Sustainability Revolution Research Articles

Stop the Frack! Exploring the Media’s Portrayal of the Social Representation of an Anti-Fracking Protest at the Baltic Sea

ABSTRACTPublic acceptance is crucial for the implementation of new energy technologies related to climate change. Supporters promote fracking as a sustainable, flexible and affordable technological revolution, while opponents point to ecological, financial, and social risks for communities. The communication activities of environmental activists play a significant role in shaping this discourse. Based on Social Representation Theory, the current paper presents the findings of a qualitative case study on the media coverage of an attempt to drill at the Baltic Sea in Germany and an environmental action group’s (EAG) subsequent protest against fracking. The findings, contextualized with personal interviews with members of the group, indicate that the loosely organized but highly networked EAG Erdöl Barth had a significant impact on the social and environmental representation in the media over time through their grassroots communication.

Energias Renováveis e Sustentabilidade

A autora indica que a “crise ambiental”, cujo conhecimento data desde os finais da década de 1960, é também uma crise de sustentabilidade do modelo energético. Ela ressalta em seu texto que o Acordo de Paris é um acordo internacional sobre energia, expõe que ocorrerá uma transição para uma sociedade hipocarbónica e indica o papel das energias renováveis, apresentando linhas de uma revolução sustentável, bem como revela a importância da transformação do estatuto do consumidor em “prossumidor”.

Lighting: a driver of the sustainable revolution

Some of the most important things in life are taken for granted, and nowhere is this truer than with light. In this article, we will look at some important milestones marking light’s path from human evolution to sustainable revolution, challenges facing the modern lighting industry as well as the world we live in, and what the future promises. In a sense, a new revolution is at hand. It would be hard to overestimate the fundamental importance of light as it shapes virtually everything we sense and experience.

Sustainable development: Agents, systems and the environment

This article provides an overview and analysis of sustainable development from a sociological perspective. It is divided into three parts. The first presents selected relevant sociological research before there was ever a concept of ‘sustainable development’. The selected focus is on work falling under the rubrics of environmental sociology as well as development sociology. The second part briefly discusses the context and process that led to conceptualizing ‘sustainable development’. The third part considers the response of several sociological theories to sustainable development issues, with the focus on a selection of four major system theories: world systems theory, neo-Marxist ‘treadmill of production’ theory, ecological modernization theory and modern systems theory, all of which have addressed development issues and more recently sustainability questions. The article ends by identifying an ongoing global transformation, the sustainability revolution, which can be compared and contrasted to the Industrial Revolution. Whether this emerging revolution will take place fast enough and comprehensively enough to save the planet earth from multiple disasters remains to be seen.

Revolutions in energy input and material cycling in Earth history and human history

Abstract. Major revolutions in energy capture have occurred in both Earth and human history, with each transition resulting in higher energy input, altered material cycles and major consequences for the internal organization of the respective systems. In Earth history, we identify the origin of anoxygenic photosynthesis, the origin of oxygenic photosynthesis, and land colonization by eukaryotic photosynthesizers as step changes in free energy input to the biosphere. In human history we focus on the Palaeolithic use of fire, the Neolithic revolution to farming, and the Industrial revolution as step changes in free energy input to human societies. In each case we try to quantify the resulting increase in energy input, and discuss the consequences for material cycling and for biological and social organization. For most of human history, energy use by humans was but a tiny fraction of the overall energy input to the biosphere, as would be expected for any heterotrophic species. However, the industrial revolution gave humans the capacity to push energy inputs towards planetary scales and by the end of the 20th century human energy use had reached a magnitude comparable to the biosphere. By distinguishing world regions and income brackets we show the unequal distribution in energy and material use among contemporary humans. Looking ahead, a prospective sustainability revolution will require scaling up new renewable and decarbonized energy technologies and the development of much more efficient material recycling systems – thus creating a more autotrophic social metabolism. Such a transition must also anticipate a level of social organization that can implement the changes in energy input and material cycling without losing the large achievements in standard of living and individual liberation associated with industrial societies.

Rainbow Revolution in Bihar: Problem and Prospect

Green revolution has made the country self-sufficient in food grain production, mainly rice and wheat. We now need to usher in a rainbow revolution which encompasses not only agriculture but the allied sectors as well. We are expecting a revolution in agriculture which is likely to make paradigm shift in agricultural technology and marketing of agricultural commodities. Rainbow Revolution is one of strategies to achieve this objective. It refers to a sustainable agricultural revolution where equal focus is given on minimizing cost of production and increasing produce, environmental impact, and impact of fertilizers on consumers and soil health. Bihar is the third largest state in India with respect to population and seventh largest in area. It supports 8.8 percent of country’s population with only 2.8 percent of land mass. Agriculture is an important sector since it generates 16 percent of State GDP but provides employment to 70 percent of rural working force. About 69 percent of total geographical area is used for cultivation but almost one-third area is under problematic with respect to soil or ecological situation In Bihar, Indian policy makers are expecting second Green revolution /Rainbow revolution in eastern India, particularly in Bihar.Rainbow revolution is possible, if infrastructure for agricultural growth is strengthened. There is need for an innovative approach in agricultural marketing which is one of the major hindrances in fruit and vegetable production. Poor access of farmers to modern seeds of vegetables and fruit saplings needs to be improvement for increasing their production. There is still energy crisis in Bihar. Farmers do not use electrified tube well due to lack and/or irregular supply of electricity in rural area. Blue revolution is constrained due to non-availability of capital however small land holdings is also hindrance in starting fish culture in Bihar. There is potential of increasing livestock production but farmers are devoid of institutional support in dairy/livestock production. Government prepared two Road Maps for agricultural development but most of targets could not be achieved. There is a need to create awareness among farmers about increasing production of various agricultural products but small size of land holdings, poor infrastructure and weak institutional arrangements should be considered for any agricultural development programme in Bihar.

Is the Sustainability Revolution Devouring Its Own Children? Understanding Sustainability as a Travelling Concept and the Role Played by Two German Discourses on Sustainability

This paper examines whether the expanded meaning of the term sustainability and its broader use in society, policy and economics will actually bring about the benefits experts anticipate for the forest-based sector. It begins by defining sustainability as a travelling concept, then presents and analyzes two current lines of discourse in Germany on sustainability, both with high relevance for the forest-based sector: strong sustainability and sustainable building. The analysis shows that each discourse has developed and established a diametrically opposed meaning of sustainability. As a result, it could be argued that the two meanings pose a threat to the German forest-based sector by reducing the raw material base and ultimately minimizing market opportunities. This reasoning reveals a paradox: as the term sustainability, originally coined by the forestry sector, becomes mainstream, it could end up limiting the sector’s future growth.

Sustainable communities: a lens for envisioning and achieving a community-based culture of social and ecological peace

One of the obstacles to dealing with the social and ecological crises that obstruct the achievement of a culture of peace is silo thinking in global governance. A unidimensional mode of planning, silo thinking leads to decisions based on the area of expertise of a particular agency or intergovernmental organization and fails to recognize linkages between social, economic, and environmental factors. To promote a comprehensive way of thinking, this article proposes the notion of sustainable communities (SC) as a lens for envisioning and planning for a culture of peace that integrates these linkages concretely at the community level. To provide the conceptual background for the SC lens, a literature review of the manifestations of the sustainability revolution that have emerged in the last four decades will be provided. A description of the constituent characteristics of the SC lens and a discussion of its educational utility for peace educators will follow, concluding with some reflections on the way forward.

An Impact of Management Information Systems on Corporate Sustainability: A Survey

Management information systems and its significance and impact in today’s corporate world are determined basedon several factors pertaining to sustainability and green revolution. A framework for the competency model amongthe sustainable corporation is outlined. Management information system and its impact on the corporate world aredetailed; along with a framework of modern view of corporate sustainability is explained. Finally as theoreticalcontributions of this work, proposed four schools of thought for today’s business organization to remainsustainable.

Sustainability humanistic education: a new pedagogy for a better world

Sustainability is one of the greatest challenges facing humanity, yet current educational system perpetuates rather than alleviates the threats. The history of the emerging area of sustainability education is reviewed, including brief discussion on educational discourses, namely: humane education, environmental education, ecopedagogy, education for sustainable development, education for a culture of peace and sustainability, participatory education and humanistic education. Drawing on their strengths and using examples related to climate change, sustainability humanistic education is described as an educational paradigm shift that releases individual potential to participate in a sustainability revolution. Three case studies showcase practical outcomes of this educational approach which empowers students to challenge the status quo, reject dominant practices and rather than assume existing positions in society, take the lead in creating a better world.

Sustainable Economic Development (SED) by Biofertilizers

Sustainable Economic Development (SED) is based on the premise that a sustainability revolution is taking place a transformation from an old economy that is high pollution, high carbon, waste intensive, and ecologically disruptive, to a new economy that is low pollution, energy/resource efficient, low or zero carbon, and ecologically supportive. A biofertilizer (also bio-fertilizer) is a substance which contains living microorganisms which, when applied to seed, plant surfaces, or soil, colonizes the rhizosphere or the interior of the plant and promotes growth by increasing the supply or availability of primary nutrients to the host plant. A new way of doing business is emerging out of this transformation – sustainable enterprise – and the way all businesses operate is changing significantly. As clean enterprises grow and interact with each other as suppliers and customers, and as they all become greener, a clean economy is developing. The new Clean Tech industries are at the heart of this economic transformation. While some businesses are specializing in producing and distributing them, all businesses are coming to use them. This paper may give applicable advice to commercial farmers and researches for management and concern on planting density strategy and estimate of fertilizers carefully for achieve to the sustainable economic development.

The Natural Step for Colleges and Universities

Surveys of the attitudes of students, faculty, staff, and administrators consistently demonstrate that higher education is one of the leading sectors in recognizing the importance of the sustainability revolution. Yet, to date, its most important impact and visible gains have been on the nonacademic side of the house, in areas such as facilities, operations and maintenance, groundskeeping, purchasing, and food service. Lagging behind, but still robust, are developments in teaching and research in the newly emerging field of sustainability studies. At first blush, this seems like a counterintuitive irony or just another example of the residents of the ivory tower out of touch with the real world. Upon closer examination, it is not surprising. Building out a new field of study requires creden tialed faculty members (Ph.D.s) in place constructing new curriculums and initiating new research agendas. Yet, most of the faculty members who are currently teaching courses and doing research in sustainability studies are self-educated and not formally trained. Sustainability studies is an adjunct to their other areas of specialization. How could it be any different, as there are still only a handful of programs offering a Ph.D. in the field? Most of these programs are just beginning to turn their first gradu ates out into the market.

The Sustainability Revolution: A Societal Paradigm Shift

This article addresses a question relevant to those interested in the achievement of greater sustainability: What are some of the ways that major societal transformations come about? Firstly, four key mechanisms are identified in the article. Then, I go on to focus on one of these, which has a prominent place in the sustainability revolution that it is argued is now taking place. The question of what are characteristic features of the sustainability revolution is addressed. The ongoing transformations are largely piecemeal, incremental, diffuse—in earlier writings referred to as “organic”. Organic is a more encompassing notion than “grassroots”, since the innovation and transformation processes may be launched and developed at multiple levels by collective agents that in some cases are very large and would not be understood as “grassroots” actors. The article argues that the sustainability revolution shares some features, in particular its organic character, with the early industrial revolution. It concludes by addressing the question of what are the similarities and differences between the sustainability and industrial revolutions.

Generative leadership: responding to the call for responsibility

PurposeThe responsible leadership movement may be seen as part of the wider sustainability revolution. Sustainability was defined by the World Commission on Environment and Development as “economic development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. Since then, guiding principles have been formulated and a growing number of business leaders have issued a call to action. Still one expert, Orr, recently concluded that “virtually no indicator of planetary health is moving in a positive direction, and we should ask why.” The purpose of this paper, heeding the admonition to “ask why”, is to examine what it means to be responsible as a leader at this time, in this context.Design/methodology/approachA consensus view of the context and the accountabilities it implies is gleaned from an analysis of sustainability principles. A psychological approach to conceptualizing leader responsibility as a variable in personal development is elaborated under the normative construct of generativity. A new model for coaching developing leaders and promoting leader responsibility is proposed. It is based on recent advances in psychoanalytic psychology, and aspects of its theory base and method are illustrated in a case example.FindingsDevelopment of responsibility is found to hinge on personal value commitments that can best be awakened and cultivated through professionally‐relevant personal development in conjunction with experiential development strategies such as stretch assignments and action learning.Originality/valueThe approach offers a practical, developmental pathway for promoting leader responsibility.

Urban green: architecture for the future

Sustainable design is booming, but the men and women dedicated to reducing their carbon impact have lost sight of what they are trying to save: the natural world. Author Neil Chambers has been at the forefront of cutting-edge, sustainable architecture for years, and Urban Green is his revolutionary vision for bringing the power of the conservation and design movements together. He advocates looking to nature for the missing components of the green revolution: oysters that can clean water at up to 5 liters an hour; beavers that reshape their environments while simultaneously enriching ecosystems; and mountains that offer a new way of imagining how a city could be built. By designing our homes and cities in harmony with the natural world, we can take the next step in the sustainable revolution.

Substantive Signification of Sustainability

There is no end of proliferation of interpretation, reinterpretation and/or misinterpretation of the word “sustainability”. This means that sustainability has acquired the endless “free play” of meanings. Few words have fixed significations like the pure numbers of mathematics or the technical formulas of chemistry. They cannot vary with their contexts. But in truth, a word is not a crystal, transparent and unchanged. It is the skin of a living thought, and it may vary greatly in color and content according to the contexts in which it is used. This implies that the meaning of word is contextual. By any criterion, “concept and context” are inseparable like “fire and smoke”. Sustainability is not a new word. What is new about sustainability is the newness of its signification. Hence, the objective of this article is to disclose the newness of signification of sustainability in the sustainability revolution, which started its effective life since the celebration of the First Earth Day on 22 April 1970.

The sustainability revolution

The Sustainability revolution: A societal paradigm shift – ethos, innovation, governance transformationThis paper identifies several key mechanisms that underlie major paradigm shifts. After identifying four such mechanisms, the article focuses on one type of transformation which has a prominent place in the sustainability revolution that the article argues is now taking place. The transformation is piecemeal, incremental, diffuse – in earlier writings referred to as ”organic”. This is a more encompassing notion than grassroots, since the innovation and transformation processes may be launched and developed at multiple levels through diverse mechanisms of discovery and development. Major features of the sustainability revolution are identified and comparisons made to the industrial revolution.

Western Australia's short-lived ‘sustainability revolution’

Successive governments in Western Australia (WA), and in Australia as a whole, have traditionally pursued economic development. In 2001, however, the Labor Party came into office with a professed commitment to sustainable development and seemed to promise a departure from, and alternative to, economic developmentalism. However, despite a series of government initiatives, the initial euphoria dissipated, the government failed to deliver a lasting break with the developmentalist policy agenda, and the state returned to its traditional path of resource-based economic expansion. The dramatic rise and fall of sustainability in WA is addressed here.

Tribal Communities and Their Age-Old Sacred Groves: A Fair Fieldwork in the Purulia District of West Bengal, India

In the inchoate sustainability revolution, which has started its effective life since the enthusiastic celebration of the First Earth Day on 22 April 1970 throughout the globe, and whose sole objective is to bring about a Third World War against the emerging threat of global unsustainability syndrome, or in other words, to thwart the Second Tragedy of the Titanic of Global Life, this paper has been designed to explore the trinity indicated by the 3Cs such as causes, consequences and cures of the degradation of sacred groves in the hundred sample tribal communities, most of which are located on and around the Ajodhya Hills covered with forest layer, of Purulia district in West Bengal. This paper also attempts to explore the causes of unprecedented unsustainability of tribal communities. Here the problem of sustainability encompasses both the tribal people and the sacred groves preserved by them. The third objective of the paper is to expose how the social and ecological status of the minority groups of tribal people is correlated with that of their age-old forests of goddess in the emerging threat of unsustainability syndrome, and what policy package can be prescribed to reduce or rule out the tribal unsustainability in which the unsustainability of sacred groves is embedded. The study also seeks to awaken the appropriate authorities from the of connivance or silence for creating mass-awareness among the citizens of the non-tribal mainstream society so as to restore the sustainability of the diverse tribal communities. Tribal culture coupled with cultural tribalism may create tribal unsustainability.

'Lighting tomorrow with today': towards a (strategic) sustainability revolution

Galbreath (2009), recognising the need for firms to more consciously link sustainability to core strategy, developed a sustainability-strategic issues framework. This article reinforces this framework by making assessment and feedback integral to the sustainable strategy process. Additional opportunities for sustainable competitive advantage through sustainability and beyond Galbreath are offered here. They are rooted in the core competencies of the firm and are made integral to the strategic management process. Galbreath is tentative as to whether the sustainability movement is like the industrial revolution in scope. This article seeks to reinforce that a revolution of just such a magnitude is at hand.