Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Environmental Sustainability Education'

This research examined the personal, professional, and developmental impact of introducing a constructive developmental perspective to faculty and students in a post-secondary program in sustainability education and leadership development. It also explored the relationship between adult development and sustainability education, teaching, and mentorship. There is increasing emphasis on integrating human interiors (values, beliefs, worldviews) in sustainability work. However, little research has examined the relationship between adult development and sustainability education. The purpose of this research was to explore deepening the transformative nature of learning and leadership development in graduate education through the use of a developmental framework and assessment, and to contribute to advancing the application of adult developmental research to adult learning and sustainability education. The site of study was Prescott College, and the sample of 11 included four Ph.D. faculty and seven students. This mixed-methods study included semi-structured interviews, a five-month action inquiry process, and a pre and post developmental assessment. The findings demonstrate that sustainability is significantly different for individuals assessed at different developmental stages; learning about adult development is transformative developmentally, personally, and professionally; a developmental awareness may deepen the transformative impact of graduate sustainability education and leadership development; and teaching about adult development is more effective when it is developmentally responsive. Integrating a developmental awareness into graduate and sustainability education is recommended to support learning and growth at all stages of development, support the development of the educators themselves, and support skill development for working well with diverse groups.

Addressing current environmental, economic, and social challenges requires a transformation in thinking. Education, if reoriented toward sustainability, has the potential to promote environmentally responsible behavior and advance society toward environmental, economic, and social well-being. Teachers have an important role in this shift in education, both as models of environmental sensitivity and as agents of change. Beginning and experienced teachers alike struggle to adapt to a model of education that allows young people to build the experience and skills necessary to address the sustainable development goals outlined by the United Nations.

This mixed-methods case study presents practices from whole-school sustainability programs in four U.S. K-12 institutions, with the purpose of providing resources and examples for further development of K-12 whole-school sustainability programs. Based on results from 35 interviews, four classroom observations, and four campus tours, I provide other school administrations and staff with institution-appropriate pathways towards implementing and refining their own whole-school sustainability education programs.

Two related exploratory studies, one with families, and a second one with adult and child members of an independent school community, suggest that our connections with the rhythms, processes, species, and cycles of nature, our love and feelings of affinity for nature, can be strengthened by practicing contemplation outdoors. In The Family Nature Workshop Study, urban and suburban families participated in a seven-week Contemplation in Nature program, and in The Sit Spot Study, children and adult members from an urban school community practiced sitting quietly outdoors, recording observations in a journal twice a week for five weeks. Changes in connectedness were measured using the Inclusion of Nature in Self Scale (Schultz, 2001), the Ten-item Connectedness to Nature Scale (C. Frantz, email communication, January 11, 2012), the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (Greco, Baer & Smith, 2011), and the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (Brown & Ryan, 2003). Analysis of journal entries provided additional insight into the participants' experiences of self, experiences of the world outside of self, experiences of the self in relationship with other community members, and expressions of Biophilia Values (Kellert & Wilson, 1993). The journals reveal a picture of nature found in suburban and urban landscapes as it was perceived and experienced by the humans in the environment, people who were willing to take time out of busy schedules to pause, sit, listen, and learn. The journals thereby open a window through which we can view the everyday and extraordinary experiences of being a human in and as part of nature.

Mountains are filled with both mystery and grandeur. They are places where the natural world can be experienced in its most raw form. Humans have been climbing mountains for centuries, yet it is still difficult to adequately explain what draws people to the mountains. There is danger in the mountains, but there can also be rewards in the form of physical health, mental well-being, and personal growth. My climbing experience has led me to believe that these benefits are felt most when climbers approach a mountain with a sense of reverence and respect, and that the colonizing mindset of conquering a mountain or completing a tick-list is detrimental to the climber, the people that the climber interacts with, and the natural environment of the mountain. This study examines the worldviews of mountain climbers and the aspects of mountaineering that seem to enhance these worldviews. The worldviews of the mountaineers are explored in regard to both the natural environment and human society. Focus is placed on the aspects of mountaineering that seem to encourage biocentric worldviews, with the hope of being able to apply these findings to future sustainability initiatives. This study finds that mountaineers have a generally negative view of societies which put too much emphasis on material wealth, social prestige, and power structures. These materialistic tendencies of society are in direct contrast with the world of mountains. The benefits of climbing mountains are extensive, with personal and spiritual benefits being even more essential to the experience than the physical benefits. Climbers do not climb mountains for these benefits though; they climb mountains to climb. The findings of this study are discussed in terms of the future of climbing, environmental and social sustainability initiatives, and genuine learning experiences.

In recent years a surge in research focused on the influences of water on humans. However, few have studied the effects of water on our relationship with nature, particularly to explore enduring impressions from a longitudinal perspective. Addressing these gaps, this qualitative exploratory research enlisted a case study methodology that employed multiple methods to investigate how a multi-day wilderness trip on the Tatshenshini River might affect participants’ connection to nature and position toward a sustainable lifestyle. The 12 participants were administered the Kellert Shorb Biophilic Indicator (KSBVI) questionnaire prior to the trip and reflected in journals during the experience. Six months after the trip ended a survey was administered. After 16 months, in-depth interviews were conducted. The results suggest that immersion into river time, an experience conceptualization that connected participants to nature’s rhythm, generally equated with a flow state and a condition of blue mind, positively influenced their connection to nature. It appears that living water in concert with awe-inspiring encounters in the natural world enhanced and affirmed participants’ position toward a sustainable lifestyle. Furthermore, this multi-day wilderness experience seemed to inform their orientation toward sustainability. The findings suggest that further research into the lasting effects of river time and awe within these types of contexts is warranted.

This dissertation analyzes efforts to understand and build urban ecosystem health and justice, extending scholarly literatures on urban ecology, political ecology and environmental justice. Through examination of cases from around the world, as well as from my own sustained work in Albany, New York, the research demonstrates that urban ecosystem health and justice has powerful cultural, social and political economic dimensions as well as (more often acknowledged) ecological and technical dimensions. The research also advances an analytic framework that can guide education as well as entrepreneurial initiatives to build urban ecosystem health and justice. The research strives to provide a theoretical as well as practical guide to the second generation of the global environmental justice movement. Rather than focus on recurrent patterns of environmental injustice, particularly in communities already vulnerable because of race and class, this research identifies positive paths forward through education, community programming, law and technical innovation.

This dissertation research examines the perceptions held by African Africans as they pertain to the environment and nature and the factors influencing those perceptions. The research covers the ecopsycological elements, historical narratives, and current social dynamics of African American culture in order to understand their frame of reference in connection to the environment. Two populations of African American adults in Michigan and South Carolina were used to study the perceptions and behaviors exhibited by the culture. The research study used interview sessions and questionnaires in order to generate qualitative and quantitative data. The data focused on outdoor childhood activities, adult involvement, concerns about the environment, perceptions of individuals and mainstream organizations associated with the environment, current and potential environmental behaviors, and factors contributing to the participants’ environmental actions and decisions. With unanimous responses indicating that research participants have engaged in some form of outdoor activity during childhood, as well as a majority of these individuals expressing time spent outdoors or in nature as positive, there is indication the environment plays an integral part in the lives of African Americans. Additionally, participants acknowledged discussions about the environment and nature rarely occurred between themselves and their parents or other adults during their childhood, especially in regards to conservation, preservation, and pollution prevention measures. What they did experience, however, was language through demonstration; any specific actions about managing or taking care of the earth was learned through hands-on approaches rather than verbal communication. Lastly participants in this study overwhelmingly cited Caucasians and elements oftentimes associated with Caucasians as the frame of reference for environmentalism. In contrast, African Americans are just as interested in and concerned about the environment, yet they do not perceive themselves as environmentalists. The study results indicate there are significant correlations between some environmental and social aspects exhibited by the participants and overall, African Americans are interested in the environment and some of the components associated with it.

This paper evaluates an organics and recycling program in a large urban school district over a three year period 2010-2013. Student researcher evaluates the effectiveness on organics and recycling via a K-12 program. Is the school district closer to reaching its organics and recycling goals? What are the cost savings to the school district? What are the best practices from other schools in the United States? District waste is compiled over a course of three years and analyzed. An on-line data tracking system was created to evaluate the program. Student creates recommendations for maximizing cost savings to the district and benefits to the environment.