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Descriptors:
Case Studies; Teleworking; Insurance; Program Effectiveness; Conservation (Environment); Productivity; Program Development; Prediction; Program Design; Planning; Labor Turnover; Job Satisfaction; Motivation; Costs

Abstract:
With the growing suburban population, many employees in metro areas are facing long commutes to and from the workplace. According to the 2011 Texas Transportation Institute's Urban Mobility Report, the average commuter experiences 34 hours of delay per year and spends an extra $713 on fuel (see http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/mobility-report-2011.pdf). This not only causes stress for the employee but also has a serious impact on the organization and the environment. (Contains 6 tables and 6 figures.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Foreign Countries; Transformative Learning; Adult Education; Environmental Education; Science History; Ecology; Group Behavior; Social Change; Case Studies; Biographies; Reputation; North Americans; Scientists; Wildlife; Death; Conservation (Environment); Poisoning; Consciousness Raising; Genetics; Racial Discrimination; Change Agents

Abstract:
This historical study identifies catalysts for transformative learning in the lives of three scientist-environmentalists important to the 20th-century environmental movement: Aldo Leopold, Rachel Carson, and David Suzuki. Following a brief review of theoretical perspectives on transformative learning, the article argues that transformative learning for these scientists was catalyzed by certain "disorienting dilemmas" and was both rational and emotional. Moreover, the personal transformative learning of each scientist helped provoke a process of transformative learning in society at large: Leopold's contribution to the founding of the disciplines of wildlife conservation and restoration ecology, and his "land ethic" fostered the development an ecological consciousness in the 1940s; Carson's "Silent Spring" helped provoke the environmental consciousness of the 1960s; and Suzuki's public environmental education and activism from the 1970s to the present-day played an influential role in North American environmental movement. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Foreign Countries; Human Capital; Educational Attainment; Outcomes of Education; Cost Effectiveness; Education Work Relationship; Health; Child Health; Spouses; Infant Mortality; Mortality Rate; Birth Rate; Parent Background; Cognitive Development; Psychological Patterns; Efficiency; Work Environment; Lifelong Learning; Citizen Participation; Civil Rights; Politics; Poverty; Crime; Conservation (Environment)

Abstract:
This paper estimates the effects of human capital skills largely created through education on life's chances over the life cycle. Qualifications as a measure of these skills affect earnings, and schooling affects private and social non-market benefits beyond earnings. Private non-market benefits include better own-health, child health, spousal health, infant mortality, longevity, fertility, household efficiency, asset management and happiness. Social benefits include increased democratisation, civil rights, political stability, reduced crime, lower prison, health and welfare costs, and new ideas. Individual benefits enhance community-wide development. New "narrow" social rates of return using UK Labour Force earnings correct for institutional costs, longitudinal trends and ability. The paper's objective, however, is to estimate these earnings plus non-market outcomes comprehensively without overlaps and also relative to costs. Non-market outcomes are measured by averaging regression coefficients from published studies that meet scientific standards. New UK "narrow" social rates of return average 12.1 per cent for short-cycle and 13.6 per cent for bachelor's programmes. Augmented with non-market effects on life chances, they are over twice that. Short degrees are found effective for regional development and have potential for developing countries. (Contains 2 figures, 3 tables, and 9 notes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Conservation (Environment); Semi Structured Interviews; Social Influences; Surveys; Agricultural Occupations; Qualitative Research; Rural Areas; Decision Making; Agricultural Production; Rural Extension; Psychology

Abstract:
Purpose: The aim of this article is to present and apply a method to investigate farmers' socio-psychological determinants of conservation practice adoption, as an aid in extension, policy and conservation practice design. Design/methodology/approach: We use a sequential mixed method, starting with qualitative semi-structured interviews (n = 24), that serve as the basis for a quantitative survey (n = 138). The survey uses the expectancy value method to unravel the foundations of farmers' socio-psychological determinants. Findings: Some of the main findings are that non-adopters exhibit rational behaviour, given their own point of view of potential consequences of conservation practice adoption. Further, the majority of farmers are mainly under social influence by parties that are generally not involved in conservation practice promotion. Practical implications: Extension approaches should be targeted towards a broader range of issues and should involve local governments and rural dwellers. The results also suggest the value of co-learning and co-development in a combined farmer-researcher approach to design conservation practices such that the potential negative impact is reduced. Originality/value: The study has empirically proven that non-adopters in fact behave rationally, given their expectation about the broad range of issues they consider when thinking about conservation practice adoption. Its value is the introduction to agriculture of an approach that has proven its usefulness in general environmental psychology. (Contains 4 figures and 6 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Teaching Methods; Outdoor Education; Environmental Education; Social Science Research; Reflection; Ethnography; Moral Values; Conservation (Environment)

Abstract:
The use of autoethnography in social science research is becoming increasingly popular. The potential this research approach might offer to the theory and practice of outdoor education has yet to be fully examined. In this paper, autoethnography is used to explore some personal accounts of my own outdoor experiences from which I derive distinctive meanings. Data emerge from an extended solo journey by canoe and sea kayak, and a dialectical index is presented to distinguish between two ways of characterising outdoor experiences (adventurous and contemplative). These experiences are then used to contextualise myself, and some ideas, within a wider social world. The paper indicates how environmental philosophy and scientific evidence provide a moral imperative that might act as a guide for outdoor practice. It is argued that such practice must be ontologically grounded in order to explore the possibilities of outdoor experiences in providing moral impulses. The opportunity to think beyond the self also indicates how an autoethnographic lens can provide an approach to teaching and learning to stimulate reflective practice. The findings are presented as exploratory because they invite educators to consider how outdoor experiences might stimulate pro-environmental behaviour both in themselves and in their learners. (Contains 3 notes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Graphs; Grade 4; Grade 5; Grade 6; Mathematics Instruction; Mathematics Skills; Mathematical Concepts; Class Activities; Mathematics Activities; Worksheets; Lesson Plans; Instructional Materials; Reprography; Visual Aids; Teaching Guides; Academic Standards; National Standards; Relevance (Education); Conservation (Environment); Environmental Education; Recycling; Alignment (Education); Word Problems (Mathematics)

Abstract:
"Bars, Lines, & Pies" is a dynamic math program designed to build graphing skills in students, while also showing them the relevance of math in their lives. Developed by The Actuarial Foundation along with Scholastic, the graphing lessons and activities involve engaging, real-world examples about the environment and recycling. In these lessons, students will create, apply, and analyze pie charts, bar graphs, and line graphs. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Well Being; Ecology; Environmental Education; Natural Resources; Social Values; Recreational Activities; Social Change; Disproportionate Representation; Use Studies; Trend Analysis; Social Indicators; Physical Environment; Public Policy; Policy Analysis; Measurement; Sociometric Techniques; Comparative Analysis; Conservation (Environment); Wildlife; Forestry

Abstract:
A societal decision to protect over 9 million acres of land and water for its wilderness character in the early 1960s reflected US wealth in natural resources, pride in the nation's cultural history and our commitment to the well-being of future generations to both experience wild nature and enjoy benefits flowing from these natural ecosystems. There is no question that our relationship with wilderness has changed. Individually it is probably quite easy to examine differences in the role wilderness plays in the quality of our lives today compared to some previous time. But how the role of wilderness protection has changed for society is more difficult to describe. In only a few places do we have data across multiple decades that would allow us to even examine how users or their use may have changed over time. At the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northern Minnesota we are fortunate to have multiple studies that can give us some 40 years of insight into how some aspects of use have changed there. For example, an analysis of results of visitor studies at the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in 1969, 1991 and 2007 reveal some big differences in who is out there today, most notably the presence of a much older, more experienced and better educated user population, almost exclusively white and predominantly male. It is time to decide whether the best thing for wilderness and or society is to try to restore historic patterns of use (to include younger people, the less wealthy and lower educated) in greater numbers, to try to identify new markets within growing underrepresented populations, or adapt our perception of wilderness stewardship to better include planning for emerging social values of a new generation with other indicators of well-being. A growing population with greater dependence on ecosystem services provided by protected nature could lead to wilderness protection becoming an important quantitative and qualitative element of quality of life indices in the very near future. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
College Students; Questionnaires; College Administration; Administrative Policy; Conservation (Environment); Path Analysis; Models; Predictive Measurement; Sustainable Development; Student Attitudes

Abstract:
Past research has demonstrated that commitment to the environment strongly predicts global pro-environmental intentions. This research is the first to examine whether the commitment to the environment model predicts college students' endorsement of institutional-level changes that may be proposed by university or college administration. Participants were 96 college men and 142 college women who completed questionnaires designed to assess commitment to the environment constructs, willingness to sacrifice for the environment, and support for a series of campus conservation initiatives. A path analysis revealed that the commitment model predicted college students' endorsement of hypothetical "green" campus initiatives. Specifically, commitment to the environment mediated the paths from satisfaction and investments to hypothetical green campus initiatives. Results suggest that endorsement of green campus initiatives may be better received on campuses by students who recognize their interdependence with the environment, characterized by high commitment to the natural environment. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Foreign Countries; Environmental Education; Ecology; Teacher Attitudes; Sustainable Development; Conservation (Environment); Elementary Secondary Education

Abstract:
This study based on a theoretical framework of three main environmental perspectives in the human-nature relationship (anthropocentrism, biocentrism and ecocentrism), aimed to identify their incidence in teachers involved with environmental projects when confronted with diverse environmental issues. 60 teachers drawn from four school cycles in Portugal (creche; 1st cycle, 6-9 years old; 2nd cycle, 10-11 years old; 3rd cycle and Secondary school, 12-17 years old) were interviewed and divided into two groups: generalist teachers (creche and 1st cycle) and specialists in different subjects (2nd and 3rd cycles and secondary). The results showed a higher occurrence of biocentric perceptions in all teachers (more significantly in those from the 1st group). Comparatively, the teachers from the 2nd group showed more ecocentric perceptions. These differences can be explained by the models of teacher education (initial and inservice) and by the influence of the specific characteristics of the cycles in question. In contrast, the teachers' environmental projects were mostly centred on sustainable use of resources, which inevitably favours anthropocentric arguments. The results allow us to conclude that different environmental approaches are possible, especially if teachers are aware of the importance of dealing with more controversial environmental issues. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Economic Progress; Foreign Countries; Food Service; Coping; Economically Disadvantaged; Surveys; Social Change; Case Studies; Health; Health Behavior; Sustainability; Conservation (Environment); Agricultural Production; Motivation; Social Indicators

Abstract:
Food systems are of increasing interest in both research and policy communities. Surveys of post-socialist countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) show high rates of food self-provisioning. These practices have been explained in terms of being "coping strategies of the poor". Alber and Kohler's "Informal Food Production in the Enlarged European Union" (2008) offers a prominent account of this argument, supported by quantitative data. However, evidence from our case study of food self-provisioning in one CEE state-Czechia-contradicts their findings. Newly commissioned survey data, as well as a fresh look at the data they were working from, demonstrate that rather than being motivated by poverty, these widespread practices serve as a hobby and as a way of accessing "healthy food". With food self-provisioning becoming an increasingly prominent subject in advanced industrial countries, in terms of both health and environmental policy, we propose that much greater care is taken in researching and interpreting the reasons for differences in food systems. Our findings are that environmentally sustainable and healthy self-provisioning in Czechia is motivated by a range of reasons, and practised by a significant proportion of the population across all social groups. This conclusion questions linear narratives of progress that figure "western" practices as advanced or complete or automatically desirable, and contributes in a modest way to a decentring of narratives of progress. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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