Understanding and Shaping Sustainable Lifestyles – Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards summarizing core terms and concepts from the OHS 314 lecture on sustainable lifestyles, covering definitions, theories, impact domains, and influencing factors.

Lifestyle

The social pattern of how we live, guiding habits, framing behavior and consumption choices, and shaping identity and environmental footprint.

Sustainable Lifestyle

A set of habits supported by institutions and infrastructure that minimizes resource use and waste while promoting equity, prosperity, and well-being for all.

Theory of the Leisure Class

Thorstein Veblen’s 1899 concept describing how elites signal status through conspicuous consumption and leisure rather than productive labor.

Conspicuous Consumption

Publicly purchasing luxury goods or services to display wealth and social status rather than utility.

Conspicuous Leisure

Engaging in visibly non-productive, expensive activities (e.g., yachting) to signal freedom from manual labor and high social standing.

Pecuniary Emulation

Lower classes imitating the consumption patterns of elites, driving an upward spiral of consumption across society.

Globalization & Consumerism

The worldwide spread of aspirational, often Western, consumption patterns, amplifying conspicuous consumption on a global scale.

Global Middle Class

Rapidly growing group with discretionary income whose consumption mirrors affluent societies, greatly influencing environmental and social impacts.

SDG 12.8

UN target to ensure, by 2030, that people everywhere have information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature.

Product Life Cycle

Stages from raw material extraction through manufacturing, distribution, use, and disposal, each carrying environmental and social impacts.

Resource Depletion

Exhaustion of finite natural resources (minerals, fossil fuels, timber, water) through extraction for product manufacturing.

Energy Consumption (Impact)

Large energy use—often fossil-fuel based—during production, transport, and product use, leading to greenhouse-gas emissions.

Pollution (Impact)

Release of harmful substances into air, water, or soil during production, use, or disposal of products.

Waste Generation

Creation of solid or hazardous waste when products reach end-of-life, stressing landfills and ecosystems.

Biodiversity Loss

Decline in species and habitats due to resource extraction, pollution, and climate change linked to production and consumption.

Labor Practices (Impact)

Working conditions in supply chains, including low wages, child labor, and unsafe environments, affecting social sustainability.

Cultural Homogenization

Erosion of local cultures through dominance of global brands and uniform consumer lifestyles.

Food ‘Hot Spot’

Domain where diet choices, production methods, and food waste carry significant environmental and social footprints.

Housing ‘Hot Spot’

Environmental impact area involving building materials, energy use, and neighborhood design influencing GHG emissions and resource use.

Mobility ‘Hot Spot’

Transport choices—mode, distance, frequency—leading to notable greenhouse-gas emissions and societal impacts.

Goods & Services (Beyond Basics)

Non-essential products whose resource extraction, manufacturing, and disposal drive environmental degradation.

Leisure ‘Hot Spot’

Recreational activities whose material intensity, travel, and facilities affect energy use, waste, and cultural integrity.

Food Waste Statistic

Nearly one-third of globally harvested food is lost or wasted, even as hunger and obesity coexist.

Building Sector Emissions

Construction and operation of buildings account for up to 30 % of global annual greenhouse-gas emissions and 40 % of energy use.

Transport Sector Emissions

Transport produces ~13 % of global greenhouse gases and 23 % of CO₂ from energy consumption.

Motivations

Internal psychological reasons—values, needs, desires—that compel individuals toward certain consumption behaviors.

Functional Needs

Motivation category addressing basic necessities such as hunger, shelter, and mobility.

Status & Identity

Motivation to signal social position or group affiliation through consumption choices.

Hedonism/Pleasure

Motivation seeking enjoyment, comfort, or luxury from goods and services.

Ethical/Altruistic Motivation

Desire to support environmental protection or social fairness through consumption (e.g., buying fair-trade).

Drivers

External forces (income, media, technology, policies) that enable or encourage particular consumption patterns and lifestyles.

Income Level (Driver)

Amount of disposable income determining affordability of goods and propensity for consumerism.

Social Norms & Peers

Influence of family, friends, and societal expectations on lifestyle choices and consumption habits.

Media Influence

Advertising and marketing that shape values and create perceived needs, propelling consumer culture.

Market Prices

Cost of goods that governs accessibility; higher prices can hinder uptake of sustainable options.

Technology (Driver)

Innovations that alter how people shop, communicate, and live, often creating new consumption ecosystems.

Infrastructure

Physical and systemic provisions—buildings, transport networks, utilities—that enable and constrain lifestyle practices over long lifespans.

Determinants

Meta-factors (attitudes, facilitators/access, infrastructure) deciding whether a lifestyle is practiced and whether it is sustainable.

Attitudes (Determinant)

Value orientations and social norms shaping preferences, such as pro-environmental or health-conscious mind-sets.

Facilitators/Access

Resources—income, time, social networks—that grant individuals the capacity to enact desired lifestyles.

Sustainable Food Practices

Choosing plant-based, local, seasonal foods, minimizing packaging, and reducing food waste.

Sustainable Housing Practices

Living in smaller, energy-efficient or renovated buildings, using sustainable materials, and adopting energy-saving habits.

Sustainable Mobility Practices

Prioritizing walking, cycling, public transit, shared mobility, and fuel-efficient or electric vehicles while reducing unnecessary travel.