Go back to: General discussion
A few years ago, the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education was formed.
Here is the their "about us" statement:
AASHE is an association of colleges and universities that are working to create a sustainable future. Our mission is to empower higher education to lead the sustainability transformation. We do this by providing resources, professional development, and a network of support to enable institutions of higher education to model and advance sustainability in everything they do, from governance and operations to education and research.
AASHE defines sustainability in an inclusive way, encompassing human and ecological health, social justice, secure livelihoods, and a better world for all generations.
AASHE is a member-driven, independent 501(c)(3). Membership in AASHE covers every individual at an institution.
In 2008, the AASHE Board of Directors adopted a statement of our Vision, Mission and Goals for 2011.
Take a look at their website: http://www.aashe.org/
I would argue that this codification of the "Sustainability Movement" represents its further and deeper migration into the mainstream. As you saw with sources in the Grassroots and Government and the Greening of Business sections of the course, eventually (even inevitably if the movement builds to some tipping point) associations form that attempt to gather and unite initially disparate groups and invidividuals into a more cohesive, coherent, whole. Why?
All kinds of reasons, one of which might be pure biology: humans are social beings, and like ants, somewhat instinctively organize ourselves into clusters based upon mutual self-interest (or, altruism in some cases) for the betterment of the invidividual and the superorganism, in the case of social insects, and what we might call "the collective" for people. Read E.O. Wilson's "Biophilia," if you want a smarter explication of this than I can provide. On a less evoutionary biology-tack, we tend to be drawn to others who think and act like we do. We identify with political parties because of shared ideologies. We give friendly nods to people riding bikes to work because we ourselves ride bikes to work. And when someone from the League of Michigan Bicyclists happens to contact us one day to support a referendum on "complete streets" or donate $25 to their general fund, we say, why not?
Associations, often, provide a means to connect us to others like ourselves, and in doing so codify, legitimize, formalize, legalize--501(c)(3/4)--bureacratize and so on what once might have been the cause of only one person, a small group, or a confederacy of entities that had little interaction with each other. Before the Sierra Club, remember, there was John Muir on his lonely cause.
Thus, if you're an academic with an interest in sustainabiilty either as a research or teaching topic or as member of a campus community, there is an association just for you. Just as if you were a US furniture manufacturer and you were interested in sustainability in your industry (cf Steelcase and Herman Miller from Greening of Business section). Wait around long enough or start the balling rolling yourself, chances are good that your cause will draw other like-minded individuals together, or, at least, get you a website.
So, the question for us to perhaps ask is: What does such aggregating of sustainability-minded academics in the case of AASHE, for example, do for the Sustainabilty Movement that otherwise might not happen otherwise?
John
AASHE and the Green Trendline in Higher Education
A few years ago, the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education was formed.
Here is the their "about us" statement:
AASHE is an association of colleges and universities that are working to create a sustainable future. Our mission is to empower higher education to lead the sustainability transformation. We do this by providing resources, professional development, and a network of support to enable institutions of higher education to model and advance sustainability in everything they do, from governance and operations to education and research.
AASHE defines sustainability in an inclusive way, encompassing human and ecological health, social justice, secure livelihoods, and a better world for all generations.
AASHE is a member-driven, independent 501(c)(3). Membership in AASHE covers every individual at an institution.
In 2008, the AASHE Board of Directors adopted a statement of our Vision, Mission and Goals for 2011.
Take a look at their website: http://www.aashe.org/
I would argue that this codification of the "Sustainability Movement" represents its further and deeper migration into the mainstream. As you saw with sources in the Grassroots and Government and the Greening of Business sections of the course, eventually (even inevitably if the movement builds to some tipping point) associations form that attempt to gather and unite initially disparate groups and invidividuals into a more cohesive, coherent, whole. Why?
All kinds of reasons, one of which might be pure biology: humans are social beings, and like ants, somewhat instinctively organize ourselves into clusters based upon mutual self-interest (or, altruism in some cases) for the betterment of the invidividual and the superorganism, in the case of social insects, and what we might call "the collective" for people. Read E.O. Wilson's "Biophilia," if you want a smarter explication of this than I can provide. On a less evoutionary biology-tack, we tend to be drawn to others who think and act like we do. We identify with political parties because of shared ideologies. We give friendly nods to people riding bikes to work because we ourselves ride bikes to work. And when someone from the League of Michigan Bicyclists happens to contact us one day to support a referendum on "complete streets" or donate $25 to their general fund, we say, why not?
Associations, often, provide a means to connect us to others like ourselves, and in doing so codify, legitimize, formalize, legalize--501(c)(3/4)--bureacratize and so on what once might have been the cause of only one person, a small group, or a confederacy of entities that had little interaction with each other. Before the Sierra Club, remember, there was John Muir on his lonely cause.
Thus, if you're an academic with an interest in sustainabiilty either as a research or teaching topic or as member of a campus community, there is an association just for you. Just as if you were a US furniture manufacturer and you were interested in sustainability in your industry (cf Steelcase and Herman Miller from Greening of Business section). Wait around long enough or start the balling rolling yourself, chances are good that your cause will draw other like-minded individuals together, or, at least, get you a website.
So, the question for us to perhaps ask is: What does such aggregating of sustainability-minded academics in the case of AASHE, for example, do for the Sustainabilty Movement that otherwise might not happen otherwise?
John