Exploring sustainability and identities from an investor's perspective: An autoethnography

Research has paid attention to the drivers and inhibitors of sustainable construction. However, how the tensions between different constraints and options are negotiated in practice needs further exploration. The role identification with sustainable construction plays within this process is still under-researched. Therefore, my autoethnographic exploration aims to better understand the connection between decisions regarding sustainable construction and the self-identification with sustainability. As a construction contractor, and more importantly as an investor, I investigate my fieldnotes and recollections during a project I realized in 2012/2013. I explore my decision-making and the role of my identification with sustainable construction to understand how my identification with sustainable construction influences my decisions about environmental, economic, and social aspects. I demonstrate how my identification with specific green solutions drives but also inhibits sustainable building. As the insights I offer come from my unique perspective as an investor, they are not generalizable but can provide insights into how identification with green building has an impact on decision-making. I show how apparently rational decisions are subjectively mitigated. Hence, I underline the importance of identification with sustainability to promote sustainable construction.