Research
Members of the Civic Ecology Lab apply social-ecological systems thinking to understanding learning, stewardship, and resilience in urban, stressed, and disaster-impacted communities. People who self-organize to reconnect with nature as a means of social change are our inspiration. They engage in community gardening, litter cleanups, habitat restoration, stewardship of neighborhood parks, and community forestry – all of which we refer to as civic ecology practices.
Through forming research partnerships with civic ecology stewards, we seek to understand what precipitates these practices as well as their meaning and outcomes for individuals, communities, the environment, governance, and social movements. Although these practices are small, we seek to understand their role in mitigation of, adaptation to, and transformation in the face of climate change. We apply the results of our scholarship to strengthen civic ecology practices and to build support for them among the academic, government, and non-profit sectors.
VALUES
RESEARCH PROJECTS
Stewardship
Individual and community action improving the local environment
Empowerment
Enabling citizens to take environmental action by nurturing their skills and identity
Knowledge Co-creation
Collaborative creation of new solutions for environmental and social challenges
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Linking place, social identity, and positive youth development in urban environmental stewardship (Armstrong)
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Beyond Learning: MOOC outcomes on professional practice (Li, Kudryavtsev, Armstrong, Krasny)
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Global Engaged Learning among MOOC Undergraduate Teaching Assistants (Li, Armstrong, Krasny)
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Social norm and study group treatments to enhance environmental education practice in MOOCs (Li, Kizilcec, Cho, Krasny, Kudryavtsev)
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eEngagement: Expanding civic engagement opportunities for university students (Li, Gonzalez, Krasny)
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Microplastics: Volunteer engagement in a global environmental problem (Jorgensen)
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Social outcomes of urban agriculture in New York City (Kudryavtsev, Krasny)