Pro-Ecological Commitment in the Words of its Practitioners

Abstract

A pro-ecological commitment (PEC) is a positive relationship people establish with the environment and is manifested through environmental care practices. In order to deepen knowledge of this psychosocial and environmental phenomenon, we explored the definitions of PEC from the perspectives of people committed to the environment, taking into account the environmental conceptions underpinning this commitment. People who were nominated as being pro-ecologically committed (N = 29; aged between 23 and 79 years old) freely talked about their PECs and environment and also nominated other people they deemed to have the same commitment. The corpus was analyzed according to interpretive content analysis. We identified changes in their understandings concerning PEC and the environment, which was distinguished from the concept of nature, linked to socio-historical contexts and personal experiences. Practices related to daily choices, health, sensitization and pro-social relations, as well as barriers and habits that hinder environmental care, were also reported.