Page 26 - Sustainability Communication Interdisciplinary Perspectives and Theoritical Foundations

1 Sustainability Communication – An Introduction 9

Communication about sustainable development is also about communicating
knowledge and stores of knowledge. However simply emphasising the meaningfulness
of the concept of sustainability is not enough to mobilise change in a population.
Environmental psychology suggests that the context of knowledge acquisition
co-determines the relevance of knowledge for action (see Kruse in this volume).
Knowledge needs a practical value and in order to understand sustainability different
forms of knowledge are relevant. Expert subject knowledge alone is not enough.
Systemic knowledge must be built up, that is knowledge of interrelationships, func-
tions and processes. Only when one knows how to make use of this knowledge is
there a capability to act. Systemic knowledge needs to be combined with the devel-
opment of a system of values, with ethical orientations towards the relationship
between humankind and nature, with direct experiences that involve emotionality
and meaningfulness.

Methods in Sustainability Communication

A theoretical framework for sustainability communication is important in order to
be able to understand the possibilities and conditions of communication processes
about sustainability and its underlying concepts, to recognise its deficits and to anal-
yse and develop it conceptually. However in order to be able to manage or influence
the process of communication about sustainability, methods and instruments are
necessary. These include for example social marketing, empowerment, instruments
of participation and planning or education.
Social marketing is an important approach in sustainability communication and
the same principles used in selling goods and services can be used to support a pro-
cess of voluntary, individual behavioural change regarding such social issues as
saving energy or conservation. The social marketing approach (Kotler and Lee
2008) provides a strategy for improving the efficiency of sustainability communica-
tion. This communication concept is oriented towards the needs of target groups and
so towards lifestyles. Word-of-mouth communication is a central element of viral
communication and today mainly takes place in online communication and in Web
2.0 social networks.
Another starting point for sustainability communication are empowerment strat-
egies, which have as their goal to help people actively shape the conditions of their
own life. This involves developing the competence to recognise non-sustainable
activities and then apply knowledge about sustainability to remedy them. There is
an institutional as well as an individual dimension to empowerment (see for exam-
ple Wilkinson 1998). Communication and participation together with educational
processes are meant to strengthen civil society, promote individual engagement and
support political education processes that enable individuals to actively take part in
shaping a sustainable society. A central role is played by increasing participation
opportunities and the space for individuals to influence change in a sustainable way.
This involves the ability to reflect critically on the uncertainties and risks, different