenmeier; Kristiina Aalto; Senja Laakso; Tuuli Hirvilammi; Satu Lähteenoja. Material Footprint of Low-income Households in Finland – is it Sustainable? Proceedings of The 1st World Sustainability Forum 2011, 1 .

AMA Style

Michael Lettenmeier, Kristiina Aalto, Senja Laakso, Tuuli Hirvilammi, Satu Lähteenoja. Material Footprint of Low-income Households in Finland – is it Sustainable? Proceedings of The 1st World Sustainability Forum. 2011; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Michael Lettenmeier; Kristiina Aalto; Senja Laakso; Tuuli Hirvilammi; Satu Lähteenoja. 2011. "Material Footprint of Low-income Households in Finland – is it Sustainable?" Proceedings of The 1st World Sustainability Forum , no. : 1.