Green Households? Domestic Consumers, Environment and Sustainability

THIS BOOK IS a result of a programme funded by the Dutch National Foundation for Scientific Research, which is conducting interdisciplinary environmental research on the vital yet relatively poorly studied household sector. The programme, entitled HOMES (Household Metabolism Effectively Sustainable), focuses on household metabolism in the Netherlands, that is, the flows of energy and materials through households and the production of waste. Household metabolism is seen to be linked to a complex feedbac process involving environmental, economic, social, psychological and cultural factors and relationships. The programme draws on a wide range of empirical research, using the examples of energy
consumption, the use of domestic appliances (particularly “white” goods such as refrigerators and washing machines) and the use of the car. This volume presents the findings of the first, diagnostic, phase of the HOMES research, which consisted of a comprehensive investigation of specific metabolic flows through households. The research has identified significant pressure points and potentially unsustainable trends in resource usage through the household metabolism concept. Examples of what different chapters cover include:
- An exploration of the concept of household metabolism in the context of sustainability and environmental quality.
- Past trends in the Netherlands, and their determinants. The direct and indirect demand for energy (i.e. energy embodied in goods and services) and the use of water and motor fuel are described and analyzed, and these input flows are related to the generation of waste residues. The CO2 emissions related to the total energy requirements of households are calculated as an example of the environmental impacts of household consumption.
- Assessing, modelling and projecting future changes in household size and composition in the Netherlands.
- Changes in the Netherlands in the last four decades in land use, dwelling design, and construction and design.
- Ways of “regenerating” urban neighbourhoods with an outline of an ecological renewal approach for existing neighbourhoods and an overview of possible constraints on implementation.
- Post-war changes in the nominal and real prices of natural gas, electricity and water and in the amounts of waste generated by households.
- An overview of the actual linkages (between car use, energy for heating, domestic appliances) that can be observed in the case of policies that have affected household behaviour.
- A summary of the research findings, identifying the most significant factors underlying changes in household consumption patterns in the past.
The book concludes with an evaluation of the outcome of this diagnostic research, taking into account the various views of sustainability discussed in Chapter 1.