Moving Beyond Environmental Sustainability Toward Eco-Social Practice

Moving Beyond Environmental Sustainability Toward Eco-Social Practice PDF Author: Meghan Nicole Pursell
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Public art experts over the past decade have urged public art programs to adopt environmentally sustainable standards in their best practices. However, this urging has often been a one-dimension effort and regularly disregards the practice of social equity in tangent. A move beyond environmental sustainability toward eco-social practice is then imperative. This study examines three public artworks in Southern California created for green building capital projects through percent-for-art ordinances within the past decade by three separate governing agencies. By looking at a robust set of artwork details like the materials used, locality of artists, community inclusion, access to artworks, and conditions of public art sites, in addition to policy and decision-maker values, research begins to illustrate if and how transitions toward eco-social practice are occurring. In-situ observations, secondary sources, and interviews with public art administrators and public art consultants helped to triangulate the collected data. Overall, two of the three public artworks studied showed signs of transition toward eco-social practice. Public artworks that required collaborative teams of local artists, fabricators, community members, engineers, architects, and arts managers were most successfully categorized as eco-social. Additionally, the vision of arts managers who viewed capital projects as opportunities for environmentally sustainable public art, who support ideas of community engagement, was also essential. These findings suggest that while there is a strong push for environmental sustainability, public art workers can and should advocate for more holistic goals. Tackling environmental issues like air quality for surrounding communities, using materials that are healthy for artists and part of local economic streams, and co-producing artworks with stakeholders are all possible for public artworks to do, as these case studies show.

Moving Beyond Environmental Sustainability Toward Eco-Social Practice

Moving Beyond Environmental Sustainability Toward Eco-Social Practice PDF Author: Meghan Nicole Pursell
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description
Public art experts over the past decade have urged public art programs to adopt environmentally sustainable standards in their best practices. However, this urging has often been a one-dimension effort and regularly disregards the practice of social equity in tangent. A move beyond environmental sustainability toward eco-social practice is then imperative. This study examines three public artworks in Southern California created for green building capital projects through percent-for-art ordinances within the past decade by three separate governing agencies. By looking at a robust set of artwork details like the materials used, locality of artists, community inclusion, access to artworks, and conditions of public art sites, in addition to policy and decision-maker values, research begins to illustrate if and how transitions toward eco-social practice are occurring. In-situ observations, secondary sources, and interviews with public art administrators and public art consultants helped to triangulate the collected data. Overall, two of the three public artworks studied showed signs of transition toward eco-social practice. Public artworks that required collaborative teams of local artists, fabricators, community members, engineers, architects, and arts managers were most successfully categorized as eco-social. Additionally, the vision of arts managers who viewed capital projects as opportunities for environmentally sustainable public art, who support ideas of community engagement, was also essential. These findings suggest that while there is a strong push for environmental sustainability, public art workers can and should advocate for more holistic goals. Tackling environmental issues like air quality for surrounding communities, using materials that are healthy for artists and part of local economic streams, and co-producing artworks with stakeholders are all possible for public artworks to do, as these case studies show.

Ecological Social Work

Ecological Social Work PDF Author: Jennifer McKinnon
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1137401362
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 248

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Book Description
The world is on the brink of ecological crisis. In the last decade we have seen a number of catastrophic events that illustrate this, including the 2004 tsunami across the Pacific, which killed over 150,000 people, and Hurricane Katrina in the United States, which left thousands dead and millions displaced. As the frequency and scale of environmental disasters has increased, social workers have found themselves on the front line of crisis interventions, working to ensure that the basic needs of communities are met. This evocative, highly thought-provoking book encourages social workers to incorporate an awareness of the physical environment into their work with individuals, groups and communities. Written by an international group of experts and led by two of the top names in the field, it offers an examination of key theoretical concepts combined with specific guidance on developing an ecological social work practice in a variety of situations – from daily life in urban communities to post-disaster sites – from areas across the globe. A fresh new perspective on a topic that gains greater significance day by day, Ecological Social Work calls for practitioners to use their skills in speaking on behalf of the vulnerable to lend their voice to the physical environment: to bring forward the stories of those marginalised by environmental disaster in order to lead creative solutions to this most fundamental of crises.

Thriving Beyond Sustainability

Thriving Beyond Sustainability PDF Author: Andres R. Edwards
Publisher: New Society Publishers
ISBN: 1550924508
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 241

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Book Description
Every fifteen seconds on our Earth, a child dies from waterborne disease. Three times an hour, another species becomes extinct. Each day we consume eighty-five million barrels of oil and pump twenty-three million tons of carbon dioxide into an already warming atmosphere. But against this bleak backdrop, beacons of hope shine from thousands of large and small initiatives taking place everywhere from isolated villages to major urban centers. Thriving Beyond Sustainability draws a collective map of individuals, organizations, and communities from around the world that are committed to building an alternative future—one that strives to restore ecological health; reinvent outmoded institutions; and rejuvenate our environmental, social, and economic systems. The projects and initiatives profiled are meeting the challenges of the day with optimism, hope, and results, leading the way in: Relocalization Green commerce Ecological design Environmental conservation Social transformation Overflowing with inspiration, the stories and ideas in these pages will cause the most chronic pessimist to see the glass as half full—to move beyond a perception of surviving with scarcity to one of flourishing with abundance. The comprehensive resource section provides the tools for everyone to become a catalyst for change. Andres R. Edwards is the author of The Sustainability Revolution, which has sold over twenty thousand copies. He is an educator, media designer, LEED-accredited green building and sustainability consultant, and the founder of EduTracks, a firm specializing in developing education programs and providing consulting services on sustainable practices.

Just Sustainabilities

Just Sustainabilities PDF Author: Robert Doyle Bullard
Publisher: Earthscan
ISBN: 1849771774
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 360

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Book Description
Environmental activists and academics alike are realizing that a sustainable society must be a just one. Environmental degradation is almost always linked to questions of human equality and quality of life. Throughout the world, those segments of the population that have the least political power and are the most marginalized are selectively victimized by environmental crises. This book argues that social and environmental justice within and between nations should be an integral part of the policies and agreements that promote sustainable development. The book addresses the links between environmental quality and human equality and between sustainability and environmental justice.

Putting Sustainability Into Practice

Putting Sustainability Into Practice PDF Author: Emily Huddart Kennedy
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781784710590
Category : Conference papers and proceedings
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Putting Sustainability into Practice offers a robust and interdisciplinary understanding of contemporary consumption routines that challenges conventional approaches to social change premised on behavioral economics and social psychology. Empirical research is featured from eight different countries, using both qualitative and quantitative data to support its thesis. Given the complex and systemic nature of contemporary ecological issues like climate change, a rapidly growing group of scholars is seeking new explanations of behavioral patterns and behavioral change. These new accounts clarify why patterns of consumption and waste continue to be unsustainable despite a wealth of information proving sustainability's importance. In particular, social practice theories offer a way of understanding how material consumption is built into the everyday work of belonging and shaping one's social life. Putting Sustainability into Practice contributes to the rich scholarship developed to date by applying social practice theories to case studies. These case studies are likely to be especially valuable to readers who are relatively new to the social practice perspective. The volume also includes research that advances social practice theories, moving the study of sustainable consumption into novel terrain such as sustainable finance, collective action, and social policy. This book offers multiple empirical applications of social practice theories in sustainable consumption, advancing this research area in such a way that will attract academics to its findings. Those teaching classes in the environmental social sciences will find this introduction suitable for the classroom as well. It offers a rare account of the history of social practice theories and provides numerous case studies to which one can apply these approaches. Graduate students will also find this a useful guide to conducting empirical research on sustainable consumption and civic engagement from a social practices perspective. Contributors: J. Backhaus, S. Barr, T. Bateman, F. Forno, M. Gismondi, C. Grasseni, M. Jaeger-Erben, D. Kasper, R. Kemp, J. Marois, J. Rückert-John, M. Sahakian, C. Schelly, S. Signori, D. Straith, H. Wieser

Environmental Justice

Environmental Justice PDF Author: Sondra Fogel
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317209648
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
What is environmental justice? Why is it important to social work? Social work has a long history with the term "environment" as part of our guiding Ecological Framework. Yet frequently, the assessment of the environment is left out or seen as a difficult domain to understand as part of the complexities of the human experience, particularly for those who are vulnerable, oppressed and poor. This book contains nine articles that showcase environmental justice work in social work practice and in educational settings from around the world. The profession now seems ready to ensure that the "environment" is once again given the consideration it deserves when we are assessing problems in living. These articles were selected for their helpfulness in moving the profession forward conceptually while offering practical tools for the classroom, institutions, and for further scholarship. This book was originally published as a special issue of Social Work Education: The International Journal.

Environmental Social Work

Environmental Social Work PDF Author: Mel Gray
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0415678110
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 362

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Book Description
Divided into three parts, this field-defining work explores what environmental social work is, and how it can be put into practice. It focuses on theory, discussing ecological and social justice, as well as sustainability, spirituality and human rights.

The Heart of Sustainability

The Heart of Sustainability PDF Author: Andres Edwards
Publisher: New Society Publishers
ISBN: 1550925997
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 227

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Book Description
A thriving life and livable future for our planet starts with you. Amidst the doom and gloom that dominates the headlines, a different kind of story about an alternative and sustainable future is unfolding. The players are social activists, visionaries, revolutionaries, and cultural innovators, the backdrop is this Anthropocene: the tipping point of our global and environmental challenges, and the narrative is the molding of a new paradigm to shape our collective future, and make environmental change. The Heart of Sustainability delves into the human dimension of this burgeoning international movement with an aim to become climate activists and build a better world. Author Andrés Edwards frames the conversation about consciousness, activism, innovation, and sustainability by: Explaining how self-development is a key driver for environmental planetary change Describing how the confluence of the consciousness and technological revolutions provide unique opportunities for balance and fulfillment Exploring how we can move forward individually and collectively to create a thriving, livable future from the inside out, during this Anthropocene. This landmark work illustrates the integration of the four Es: ecology, economy, equity, and education—the bedrock of the current sustainability framework-with the four Cs : conscious, creative, compassionate, and connected. Focusing on specific examples and concrete initiatives from social activists around the world, it shows us how to reconnect with ourselves, each other, and nature in order to tackle the climate change challenges we face as a global community. Andrés R. Edwards is the author of the award-winning Thriving Beyond Sustainability and The Sustainability Revolution . He is also the founder and president of EduTracks, a firm specializing education programs and consulting services on sustainable practices for museums, zoos, aquariums, culture and history centers.

Sustainable Societies: Transition from theories to practice

Sustainable Societies: Transition from theories to practice PDF Author: Sethi, Mahendra
Publisher: Universitätsverlag der TU Berlin
ISBN: 3798332266
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 236

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Book Description
The national economic situation, rapidly changing societies, increasing environment pollution amidst global warming around us are some of the most burning topics in day-to-day discussions, news and scholarly discourses. What we see are only the consequences of protracted actions, policies and decisions. The issues associated with these phenomena are highly complex that challenge a direct interpretation of their root causations, indications, results and long-term impacts. For instance, is the issue of managing natural resources for industry & business operations within a country an economic problem? Or is it an ecological one? Or rather a social one? Could it be resolved with theories and techniques of either of these fields? Well, the issue and its redressal requires a combination of all the three disciplines. And yet actions to integrate all of these fields have typically by-passed one or more. The framework that has over the years most commonly explained the convergence of different spheres of disciplinary knowledge has been sustainability. At the same time, its pursuit in practice, the dominant public perception, political agendas and the mainstream media remains elusive. In absence of a critical theory on ‘sustainable societies’, the contemporary development model is misinformed by vague notions of greening, green growth, eco-development, ecotourism, smart cities, etc. largely steered by corporates and vested business groups. The contemporary societies exist and continue to develop without genuine knowledge about sustainability that lies fragmented in its contributing disciplinary streams. This book unfolds the inherent dilemmas, contradictions and paradoxes within the current sustainability paradigm to form a rather nuanced and inside view of what constitutes sustainability and how it could be realized with socio-technical, institutional, policy and management solutions. In the process, the research comprehensively reviews about a hundred environmental, social and economic theories to deliberate on the way forward. Considering that sustainability is a politico-economic and socio-cultural challenge, the transitions need to be culturally diverse and inter-generational, requiring infusion of fresh values, messaging and leadership while conserving traditional knowledge, prevailing institutions. The book culminates with a transition architecture bearing policy recommendations for governing without governmentality with plausible regulatory instruments, capacitating mechanisms, planning and voluntary measures that can be implemented in practice. Die nationale wirtschaftliche Situation, sich schnell verändernde Gesellschaften, die zunehmende Umweltverschmutzung inmitten der globalen Erwärmung um uns herum sind einige der brennendsten Themen in täglichen Diskussionen, Nachrichten und wissenschaftlichen Diskursen. Was wir sehen, sind nur die Folgen langwieriger Handlungen, Richtlinien und Entscheidungen. Die mit diesen Phänomenen verbundenen Fragen sind hochkomplex, die eine direkte Interpretation ihrer Ursachen, Indikationen, Ergebnisse und langfristigen Auswirkungen herausfordern. Ist zum Beispiel die Bewirtschaftung natürlicher Ressourcen für Industrie- und Geschäftsbetriebe innerhalb eines Landes ein wirtschaftliches Problem? Oder ist es ein ökologisches? Oder eher ein soziales? Könnte es mit Theorien und Techniken eines dieser Gebiete gelöst werden? Nun, das Problem und seine Abhilfe erfordert eine Kombination aller drei Disziplinen. Und dennoch haben Maßnahmen zur Integration all dieser Felder in der Regel eines oder mehrere umgangen. Der Rahmen, der im Laufe der Jahre am häufigsten die Konvergenz verschiedener Bereiche des disziplinären Wissens erklärt hat, war Nachhaltigkeit. Gleichzeitig bleibt ihre Verfolgung in der Praxis, die vorherrschende öffentliche Wahrnehmung, die politischen Agenden und die Mainstream-Medien schwer fassbar. In Ermangelung einer kritischen Theorie zu „nachhaltigen Gesellschaften“ wird das zeitgenössische Entwicklungsmodell durch vage Vorstellungen von Ökologisierung, grünem Wachstum, Öko-Entwicklung, Ökotourismus, Smart Cities usw., die größtenteils von Unternehmen und Konzernen gesteuert werden, falsch informiert. Die zeitgenössischen Gesellschaften existieren und entwickeln sich weiter, ohne echtes Wissen über Nachhaltigkeit, das in seinen disziplinären Strömungen zersplittert ist. Dieses Buch entfaltet die inhärenten Dilemmata, Widersprüche und Paradoxien innerhalb des aktuellen Nachhaltigkeitsparadigmas, um eine eher nuancierte Innenansicht dessen zu schaffen, was Nachhaltigkeit ausmacht und wie sie mit soziotechnischen, institutionellen, politischen und Managementlösungen realisiert werden könnte. Dabei überprüft die Forschung umfassend etwa hundert Umwelt-, Sozial- und Wirtschaftstheorien, um über das weitere Vorgehen nachzudenken. Angesichts der Tatsache, dass Nachhaltigkeit eine politisch-ökonomische und soziokulturelle Herausforderung ist, müssen die Übergänge kulturell vielfältig und generationenübergreifend sein, was die Einführung neuer Werte, Botschaften und Führung erfordert, während traditionelles Wissen und vorherrschende Institutionen erhalten bleiben. Das Buch gipfelt in einer Übergangsarchitektur mit Politikempfehlungen für ein Regieren ohne Gouvernementalität mit plausiblen Regulierungsinstrumenten, kapazitiven Mechanismen, Planungen und in der Praxis umsetzbaren freiwilligen Maßnahmen.

The Eco-social Approach in Social Work

The Eco-social Approach in Social Work PDF Author: Aila-Leena Matthies
Publisher: Sophi Academic Press
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 160

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Book Description
This book examines what the connection between social and environmental issues means for social work practices.