Communicating sustainability : a case study exploring Jordan Green Building Council's sustainability communication techniques

Abstract

This study used a qualitative approach to explore sustainability communication techniques in Jordan. To ground the research, I used the Jordan Green Building Council (JoGBC) as a case study, conducting semi-structured interviews with JoGBC’s planners and decision makers based on the following questions: how do the proponents and planners of JoGBC, as a (NGO), communicate the nature and importance of sustainable urban development to the residents of Jordan? How do these communication practices compare to other techniques shown to be effective elsewhere? The findings suggest that overall, JoGBC used a variety of communication techniques in their communication for sustainability, and these communications were also consistent with the communication techniques used in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Although the techniques used by JoGBC were created elsewhere, financial constraints were a key barrier for choosing and adopting sustainability communication by JoGBC. This study provides recommendations to improve JoGBC sustainability communications techniques, as well as sustainability communication techniques in Jordan in general.