Youth will be dealing with the global sustainability challenge that our world is currently facing. They are considered to play a crucial role as future leaders in the transition towards a more sustainable society. These leaders need an inherent understanding of the sustainability challenge that they are confronted with. This research explores how sustainability practitioners can use Theory U in order to help younger generations approach sustainability. Both the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD) and Theory U informed this research as they use a systems thinking approach to deal with complexity. A qualitative research approach was chosen, and sixteen semi-structured interviews were conducted. The results revealed seven overarching themes around youth, youth and sustainability, and using Theory U with youth. The findings suggest that Theory U can support sustainability practitioners in working with youth as it offers a strong systems thinking approach, personal development, and connectedness for youth. Complementary with the FSSD’s rigorous approach to sustainability, Theory U offers great potential to youth and sustainability that is yet untapped. In equipping youth at an early age with leadership skills, capacities, and a wider awareness, Theory U can plant the seeds for future sustainability leaders to grow.

The aim of this thesis is to investigate how young children’s narration of an everyday object, the meatball, is a beneficial approach to systems thinking and if something emerges that could be useful in education for sustainable development in early childhood education. In a world of complexities, our role as participants in systems encompassing food, energy and waste is neglected in favor of drawing attention to individual events. Systems thinking is about understanding complexity, a key aspect of the resilience approach to sustainable development. Research shows valuable return-on-investments from early childhood education for sustainable development, but the field lack academic attention. The research method is case studies at pre-schools based on narrative inquiry. The study creates situations where children explore their own boundaries. Findings show that humans are largely missing from the children’s social-ecological system and a difference in the approach of acknowledging uncertainty vs. imaginary explanations to phenomena surrounding a meatball. It finds that zooming out from one familiar object is a simple way to introduce systems thinking in early childhood education and that narration is a useful approach to identify knowledge gaps.

In spite of our substantive knowledge about global un-sustainability, insufficient progress is being made to halt systematic socio-ecological decline. Much information is readily available on downstream impacts, with limited focus on upstream activities driving such effects. This thesis uses backcasting from socioecological principles for sustainability to identify major upstream human activities violating these principles, the underlying drivers reinforcing such activities, alternative practices already in use with potential for significant expansion, and emerging opportunities for action across different sectors of society. Results show emerging patterns of high magnitude violations across all four socio-ecological principles indicating nexus points in energy, transportation and agriculture. These activities are reinforced by our societal structure which is designed to meet human needs through a growth paradigm which in turn does not adequately consider the ongoing health of ecosystems or the sustainable functioning of society itself. Shifting to potential solutions, examples focus on themes such as renewable energy, green chemicals, organic agriculture, and self-organising network structures. Recognising that these actions may not be enough, the thesis explores elements of a global vision which could guide progress. Emerging nexus points for societal change include education, information flows (particularly the media), design (as a leverage point), self-organization, and governance. / <p>Josephine Brennan +27 83 778 9158</p>

Human society faces many environmental and social threats as a result of systemic unsustainable behaviour and values. The root cause of these problems is our collective lack of awareness and inability to understand the connection between our actions and their consequences. Therefore there is a need to develop an increased perception of interconnectivity to prevent these unintended consequences. This study explores how a learning experience could be designed to develop an interconnected worldview in support of Strategic Sustainable Development. Research examines the concepts and capacities associated with developing an interconnected worldview, and pedagogical approaches for transformational adult learning. Finally, a guiding process is proposed for designing a learning experience in this context.

The urban landscape requires a shift to a more self-sufficient, healthy and sustainable future. Urban agricultural (UA) projects are one way to do so. This research explores how low-income UA projects in North America and Europe can be supported strategically in moving towards a sustainable future. The authors analysed UA projects using the 5 Level Framework (5LF) and the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD) to understand their current reality and to help determine sustainable advances within UA projects. Leverage Points were also used as a subsidiary analytical tool to help pinpoint effective actions of change. Research resulted in the creation of Strategic Recommendations and guidance for UA projects to help foster a societal shift towards sustainability. / An in-depth exploration of urban agriculture. Using the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development, an analysis was conducted, as well as looking at main barriers and enablers to success to determine what is the most strategic support urban agriculture projects need. An Ideal Project was created, complete with a set of 10 Foundational Values to build a vision on, 25 best practice recommendations and an ABCD planning process to move urban agriculture projects towards sustainability.

In this dissertation the complex, dynamic, contextual and multi-dimensional practice of teachers’ use of digital technologies in their everyday work has been illustrated and presented. The research draws upon the experience of teachers and school leaders from two compulsory schools as well as representatives from the municipal Department of Education and IT-unit within a municipality in the south of Sweden. A focused ethnographic approach has been undertaken and applied observations and interviews. Systems Thinking, specifically Soft Systems Methodology in combination with Cognitive Mapping have been applied to analyze the empirical material. The theoretical foundation builds upon teachers’ worldview towards digital technologies, because it is noted that teachers more easily adopt and use innovations that are in accordance with their personal thoughts and beliefs about teaching and learning. Further, teachers’ attitude and perception towards use of digital technologies are addressed as well as the role of school leadership. Additionally, importance of context, teachers’ knowledge and pedagogics have been discussed referring to various frameworks. The dissertation aims to illuminate the complex nature of teachers’ everyday practice. To gain understanding of the situation as a whole, there is also need to shed light on various aspects and underlying perspectives. Thus, this research aims to illuminate and advance the understanding of the complexity of compulsory school teachers’ everyday work practices using digital technologies. The outcome of this dissertation illustrates the complexity of teachers’ everyday practices as well as additional issues adding to the complexity, and shows that these complex issues are worthy of further study. Among the issues emerged from this dissertation are differences in regard to how the complex situation is understood because different actors have multiple and sometimes conflicting worldviews. Ambiguities in core objectives and relevant concepts were found. Additionally, a pervasive lack of understanding about the realities of daily education and teaching practices, including variances in worldviews and mindsets was found adding to the complexity of teachers’ everyday practice using digital technologies.

The environmental management of watersheds presents a complex governance issue due to their large spatial scales that include overlapping jurisdictions, competing interests in resource use, and lack of coordination among stakeholders. The Rideau Canal, spanning 200 km between the cities of Ottawa and Kingston, is an interesting case study as it is a multi-watershed system over which municipal, provincial and federal governments have authority. However, these governments have been unsuccessful in addressing system-wide issues such as shoreline development, erosion and invasive species that have significantly impacted the ecological integrity of the canal. A shift toward polycentric governance, which are systems of multi-scale governance, in which well-informed publics can contribute to the Rideau Canal’s management is required. This thesis examines how co-governance can be conceptualized for the RC by (1) analyzing convergences in stakeholder perspectives about the environment and governance, and (2) comparing collaborative causal mapping exercises with various stakeholders to current government engagement efforts. A tiered co-governance framework that intentionally links existing small-scale activities to system-wide formal venues of knowledge sharing could democratize environmental governance on the Rideau Canal to improve its management. Beyond its practical contributions, this research also contributes to developing the academic literature on co-governance for multi-watershed waterways that have both constructed and natural aspects.

Society is on an unsustainable course, predicted to reach a tipping point where greenhouse gas emissions cause irreversible consequences. The cement industry is estimated to be responsible for 7% of the global CO2 emissions, but remains an essential part of building safe and affordable infrastructure for an urbanising and growing population. It is imperative that the industry urgently transitions to a more sustainable pathway. As a key stakeholder, the construction industry could play a role in this. This paper looks at the sustainability of the cement production process from a systems perspective and how the construction industry can help leverage change, using the FSSD and Meadows’ (1999) leverage points as a framework. An analysis of the cement production method against the misalignments with the FSSD Sustainability Principles was performed, as well as a document content analysis of the WBCSD 2018 roadmap for the cement industry. We also conducted 9 semi-structured interviews with experts in the cement and construction industry. Results showed that while CO2 emissions are the biggest challenge for the industry, change will not happen fast enough while a number of structural barriers prevent this. These barriers, their potential solutions and leverage points within the construction industry are discussed.

Overall traffic in Germany is constantly increasing. Automobiles account for 57 percent of all trips in the country (BMVI, 2018). Steady population growth, urban agglomeration, and sprawl of cities contribute significantly to this trend. Simultaneously, the rise of digital services is progressively complementing travel by route planning, navigation, and ticketing. Therefore, a redesign and reinterpretation of the traditional understanding of the mobility landscape is required. The purpose of this work is twofold. First, to investigate the effects of digital transformation on people’s mobility behavior in public space, arguing for ecosystems in blended space being a consequence of the digital transformation at large. Second, to explore how social participation can lead to societal change for sustainable travel in the context of digital transformation. Digital technology has blurred the boundaries between physical and digital. Although physical and digital spaces are treated as separate parts, the former relates to the success of the latter. Qualitative interviewing was applied to systematically create an understanding about key actors’ roles and interdependencies as well as their perspective on how digital technologies modify today’s mobility landscape. This work concludes that the digital transformation allows individuals to influence travel demand purposefully. The system’s underlying structure reveals travel as purposive demand, a pattern extending the understanding of travel as a derived demand and valued activity. The Multi-Layered Participatory Process (MLPP), developed on the basis of the study’s findings, provides means to enable large scale social acceptance for sustainable mobility behavior.

The complexity of the sustainability challenge calls for participatory processes to support the large-scale collaboration across sectors and disciplines that is needed. Besides tools and methodologies to design these processes, the inner world of sustainability practitioners facilitating them is a key element for their success. This thesis focuses on the role of self- awareness for sustainability practitioners based on their stories of having to adapt their process design, their personal practices and advice they give. Using semi-structured interviews with facilitators who use Theory U and/or Art of Hosting methodologies to facilitate participatory processes for sustainable development, we found that self-awareness supports sustainability practitioners in practical terms on the spot, in their leadership development and in the effectiveness of their work. Moreover, through self-awareness, they recognize the importance of diversity and trust, essential elements for the adaptive capacity of the group. This recognition could contribute to more successful processes and outcomes, making practitioners' work and contribution to addressing the sustainability challenge more effective. The potential analogy between inner worlds and healthy social systems poses an interesting angle for further research. Is there such a thing as an inner dimension of sustainability? How does self-awareness relate to that?