Critiques of the environmental ramifications of the early Genesis narrative by environmental thinkers such as Aldo Leopold, Ian McHarg, and Lynn White underscore a longstanding tension between the environmental movement and Western Christianity. The evangelical community (EC) especially, has been at odds with the environmental movement, as the EC grounds its theology regarding human relations to nature on the Genesis narrative—and especially the Genesis 1:26-28 dominion mandate— interpreted with a literal hermeneutic. The EC generally concludes in favor of either a dominionist interpretation, that mankind has dominion over nature, or a stewardship interpretation, that mankind’s dominion is more akin to tending or stewarding than to domination. Both interpretations trend toward the anthropocentrism that Leopold, McHarg, and White criticize. J. Baird Callicott postulates a third, less anthropocentric view: the citizenship interpretation, that humanity is co-citizen with nonhuman beings, rather than a superior. Callicott’s view, while commendable on key points, is incompatible with EC methodology because it is grounded only on Genesis 2 and subsequent passages, rejecting the legitimacy of Genesis 1:26-28 altogether. A fourth interpretation is proposed here, redacted dominionism, derived using EC methodology, and claiming that human relations to nature are based on theocentric themes. Redacted dominionism understands humanity as initially given dominion over nature by virtue of the imago Dei, but human disobedience to God, tarnished that image, and human qualification for dominion was lost. Post-fall, the dominion mandate is never repeated, and seems even to be replaced. In consideration of early Genesis and related passages, understood within EC methodology, redacted dominionism argues for theocentrism, thus grounding a biblical environmental ethic that escapes the indictments of Leopold, McHarg, and White. Such an ethic could be useful within the EC to motivate greater environmental consideration. It could likewise be beneficial to those within and without the EC, as a catalyst for dialogue between the environmental movement and the EC, and as a mechanism whereby the EC may be held accountable for attitudes and actions impacting nature.

This dissertation examines the effect of podcast tours on park visitor experiences. Podcast tours have emerged as a new medium in facilitating the interaction between tourists and destinations. Providing visitors with enhanced experiences through the use of interpretive technologies is especially important for national parks dealing with enhancing visitors' experiences which may influence visitors' perception of environmental stewardship and, in turn, positively affect preserving environmental resources. Furthermore, there has been a noticeable increase in consumer demand for podcast tours. Based on theoretical accounts that human voices convey rich social information, this dissertation proposes that podcast tours enhance perceived social presence and mindfulness which leads to enhanced tourist experiences (learning, enjoyment, and escape) and environmental stewardship (attitudinal and behavioral stewardship). A field experiment was conducted at Padre Island National Seashore using MP3 players containing podcast tours. The podcasts were manipulated using four experimental conditions: 2 information source compositions (single narrator voice vs. multiple narrator voices) x 2 narrating styles (formal style vs. conversational style). The questionnaire administered to subjects after they took the podcast tour included measures of social presence, mindfulness, tourist experience (learning, enjoyment, and escape), and stewardship (attitudinal and behavioral stewardship). The pre-questionnaire included question items regarding the nature of the visit, visitor characteristics, technology usage behavior, audio tour evaluation and socio-demographics. Responses from 221 visitors were analyzed using structural equation modeling with LISREL 8.7. The results provide evidence that multiple voices, and to some extent also narration style, positively increase social presence but neither experimental condition had any influence on mindfulness. The increased feeling of social presence influences park visitors' enjoyment and escape experiences but not learning. Mindfulness was found to affect visitors' learning, enjoyment, and escape experience. The results further show that enhanced experiences positively influence attitudinal stewardship which in turn leads to behavioral stewardship toward national parks. The results of this dissertation generally support the theoretical model suggesting that even if communicated through audio-only media, the human voice creates and sustains a positive social context for meaningful interaction which influences tourist experiences and stewardship. Mindfulness was also found to be an important construct impacting the quality of visitor experiences but could not be explained by the specific podcast tour designs tested. From a practical perspective, the findings provide important insights regarding the usefulness of podcast tours as interpretative media, and also suggest that specific designs are more capable of fostering feelings of social presence.

As the planet rapidly urbanizes and demand for locally-produced ecosystem services grows, the effective management of urban green infrastructure is increasingly important. A number of digital tools have recently been developed and released that share information and incite citizen participation in the governance, management and planning of urban green infrastructure. In this paper, I analyse six different e-tools within the context of New York City with a focus on the types of knowledge they share and the forms of participation they incite in relation to urban green infrastructure. I explore how e-tool knowledge exchange and participation relate to civic stewardship of urban green spaces, as stewards play a significant role in the local production of urban ecosystem services. The findings indicate that most e-tools are designed to share a large amount of data describing social-ecological systems. In many cases, the tool developers hope that through gaining knowledge about the system, users will develop an ethical consideration for the environmental resource and even take action as environmental stewards. Additionally, while many of the e-tools present complex, exploratory digital learning environments, many also combine virtual experiences with in-person trainings, workshops and coaching. These hybrid approaches harness the power of digital platforms to organize diverse social networks and share large amounts of data while employing more traditional on-the-ground organizing techniques and offer a way forward in an age of increasing dominance of digital data. Further research on these types of hybrid digital approaches is warranted. Future research on e-tool usership and connections to stewardship outcomes could enrich the understanding of how e-tools operate as well as their social-ecological potential and impact.

During the 21st century, more people will reside in cities than in rural areas for the first time in human history. As cities expand to accommodate their growing population, pressure is mounting on local biodiversity and the ecosystems they support. This prompted the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity - in collaboration with the City of Singapore - to develop a biodiversity index specifically for cities. In 2014, the final draft of the City Biodiversity Index was released. Twenty-three indicators comprise three categories that assess: native biodiversity, ecosystem services, and municipal support for local biodiversity. A case-study was designed for Starkville, MS to better understand the merits of the index and its application to small rural town planning. The research illuminated the breadth and flexibility of the index across multiple scales and the availability of local resources to deliver a meaningful biodiversity analysis.

Environmental stewardship schemes are an important driver of biodiversity and habitat improvement throughout England, with the provision of funding to land managers to deliver effective land management that will benefit wildlife, habitats, natural resources and the population. Participation in agri-environment schemes is voluntary and much is done to encourage scheme participation. Dartmoor is a designated landscape, a National Park, and a Special Area of Conservation and encompasses areas of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Dartmoor is a farmed landscape, with the area divided into 92 common land units, over which a diversity of common rights are exercised. At present, the majority of Dartmoor Commons are managed by Environmental agreements, protecting the habitat and the SSSI’s. There is a demand for Dartmoor to be a recreational area, an environmental jewel, and a farmed landscape. Protection of this landscape requires the amalgamation of various organisations and individuals. Research indicates the benefits of group agri-environment schemes, of a landscape-scale approach to the improvement of habitats and the provision of wildlife corridors, crossing the boundaries of land ownership. vi The research considers the factors associated with group agri-environment schemes, where it is not necessarily like-minded individuals who come together because of a common cause and a shared vision. The issue surrounding common rights results in persons coming together because they have common rights and not necessarily a common view. A combination of interview responses and questionnaire data has been pulled together to ascertain the factors affecting agri-environment scheme participation on Dartmoor. The data reflects on the impacts of group agri-environment schemes on the commons of Dartmoor. The question remains as to the voluntary nature of group agri-environment schemes on Dartmoor. Hardin (1968) recognised the impact of one commoner’s decision had on another. Dartmoor agri-environment schemes require participation from the majority of commoners; therefore an individual’s action has a consequence. This research aims to investigate the impacts of agri-environment schemes on the commons of Dartmoor.

Indigenous environmental justice and rights to land are often compromised in favour of state and corporate land control. Narratives that oppose indigenous peoples to development and conservation, and portray communities as either “backwards” or “environmentally destructive”, have been used since the colonial period to justify dispossession of indigenous lands and displacements of indigenous peoples. In parallel, an indigenous justice movementhas been growing, that has absorbed a “counter-narrative” that depicts indigenous peoples as environmental stewards, and stresses the importance of indigenous rights to land as part ofeffective climate change mitigation. This thesis investigates how narratives in the scientific literature and practice frame indigenous peoples’ rights to land in Southeast Asia. A review of 60 scientific articles was conducted and complemented with a small sample of in-depthinterviews with practitioners working with development, conservation and indigenous rights in Southeast Asia. Through the creation of a novel framework that combines environmental justice and stewardship, this study uncovers how modern narratives continue to perpetuate entrenched colonial and business-as-usual pathways. / FairFrontiers Research Project at the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, Kyoto

In recent years, there has been a shift in interest in travel, toward an increasing interest in sustainable travel and alternative forms of travel. As a result, there is also an interest in research studying these alternative travel concepts. Therefore, this qualitative study looks at experiences in ecovillages, focusing on volunteer workers. It examines the effects of the ecovillages that influence these volunteers to become environmental stewards. For this purpose, the concept of place attachment, as the connection to the place and the people within the ecovillage, is used. As well as the concept of transformative learning, i.e., the change of views and orientations of the participants of the learning program. To get a better overview of the context of the case study, the literature on voluntourism and voluntourism in the global north (due to the location of the case study), as well as on communities and eco-communities will be examined. The case study is an ecovillage in Ireland, located in Cloughjordan, the middle of Ireland. There, 11 in-depth interviews and observations were conducted, and the volunteers were interviewed about their experiences and their time in the ecovillage. The results of this study suggest three ways in which volunteers are influenced by their ecovillage experiences to become environmental stewards. On the one hand, this is the case due to the recognition of the importance of the developed soft skills. As this is learning for oneself and improving communication with other people. Furthermore, by learning with and from each other, the volunteers are led to take stewardship actions. Finally, it is also the community itself that manages to implement stewardship among the volunteers through the way of life and togetherness and the high value of environmental actions through place attachment.

This thesis integrates scoring, gamification, and Corporate Sustainability Reporting(CSR) to encourage sustainable behaviours through electronic driving journals. As environmental stewardship becomes increasingly important, the European Union's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) mandates greater transparency in reporting environmental, social, and governance (ESG) activities. In this context, driving journals in Sweden, primarily used to distinguish between professional and personal vehicle use, emerge as a critical factor in influencing sustainable practices. The study explores the potential of scoring and gamification, which involves incorporating game-design elements into non-game contexts to transform routine compliance activities into engaging processes that promote sustainable behaviour. By combining these journals with the requirements of the CSRD, the research examines their effectiveness in fostering an environmentally conscious driving culture among corporate fleets and individual users. The study employs a multidimensional approach, which involves conducting a comprehensive literature review, analysing the market, and practically applying the findings with Northtracker, a leading driving journal provider. The goal is to examine how aligning Northtracker's systems with CSRD guidelines can help promote and comply with sustainable practices by enhancing user engagement. The results indicate that incorporating scoring and gamified elements within driving journals can effectively increase user participation and compliance, leading to a measurable reduction in environmental impact resulting from improved driving habits. Nonetheless, the study highlights several challenges, such as privacy concerns, data accuracy, and user acceptance, which require a balanced approach to scoring and gamification in sustainability initiatives. The thesis concludes by recommending strategic actions that policymakers and corporations can take to exploit this integration's potential fully. These implications go beyond the immediate scope of driving journals and offer valuable insights into the broader application of scoring and gamification in environmental sustainability efforts.

The Circular Economy (CE) represents a transformative approach to sustainable development, aiming to replace the traditional linear "take-make-waste" model with a regenerative system that minimizes waste through the continual use of resources. This thesis provides an up-to-date examination of the adoption of CE principles within a selection of Swedish companies, exploring how these principles are integrated into their business models and the challenges and opportunities that arise from their implementation. Through a comprehensive analysis, including literature reviews, document analysis, comparative analysis, and thematic analysis, this study provides a detailed insight into the operationalization of CE in Sweden and a hypothetical case study scenario with recommendation on implementing CE practices. Companies such as IKEA and H&M are highlighted for their robust CE practices. The findings suggest a positive trend toward sustainability, driven by a combination of regulatory support and strong corporate commitment to environmental stewardship, although challenges related to operational and regulatory constraints persist. This thesis contributes to the broader discourse on sustainable economic practices by outlining actionable strategies for enhancing CE adoption across industries.

Environmental stewardship is an important attribute for students and populations of all ages to have. This study looked at the effect of middle school students of a teacher who participated in a summer field ecology training program taking part in a long-term ecology project, and the impact of the experience on their environmental stewardship attitude. A variety of qualitative and quantitative techniques were used to look at changes in students' environmental stewardship attitudes including: surveying in a pre/post format, teacher, parent, and student focus groups, and teacher interviews. The teacher's experience with the summer field ecology training provided a foundation for development of curriculum and confidence in carrying out fieldwork with his students. Results indicate that participation in a long-term project contributed towards an increase in the students' environmental stewardship attitude, especially if the students reported having taken part in environmental activities in the past or if they were female. The results also indicate a number of implications for other schools and teachers including: focusing on middle school students, good teacher training, focused, long-term projects for students, support for teachers for project implementation, and ecological restoration as part of the student projects.