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Driving Towards a Greener Future : A qualitative study of Tesla owners’ green practices in a Danish Context

Nygaard, Birgitte LU (2019) HEKM51 20191
Human Ecology
Abstract
Almost half the Danish population report that they have undertaken action(s) with the main purpose to lower their personal greenhouse gas emissions within the last three years. It has become “in” to be green, yet certain practices are perceived as “better” than others although they do not necessarily result in a lowered environmental impact. Why is that? Data from seven semi-structured interviews describes which perceived green practices are undertaken by Danish Tesla owners and how these practices are influenced by the social context the interviewees are in. By applying concepts such as ‘distinctive practices’, ‘socially, organised denial’ and ‘Jante mentality’, the study finds that green consumption practices function as a means to... (More)
Almost half the Danish population report that they have undertaken action(s) with the main purpose to lower their personal greenhouse gas emissions within the last three years. It has become “in” to be green, yet certain practices are perceived as “better” than others although they do not necessarily result in a lowered environmental impact. Why is that? Data from seven semi-structured interviews describes which perceived green practices are undertaken by Danish Tesla owners and how these practices are influenced by the social context the interviewees are in. By applying concepts such as ‘distinctive practices’, ‘socially, organised denial’ and ‘Jante mentality’, the study finds that green consumption practices function as a means to broadcast environmental consciousness. However, the eco-friendly practices also contribute to the notion of ‘doing something’, although these actions may in fact exacerbate environmental degradation. The study further reports that the mechanisms of the Nordic ‘Jante-mentality’ which entails social conformity result in a flexible and pragmatic type of environmentalism in order to conform to the ‘big middle’. This may work as a way to justify harmful behaviours, yet the ‘Jante-mentality’ may also be used as a tool to encourage envi- ronmentally friendly actions through the wish to be within the ‘big middle’. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Nygaard, Birgitte LU
supervisor
organization
course
HEKM51 20191
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
distinctive practices, green consumption, electric cars, Tesla, law of Jante, Denmark, Human Ecology
language
English
id
8983907
date added to LUP
2019-12-18 10:56:22
date last changed
2019-12-18 10:56:22
@misc{8983907,
  abstract     = {{Almost half the Danish population report that they have undertaken action(s) with the main purpose to lower their personal greenhouse gas emissions within the last three years. It has become “in” to be green, yet certain practices are perceived as “better” than others although they do not necessarily result in a lowered environmental impact. Why is that? Data from seven semi-structured interviews describes which perceived green practices are undertaken by Danish Tesla owners and how these practices are influenced by the social context the interviewees are in. By applying concepts such as ‘distinctive practices’, ‘socially, organised denial’ and ‘Jante mentality’, the study finds that green consumption practices function as a means to broadcast environmental consciousness. However, the eco-friendly practices also contribute to the notion of ‘doing something’, although these actions may in fact exacerbate environmental degradation. The study further reports that the mechanisms of the Nordic ‘Jante-mentality’ which entails social conformity result in a flexible and pragmatic type of environmentalism in order to conform to the ‘big middle’. This may work as a way to justify harmful behaviours, yet the ‘Jante-mentality’ may also be used as a tool to encourage envi- ronmentally friendly actions through the wish to be within the ‘big middle’.}},
  author       = {{Nygaard, Birgitte}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Driving Towards a Greener Future : A qualitative study of Tesla owners’ green practices in a Danish Context}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}