Individual sustainability: Preliminary research

All societal change begins with the individual. One cannot do for a community what one cannot do for one's self. The topic of Individual Sustainability is a controversial one, as students often appear to be unable to align their demonstrated behaviors with their admirable values related to sustainability. Individual behavior creates the foundation for action in social, economic, and environmental sustainability, and potentially guides our ability to work with one another to make life-affirming decisions. In short, it is a matter of aligning our day-to-day behaviors with our well-stated values that will result in greater sustainable community action. The general objective of this research is to help students align their behaviors with their values. This change is a necessary precursor to demonstrating sustainable community behavior. We believe that creating a “cognitive dissonance” between an individual's values and behaviors tends to encourage individuals to balance more effectively the self-knowledge that motivates intentional personal development towards more sustainable behavior. While most students indicated they believed their behaviors consistently reflected their values, the students' broad range of responses and survey responses revealed behaviors quite in conflict with their values.