This Autumn, the local partners of the PSLifestyle project ran EU and national stakeholder workshops with the aim of showcasing the Lifestyle Test and Database, disseminating project results, and showing how the test and dataset can be used to co-design solutions to facilitate the uptake of sustainable lifestyles.

Scientific findings and data collected through the use of the Lifestyle Test were shared and presented with stakeholders from Academia, Civil Society, Governments and Industry in the 8 project countries. As well as raising awareness on the project insights, the workshops collected participants' feedback and ideas on new potential business models, policy solutions, civil society initiatives and research that could help the implementation of positive and sustainable lifestyles.

Check out the highlights of each country's workshops here:

Circular Change and The City of Ljubljana, Slovenia

• President Nataša Pirc Musar engaged stakeholders and endorsed the PSL tool: Directly following the 4th Presidential Forum, President Nataša Pirc Musar, PhD urged all stakeholders to contribute ideas for maintaining a high quality of life in Slovenia, emphasising the importance of sustainable lifestyles.
• Diverse stakeholders collaborated: Stakeholders including CSOs, businesses, academia, and government representatives got together in an environment that fostered dynamic discussions on leveraging PSLifestyle data to drive sustainable policy-making, business strategies, and community engagement.
• Innovative Ideas for Impact: Creative initiatives were proposed, such as using PSL data for team-building activities, linking the tool to local sustainable businesses and services, and integrating it into youth education programs to promote long-term behavioral change.

Sitra, Finland

• Potential for deeper analysis: The data collected from the workshops has significant potential for deeper analysis. Stakeholders suggested that the system could be enhanced to highlight the needs and thoughts of 'forgotten groups', such as the elderly or chronically ill, who also prioritise sustainability issues.
• Targeted communications: The workshops emphasised the importance of targeted communications. By understanding the sustainability interests of organisation members through test data, stakeholders can tailor their communication strategies more effectively. For example, if geothermal energy is of particular interest, they could collaborate with geothermal companies for marketing initiatives.
• Test improvement and stakeholder support: The workshops provided valuable feedback for test improvement and stakeholder support actions. This feedback will help enhance the uptake of sustainable lifestyles locally by defining policies, proposing business models, and communicating initiatives to civil society.

Green Apes and Fondazione per lo Sviluppo Sostenibile, Italy

• High engagement and strong interest in the tool: Despite the challenges faced during the initial recruitment phase, the participants demonstrated a high level of involvement and curiosity about the tool. During the discussion and feedback sessions, they provided precise and insightful contributions, showcasing a genuine interest in exploring the tool’s potential.
• Diverse applications across backgrounds, highlighting challenges and opportunities: Depending on their professional or sector-specific background, participants identified various potential applications for the test in the fields under discussion. In some sectors, obstacles such as data access or response filtering were recognised as ongoing challenges that are already being addressed. In others, participants pointed out the need for more granular information, raising concerns about respondent profiling and potential privacy risks. All participants encouraged modifications in the sense of greater granularity of recommended actions and hoped for the opportunity to customise the tool with extra questions. These varied perspectives underscored both the versatility of the tool and the complexities of implementing it across different contexts.
• Strong interest in educational applications: A recurring theme across multiple workshops was the substantial interest in the educational and school-related potential of the tool. Participants frequently highlighted its value in enhancing learning processes and supporting educational outcomes, suggesting a promising avenue for further development and exploration in this domain. However, reaching out to schools proved to be a challenging task for us, underscoring the need for tailored strategies to effectively engage this sector.

Zeytince EYDD, Turkey

The workshop successfully attracted 28 participants from 15 key institutions, ensuring representation from decision-makers and experts who directly influence Izmir’s sustainability and green city strategies.

• Policy integration: Explored practical ways to incorporate PSLifestyle insights into local policies, focusing on sustainable living and behaviour change strategies tailored to Izmir's unique socio-economic context.
• Engagement and collaboration: Strengthened partnerships with political decision-makers to align PSLifestyle findings with ongoing and future sustainability goals and discussed opportunities for implementing the PSLifestyle test within the scope of their institutional and public awareness campaigns.
• Data driven plans and policy formation: Identified opportunities to integrate PSLifestyle data into municipal programs, emphasizing actionable steps for measurable impact on environmental and social sustainability.

CSCP, Germany

• Food and Circular Economy: Food emerged as one the most relevant topics for participants of the industry-focused workshop, alongside Circular Economy and product repair services. They discussed the possibility of using the tool for employee engagement or paring it with demographic data to gather further insights into specific consumer segments for sustainable product development and communication.
• Policy development: The Lifestyle Test was recognised in the stakeholder workshops as a valuable tool for understanding citizens’ motivations, identifying barriers, and supporting the creation of informed policies. Participants also explored its potential as a tool for policy makers to communicate sustainability goals and serve as role models for change.
• Advancing research: Academics highlighted research gaps in sustainable lifestyles and proposed new ideas, noting the Lifestyle Test’s practicality and ease for data collection. Suggestions included expanding insights into specific behaviours and barriers to change, addressing targeted research questions, and increasing engagement with less environmentally inclined individuals to broaden the perspective.
• Community engagement: Civil society organisations focused on strategies to bridge the gap between people and sustainability. Suggestions included embedding the Lifestyle Test into school curriculums, training programs, and community initiatives to foster broader engagement. The participants also emphasised the importance of shared responsibility for sustainability, highlighting the potential of the Lifestyle Test to proactively share data with decision-makers and promote balanced accountability.

EKPIZO and Athena RC, Greece

• Fruitful discussions about education: The workshops bore very fruitful discussions about the role of education in informing the students about creating a more sustainable lifestyle.
• Tangible actions built from data: Data from the Lifestyle Test could be used to build models predicting how changes in policy (e.g., carbon taxes, incentives for electric vehicles) might influence individuals' carbon footprints. This would allow researchers to estimate the potential impact of various policy options on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
• Multi-stakeholder benefits: The publishing of the open datasets will benefit the Academic, Business, Government and Civil sectors.

Rohetiiger, Estonia:

• Local applicability of data across different sectors: The LifestyleTest data makes the tool much more attractive to partners - with over 6000 users in Estonia, we're already talking about statistically significant findings about Estonian lifestyle choices, which acts as a conversation starter.
• Lifestyle test as bridge between local municipalities and government policy: The most promising avenue for cooperation is with municipalities, which are usually tasked with translating the central government's sustainability strategies into real-life practice. Practical suggestions and quantifiable data attract the interest of communications staff as well as Climate Ministry representatives who are busy demonstrating the benefits of proposed new climate legislation.
• Targeted marketing opportunities: Lifestyletest data can provide valuable information for NGOs and companies to identify and target consumer personas that show a willingness to try new sustainable alternatives. In Estonia, for example, we found great interest in vegetarian options.

DECO, Portugal:

• High attendance and engagement: hosting the workshop online allowed more people to come, and as a result we had a range of different geographical areas represented.
• Agricultural specialists Terraprima contributed: Terraprima specialises in GHG emissions; they provided a new perspective to participants.
• Decision to hold a joint event proved fruitful: opting to hold a joint event with the different sectors, rather than four separate events, meant that contributions were varied and engagement was lively.