Search results

Building a Better Ark: The Potential of Engaging Cultural Thought Leaders and Addressing Power Differential in Authentic, Community-Driven Resilience Planning

Climate change engagement is often conducted on a jurisdictional scale, and stakeholder engagement typically brings representatives from all constituencies around a common table. Yet, individual behavior is largely influenced by norms and leaders within their cultural groups, and the “Noah’s Ark” style of stakeholder engagement largely ignores historical differences of power among participants. Co-creating safe cultural spaces with leaders within cultural communities catalyzes authentic conversation tailored to the ways in which the community talks about its own issues and creates engagement strategies, which increase climate resilience, while elevating voices of trusted sources of information.Two projects in the San Francisco North Bay Region were built on prior research on the role of cultural identity, belonging, and engagement in building resilient regions. “Elevating Latino Voices” focused on the 25% of Sonoma County residents who self-identify as Latinx, a group over-impacted by natural disasters yet underrepresented in political and economic power. As a direct result of the investigation, targeted, culturally relevant communication strategies and programs were identified, including “Promotores Verde.” Drawing from a cultural tradition of recruiting and training cohorts of young adults from within communities on specific health issues, who, in turn, become resources on the issues to their communities, “Promotores Verde” is increasing authentic engagement of the Latinx community in climate change, building leadership capacity and empowering a new generation of climate leaders. “Rising Waters” engaged principles of biophilia to bridge understanding between experts on homelessness and water quality to build empathy and address issues at their nexus.

Gastvrijheid in de Gezondheidszorg

Ziekenhuizen streven in toenemende mate naar een beleving van gastvrijheid bij hun patienten. Gastvrijheid wordt traditioneel geassocieerd met horeca en toerisme. Wat maakt dat iemand een zorgomgeving, zoals een ziekenhuis, als gastvrij ervaart?

Restoring 'love of life' through outdoor adventures : a biophilic approach.

If animals could talk: Ecological citizenship and the Dutch Party for Animals

This article explores how concern about animal welfare and animal rights relates to ecological citizenship by discussing student assignments written about the Dutch Party for Animals or PvdD. ‘Animal welfare’, ‘animal rights’, and ‘ecological citizenship’ perspectives offer insights into strategic choices of eco-representatives and animal rights/welfare advocates as well as educators. The assignments balance animal issues with socio-economic ones, explore the relationship between sustainability and ethics, and attribute responsibility for unsustainable or unethical practices. Analysis of student assignments reveals nuanced positions on the anthropocentrism-ecocentrism continuum, showing students’ ability to critically rethink their place within larger environmental systems. Some students demonstrated compassion for nonhumans, indicating that biophilia is evenly distributed among different groups of students. This article finds that fostering pro-environmentalism and animal welfare or rights requires the deepening of the debate contesting but also connecting key issues in sustainability and ethics. This analysis can be valuable for political parties representing nonhumans, or for education practitioners in getting students to think about the challenges in human-environment relationships and for advancing support for ecodemocracy. https://ro.uow.edu.au/asj/vol8/iss1/10/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenkopnina/

The Lorax Complex: Deep ecology, Ecocentrism and Exclusion

Biodiversity preservation is often viewed in utilitarian terms that render non-human species as ecosystem services or natural resources. The economic capture approach may be inadequate in addressing biodiversity loss because extinction of some species could conceivably come to pass without jeopardizing the survival of the humans. People might be materially sustained by a technological biora made to yield services and products required for human life. The failure to address biodiversity loss calls for an exploration of alternative paradigms. It is proposed that the failure to address biodiversity loss stems from the fact that ecocentric value holders are politically marginalized and underrepresented in the most powerful strata of society. While anthropocentric concerns with environment and private expressions of biophilia are acceptable in the wider society, the more pronounced publicly expressed deep ecology position is discouraged. “Radical environmentalists” are among the least understood of all contemporary opposition movements, not only in tactical terms, but also ethically. The article argues in favor of the inclusion of deep ecology perspective as an alternative to the current anthropocentric paradigm. https://doi.org/10.1080/1943815X.2012.742914 https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenkopnina/

Revisiting the Lorax complex: Deep ecology and biophilia in cross-cultural perspective

By supporting creation of protected areas, conservation projects are known to bring economic prosperity to the local communities, but also incite criticism. A common theme in the critique of conservation organizations is the proximity to neoliberal agencies seeking to capitalize on environment, which disadvantage the local communities. Community participation has been proposed as a panacea for neoliberal conservation. However, conservation efficacy is not always contingent on the community involvement and reliance on ‘traditional’ practices in protected areas has not always benefitted biodiversity. Simultaneously, critique of conservation ignores evidence of indigenous activism as well as alternative forms of environmentalism which provide a broader ethical support base for conservation. This article highlights the challenges and contradictions, as well as offers hopeful directions in order to more effectively ground compassionate conservation. https://doi.org/10.1080/23251042.2015.1048765 https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenkopnina/