Environmental Psychology affects us all and covers some of the biggest challenges of our time. What can organisations and individuals do to mitigate and adapt to climate and other environmental change that are of great public concern? What role can a better understanding of urban planning and access to natural places play in promoting mental and physical health? How can we best support people and communities in having a positive impact on the environment, and what role might behaviour change play in the context of existing systems and infrastructure? These are just some of the questions that our team are interested in. Our new group (est. Oct. 2020) aims to support individuals, communities and governing agencies to help people live more sustainable and fulfilling lives that protect both planetary and human health and wellbeing. To do this, we will draw on, and aim to contribute to, high quality evidence based on environmental psychology insights, theories and methods.
But of course we’re not doing this alone. One of the most exciting things about setting up the new group in Vienna is the opportunity to work with the many great colleagues, networks and initiatives that exist already across various education and research institutions in Austria. There is a thriving community of researchers, many of whom are actively involved in the Austrian Network for Psychology and Environment. We are grateful for the warm welcome and support we have received and look forward to learning from and working closely with the existing research community going forward.
Looking beyond the discipline itself, we are also excited to be part of the University of Vienna’s fast-growing interdisciplinary Environmental Research Network, which includes members from a wide range of natural and social sciences. The issues environmental psychology is interested in are complex, global and they go beyond the remit of any single discipline – we need to work collectively to take on these challenges and develop solutions that firmly integrate the human dimension. Members of the new team are well-established in international research networks such as the International Marine Litter Research Unit, the European Centre for Environment and Human Health, and in global professional associations such as the International Association of Applied Psychology and the International Association of People-Environment Studies, to name just a few examples. Our aim is to help build bridges between these international perspectives and initiatives and those in Austria and the wider European Community.
At this stage our group consists of 11 senior, post- and predoctoral researchers as well as student and administration assistants, and we have several ongoing projects spanning environmental psychology topics. For more information about our team members click here and about projects click here.
We hope this little introduction may have intrigued you to find out a bit more about Environmental Psychology and follow our work. For updates on a regular basis we’ll use this blog to spread the word about scientific as well as more personal content of our EnvPsyVienna Team.
All the best and we look forward to connecting,
Sabine Pahl, Mathew White & Laura Heinisch
