The core aim of this research is to explore the communication processes of the Transition movement, a community-led global social movement as it adapted in a local context. The Transition movement facilitates community -led responses to the current global financial and climate crisis via the Transit ion Network, an online network that began in 2006, and is comprised of more than 2000 initiatives in 35 countries that have used the Transition model to start projects that use small scale solutions to achieve greater sustainability. This research uses qualitative ethnographic methods and a theoretical framework based on actor network theory to better understand how the movement's grand narratives of "climate change" and "peak oil" are communicated into local community-based stories, responses, and actions toward sustainability, and secondly, to analyze the multilayered communication processes that facilitate these actions toward sustainable social change. Transition projects address a wide range of issues, including reducing dependency on peak-oil, creating community based local economies, supporting sustainable food production and consumption, building efficient transportation, housing, and more diverse and inclusive education. The Transition model provides a participatory communication framework laid out in specific stages for communities to begin this process. The popularity of the model coincides with an increase in the interest in and use of the term "sustainability" by media, academics and policymakers around the world, and an increase in the global use of digital technology as a resource for information gathering and sharing. Thus this study situates itself at the intersections of a global environmental and economic crisis, the popularization of the term "sustainability," and an increasingly digitized a nd networked global society in order to better understand how social change is contextualized and facilitated in a local community via a global network. From the findings, I argue that although the model's rapid growth can be attributed, in part, to an appealing narrative that reframes more traditional environmental movement discourse into solutions-based community focused actions, the movement would do well to develop more organized communication processes around connecting with and recognizing other people and groups who share similar values and goals, and around defining and creating the space for consistent and efficient leaders. This study also reveals that members of Transition Amherst had mixed feelings about the group's success and this was attributed to a wide range of interpretations of the model and the purpose it serves, particularly in towns where the ideology of Transition has already, to some extent, been adopted.

<p> This study explored communication and ethical investment in social capital to improve quality of life through the lens of time banking, a model of alternative currency. Previous studies of time banking noted a distinct set of characteristics of time banks that contrast with capitalist-based systems while using similar language; these were compared to research of social capital and social networks. Seven participants were interviewed at-length as representatives of the time bank movement. Stories of money framed theoretical constructs in practice on a daily basis and future visioning of the movement. Further analysis using the dialogic ethic of Martin Buber and the theory of the coordinated management of meaning (CMM) of Pearce and Pearce described transformational patterns of communication in time banks. The analysis shed light on the intentions of time banks and the meaning of the terms reciprocity, community and co-construction of reality. Further explorations of transcendent stories of time banking were recommended.</p>

<p>In light of the increasingly complex sustainability problems facing local and global communities, and the need to improve the scientific basis for decision making, sustainability science elevates the role of research collaborations and communication among scientists and stakeholders in developing solutions. Although many universities are heeding the calls for collaborative research and are making progress on bringing diverse groups together to address sustainability issues, disconnections between the production of knowledge and its actual use in society persist. These persistent divisions indicate that we still have a great deal to learn about how to develop university-stakeholder partnerships that facilitate collaboration between the various actors in society. </p><p> Building successful, enduring research partnerships is essential for improving links between knowledge and action. The overarching question addressed in this dissertation is: <i>"In the quest to develop sustainable solutions, what factors may strengthen or hinder the development of robust stakeholder-university research partnerships?"</i> In answering this question, I interrogate the role of communication in partnership development, the influence of communication practices on stakeholder and researcher interactions, and ways that we can use interdisciplinary forms of and approaches to research to improve communication with partners. The goal of this research is to improve university and community capacity for collaborative, problem-focused research to address pressing societal problems. </p><p> Using quantitative and qualitative survey data from the <i>Maine Municipal Official Survey</i> and the <i>Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement Survey,</i> each chapter addresses the overarching research question in different ways. In the first and second chapters, I develop theoretically and empirically supported statistical models to identify a set of factors influencing officials' reported interest in developing a community-university research partnership and factors influencing officials' participation preferences in community-university research partnerships, respectively. The models strengthen the capacity for co-learning by providing data on interest and preference alignment between potential project partners, and they provide data on stakeholder preferences and experiences that may improve communication between partners and inform partnership interactions. The third chapter bridges interdisciplinary theories from social psychology and communication to deepen the conversation about justice in community-university research partnerships. The dissertation concludes with lessons learned about developing community-university research partnerships. </p>

<p> Interpersonal communication is essential for developing and maintaining relationships. Strong interpersonal relationships undergird communities by facilitating their formation and supporting their maintenance and growth. This study explores the effect of training in Empathic Dialogue, a system of communication based on Nonviolent Communication, on the interpersonal communication skills of nine participants. The participants were interviewed prior to attending two three-hour training sessions, and again between one month and three months after the sessions.</p><p> Before turning to the empirical study, I make sense of the theoretical strengths of this position. First, in order to argue that Nonviolent Communication constitutes a virtue, I outline Aristotle's definition of virtue and the process by which one develops virtue. I then introduce the theory of McDonaldization, based on Max Weber's theory of rationalization, and apply it to interpersonal communication. Finally, I review Nonviolent Communication based on the dimensions of McDonaldization, the results of which support my contention that Nonviolent Communication opposes McDonaldization.</p><p> I present my finding that Empathic Dialogue had a positive impact on the research participants' communication skills. I then address these findings through the lens of Aristotle's virtues and McDonaldization. Finally, I consider wider implications of these findings on the development of sustainable communities. </p>

Today a great focus is placed on consumer’s choices and how those affect climate change and global warming. At the same time, messages about the climate crisis and mass extinction are circulating in the public. A lot of the responsibility for making better and more educated choices in order to reverse climate change is being placed on the individual and their actions. This can trigger a sense of helplessness or even increase psychological resistance. In climate- and sustainability communication there is often the assumption that people lack knowledge and are therefore unable to change their attitudes or behaviours. Many people arethough aware of climate change and the ways it affects our lives and future. There is however a gap between our green intentions and our current actions– the so-called, green gap. Climate- and sustainability communication are limited in how much they can achieve on their own. Political action and engagement is therefore a crucial part of communicating climate change and influencing the public’s knowledge, attitude and perception.