- Challenges and opportunities for re-framing resource use policy with social practice theories: The Change Points approachby Matt WatsonPublished today in Global Environmental Change and available open access here Can practice theory make a difference to policy? In this article, we contribute to a vexed debate on that question. We draw on our learning from a series of projects working in collaboration with key policy partners to bring evidence from practice research to inform policy onContinue reading “Challenges and opportunities for re-framing resource use policy with social practice theories: The Change Points approach”
- Design thinking for practice-based interventionby clairehoolohanA new paper in the eminent Design Studies journal authored by Claire Hoolohan (Tyndall Centre) and Alison Browne (SEED) describes how Change Points combines methods from Design Thinking with ideas from Social Practice Theories to produce a workshop method for practice-based sustainability initiatives. The paper, titled Design thinking for practice-based intervention: Co-producing the change pointsContinue reading “Design thinking for practice-based intervention”
- Unflushables 2030? Mapping Change Points for Interventionby clairehoolohanToday sees the end of a two-day workshop “Unflushables 2030?”, co-convened by the Change Points team (Alison Browne and Claire Hoolohan) with Anglian Water and more than 30 industry partners to identify ways of eradicating hygiene products disposed of via the toilet reaching sewers and waterways in the next decade. Unflushables are a substantial challengeContinue reading “Unflushables 2030? Mapping Change Points for Intervention”
- Thought Leading at the Environment Agencyby clairehoolohanTo celebrate the new year, the Environment Agency’s invited Claire Hoolohan (Tyndall Centre, University of Manchester) to present Change Points at their ‘thought leadership’ workshop, and discuss how it might inform their new collaborative strategy. This multi-disciplinary workshop saw thought leaders from the fields of behavioural economics, psychology and social practice theories discussing how policyContinue reading “Thought Leading at the Environment Agency”
- Change Points presentation to inaugural meeting of the Behavioural Science and the Natural Environment groupby Matt WatsonSam Outhwaite and Matt Watson represented the Change Points team, which was invited to present the approach to the inaugural meeting of the Behavioural Science and the Natural Environment group.
- Change Points at the Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxfordby clairehoolohanClaire Hoolohan was invited to Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute, to present on our toolkit. Today, Claire presented there, on its development and its potential to inform policy change. Slides are available here.
- The Change Points Toolkit is onlineby Matt WatsonThe Change Points Toolkit in online now. It supports users in developing interventions that unlock unsustainable practices so that alternative, less intensive patterns of consumption can emerge. It is not like any existing behaviour change toolkit. Rather than focusing on the individual – ‘the customer’, ‘the user’, ‘the consumer’ – this toolkit aids users toContinue reading “The Change Points Toolkit is online”
- ‘Change Points for the Nexus at Home’: Stage 3 of our ESRC funded researchby dralibrowneFor the past six months (since Feb 2018), the Nexus at Home team (Browne, Watson, Evans, Sharp, Foden) – with the exciting addition of Research Fellow Dr Claire Hoolohan – have been busy working on an ESRC Impact Accelerator Account (funded through ESRC IAA at the University of Manchester). This is the third stage of ourContinue reading “‘Change Points for the Nexus at Home’: Stage 3 of our ESRC funded research”
- The water–energy–food nexus at home: New opportunities for policy interventions in household sustainabilityby Matt WatsonOnline open access at: https://doi.org/10.1111/geoj.12257 A new output from the nexus project work, lead authored by Mike Foden with the rest of the project team, published in The Geographical Journal. This paper contributes to the nascent transdisciplinary research agenda of translating home practices research into wider conceptualisations of “intervention”, with a specific orientation towards academic and non-academic stakeholders who areContinue reading “The water–energy–food nexus at home: New opportunities for policy interventions in household sustainability”
- New report: Energy use, flexibility and domestic food practices: implications for policy and intervention.by Matt WatsonEnergy and kitchen practices report DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.16398.46405 This report introduces a new approach to understanding the role of everyday household practices in domestic resource consumption and addressing the policy challenges this presents. To demonstrate this ‘change points’ approach we focus on one such topic: tackling energy use in the provision of food at home. ProvidingContinue reading “New report: Energy use, flexibility and domestic food practices: implications for policy and intervention.”
- New report: Food waste, food safety and kitchen practices: implications for policy and interventionby Matt WatsonFood waste and safety report – nexus at home doi: 10.13140/RG.2.2.10747.62243 This report, produced in consultation with the Food Standards Agency, is one of four reports introducing a new approach to understanding the role of everyday household practices in domestic resource consumption and addressing the policy challenges this presents. To demonstrate this ‘change points’ approachContinue reading “New report: Food waste, food safety and kitchen practices: implications for policy and intervention”
- New Report: Food waste and kitchen practices: implications for policy and interventionby Matt WatsonFood waste report – nexus at home doi: 10.13140/RG.2.2.23212.56960 This report, developed for and in consultation with Defra, is one of four reports introducing a new approach to understanding the role of everyday household practices in domestic resource consumption and addressing the policy challenges this presents. To demonstrate this ‘change points’ approach this report focuses onContinue reading “New Report: Food waste and kitchen practices: implications for policy and intervention”
- New Report: Fats, oils, grease and kitchen practices implications for policy and interventionby Matt WatsonFOG report and kitchen practices – nexus at home doi: 10.13140/RG.2.2.13146.24005 This report, developed for and in consultation with Waterwise, is one of four reports introducing a new approach to understanding the role of everyday household practices in domestic resource consumption and addressing the policy challenges this presents. To demonstrate this ‘change points’ approach this reportContinue reading “New Report: Fats, oils, grease and kitchen practices implications for policy and intervention”
- Talking FOGs with Pennine Water Groupby Matt WatsonEarly in the project we worked with our partner organisations to identify four specific issues, through which we can explore the new light that nexus thinking, together with a focus on everyday kitchen practices, can shed on ongoing policy challenges. One such issue, identified in collaboration with Waterwise, is the widespread disposal of fats, oilsContinue reading “Talking FOGs with Pennine Water Group”
- Sustainability in turbulent times, Westminster conferenceby Matt Watson, Just over the Thames from Parliament, the project was featured at Sustainability in Turbulent Times. This major event, attended by around 350 and featuring a range of high profile speakers, was the culmination of the work of the ESRC funded Nexus Network. In a wide ranging programme, we covered issues around the challenges and opportunitiesContinue reading “Sustainability in turbulent times, Westminster conference”
- project prominent in nexus network reportby Matt WatsonThe project Reshaping the Domestic Nexus was featured prominently in the Sustainability in Turbulent Times report which accompanied the conference of the same name, the culmination of the ESRC Nexus Network programme. The report can be found here.
- The evidence-policy gap | seminar contribution | Londonby Matt WatsonThe challenges of getting evidence and ideas from research into policy was the focus of a workshop at the Friends Meeting House in London today. Matt Watson presented on some of the basis of the Reshaping the Domestic Nexus project as a contribution to a rich afternoon’s discussion, which went well beyond the usual prescriptionsContinue reading “The evidence-policy gap | seminar contribution | London”
- Practice theory and social changeby Matt WatsonHow can practice theory be used to effect social change? That was an underlying question for the New Practices for New Publics workshop today, with a focus on how far practice theory can usefully inform processes of policy making and governing to effect positive social change. Appropriately, the project team was well represented there, withContinue reading “Practice theory and social change”
- Project plenary at the Local Nexus Network conference, Oxford Universityby Matt WatsonFood of course presents us with a tangle of problems, that come down to the challenge of getting people sufficiently fed on a finite planet. Re-scaling food systems so production, manufacturing and consumption happens through more local relations is sure to be a field for useful change. But it’s a complex field, as demonstrated atContinue reading “Project plenary at the Local Nexus Network conference, Oxford University”
- New member of the teamby Matt WatsonWe are delighted to welcome Dr Mike Foden to the project team today. Mike will be working full time on the project through to its completion next autumn. He joins us from the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research at Sheffield Hallam and brings an excellent combination of topical expertise around sustainable consumption, energyContinue reading “New member of the team”
- Urban integration and the nexusby Matt WatsonMatt Watson contributed to a panel at a research conference in Sheffield on 13th September, drawing together diverse perspectives on the chaotic and contested notion of urban integration. The panel was organised by Simon Marvin, Director of the Urban Institute, and pulled together researchers from across the Faculty of Social Sciences at Sheffield. Matt’s contributionContinue reading “Urban integration and the nexus”
- The domestic nexus team contributes to ‘Nexus Thinking’ at the RGS Annual Conferenceby Matt Watson‘Nexus Thinking’ was the theme for this year’s Royal Geographical Society Annual International Conference, signalling the salience of the nexus in research as well as policy debated. Chaired by Peter Jackson, a member of this project’s advisory board, this major conference drew together hundreds of Geographers. The project was represented by Ali Browne, who presented a paperContinue reading “The domestic nexus team contributes to ‘Nexus Thinking’ at the RGS Annual Conference”
- The urban nexus: infrastructures, politics and spatialitiesby Matt WatsonA roundtable conference in the French town of Autun, organised by Olivier Coutard and Jochen Monstadt, was a great opportunity to push new thinking on urban infrastructures in relation to the nexus in cities. Matt Watson’s paper, co-authored with Elizabeth Shove, developed from work in the DEMAND centre to engage with the urban nexus agenda.Continue reading “The urban nexus: infrastructures, politics and spatialities”
- New chapter for the Nexus at Home teamby Matt WatsonToday the Nexus at Home team set off on a new stage of their research agenda. Through the workshops series of the posts below, we enabled the gathering of existing knowledge on how practice theory and related approaches have shed new light on householder’s consumption of resources, and worked through the saliency of the ‘nexus’ framingContinue reading “New chapter for the Nexus at Home team”
- About the projectby Matt WatsonReshaping the Domestic Nexus is a multi-stage, ESRC funded research project bringing together academics from leading research groups at the Universities of Sheffield and Manchester with policy partners in BEIS, DEFRA, FSA, Waterwise, Actant Consulting Artesia Consulting, Northumbrian Water Group (NWG), WWF-UK and WRAP. The researchers are from research groups which have been at the forefront ofContinue reading “About the project”
- Final report publishedby Matt WatsonThe final report of the 2015 domestic nexus workshop series has been published on the Nexus Network site. Read it here.
- Report of workshop 3, nexus, policy and practiceby Matt WatsonWhat can policy (broadly understood) do differently to get people to do things differently at home, such that demand for resources of food, water and energy decline? That was the fundamental problematic underlying a day of creative engagement and informed critique between people from government, regulation, civil society, consultancy and academia in London in December.Continue reading “Report of workshop 3, nexus, policy and practice”
- Domestic nexus, policy and practiceby Matt WatsonExcellent final workshop on the domestic nexus series today. A mix of imagination, creativity and critique, facilitated by Will Medd, got a great range of people developing and exchanging ideas on how to reshape resource demand at home. Fuller report here soon.
- Workshop 2 Reshaping the domestic nexus, Manchesterby Matt WatsonThe focus of the second workshop in the Domestic Nexus series was on researching and understanding changes in domestic practices which can reduce demand for resources was . It took place on 23rd November, at Manchester Friends Meeting House. 35 participants, including from Aalborg, Tartu and Roskilde as well as from around the UK, chewed overContinue reading “Workshop 2 Reshaping the domestic nexus, Manchester”
- Slides from Kate Burninghamby Matt Watsonclick here for pdf of the slides
- Slides from Rebecca O’Connellby Matt Watsonclick here for pdf of slides Click here for References handout
- Slides from Zoe Sofoulisby Matt WatsonClick here for Zoe Sofoulis’ slides (ppt)
- photos of participants ‘nexusing’ at the Sheffield workshopby Matt WatsonThanks to Angela Meah for the ace photos of ‘nexusing’ in action – groups of analysts and evaluators work through what difference thinking with ‘the nexus’ makes with some case studies of different transitions
- Critical insights on nexus, home and transitions at the Sheffield workshopby Matt WatsonThe first ‘nexus at home’ workshop made for an excellent start to the series. After some transition and nexus themed warm up orchestrated by Will Medd, Zoe Sofoulis (University of West Sydney) got things rolling with critical insights on home and household – thinking of it as node, assemblage and as distributed in community relationsContinue reading “Critical insights on nexus, home and transitions at the Sheffield workshop”
- Ready for workshop 1 in Sheffieldby Matt WatsonWe’re excited to be welcoming an excellent group of people to the first workshop in Sheffield tomorrow. With some brilliant speakers – Elizabeth Shove, Zoe Sofoulis, Rebecca O’Connell and Kate Burningham – to get things rolling in the morning, and with Will Medd facilitating workshop activities in the afternoon, it promises to get our exploration of whatContinue reading “Ready for workshop 1 in Sheffield”
- Introducing the Nexus at Home workshop seriesby Matt WatsonThe Nexus idea refers to how systems of energy, food and water are interdependent. It is increasingly visible in academic debate and policy development, but so far research around the Nexus has principally addressed supply side issues at the national and international level. This ESRC-funded network will extend the Nexus concept to examine the dynamicsContinue reading “Introducing the Nexus at Home workshop series”