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In the scholarly literature on invasive species management, there exists a tendency to neglect the moral relevance of sentience when determining best possible management strategies regarding sentient members of invasive species. In addition, there is also a negative bias against invasive species, where such species are viewed as inherently "bad." Because of this negative bias, many wildlife managers, conservation biologists, and ecologists share the default view that invasive species are nuisances and must be gotten rid of, using the most cost-effective and efficient means possible. The neglect or omission of sentience within the literature often carries over into the implementation of invasive species management techniques, where sentient members of invasive species are often not treated as humanely as possible. / In this thesis, I defend Bernard Rollin's animal ethic, where sentient beings are those capable of having interests, and which are also capable of self-valuation, which is necessary for possessing intrinsic value (on Rollin's view). Because such beings are capable of having interests which can be fulfilled or thwarted, they are objects of moral concern on this view. While I defend Rollin's view, any moral theory which considers sentience morally relevant at all will be compatible with the majority of my arguments regarding our treatment of sentient members of invasive species. If sentience is a morally relevant criterion, I argue that it continues to be so even when sentient beings are members of species which are considered to be "invasive." This claim is strongly supported by the large-scale vagueness and disagreement over terms such as "invasive," "native," and "exotic" within the literature. / Because sentience is a morally relevant criterion when determining best possible management practices regarding invasive species, members of such species should be treated as humanely and in accordance with their respective telos as much as possible. Typically, this will entail prioritizing nonlethal and preventive methods of control over lethal methods. However, even when lethal control is deemed to be the best possible type of management strategy in a given situation, it should be implemented as humanely as possible. / In addition to arguing for sentience as a morally relevant criterion when determining best possible management strategies regarding invasive species, I also argue that the negative bias against invasive species as inherently "bad" is ultimately unfounded. I support this claim by providing evidence of a variety of potential negative, positive, and neutral aspects of invasive species. Because invasive species are not inherently "bad" or "good," I argue that our attitudes toward and management of members of such species should be developed on a case-by-case basis. / It is also important that the assessment of invasive species on a case-by-case basis be combined with the moral relevance of sentience. The bias against invasive species may serve to perpetuate the omission of sentience as a morally relevant criterion of invasive species management. The omission of sentience may also perpetuate the negative bias against invasive species. Understanding the moral relevance of sentience may help to diminish the negative bias against invasive species, and vice versa. / After considering and responding to several objections to my arguments, I provide an overview of different sorts of lethal, nonlethal, and preventive methods of invasive species management, and discuss how each of these can be implemented in a more humane fashion, in order to present ways in which my arguments and view can be successfully applied in a variety of real-world scenarios.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Philosophy, 2009. / Title from homepage (viewed on Feb 4, 2010). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 70-04, Section: A, page: 1299. Adviser: Paul V. Spade.

<p> This thesis dissects the category of "waste," examining conventional modes of response to the people, places, and things considered waste, and challenging the patterns of both linear disposal and cyclical recycling. I argue that both ways of thinking about "waste" actually share the same problematic roots and reproduce the same problematic logics, and that both oversimplify the diverse spectrum of potentials and histories contained within "waste." </p><p> Using a methodology that links personal narrative with historical analysis, I decompose the very idea of waste to understand the constellation of factors and processes that actively produce "waste" in contrast with "value," discussing histories of recycling and disposal in tandem with histories of capitalism, colonialism, and industrialization. With recent composting work at Northern Arizona University serving as both metaphor and example throughout this thesis, I build an alternative to the existing paradigm of waste, offering a more complex, diverse, dynamic, and interconnected framework for relating to and redefining "waste." </p><p> To do this, I explore not only theoretical and conceptual strategies for revealing and amplifying the hidden diversity of alternate values, benefits, and relationships around (non)waste, but also transition theory to practice by mapping out ways to physically implement these ideas through specific projects and actions that actively shift the ways people think about and interact with "waste" on a daily basis. By mapping out the theory and action involved in re-shaping human interactions with the things considered "waste," this thesis hopes to inspire others to keep working with these ideas and to continue developing projects that transition from a state of waste to (non)waste by creating a more socially and ecologically ethical paradigm of relationships beyond "waste." </p>

<p> This thesis explores Wilber's Integral Theory and DeKay's adaptation of the theory to sustainable design to discover a design process with the potential to advance the design professions toward a more holistic, restorative approach to sustainable design. The contribution and influence of architects, interior designers, and engineers on the personal and social welfare goes beyond aesthetics, visual interest, or function. The environments being designed today shape how people will live and function in the future. Integral Sustainable Design is concerned with holistically addressing the quality, equity, beauty and efficiency of the built environment. It argues that if sustainable design is to be a transformational force touching personal experience, cultural perspective, energy efficiency, and the ecosystem, it will need to become restorative. </p><p> This thesis provides an overview of the validity, feasibility and methodology of applying Integral Theory to Sustainable Design, to create a theoretical, ideological basis informing the sustainable design process. This thesis will increase awareness of integral theory by summarizing its principles and demonstrating the applicability to sustainable design and the validity to the profession as a whole. A design exercise will illustrate the difference between having a single, inherently biased view verses a comprehensive, holistic view of sustainable design. Four individual houses will be designed, each exploring one quadrant of DeKay's Integral Sustainable grid exclusively. A fifth house will synthesize all of the integral design principles. A comparison is then made to discern any difference in outcomes. All designs are based on the same client design directives, and use the same site. The comparative analysis seems to show that the integral approach can lead to an enhanced experience of nature, history, beauty with efficiency that exceeds Net Zero consumption </p>

<p> Water is one of the most precious elements on Earth. Yet we find ourselves in a global water crisis, struggling to address freshwater scarcity, pollution, climate change, and the need for safe drinking water and sanitation. Given the urgency of the global water crisis, it is imperative that we reinvent our relationship to water and cultivate an integral water ethic.</p><p> This dissertation, and the ethic it explores, is grounded in an integral approach to ecology that studies phenomena across multiple perspectives (e.g., natural sciences, social sciences, and the humanities). Relating to water in an integral mode entails acknowledging that water has not only exterior, objective dimensions but also interior, subjective qualities. Thus, an integral water ethic holds that water is not a mere passive object to be exploited for human purposes; instead, this approach recognizes that water is an intrinsically valuable, vital member of the Earth community. An integral water ethic encourages humans to learn to cultivate love and compassion for water and for those suffering from the global water crisis. Through the cultivation of love and compassion for water, humans will be better able to see water not as a mere resource and commodity, but rather as a loving and compassionate member of the Earth community who nourishes all beings.</p><p> This dissertation explores three world religions (Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism) and considers the following contributions to an integral water ethic: sacramental consciousness of baptism, loving service of the Yamuna River, and compassionate wisdom of the bodhisattva. Contemplative practices for developing love and compassion for water are also shared. The purpose of this study is to draw attention to creative avenues for cultivating mutually enhancing relations between humans and water and thereby to help overcome destructive attitudes toward the natural world.</p><p>

<p> Conservation gardening incorporates environmentally friendly techniques into the care of urban landscapes. Prior research has demonstrated an ecological benefit of this approach to residential land management. This research was undertaken to better understand the individuals who partake in conservation gardening. A mail questionnaire was developed that included several connection to nature indicators, an outdoor recreation inventory, and demographic questions. Participants (n = 180) included individuals from three regional conservation gardening certification programs in the US. Study participants demonstrated high connection to nature across multiple indicators, and environmental concern was motivated by non-human species and other people as opposed to personal benefit. The connection to nature indicators employed in the study demonstrated high correlation with each other. Conservation gardeners were active in outdoor recreation; high participation rates were documented in the categories of bird watching, gardening, and hiking, with moderate participation rates in kayaking, and cycling. Several demographic trends were evident in the study population. Participants tended to be older, well-educated, above-average earners, pet owners, and the majority of individuals were female. Employment status of participants was divided equally among being a homemaker, working full-time or being self-employed, and being retired, and over half of the individuals in the survey were volunteers. This research established baseline data for the conservation gardening population, identified avenues for future research, and provided suggestions for reaching populations not currently represented in the conservation gardening community.</p>

<p> It is worth great effort to identify the motivation a person may have to live a certain way. Efforts in persuading a person to change are fruitless if he or she lacks the right motivation. This thesis identifies strict parameters for sustainability as well as impediments to future sustainability. Further, it examines possible ways to overcome such impediments. Building on previous research in the field of environmental motivational research, this research proposes nine motivations why people not associated with environmental behavior would want to live a more sustainable lifestyle. The small rural town of Albion, Idaho was selected as the sample for this research. Residents living within the sample area displayed very little desire to change their current lifestyle. Top motivations for living more sustainably were a desire to live a healthier lifestyle, to live more self-reliantly, and the desire to wear things out such as reusing a zip lock bag multiple times instead of throwing it out after only one use, in order to get the most use out of any one item. In a focus group discussion, comments by participants referred to the desire to keep traditions alive, provide educational opportunities to their children, and furnish their children with the ability to live a healthier lifestyle as core reasons to live sustainably. In the mind of the participants, there is not much difference between the terms "sustainable lifestyle," "self-reliant lifestyle," and a "rural lifestyle." All three lifestyles are viewed synonymously.</p><p> <i>Keywords:</i> sustainable, sustainability, environmental sustainability, stewardship motivation, motivation for sustainability, environmental motivations, environmental motivational research</p>

My dissertation has three main aims. The first is to specify and defend a normative baseline for environmental ethics. By "baseline" I mean a minimally acceptable level of conduct in our collective interactions with nature. In Chapter 1, I argue that we should specify the baseline in terms of maintaining (or restoring) ecological health. At least some areas of biological integrity must also be maintained (or restored) because these areas are instrumentally important to the maintenance of ecological health. I clarify the concepts of health and integrity, and address various complexities and objections that arise with respect to these concepts. / The second aim is to illuminate normative considerations that are important for an environmental ethic, but that do not reduce to the baseline considerations defended in Chapter 1. In Chapter 2, I consider two ways of thinking about environmental values, namely, end-state and historical views. To value nature in an end-state way is to value it because it embodies certain desirable properties, such as complexity or resilience. In contrast, an historical view says that an important determinant of nature's value is its particular history and genesis. I explore in detail two contemporary versions of an historical view---Robert Elliot's and the view defended in recent work by John O'Neill, Alan Holland, and Andrew Light. My focus is on clarifying what the normatively relevant history is, and on assessing the claim that historical considerations function, in practice, to block certain types of land use. In Chapter 3, I turn to the question of how animals fit into my account. I argue that animals are ontologically distinctive in the order of nature in virtue of the fact that there is something it is like to be an animal. I consider various reasons for thinking that being an animal is ethically significant, including the fact that humans and other animals share a way of being an animal. Concern for animals complicates and enriches the account of why nature matters, for nature includes a variety of beings that experience first-personally their own natural good, or its thwarting. / The third aim of the dissertation is to suggest how the various normative considerations adduced in Chapters 1--3 might be integrated into a coherent view that can clarify the meaning of sustainability. I regard debates about sustainability as aiming to specify the nature we should care about, and the relative importance of concern for nature and for human welfare. In Chapter 4, I argue for a conception of sustainability that specifies the normatively relevant sense of nature in terms of ecological health and a non-instrumental view of biological integrity. My view is sensitive to humans being able to meet their needs from nature, and hence sensitive to anthropocentric considerations. But my view also includes a robust defense of nature and nonhuman animals as valuable in ways that do not reduce to human needs or interests. Further, I outline a justice-based compensation argument to address the issue that already disadvantaged people and nations may have to forego certain development opportunities for the sake of environmental protection.

Beginning with an overview of the appropriation of Heidegger’s thought to environmental philosophy, I proceed to identify two themes as holding a prominent place within the current literature: Heidegger’s conception of primordial nature or physis as well as the notion of “poetic dwelling”. Drawing on both of these themes, I argue that a prominent implication of Heidegger’s thought for environmental philosophy concerns the conservation of the natural world’s “natural otherness”—its differences from and indifference to humanity. However, within the current discussion concerning the conservation of nature’s otherness little is said concerning nature itself. The question arises as to whether or not non-human natural beings compel us to protect and conserve their differences. How does nature “call” us to protect its otherness? Following this, Chapter Two seeks to establish the relevance of Heidegger’s theory of moods for answering the question at hand. In particular, I illustrate the potential of moods by comparing the occurrence of an “equipmental breakdown” with the mood of “anxiety” (Angst). While the former experience exposes Dasein to nature’s “ownness”—its Being outside of the worldhood—its potential insight is easily re-subsumed into the world of work and projects. In contrast, the experience of anxiety avoids such a shortcoming while simultaneously disclosing Dasein as responsible for what it makes of its existence. These features, or so I argue, demonstrate the relevance of moods in answering the question of this project. Having established the relevance of moods I return, in Chapter Three, to the question posed at the outset of this thesis. Specifically, I investigate the nature of nature’s call by exploring the phenomenology of “profound boredom” as Heidegger presents it in The Fundamental Concepts of Metaphysics: World, Finitude, Solitude. Significantly, profound boredom discloses nature in a distinctly primordial manner, while simultaneously revealing Dasein to be responsible for its own there-being. In light of this disclosure, I argue that within the experience of profound boredom primordial nature can be interpreted as calling Dasein towards responsibility, not by demand or challenge, but through its ambiguous indifference towards Dasein and its choices. / Thesis (Master, Philosophy) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-27 17:11:17.45