“We Need Solutions that Consider Different Needs” Dr. Shirin Betzler has joined our Sustainable Infrastructure, Products and Services Team as a Project Manager. Read why she thinks cultural change is key to making the sustainability transformation work in the long run and why we should seek solutions that serve different needs, even when it gets really hard. In your work, you put a strong focus on people and culture. Can you tell us why? I come from a background in intercultural and behavioural psychology, so it actually drives me to unravel precisely that question: what drives people to engage in sustainability change? What are people’s needs, what is important to them, in which cultural context are they embedded, how does this shape how they think, feel and behave? And how can we use this knowledge to design successful interventions or inform effective policies? Sustainability transformations are complex, what factors could unlock them? For me, the sustainability transition—be it a shift towards circular economy, improving sustainable value chains or promoting sustainable entrepreneurship—is essentially a cultural transformation, and it requires many levels to work together: individual behaviour change, cultural shifts in organisations or communities, enabling policy frameworks or adjusting infrastructure. I’m interested in harvesting evidence-based insights to scale up what really works to connect these levels. This is a huge effort, but seeing cities, organisations, and communities align around shared solutions to start shifting towards sustainability shows me every day that it is possible—and very rewarding for achieving a good life! How does this play out in your current projects? My current work at the CSCP mostly revolves around facilitating the transition towards circular systems. This is yet another cultural change that needs to be managed: circularity has to become the new normal. In my projects, we are focused on removing barriers and making circular solutions more accessible. For this, we align with policy-makers on how to design regulations and infrastructure, so that step by step, we can move towards a socially just circular society. But this is not a task for policymakers alone… Certainly not. This requires listening to and engaging with diverse stakeholders like researchers, administrators, policy actors, or citizens. I’m very passionate about facilitating participatory processes that bring these groups together to harvest insights through structured exchange, provide opportunities of knowledge sharing or networking, and support learning with training and capacity-building. I am convinced that perspective-taking is the basis for understanding each-other, and while it is really hard sometimes, it is also essential to find solutions that consider different needs and interests. When you’re not working on a sustainability solution, what do you enjoy doing? Outside of work, I enjoy yoga—it helps me connect with my body and surroundings, and focus on a single moment, even with all the sustainability challenges around. Another passion of mine is acting, which sharpens my perception, encourages me to really listen, and teaches me to improvise and adapt when things don’t go according to plan—and to laugh it all off! For further questions, please contact Dr. Shirin Betzler directly!