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A case study of office occupants' environmental consciousness and practices in the context of a Green-Star-SA certified building

Dissertation (MConsumer Science)--University of Pretoria, 2015.

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Other Authors: Sonnenberg, Nadine Cynthia
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: University of Pretoria 2015
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access_status_str Open Access
author2 Sonnenberg, Nadine Cynthia
author_browse Sonnenberg, Nadine Cynthia
author_facet Sonnenberg, Nadine Cynthia
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv © 2015 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria.
description Dissertation (MConsumer Science)--University of Pretoria, 2015.
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institution University of Pretoria (South Africa)
language English
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:37:22.258Z
license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository
publishDate 2015
publishDateRange 2015
publishDateSort 2015
publisher University of Pretoria
publisherStr University of Pretoria
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source_str UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository
spelling oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/50698 A case study of office occupants' environmental consciousness and practices in the context of a Green-Star-SA certified building Sonnenberg, Nadine Cynthia meisiekindml@gmail.com Erasmus, Alet C. (Aletta Catharina) Bezuidenhoudt, Marie-Louis UCTD Dissertation (MConsumer Science)--University of Pretoria, 2015. The environmental crisis is a certainty (Dunlap & Catton, 1994; IPCC, 2007; South Africa Property Review, 2009:15) and requires change within the objective reality of everyday social life (Spaargaren, 1998). In this regard Gidden’s (1984) structuration theory was chosen as a suitable theoretical framework for this study as it emphasises that social reality is continually (re)produced and structured in space and time by competent actors in their everyday practices (Giddens, 1984; Nonaka & Toyama, 2003). In applying the underlying assumptions of this theory, building occupants of so called As Built Green Star SA certified office buildings are viewed as agents that interact within an environment that includes systems of provisions (i.e. social structures such as a built environment that facilitates pro-environmental office practices). Although the right infrastructure is in place (i.e. systems of provision), the levels of commitment that the building occupants of a green building exhibit towards adjusting their behaviour and practices in it will eventually determine the actual final reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and the long-term cost reductions that are associated with greener technologies. Too often, consumers’ operational practices in their occupancy of green buildings are in direct contrast to the main purpose and objectives of environmental friendly behaviour (Frost Sullivan, 2010). In addition, a large portion of the South African population are simply struggling to satisfy their most basic needs with the result that an environmental ‘ethos’ or concern among the general public has not yet developed to an extent where environmental issues are viewed as a serious priority (Barker, Hill, Bowen & Evans, 2004). In this quantitative study the focus was on how the building occupant’s practices reflect appropriate environmental knowledge and accompanying practical and discursive consciousness to engage in pro-environmental practices (e.g. energy saving, water saving as well as the waste reduction and recycling behaviour) in As Built Green Star SA certified buildings. For these reasons a purposive non-probability sampling approach was used to recruit 201 As Built Green Star SA certified building occupants. A structured questionnaire was developed and data was collected by means of electronic and paper-based survey questionnaires. tm2015 Consumer Science MConsumer Science Unrestricted 2015-11-25T09:47:20Z 2015-11-25T09:47:20Z 2015/09/01 2015 Dissertation Bezuidenhoudt, M 2015, A case study of office occupants' environmental consciousness and practices in the context of a Green-Star-SA certified building, MConsumer Science Dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd <http://hdl.handle.net/2263/50698> S2015 http://hdl.handle.net/2263/50698 en © 2015 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf University of Pretoria
spellingShingle UCTD
A case study of office occupants' environmental consciousness and practices in the context of a Green-Star-SA certified building
title A case study of office occupants' environmental consciousness and practices in the context of a Green-Star-SA certified building
title_full A case study of office occupants' environmental consciousness and practices in the context of a Green-Star-SA certified building
title_fullStr A case study of office occupants' environmental consciousness and practices in the context of a Green-Star-SA certified building
title_full_unstemmed A case study of office occupants' environmental consciousness and practices in the context of a Green-Star-SA certified building
title_short A case study of office occupants' environmental consciousness and practices in the context of a Green-Star-SA certified building
title_sort case study of office occupants environmental consciousness and practices in the context of a green star sa certified building
topic UCTD
url http://hdl.handle.net/2263/50698