Division member announcements

From Dan Stokols

The Environmental Psychology class at UCI is available on iTunes U. The field of environmental psychology examines people’s interactions with their everyday socio-physical surroundings from a broad interdisciplinary perspective encompassing psychology, sociology, urban planning, landscape architecture, public policy and public health. A central concern of scholars and practitioners in environmental psychology is the translation of scientific research findings into guidelines for designing vibrant places that foster high levels of psychological and physical well-being by providing ample opportunities for social engagement and physically active lifestyles. Email Dan Stokols.

From Cosima Krueger-Cunningham

We all know that the life-sustaining ecosystems on our planet are being stressed to the breaking point by our collective demands upon them. My own current work as Sustainable Agriculture Committee Chair for the Sierra Club Indian Peaks Group (serving Boulder County, Colo.) involves networking, coalition building, public education, public policy advocacy, and active facilitation between many groups working on a range of issues that directly affect the long-term economic and environmental sustainability of our community.

Here in Boulder County, Colo., conflicts between damaging, extractive industries and the welfare and self-determination of local communities are being played out at an accelerated rate. Oil and gas development and GMOs on public and private agricultural lands are currently at the top of our agenda. The stakes couldn't be higher because our community has, for many decades, played a leadership role in sustainable thought and the local and regional planning that flow out of it. Issue leaders, planners and governments around the world watch to see how we here in Boulder County develop replicable approaches and models for surmounting these kinds of challenges.

The activist groups with whom I work seek insights from psychological and behavioral research to inform their campaigns. There has never been a more important time for researchers to actively seek out opportunities to assist community and environmental activists in their crucially important—but often unpaid and unrecognized—work on behalf of our collective future. For more information, please contact me.

Cosima Krueger-Cunningham
Sustainable Agriculture Chair
Sierra Club Indian Peaks Group (serving Boulder County, Colo.)
Boulder County Sustainable Agriculture Forum Host