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Sustainability at Sea: Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes

Sustainability at Sea: Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes. Mark White, University of Virginia Dan Abel, Coastal Carolina University Amy Predmore, Charlottesville Erin Webb, Commerce/ETP ’12 Sarah Peterson, Politics ’11. Version 2-0. 1. the margin for action narrows.

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Sustainability at Sea: Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes

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  1. Sustainability at Sea:Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes Mark White, University of Virginia Dan Abel, Coastal Carolina University Amy Predmore, Charlottesville Erin Webb, Commerce/ETP ’12 Sarah Peterson, Politics ’11 Version 2-0 1

  2. the margin for action narrows you are here 2

  3. 580 students / 32 faculty 90 classes 250 field practica/trips 26,000 miles 109 days 15 ports in 10 countries 3

  4. One Earth, One Future Sustainability is the theme of the Spring 2010 voyage of Semester at Sea. We define sustainability as a “society of permanence” – a world in which humanity ensures its well-being across the generations by improving the stability of ecological and sociocultural systems ... SOURCE: SAS Voyage Theme, Spring 2010

  5. DOMINANTSOCIAL PARADIGM • Support for free enterprise • Belief in unlimited growth • Commitment to limited government • Devotion to private property rights • Emphasis on individualism • Faith in science and technology • Faith in future material abundance and prosperity • Support for the status quo NEWECOLOGICAL PARADIGM • Recognition of limited resources • Awareness of the fragility of nature’s balance • Rejection of human exemptionalism • Ecocentric vs. anthropocentric point of view • Belief in the probability of an eco-crisis aka “Spaceship Earth” Dunlap and van Liere (1978); Dunlap et al. (2000)

  6. Sustainability on the Voyage Empirical Study What Did We Do?

  7. global studies elective courses field practica evening programs co-curricular activities “walking the talk”

  8. Empirical Study New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) ScaleDunlap and Van Liere (1978); Dunlap et al. (2000) Research Questions • Are our results comparable with other studies? (validity) • How is ecological worldview related to various demographic characteristics? • Did participation in the voyage shift students’ ecological worldview and/or environmental attitudes?

  9. Characteristics of theSample Population • n = 215 • 71% female • 68% juniors • variety of disciplines26% business/economics • diversity of geographic regions,institutional sizes,Sustainability Report Card scores 10

  10. Comparisons with Other Studies 56.88 Pre-Survey 50.86 - 57.08 USA students Hawcroft and Milfont, 2010 57.14 Post-Survey Range = +15 (weak ecological worldview) to +75 (strong ecological worldview)

  11. 75 65 55 45 NEP Score 35 25 15 NEP Scoresand Demographic Characteristics Females Males Western Regions Non- Western Regions Business Majors Non- Business Majors

  12. Post-Survey Pre-Survey Anti-Exemption Anti-Anthropomorphism Eco-Crisis Limits Shifts in Pre- and Post-SurveyEnvironmental Attitudes Human ingenuity will insure that we do NOT make the earth unlivable (4) Humans will eventually learn enough about how nature works to control it (14) Human have the right to modify the natural world to suit their needs (2) The so-called “ecological crisis” facing humankind has been greatly exaggerated (10) The earth has plenty of natural resources if we just learn how to develop them (6) 0 1 2 3 4 5 1 = Strongly agree, 2 = Mildly agree, 3 = Unsure, 4 = Mildly disagree, 5 = strongly disagree. Error bars represent 95% confidence intervals.Greater disagreement with even-numbered items indicates greater acceptance of the NEP.

  13. Change in NEP Scoresand Report Card Grades 6.00 4.00 2.00 Mean Change in NEP Score 0.00 -2.00 -4.00 -6.00 Below Average Average Above Average Sustainability Report Card Grades

  14. Learning objective = changed worldview Survey evidence Behavioral evidence Anecdotal evidence Integrated curricular and co-curricular activities Around-the-world sustainability-themed voyage Summary

  15. “Now, let me share with you one word, “sustainability” … I cannot possibly share with you all that I have learned about our environmentally twisted planet from these past four months but I can give you a summary. We’re on the wrong track. The state of this planet both environmentally andsocially is heading down a road thatwe probably shouldn’t be on …Environmentally, the planet is heating up. Like a bowl of microwaveable Easy-Mac,bad things happen when you let it gettoo hot. To identify only a few concerns from the extensive list of issues, watersare rising, extinction is becoming toocommon, and many lives, both humanand not, are at risk.

  16. “Each day in the classroom we were pummeled and overwhelmed with information regarding the unstable conditions of our planet. We saw current problems, potential future ones, and learned of catastrophic possibilities. I won’t lie to you -- we didn’t stop global warming. We didn’t eradicate hunger or end poverty. In fact, we may have only shot one tiny bullet in this battle for the improvement of our planet. But as the old saying goes, “knowledge is power!” It is. Trust me. What we learned from this program was all the weapons and coat of arms we need to have a chance in winning this fight. By arming us with knowledge for both now and the future, 586 students disembarked yesterday with a firm grasp on what needs to bedone to support the soil we stand on.” • -- Chris Constantine • http://chrisconstantinesas.blogspot.com/2010_05_01_archive.html

  17. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 1712-1778 John Locke, 1632-1704 Environmental Attitudesin Germany and the USA Sarah Peterson, Harrison Award (2010-11) • US business students will be less likely to support the NEP than German business students; neither group will strongly support the NEP • American students will express more support for the DSP tenets of human exemptionalism, exaggeration of ecocrises, and anthropocentrism • The difference between the two groups on the issue of limits to human growth will be less distinct

  18. If You’d Like to Learn More ... White, M. A., Abel, D. & A. Predmore (2011). Transformative Sustainability Education in a Shipboard Living-learning Community. Forthcoming inWorld Trends in Education for Sustainable Development, W. Leal, Ed., Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang. White, M. A., Predmore, A. and D. Abel. (2011). Effectiveness of a Seagoing Global Immersion Program in Fostering Ecological Awareness. Working paper. Under review at the Journal of Environmental Education Dunlap, R. E., & van Liere, K. D. (1978). The ‘New Environmental Paradigm’: A Proposed Measuring Instrument and Preliminary Results. Journal of Environmental Education, 9, 10-19. Dunlap, R. E., van Liere, K. D., Mertig, A. G., & Jones, R. E. (2000). Measuring Endorsement of the New Ecological Paradigm: A Revised NEP Scale. Journal of Social Issues, 56(3), 425-442. Hawcroft, L. J., & Milfont, T. L. (2010). The Use (and Abuse) of the New Environmental Paradigm Scale over the Last 30 years: A Meta-Analysis. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30, 143-158.

  19. Sustainability at Sea:Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes Mark White, University of Virginia Dan Abel, Coastal Carolina University Amy Predmore, Charlottesville Erin Webb, Commerce/ETP ’12 Sarah Peterson, Politics ’11 Version 1-8 23

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