Transcript Slide 1

An investigation into the potential opportunities for improving the
sustainability of low-income urban households by focusing on home
energy efficiency and local food production
Josh Prior1, Damian Howells1, John Barrett1
1 School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
Background to the project
The energy use habits, consumption patterns and leisure choices
of those in the UK’s lowest socioeconomic strata are quite
different to the rest of society (Jenkins et al. 2011) and the
information given to these people should reflect these
differences. Up to the present the Government’s position has,
for the most part, been to recommend blanket measures that
are appropriate to all; such as the recently launched Green Deal
(DECC, 2010). However in many social housing cases this does
not offer value for money, either for the consumer or towards
government climate change targets.
Current Literature
Sustainable
Consumption
• First many have researched and suggested improvements in different
aspects of sustainable consumption such as carbon accounting,
ecological foot-printing, input output analysis (Druckman and
Jackson 2009, Caird and Roy 2006) and ethical sourcing (Barnett et
al. 2005, Bray, 2011) but none have tailored this advice to benefit
social housing tenants.
Sustainable
Communities
• Second , authors have expanded sustainability and low carbon living
from the individual micro-level to full scale communities; focusing on
closed loop systems, reducing reliance on imported goods all the
while acknowledging the three pillars of sustainability; (Agyerman, J,
2005, Department for International Development, 1991) again
without specific advice for lower income groups.
Disadvantaged
Communities
• Third, others have investigated the lives and behaviours of financially
restricted households looking at consumption, fuel poverty and
adaptive capacity (Jenkins et al. 2011, Burningham and Thrush, 2001)
but none have chosen to formulate an action plan for these types of
communities.
Methods and Main Findings
The aim was to create two representative,
distinct and robust data sets that allow
advanced mathematical and literary analysis
where findings could cross-reference each
other and be triangulated through literature
(Dale, 2011; O’Leary, 2010; Weiss, 1995).
These where:
SCHOOL OF EARTH AND ENVIRONMENT
Recommendations and Conclusions
Providing allotment style spaces to grow fresh healthy
food can:
•Reduced financial outgoings leaving more to spend on
children, skills or leisure (Glickman, 1999)
•Build resilience into vulnerable communities (Wright, 2010)
•Reduce CO2 aiding climate change targets (Kerckhove, 2012)
•Increase food security and food sovereignty (Haliweil, 2012)
•Provide physical and mental health benefits leading to NHS
savings (WHO, 2000)
•People with healthy diets have decreased absences from
school and work (Burningham and Thrush, 2001)
•Cleans polluted city air by growing plants (SEPA, 2014)
•Generate jobs in sustainable community building (Finley, 2013)
Flow Chart of Methods
• Blue = Quantitative
• Red = Qualitative
• Purple = Literature
1. A carbon and ecological footprint of the
community using the REAP-Petite
computer model. Each resident was given
the opportunity to complete the
questionnaire which created a
representative community footprint. This
identified that the proportionally high
financial and environmental cost
associated with energy and food could be
reduced in a triple-win scenario.
2. Having identified food and energy as
avenues for further research, the project
returned to the community holding
interviews with residents regarding their
attitude towards food and energy related
projects which would culminate in
sustainable outcomes. This identified that
residents actively wanted the space to
grow their own food and increase the
insulation and so heat retention of their
properties.
References
Agyeman, J. 2005. Sustainable Communities and the Challenge of Environmental Justice. New York: NYU Press.
Baeten, G. (2009). Regenerating the South Bank: reworking community and the emergence of post political regeneration. In: Imrie, R. Raco, M. (2009). Regenerating
London: Governance, Sustainability and Community in a Global City. Routledge. Oxon.
Burningham, K. Thrush, D. 2001. ‘Rainforests are a long way from here’ The environmental concerns of disadvantaged groups. York. Rowntree Foundation
Caird, S, Roy, R. 2006. Household ecological footprints demographics and sustainability. Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management. 8(4). 407–429.
Dale, A. 2011. Using Survey Data: Researching Families and Households. Mason, J, Dale, A. (1). Understanding Social Research: Thinking Creatively about Method.
London. SAGE Publications. 90-103.
DENA. (2013). Efficient House Pilot Project. [Online]. [17/12/2013]. Available from: http://www.dena.de/en/projects/building/efficient-house-pilot-project.html
Department for Energy and Climate Change. 2010. The Green Deal A summary of the Government’s proposals. London. Crown Copyright.
Department for International Development. 1999. Sustainable livelihood Guidance Framework. EU. DFID
Druckman, A, Jackson, T. 2009. The carbon footprint of UK households 1990–2004: A socio-economically disaggregated, quasi-multi-regional input–output model.
Ecological Economics. 68. 2066-2077
Evans J, Hyndman S, Stewart-Brown S, Smith D and Petersen S (2000) An epidemiological study of the relative importance of damp housing in relation to adult health.
Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, vol.54 (9) pp.677-86
Glickman, LB. 1999. A Living Wage: American Workers and the Making of Consumer Society. New York. Cornell University Press
Halweil, B. 2004. Eat Here: Reclaiming Homegrown Pleasures in a Global Supermarket. Massachusetts. World Watch Institute.
Providing low-cost insulation techniques for a warm
efficient house can:
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•Reduced financial outgoings leaving more to spend on
children, skills or leisure (Watt, 2009)
•Reduce CO2, aiding climate change targets (Ireland, 2008)
•Provide physical and mental health benefits leading to NHS
savings (Wright and Fischer 2003; Evans et al 2000)
•Increase comfort in the home (Power 2008)
•Offer some protection to energy price rises (DENA, 2013)
•Reduced damp mould and condensation (Burningham and
Thrush, 2001)
•Improve the quality of the social housing stock (Baeten, 2009)
•Make tenants proud enough to invite friends over (Markus,
1993)
These measures could offer substantial gains in the standard of
living for low-income communities, decoupling prosperity from
CO2, building physically and mentally healthy communities
while protecting the global and regenerating the local
environments.
Ireland, D., 2008. New Tricks with Old Bricks. The Empty Homes Agency, London
Jenkins, D, Middlemiss, L, Pharoah, R. 2011. A study of fuel poverty and low-carbon synergies in social housing. Unpublished
Kerckhove, GV. 2012. Toxic Capitalism: The Orgy of Consumerism and Waste: Are We the Last Generation on Earth? Bloomington. Author House
Markus T. (1993) ‘Cold, condensation and housing poverty’. In: Burridge R, Ormandy D, editors Unhealthy housing: research, remedies and reform. London: E&FN Spon
O’Leary, Z. 2010. The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project. London. SAGE Publications.
Power, A. 2008. Does demolition or refurbishment of old and inefficient homes help to increase our environmental, social and economic viability? Energy Policy. 36. 4487-4501.
Ron Finley. 2013. Ron Finley: A guerrilla gardener in South Central LA. [Online]. [04/01/2014]. Available
from:http://www.ted.com/talks/ron_finley_a_guerilla_gardener_in_south_central_la.html
SEPA (Scotish Environmental Protection Agency). 2014. Air Quality. [Online]. [05/01/2014]. Available from: http://www.sepa.org.uk/flash/Mtc_air_quality_core_doc.html
Watt, P. (2009). Social Housing and Regeneration in London. In: Imrie, R. Raco, M. (2009). Regenerating London: Governance, Sustainability and Community in a Global City.
Routledge. Oxon
Weiss, R. 1995. Learning from Strangers: The Art and Method of Qualitative Interview Studies. New York. The Free Press.
WHO (World Health Organisation). 2002. Obesity Preventing and Managing the Global Epidemic. Singapore. WHO.
Wright, EO. 2010. Envisioning Real Utopias. London. Verso
Wright, R. Fischer, E. (2003). Putting Asthma into Context: Community Influence on Risk Behaviour and Intervention. In:Kwachi, I. Berkman, l. (2003) Neighbourhoods and Health.
Oxford University Press. Oxford