By purchasing locally grown foods, Hendrix College (Arkansas) has found it can offer better nutrition, cut environmental damage, and spur economic development. The Local Food Project has reduced the amount of food purchased out of state from 90-70 percent, and is aiming for 50 percent in three years. Student participation is integral. (Author/MSE)

This special issue contains nine articles on labor-intensive public works, social investment funds, rural infrastructure projects, grassroots socioeconomic rights, remuneration systems for self-help projects, road construction and rural transport, employment and environmental rehabilitation, and water as a source of employment. (SK)

A simple matrix that can be used as a tool for analyzing environmental actions is presented. By using this matrix and focusing on examples of efforts to resolve environmental issues, students can build a mental model of how environmental problems are solved. (KR)

Describes the cumulative impact of rapid population growth, industrial and military activity, agriculture, and motor vehicles on California's environmental and social fabric. Discusses these problems in California as a forecast for the nation and test to consensus-based U.S. representative government. (Author/ MCO)

An activity in which students research the effectiveness of recycling is presented. Students compare the types and amount of litter both before and after recycling is implemented. Directions for the activity and a sample data sheet are included. (KR)

Describes Maine's GAIA (Greek goddess of the earth) Crossroads Project. Elementary and secondary students prepare maps of local land and water resources from computer analyses of satellite images of the coastline. Students mix technology and environmental awareness, learning they can control their future by advising the townspeople on development.…

Describes the conceptual framework and three core courses of the certificate program in Preventive Engineering and Social Development at the Centre for Technology and Social Development at the University of Toronto. Preventive approaches examine how technology fits into, interacts with, and depends on human life, society, and the biosphere to…

Uses stories of U.S. and Canadian indigenous individuals who defended their lands against uranium mining and hydroelectric development to contrast the thinking of indigenous people (natural law as pre-eminent, spiritual practice, intergenerational residency in the same place) with industrial thinking (man's dominion over nature, linear thinking,…

To alert the community to the impact of a proposed parkway that would divide the largest remaining greenspace in Charlottesville (Virginia), an architect, a photographer, and students from a private high school dedicated to ecology and art lined the proposed route with tires. The project garnered a lot of publicity, and to date the parkway has not…

Details the three phase renovation plan for a children's zoo. Focuses on the first phase, the Hamill Family Play Zoo, and how the project differs from previous projects at the Brookfield Zoo. (DDR)

Discusses sustainable school design and its benefits to the environment, offering examples of illustrative schools. Provides suggestions on site selection (such as using smaller sites and recycling existing buildings), sharing facilities with the community, and construction elements that improve environmental impact (such as flexibility,…

The cooperation of indigenous peoples with international collaborations such as the Arctic Council is unique because it has both national and regional dimensions, and internal and external perspectives. Subjects important to the Saami people relative to sustainable development include conservation, fisheries, housing, reindeer-herding, creation of…

Based on the Elders' vision that indigenous people have the responsibility to care for Mother Earth using both ancestral and Western knowledge, a Canadian nonprofit, charitable organization is committed to developing environmental education programs, research, and technical resources for First Nations communities. An example of their work is a…

Discusses the origins of "Teddy's bear," tracing back to a cartoon published in 1902. States that Teddy's bear can shed light on U.S. culture and society. Focuses on the role of Teddy's bear as a symbol of conservationism, an embodiment of male dominance and female nurturance, and a manifestation of white racial supremacy. (CMK)

Global ecological degradation is currently causing widespread suffering and this is expected to worsen unless we change our global behaviors. Wilson (2002) has suggested that the consequences of ecological degradation are a threat to all life on earth. Woodbridge (2004) asserts that human pressures on natural systems will reach pivotal status by…