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This paper explores what it might mean to think about ontological change in our quest for sustainability transformations. To do so, it attempts to paint a picture of the vanished world of esoteric thinking in Western Europe in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The paper pays particular attention to the alchemical tradition of the times and describes key ontological concepts that would derive from an alchemical framework of understanding and experience. The paper goes on to discuss briefly the critical role that such approaches played in the development of modern science in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, by contributing to a “re-orientation of the will” towards an active human role in modifying the world. It is suggested that this alchemically inflected world did indeed come to an end after the sixteenth century, in all its spiritual but also material richness, in precisely the spiritual terms feared by many at the time. The “Modernist” world that emerged in the seventeenth century in Europe, and has become increasingly influential globally, was fundamentally philosophically materialist in orientation, relegating spiritual understanding to subjective experience (along with all the other secondary qualities), and thereby perpetuating a fundamental split between subject and object, self and world, humanity and nature, fact and value, etc. The paper suggests that a re-imagination of an alchemical world might have some relevance to an anthropocenic planet ravaged, both socially and ecologically, by the single-minded materialism, empiricism and utilitarian rationality of the Modernist era. It offers evidence of the existence and attributes of a very different kind of world that perhaps speaks to some of the challenges we face today and shows that a fundamental metamorphosis of the world itself is possible.
John Robinson. Sustainability as transmutation: an alchemical interpretation of a transformation to sustainability. Sustainability Science 2021, 1 -12.
AMA StyleJohn Robinson. Sustainability as transmutation: an alchemical interpretation of a transformation to sustainability. Sustainability Science. 2021; ():1-12.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJohn Robinson. 2021. "Sustainability as transmutation: an alchemical interpretation of a transformation to sustainability." Sustainability Science , no. : 1-12.
This paper applied a recently developed Local Government Climate Action Assessment Framework to identify whether small municipalities in British Columbia are on track to meet their climate targets and to better understand the effectiveness of their climate-related actions. The aim of this paper was (1) to further test the assessment framework by evaluating its applicability for smaller municipalities, (2) to evaluate and categorize local progress in three small cities, namely Campbell River, Prince George and Revelstoke, and (3) to contrast these climate actions with actions taken by larger municipalities in BC, using the same assessment framework. This assessment revealed that key external support made available to expand on their Integrated Community Sustainability Plans provided for striking similarities among the three case studies regarding their strategies and plan formulations for which actions were largely transformative or reformative. However, the three small cities were lacking periodic reporting and monitoring of actions and presented shorter timeframes of up to 20-50 years for their planning horizons, all of which negatively impact their prioritization strategies. The main difference between larger and smaller cities was found among actions related to the feedback and evaluation category of the framework, with smaller cities performing more poorly. Greater shift in priorities away from climate change-related actions were evident in smaller local governments, signalling their more vulnerable position regarding changes in leadership in local and provincial administrations. This study highlights the key role that strategic alliances, networks, and external champions as partners play in planning and implementing climate action and in increasing public interest in sustainability. Thus, these should be fostered and promoted to keep building local capacity and effectively accelerate greater change through e.g., strengthening their capacity to implement, monitor and evaluate climate actions.
François Jost; Ann Dale; Robert Newell; John Robinson. Climate action assessment in three small municipalities in British Columbia: advancements vis-à-vis major neighboring cities. Current Research in Environmental Sustainability 2020, 2, 100010 .
AMA StyleFrançois Jost, Ann Dale, Robert Newell, John Robinson. Climate action assessment in three small municipalities in British Columbia: advancements vis-à-vis major neighboring cities. Current Research in Environmental Sustainability. 2020; 2 ():100010.
Chicago/Turabian StyleFrançois Jost; Ann Dale; Robert Newell; John Robinson. 2020. "Climate action assessment in three small municipalities in British Columbia: advancements vis-à-vis major neighboring cities." Current Research in Environmental Sustainability 2, no. : 100010.
To address the challenge of achieving social learning in support of transformative change to sustainability, this paper develops an analytical framework that applies a social practice theory (SPT) lens to illuminate the constituent elements and dynamics of social learning in the context of transdisciplinary coproduction for sustainability transitions. Adopting an SPT approach affords a means of interpreting concrete practices at the local scale and exploring the potential for scaling them up. This framework is then applied to a real-world case at the urban neighbourhood scale in order to illustrate how social learning unfolded in a grassroots transdisciplinary coproduction process focused on climate action. We find that a social practice perspective illuminates the material and nonmaterial dimensions of the relationship between social learning and transdisciplinary coproduction. In decoupling these properties from individual human agency, the SPT perspective affords a means of tracing their emergence among social actors, generating a deeper understanding of how social learning arises and effects change, and sustainability can be reinforced.
Kimberley Slater; John Robinson. Social Learning and Transdisciplinary Co-Production: A Social Practice Approach. Sustainability 2020, 12, 7511 .
AMA StyleKimberley Slater, John Robinson. Social Learning and Transdisciplinary Co-Production: A Social Practice Approach. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (18):7511.
Chicago/Turabian StyleKimberley Slater; John Robinson. 2020. "Social Learning and Transdisciplinary Co-Production: A Social Practice Approach." Sustainability 12, no. 18: 7511.
Sustainability Transition Experiments (STEs), leveraging a transdisciplinary research approach, have recently been proposed as a method to accelerate sustainability transitions. This paper outlines a proposed three-part evaluation framework to assess the process, societal effects, and sustainability transition impacts of STEs. The paper extracts the key insights from multiple literatures, generating a set of indicators to be used in assessing sustainability transition experiments. Particular emphasis is placed on the assessment of longer-term sustainability impacts. We propose a development pathway approach to organize elements of sustainability transition impact into a coherent framework that highlights the inter-relationships between levels of scales in systems transition and foregrounds the role of changes in governance roles and relationships and the role of politics in transitions. The paper offers insights into the challenge of evaluating the sustainability transition impacts of a transdisciplinary research project and provides an important bridge between the evaluation of processes, societal effects, and their link to sustainability transition impacts.
Stephen Williams; John Robinson. Measuring sustainability: An evaluation framework for sustainability transition experiments. Environmental Science & Policy 2019, 103, 58 -66.
AMA StyleStephen Williams, John Robinson. Measuring sustainability: An evaluation framework for sustainability transition experiments. Environmental Science & Policy. 2019; 103 ():58-66.
Chicago/Turabian StyleStephen Williams; John Robinson. 2019. "Measuring sustainability: An evaluation framework for sustainability transition experiments." Environmental Science & Policy 103, no. : 58-66.
The Expanded Student Engagement Project (ESE) has developed three comprehensive inventories which aim to increase student knowledge of sustainability-related course content and increase student engagement in on- and off-campus, curricular, and non-curricular sustainability projects at the University of Toronto (U of T). The first is a sustainability course inventory (SCI) generated using keyword search based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This is the first SCI that has been based on the SDGs. The inventory identified 2022 unique sustainability courses and found that SDG 13 had the greatest representation and SDG 6 had the least. The second inventory is a community-engaged learning (CEL) sustainability inventory which found 154 sustainability-focused CEL courses and identified 86 faculty members who teach sustainability CEL. Finally, an inventory of sustainability co-curricular and extracurricular opportunities revealed that U of T has 67 sustainability-focused student groups and identified 263 sustainability-focused opportunities. These inventories are an important foundation for future initiatives to increase student engagement in sustainability on campus and in the community. The ESE will integrate this data into U of T’s course management system and use the inventories to develop a new sustainability pathways program.
Rashad Brugmann; Nicolas Côté; Nathan Postma; Emily A. Shaw; Danielle Pal; John B. Robinson. Expanding Student Engagement in Sustainability: Using SDG- and CEL-Focused Inventories to Transform Curriculum at the University of Toronto. Sustainability 2019, 11, 530 .
AMA StyleRashad Brugmann, Nicolas Côté, Nathan Postma, Emily A. Shaw, Danielle Pal, John B. Robinson. Expanding Student Engagement in Sustainability: Using SDG- and CEL-Focused Inventories to Transform Curriculum at the University of Toronto. Sustainability. 2019; 11 (2):530.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRashad Brugmann; Nicolas Côté; Nathan Postma; Emily A. Shaw; Danielle Pal; John B. Robinson. 2019. "Expanding Student Engagement in Sustainability: Using SDG- and CEL-Focused Inventories to Transform Curriculum at the University of Toronto." Sustainability 11, no. 2: 530.
Globally, there are significant challenges to meeting built environment performance targets. The gaps found between the predicted performance of new or retrofit buildings and their actual performance impede an understanding of how to achieve these targets. This paper points to the importance of reliable and informative building performance assessments. We argue that if we are to make progress in achieving our climate goals, we need to reframe built environment performance with a shift to net positive goals, while recognising the equal importance of human and environmental outcomes. This paper presents a simple conceptual framework for built environment performance assessment and identifies three performance gaps: (i) Prediction Gap (e.g., modelled and measured energy, water consumption); (ii) Expectations Gap (e.g., occupant expectations in pre- and post-occupancy evaluations); and, (iii) Outcomes Gap (e.g., thermal comfort measurements and survey results). We question which of measured or experienced performance is the ‘true’ performance of the built environment. We further identify a “Prediction Paradox”, indicating that it may not be possible to achieve more accurate predictions of building performance at the early design stage. Instead, we propose that Performance Gaps be seen as creative resources, used to improve the resilience of design strategies through continuous monitoring.
Sylvia Coleman; Marianne F. Touchie; John B. Robinson; Terri Peters. Rethinking Performance Gaps: A Regenerative Sustainability Approach to Built Environment Performance Assessment. Sustainability 2018, 10, 4829 .
AMA StyleSylvia Coleman, Marianne F. Touchie, John B. Robinson, Terri Peters. Rethinking Performance Gaps: A Regenerative Sustainability Approach to Built Environment Performance Assessment. Sustainability. 2018; 10 (12):4829.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSylvia Coleman; Marianne F. Touchie; John B. Robinson; Terri Peters. 2018. "Rethinking Performance Gaps: A Regenerative Sustainability Approach to Built Environment Performance Assessment." Sustainability 10, no. 12: 4829.
Decomposition analysis provides a potentially powerful means for analyzing community greenhouse gas emissions data. However, this form of analysis is typically conducted at larger geographical scales (i.e., national and state/provincial levels), which leaves questions around how to apply this methodology to local and regional contexts. This study explores the application of decomposition methodology to community data in order to elucidate how this form of analysis can be employed to inform local/regional planning and climate policy. The research involved developing decomposition models focused on two areas that are particularly important in local climate action - transportation and residential energy. Each model consisted of five factors - population, population distribution, travel (transportation) or energy customer accounts (residential) intensity, vehicle (transportation) or home energy (residential) type, and emissions intensity. Using data from the BC Community Energy Emissions Inventory, the study examined effects of the factors on emissions changes occurring between 2007 and 2012 in the Metro Vancouver Regional District (British Columbia, Canada). Results from the transportation analysis indicated that population growth and people's choices in vehicle type had the effect of increasing emissions in the MVRD, whereas travel and emissions intensity factors had mitigating effects. The residential energy analysis indicated that only population effects led to emissions-increases in the MVRD, whereas the other factors had mitigating effects. Community-scale analyses also were conducted to identify municipalities where emissions-increasing effects were experienced more dramatically, for example, travel intensity effects in smaller communities (e.g., White Rock), energy accounts intensity effects in Vancouver, and emissions intensity effects in the District of North Vancouver. The study demonstrated how decomposition analysis can provide regional and local governments with valuable insight on what is contributing to GHG emissions and where progress was being made, which in turn can help these governments focus climate policy and planning efforts to achieve progress toward mitigation. The paper begins with an introduction on the use of decomposition methodology in energy and GHG emissions studies, and its potential value for analyzing local emissions data. The following sections discuss the analytical approach designed for and employed in this study, as well as describing the data used for this research. The paper then presents the results of the analysis performed on the MVRD. Finally, it concludes with a discussion on the implications of the results of this study for regional and local policy and planning.
Robert Newell; John Robinson. Using decomposition methodology to gain a better understanding of progress in and challenges facing regional and local climate action. Journal of Cleaner Production 2018, 197, 1423 -1434.
AMA StyleRobert Newell, John Robinson. Using decomposition methodology to gain a better understanding of progress in and challenges facing regional and local climate action. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2018; 197 ():1423-1434.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRobert Newell; John Robinson. 2018. "Using decomposition methodology to gain a better understanding of progress in and challenges facing regional and local climate action." Journal of Cleaner Production 197, no. : 1423-1434.
Bendor, R., D. Maggs, R. Peake, J. Robinson, and S. Williams. 2017. The imaginary worlds of sustainability: observations from an interactive art installation. Ecology and Society 22(2):17. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-09240-220217
Roy Bendor; David Maggs; Rachel Peake; John Robinson; Steve Williams. The imaginary worlds of sustainability: observations from an interactive art installation. Ecology and Society 2017, 22, 1 .
AMA StyleRoy Bendor, David Maggs, Rachel Peake, John Robinson, Steve Williams. The imaginary worlds of sustainability: observations from an interactive art installation. Ecology and Society. 2017; 22 (2):1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRoy Bendor; David Maggs; Rachel Peake; John Robinson; Steve Williams. 2017. "The imaginary worlds of sustainability: observations from an interactive art installation." Ecology and Society 22, no. 2: 1.