We are not in the loop: Resource wastage and conservation attitude of employees in indian workplace

Abstract

Though rapid depletion of natural resources has become a global problem, most of the solutions developed to address it are based on studies done in the developed world. Moreover, the commercial sector is among the primary consumers of resources, yet research work has been mostly limited to residential users. We present a study exploring employees' perception, their beliefs and attitudes, towards environmental sustainability at workplaces in a developing region. To obtain broader context, we also conducted a focus group with the facility team members. Our study highlights that in spite of strong motivations to conserve, employees conservative actions are limited due to lack of controls, knowledge and responsibility. We identify new opportunities for design such as designing location specific buildings, removing inefficient choices, and building communal spaces, to facilitate conservation at workplaces. Copyright © 2013 ACM.