I have recently reviewed the UMass sustainability website, and there is some positive things that I have seen. There are also some things that could be improved upon. I will be discussing a number of different issues regarding communication of sustainability, and how UMass appears to be approaching those issues, as well as ways to improve our initiative.
To begin with I would like to state that there is a difference between the dominant and ecological paradigm in the context of the sustainability initiative. The dominate paradigm is what values in a society that are most standard and widely held. Dominant paradigms are shaped both by the community 's cultural background. The ecological paradigm sees the current dominant paradigm as
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If what they say in their first statement is true, this is a good step. Exploring and communicating ways to improve upon our communities practices, ideas, and technologies would fall into the new ecological paradigm. It would be an attempted to shift away from the dominant unsustainable paradigm. The next point mentioned in the mission statement is “We educate the campus community to create a healthier and more responsible environment”. Education of a community is how a paradigm shift will happen. Education about what is unsustainable, why being unsustainable is harmful, and how to become more sustainable is absolutely vital in order to shift a community 's thoughts, ideas, and behaviors. Next the mission statement says that “We develop progressive solutions to reduce negative environmental impacts in ways that are economically beneficial”. Solutions to reduce negative environmental impacts are what is needed in order to change from unsustainable to sustainable. Understanding problems won’t help unless solutions to those problems are known. Lastly, the mission statement says that “We create and consistently advocate for a diverse & inclusive culture of sustainability throughout the campus community and beyond”. By trying to create and advocate a culture of sustainability, they are also trying to shift the paradigms from the dominate to ecological. Based on the information provided by the mission statements, I would have to say
First and foremost, one of the purposes of Live Green is it encourages all ISU students, faculty, and staff to be fully committed. Also, it engages to make our campus to have a “green” environment. It takes some challenges for those who join this program. It leads in sustainability among land-grant institutions. It also recognizes that the involvement and dedication of every member in ISU is necessary to achieve the goal. (About)
Since the human history enter into the 20th century, people realize that the finite of industrial production, and the significance of the diversity; therefore, pursuing sustainability is one of the most significant goal for people to make efforts. However, achieving the goal is not easy, many factors have restriction on achieving sustainability, such as economics, politics, and culture. Because of so many restrictions on the achievement of sustainability, coordination is necessary. In these days, many universities try to make the sustainability happen. The university of British Columbia has been working to explore the sustainability for many years, and plan to advance the sustainability on their campus and beyond. To make the success of the environmental sustainability, they treat their campus as an interconnected system. They plan to transform the campus into a sustainable lab room because they believe that sustainable is not only a word to define but also a way to interact with the world. They want to become a social test-bed for sustainability. It required the coordination of the entire campus to meet their commitment. The transportation management, green building design, sustainable residential community and engaging students, staff, and faculties all work together to achieve their goal.
The environment is among some of the top issues to be looked upon by the human population in the world today. Sustainability is a word often times used when speaking of this subject. This is a concept represented in the articles “Sustainability” by Christian R. Weisser and “Attention Whole Foods Shoppers” by Robert Paarlberg. Each author addresses the issue in different ways; one giving examples of this issue and the other clearly defining it. Each author is writing to spread awareness of this issue. As overlapping topics, each article has similarities and differences to the other.
In 2015, Eastern Kentucky University created a comprehensive and beneficial plan with a goal to outline methods by which EKU can undergo a sustainability overhaul. This plan is called the Sustainability Strategic Plan also known as “The Campus Beautiful”.
Oberlin college is ranked as the 4th greenest college in America by popularmechanics.com, and it makes sense. It incorporates sustainability into its curriculum, but it also uses brand new technologies, such as solar panels and electric cars. Campuses that are more sustainable seem to have two main characteristics. The first is they are often in more rural settings, and usually use this setting to their advantage, by having big farms and creating nature reserves. The second is that they invest in more environmentally friendly technology before other colleges. Most colleges in the United States are attempting to become more sustainable, but many are taking the wrong approach to doing so. For example, USC is making efforts towards becoming more sustainable, and while some of these efforts are valid, many merely appear to be so that USC market itself as more sustainable. Colleges that put an emphasis on using new, more sustainable technologies tend to be more sustainable than those that simply try to spread the ideas of sustainability. While creating an environmentally conscious student body is important, it may not be achievable everywhere.
I’m writing to Lisa Darger, Coordinator of Sustainability from the office of Sustainability. A coordinator is who organize events, activities and arrange people in order to make sure they work together effectively. Since Darger is Coordinator, she can make all the changes and add new facilities to the recycling and littering activities. I’m wanting to discuss her about providing more trashcans here and there and also proving more recycling activities on campus. I think she will be interested in my letter because it is responsibility if there is issues about litter or recycling is occurred, and I’m sure she will be happy to help me about my issues about littering on campus.
Environmental sustainability is the ability to be able to continue a certain process or use a certain resource indefinitely (Mason). For example, if you’re using a certain resource and you know it’s going to run out one day, that resource is unsustainable. Sustainability is important because a lot of the practices that we do in modern society from agriculture, to energy source, and even development, are completely depleting our resources. This practices were also made to accommodate our fast pace lifestyle, everything is built and made to be fast and cheap, nothing is made to last anymore. Many people are realizing the importance of being sustainable and the world is slowly changing to sustainable practices like Renewable energy and sustainable agriculture, while also changing the fast and easy mind set to a more “reusable” one. Brevard College has boarded the sustainable train of the world by making several additions to the school like solar panels, alternative transportation options, a Fair trade and organic Coffee shop, and several environmental based clubs. Although they are heading in the right direction, many changes still need to be made in order to achieve a well-developed sustainable campus.
As I will be working in conjunction with several other students—each of us examining some aspect of Holistic Sustainability—we will work together to simultaneously answer the broader question of what a new Center for Sustainability at Grinnell College should look like. With my area of research, I hope to identify whether the Center should be a new or renovated
Chapin, F.S., Carpenter, S.R., Kofinas, G.P., Folke, C., Abel, N., Clark, W.C., …& Swanson, F.J (2010). Ecosystem stewardship: sustainability strategies for a rapid change planet.
Petsmart is a specialty retailer of pet products and services. They provide food and products, and offer services such as grooming, boarding, doggie day damp, day care, training and adoptions. The company employs about 53,000 associates and operates 1,477 stores in the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada. (Company Information, 2010). Petsmart also does their part in the area of sustainability. The following will discuss what the company is doing in the areas of social sustainability and environmental sustainability. Then will discuss how their mission statement and website tie into their sustainability efforts. And finally, the following will give suggestions on how to improvement their sustainability effort.
UVM, specifically Vermont, is the perfect place for sustainability and going “green.” UVM has taken many steps in becoming a top school for not only environmental education but a top school for sustainability as well. UVM is continuing to strive for climate neutrality and these efforts will continue well into the future. UVM’s efforts are inspirational to the community, students and the future of sustainability.
Sustainability is the foundation upon which resilient and adaptive design was built. It “is based on a simple and long-recognized factual premise: Everything that humans require for their survival and well-being depends, directly or indirectly, on the natural environment” (Sustainability and the US EPA). Concern for the environment grew in the 1960’s, and after the creation of the EPA in 1970 the term sustainability came into use. “Sustainable development emerged as a result of significant concerns about the unintended social, environmental, and economic consequences of rapid population growth, economic growth, and consumption of natural resources.” (Sustainability and the US EPA). In the U.S., the history of sustainability is rooted in American
Academic and professional wise, the idea is a vital player to how that particular subject is shaped and how the work is accomplished within them. Socially, the topic of sustainability can be heard within the media or in your own circle of close individuals.
Sustainability is a topic that has become very important in recent years. Sustainability is defined as, “the ability to continue a defined behavior indefinitely.” ("Finding and Resolving the Root Causes of the Sustainability Problem", 2014)
Many people believe that the Sustainable Revolution began with concern for the environment. The way we portray our relation to the natural world has changed since the times of Thoreau and Emerson. The E for environment