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Understanding the Social Dimension of Sustainability: The Fundamental Role of K-12 Education. Urban Sustainability: Theoretical and Empirical Approaches. 2 nd Annual Sustainable Schools- Sustainable Solutions Conference Gladstone, OR, June 19 th , 2012. Veronica Dujon, Ph.D
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Understanding the Social Dimension of Sustainability: The Fundamental Role of K-12 Education Urban Sustainability: Theoretical and Empirical Approaches 2nd Annual Sustainable Schools- Sustainable Solutions Conference Gladstone, OR, June 19th, 2012 Veronica Dujon, Ph.D Chair, Department of Sociology Dr
What is the ‘environment? • Nature, and/or the places we live, work, go to school, play? • Environment is integral to where people live and increasing so in urban areas
Environmental Racism: Decisions that unfairly expose people to polluted or degraded environments on the basis of race • Environmental Justice-advocates for quality education, employment, and housing, as well as the health of physical environments in which individuals, families and groups live (Bullard: 1990). • Environmental Equity: equal protection from environmental hazards
Social Sustainability: • refers to both the processes that create, and the institutions that facilitate, social health and wellbeing both now and in the future, • recognizing that attaining social sustainability requires achieving both economic and environmental sustainability(Dillard, Dujon, King., 2009).
Nature/resources Institutions: Economic Education Health Cultural Political
Social sustainability is development that is: • compatible with the harmonious evolution of civil society, fostering an environment conducive to compatible cohabitation of culturally and socially diverse groups • (Polese & Stren (2000) The Social Sustainability of Cities: Diversity
while at the same time encouraging social integration, • with improvements in the quality of life for all segments of the population.” • Stress two main ideas: • integration, as inclusion of all citizens from different social and cultural backgrounds in urban life; and • equity, as equal access to resources and services
Education: Critical Social Resource • Education is the preeminent aspect of social stratification in the U.S. • Education is the chief way children rise above their status origins • (Mirowsky and Ross 2005)
Education improves people´s quality of life, facilitates their resilience in responding to the impact of changing conditions in the world around them • Education is an individual benefit as well as a communal good
The Role/Value of K-12 Education • A foundation/building block for promoting good citizenship • Exposes students to new ways of thinking and seeing the world
Promotes sensitivity and understanding of the world (natural/built) in which we live • Relies on a range of pedagogical approaches to encourage and reinforce learning
Encourages awareness, critical thought, creativity: • the building blocks for transformational change
Thank You! • Questions?