In 2010, the University of Ottawa (hereafter, UO) banned the sale of single-use water bottles. UO decided that the sale of this product ran contrary to their commitments to environmental, social, and economic sustainability. This ban has been adopted by several institutions, locally and globally. However, there is still demand for portable water that operates within the boundaries of sustainability. I developed H2Ottawa at UO, through my internship with the Office of Campus Sustainability (hereafter, OCS). The goal of H2Ottawa is to bring portable water to the UO community without compromising the institution's allegiance to sustainability. To do this, we are selling multi-use, metal water bottles in vending machines and select cafés on campus, for the same price one would expect to pay for single-use bottles ($3.00) . I have used a Living Action Research approach, as defined by Mc Niff and Whitehead (2011) to document and analyze the planning, conceptualization, and implementation of this project. For the purpose of this research, I consider that the UO adopts the mentality outlined through Ecological Modernization Theory (hereafter, EM). In short, EM argues that sustainability can be achieved within a capitalist society. I will use a green-Marxist lens to position the critical analysis of this project. Here, it is argued that we cannot ‘buy our way out of trouble’, meaning that a revolution is necessary to achieve a sustainable society. I will argue that as an institution, the UO makes its goals towards sustainability compatible with a corporate understanding of environmental responsibility. This thesis aims to answer: how does the UO implement sustainability initiatives in a way that complies with the value-set of the university, while also satisfying community expectations? I have found that the UO implemented H2Ottawa to provide students with access to potable water, and to augment their reputation. Considering that this project is the first of its kind, its adoption reinforces UO’s commitments to sustainability and innovation. Research findings will be of use for future students, as I present challenges involved in the conceptualization and implementation of sustainability-motivated initiatives within the Canadian university context.

<p>In the following C-Level Thesis, the geographically isolated consumer society that has evolved in the developed world is examined through discourse analysis. This research frames the issue of material consumption in a historical context and then interrogates the modern task of sustainability. Through review and analysis of current discourse in the sociopolitical field of sustainable consumption, this paper critically analyzes the development of modern consumer culture. The concept of ecological citizenship is presented and inspected as an effective strategy for the realization of sustainability and is viewed as a unifier of the many conflicting discourses on sustainable consumption. The dominant institutional discourse of ecological modernization is presented through a review of UK policy documents, and the opinions as well as alternative solutions touted by critics is noted. This paper finds that ideal of ecological citizenship has not yet been reached, but positive steps have been taken to achieve the goal of sustainability through curbing consumptive habits. In this presentation of sustainable consumption discourse it is important to recognize that there may be no absolute answer or right way to live on this planet, but rather, many ways which can, together, bring about a sustainable society.</p>

In the following C-Level Thesis, the geographically isolated consumer society that has evolved in the developed world is examined through discourse analysis. This research frames the issue of material consumption in a historical context and then interrogates the modern task of sustainability. Through review and analysis of current discourse in the sociopolitical field of sustainable consumption, this paper critically analyzes the development of modern consumer culture. The concept of ecological citizenship is presented and inspected as an effective strategy for the realization of sustainability and is viewed as a unifier of the many conflicting discourses on sustainable consumption. The dominant institutional discourse of ecological modernization is presented through a review of UK policy documents, and the opinions as well as alternative solutions touted by critics is noted. This paper finds that ideal of ecological citizenship has not yet been reached, but positive steps have been taken to achieve the goal of sustainability through curbing consumptive habits. In this presentation of sustainable consumption discourse it is important to recognize that there may be no absolute answer or right way to live on this planet, but rather, many ways which can, together, bring about a sustainable society.

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Thesis advisor: Juliet B. Schor / A key emergent issue in debates over how to respond to climate change is whether wealthy countries can continue to pursue endless economic growth and still meet emissions targets called for by scientists. This study examines how and why ideas of sufficiency--which emphasize the need to limit production and consumption growth--have emerged in this context, despite great obstacles in growth-oriented societies more favourable to "business-as-usual" or ecological modernization ("green growth") approaches. These issues are examined through a comparative case study of the United Kingdom and Canada--the former one of the most successful nations to date in reducing its greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions and the latter one of the worst performers in terms of emissions levels, emissions growth, and climate-policy implementation. The study draws on data from semi-structured interviews with actors involved in climate politics; attendance at public events and conferences debating climate-change responses; analysis of documents such as climate strategies, policy statements, speeches, op-eds, and press releases; and media articles. Evidence from these cases indicates that an ecological modernization project is very important to move beyond business-as-usual, but its limits are also evident to many in light of the need for deep and rapid emissions cuts. Combined with a critique of economic growth's faltering capacity to improve well-being, opportunities have emerged for a more challenging sufficiency perspective. Ideas of the limits to macro-economic growth have re-emerged, although they face daunting obstacles in neoliberal, consumerist capitalism. The idea of sufficiency has made greater inroads when formulated in more limited ways, such as: partial and nuanced growth critiques, demands for alternative economic indicators to replace GDP, or calls for micro-level sufficiency with respect to specific products, practices, or sectors. Sufficiency-based ideas have also benefitted where the boundaries with ecological modernization are blurred, including, paradoxically, instances where they could be linked to increased economic output in some other form. This emergence of sufficiency-based thinking has advanced further in the UK than in Canada--in large part because in Canada, a significant push for green growth has yet to occur and thus ecological modernization's limits have been harder to see or articulate. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2009. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Sociology.

O Licenciamento ambiental é um dos instrumentos da Política Nacional de Meio Ambiente, estabelecida pela lei 6.938 de 1981. Nos últimos 30 anos, o país passou por inúmeras transformações econômicas, políticas e sociais. No cenário de grande potencial hidrelétrico do país, demanda crescente por energia, fortalecimento e consolidação da legislação e do sistema de gestão ambiental, participação de novos atores econômicos interessados em prover a expansão do parque de geração de energia, maior participação dos movimentos sociais na esfera pública e uma memória não muito distante de graves problemas socioambientais ocasionados pela construção de hidrelétricas; é que se dão os conflitos que perpassam todo o processo de licenciamento ambiental de hidrelétricas e do qual se ocupa essa dissertação. Entre os anos de 2004 e 2008, muitos atores econômicos e sociais envolvidos com a temática do licenciamento ambiental no país se posicionaram publicamente, sobretudo a respeito dos conflitos relacionados à concessão das licenças ambientais para empreendimentos hidrelétricos. A reflexão sociológica a qual se propôs este projeto de pesquisa utiliza a Teoria da Modernização Ecológica como instrumental teórico e busca entender o estado da arte do licenciamento ambiental de hidrelétricas no Brasil. / The Environmental license is one of the tools of the National Environmental Policy, established by the law 6.938 of 1981. Over the past 30 years, the country has had lots of economical, political and social changes. The socio-environmental conflicts that permeate the environmental licensing process of UHEs, which constitute the subject of this dissertation, happen in a context characterized by the great hydroelectric potential of the country, the increasing demand for energy, the strengthening and consolidation of the legislation and of the environmental management system, the growing participation of the social movements in the public sphere, a recent memory of socio-environmental problems resulting from the construction of hydroelectric power stations and the participation of new economic agents interested in promoting the expansion of the energy generation park. Between 2004 and 2008, many economical and social agents that were involved with environmental licensing subjects in Brazil publicly expressed their positions, mainly in relation to the conflicts related to environmental license concession for hydroelectric enterprises. The sociological analysis of this research project uses the Ecological Modernization Theory as a theoretical instrument. It also aims to understand the environmental licensing process for hydroelectric power stations in Brazil.

<p>During recent years, resilience theory – originally developed in systems ecology – has advanced as a new approach to sustainable development. However, it is still more of an academic theory than a discourse informing environmental politics. The aim of this essay is to study resilience theory as a potential environmental discourse in the making and to outline the political implications it might induce. To gain a more comprehensive knowledge of resilience theory, I study it in relation to already existing environmental discourses. Following earlier research on environmental discourses I define the discourses of ecological modernization, green governmentality and civic environmentalism as occupying the discursive space of environmental politics. Further, I define six central components as characteristics for all environmental discourses. Outlining how both the existing environmental discourses and resilience theory relates to these components enables an understanding of both the political implications of resilience theory and of resilience theory as an environmental discourse in relation to existing environmental discourses. The six central discourse components I define are 1) the view on the nation-state; 2) the view on capitalism; 3) the view on civil society; 4) the view on political order; 5) the view on knowledge; 6) the view on human-nature relations. By doing an empirical textual analysis of academic texts on resilience theory I show that resilience theory assigns a limited role for the nation-state and a very important role for civil society and local actors when it comes to environmental politics. Its view on local actors and civil society is closely related to its relativist view on knowledge. Resilience theory views capitalism as a root of many environmental problems but with some political control and with changing perspectives this can be altered. Furthermore, resilience theory seems to advocate a weak bottom-up perspective on political order. Finally, resilience theory views human-nature relations as relations characterized by human adaptation to the prerequisites of nature. In conclusion, I argue that the empirical analysis show that resilience theory, as an environmental discourse, to a great extent resembles a subdivision of civic environmentalism called participatory multilateralism.</p>

During recent years, resilience theory – originally developed in systems ecology – has advanced as a new approach to sustainable development. However, it is still more of an academic theory than a discourse informing environmental politics. The aim of this essay is to study resilience theory as a potential environmental discourse in the making and to outline the political implications it might induce. To gain a more comprehensive knowledge of resilience theory, I study it in relation to already existing environmental discourses. Following earlier research on environmental discourses I define the discourses of ecological modernization, green governmentality and civic environmentalism as occupying the discursive space of environmental politics. Further, I define six central components as characteristics for all environmental discourses. Outlining how both the existing environmental discourses and resilience theory relates to these components enables an understanding of both the political implications of resilience theory and of resilience theory as an environmental discourse in relation to existing environmental discourses. The six central discourse components I define are 1) the view on the nation-state; 2) the view on capitalism; 3) the view on civil society; 4) the view on political order; 5) the view on knowledge; 6) the view on human-nature relations. By doing an empirical textual analysis of academic texts on resilience theory I show that resilience theory assigns a limited role for the nation-state and a very important role for civil society and local actors when it comes to environmental politics. Its view on local actors and civil society is closely related to its relativist view on knowledge. Resilience theory views capitalism as a root of many environmental problems but with some political control and with changing perspectives this can be altered. Furthermore, resilience theory seems to advocate a weak bottom-up perspective on political order. Finally, resilience theory views human-nature relations as relations characterized by human adaptation to the prerequisites of nature. In conclusion, I argue that the empirical analysis show that resilience theory, as an environmental discourse, to a great extent resembles a subdivision of civic environmentalism called participatory multilateralism.

Den här uppsatsen syftar till att undersöka hur företag kan arbeta med konceptet hållbar utveckling samt att analysera hur begreppet upplevs från ett företags perspektiv. Undersökningen baseras på en fallstudie som genomförts på företaget Kinnarps. Det empiriska material som analysen bygger på har samlats in via användning av fokusgrupps-intervjuer på Kinnarps, och materialet har analyserats vidare genom användning av metoden grundad teori. Under analysen har det synliggjorts vissa paralleller mellan materialet och ekologisk modernisering. Analysen tyder på att företag tenderar att agera i enlighet med ekologisk modernisering då teknisk utveckling ofta upplevs som lösningar på miljörelaterade problem. Samtidigt visar analysen att det finns utrymme för företag att agera på annat sätt än vad ekologisk modernisering innebär och ur det hänseendet har företagets tradition och grundläggande värderingar visat sig vara avgörande. Analysen tyder på att företags förhållningssätt gentemot marknaden kan upplevas som ett fall av pragmatiskt accepterande, då marknaden verkar betraktas som en för företag extern faktor som är svår att påverka.   Att som företag arbeta med hållbar utveckling innebär, enligt analysens resultat, både möjligheter och begränsningar. Arbetet kan resultera i marknadsfördelar genom ekonomisk vinst och konkurrensfördelar. Enligt analysen kan dock inte företag uppnå en fullständigt jämn fördelning mellan sin sociala, ekologiska och ekonomiska utveckling då de är beroende av att generera ekonomisk vinst, vilket gör att den ekonomiska utvecklingen prioriteras högst. Detta tyder på att ett företag inte har möjlighet att uppnå en helt hållbar produktion, därför kan begreppet upplevas som en utopi i företags sammanhang. Samtidigt visar analysen att en strävan mot en så hållbar produktion som möjligt, där en jämn balans mellan ekologisk social och ekonomisk utveckling eftersträvas, kan vara gynnsam för företags varumärke, produktion och profilering.