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Lifestyles
Definition of “lifestyle”:
• What we do and have
and all related material
objects or systems
• Our deliberative and nondeliberative
choices and
actions (behaviours)
• “Social conversations”
through which we
associate or distinguish
ourselves from others
Lifestyles relate to our ways of “doing”, “having”, “using” and “displaying”, our
behaviour and all of the related products, objects and infrastructures (Røpke
2009: p. 11). Lifestyles are intimately linked to consumption, with many of our
“signals” about ourselves mediated by and tied to our consumption of goods and
services which in turn influences the material and resource flows in society. In
other words, our lifestyles drive our levels and patterns of consumption.
Our lifestyles are a matter of choice as well as habit that are embedded in,
shaped by (and shape) our entire context: our social, cultural, technical, economic,
political, institutional and geographical surroundings and all of the actors
in those surroundings.
Ways of “doing” and “having”
Our lifestyles comprise our daily practices, such as taking a shower, cooking,
working, taking care of others, watching TV, driving or shopping and the things
we do less often, such as buying a refrigerator or car, hosting a party, attending
the cinema or going on holiday.
Our lifestyles also include what we own, with many products, objects and infrastructure
enabling our daily and infrequent practices. Taking a shower, for example,
includes everything from the water systems connected to our home, our
water heating, the shower itself, the toiletries in the shower and other products
we use, including beauty products and towels. Our lifestyles are also influenced
by non-material issues such as our values, manners, and education.
Ways of “displaying”
Lifestyles are connected to identity. The way we choose, use and display goods
has a symbolic value, helping us to express ourselves and our links to a particular
social group or class (Edgar and Sedgwick 1999). Lifestyles serve as “social
conversations” where we associate with or differentiate ourselves from others.
Our ways of displaying are connected to how we grew up, what we learned, like
and know, and what those around us are doing. We may buy the same groceries
and follow the same cooking recipes as our parents, or go on holidays with the
same group of friends.
Lifestyles shape and are
shaped by social, cultural,
technical, economic,
political, institutional and
geographical surroundings.
Ways of “being shaped”
We do not always have freedom of choice about our own lifestyles. Our choices
can be blocked or shaped by the kind of products or infrastructure available to
us, including politics, institutions, laws and regulations. We may, for example,
want to use public transport more often, but lack reliable and convenient services
– so we keep using our cars.
Sustainable lifestyles
There is no commonly agreed definition of a sustainable lifestyle. The most widely
cited definition is that of the Westminster Centre for Sustainable Development
that defines sustainable lifestyles as:
“patterns of action and consumption used by people to affiliate and
differentiate themselves from others, which: meet basic needs, provide a
better quality of life, minimise the use of natural resources and emissions
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SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLES: TODAY’S FACTS & TOMORROW’S TRENDS