The purpose of this study is to understand what a sustainable future would look like and the nature of the changes needed to achieve it. Continued reliance on economic growth to meet the demands of a growing population is unsustainable and comes at an unacceptable social and environmental cost. Given these increasing demands, radical changes to present practices of production and consumption are needed to enable a sustainable future.,To address this the projective technique of backcasting was used in a pilot study to explore student visions of a sustainable future. An integrative framework comprising housing, clothing, travel, leisure and food provided the structure for six focus group discussions.,Thematic analysis identified three key characteristics of a sustainable consumption future, namely, efficiency, sharing and community and three critical elements, namely, the role of government, education and technology, necessary for its achievement.,Demonstrating the usefulness of backcasting will encourage its application in a wider range of consumption contexts with a broader range of participants. The vision of a sustainable future provides a blueprint that identifies its nature, and the basis upon which decisions to achieve it can be made.,The research introduces the technique of backcasting and demonstrates its usefulness when dealing with complex problems, where there is a need for radical change and when the status quo is not sustainable. Unexpectedly, results suggest a commitment to prosocial values, collaborative experience, collective action and the importance of community. Research and social implications demonstrating the usefulness of backcasting will encourage its application in a wider range of consumption contexts with a broader range of participants. The vision of a sustainable future provides a blueprint that identifies its nature, and the basis upon which decisions to achieve it can be made.

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构想可持续消费的未来

这项研究的目的是了解可持续的未来会是什么样子以及实现这一目标所需进行的更改的性质。持续依靠经济增长来满足不断增长的人口的需求是不可持续的，并且付出了不可接受的社会和环境代价。考虑到这些不断增长的需求，需要对生产和消费的当前实践进行根本性的改变以实现可持续的未来。为了解决这个问题，在先导研究中使用了投射的投影技术来探索学生对可持续未来的看法。一个由住房，衣服，旅行，休闲和食物组成的综合框架为六个焦点小组讨论提供了结构。主题分析确定了可持续消费未来的三个关键特征，即效率，共享和社区，以及实现它所必需的三个关键要素，即政府，教育和技术的作用。演示反向播报的有用性将鼓励其在更广泛的消费环境中得到更广泛的参与者的应用。可持续未来的愿景提供了一个蓝图，该蓝图可以确定其性质以及可以做出决定的基础。该研究介绍了反向投射技术，并展示了其在需要处理复杂问题时的有用性。进行根本性的改变，以及当现状不可持续时。出乎意料的是，结果暗示了对亲社会价值，协作经验，集体行动和社区重要性的承诺。研究和社会意义证明了回播的有用性，将鼓励其在更广泛的消费环境中，更广泛的参与者中得到应用。可持续未来的愿景提供了一个蓝图，可以确定其性质以及可以为实现该目标而做出决定的基础。