Ecological Sustainability

Ecological Sustainability

by Louise St. Pierre -
Number of replies: 1

I am recording statements made in discussion at the DDM faculty meeting on January 30, 2017 on the topic of Ecological Sustainability as follows:

1. Emily Carr's Mission and Value statements need to affirmatively, clearly and strongly reflect the cross-campus values of ecological sustainability as demonstrated in numerous grass-roots initiatives that include pedagogical, research, and on-the-ground actions. Given the state of the global ecology, these values are imperative.

2. Powerful language around ecological sustainability can encompass many different epistemologies, approaches and project types, including post-humanist theory, social innovation initiatives, ecological literacy, and many others.

3. Ecological sustainability needs to be reinforced as a value to enable follow-up with much needed funding support for the initiatives that currently exist, and to support many more such diverse attempts to address this problem.

In reply to Louise St. Pierre

Re: Ecological Sustainability

by Julie Andreyev -

Statements by climate scientists, social scientists, environmental ethicists, philosophers and biologists, include views that climate change and ecological degradation by human action will be the greatest challenges of our time. If we are to value these statements and their implications for the continued existence of life, then it is imperative that forward thinking universities acknowledge these challenges and put in place efforts to address them.

We are calling for the strategic plan to support ecological sustainability as an effort worth undertaking.

There are current initiatives led by faculty in research, curriculum and on-the-ground action that are responding to ecological challenges. We ask that the strategic plan support these initiatives, and present opportunities for expanding dialogue, research, curriculum and practice that can address emerging futures.