ABSTRACT
Achieving sustainability goals at the societal level begins with changing behavior at the individual level. Sustainable behavior is defined in this chapter as decisions by individuals that reduce environmental harms or enhance natural capital. This can include a variety of actions ranging from personal recycling or water conservation behaviors to strategies created by leadership that integrate sustainability principles into organizations. This chapter reviews prevailing theories of sustainable behavior from environmental and social psychology and environmental sociology as well as interdisciplinary approaches such as political ecology and social practice theory. Methods for measuring progress towards sustainable behavior are introduced.
