1. 1 Mark White, University of Virginia Dan Abel, Coastal Carolina University Amy Predmore, Charlottesville Erin Webb, Commerce/ETP ’12 Sarah Peterson, Politics ’11 1 Sustainability at Sea: Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes Version 2-0

2. 2 2 the margin for action narrows you are here

3. 3 3 26,000 miles 109 days 15 ports in 10 countries 580 students / 32 faculty 90 classes 250 field practica/trips

4. 4 One Earth, One Future Sustainability is the theme of the Spring 2010 voyage of Semester at Sea. We define sustainability as a “society of permanence” – a world in which humanity ensures its well-being across the generations by improving the stability of ecological and sociocultural systems... SOURCE: SAS Voyage Theme, Spring 2010

5. 5 DOMINANT SOCIAL PARADIGM Support for free enterprise Belief in unlimited growth Commitment to limited government Devotion to private property rights Emphasis on individualism Faith in science and technology Faith in future material abundance and prosperity Support for the status quo NEW ECOLOGICAL PARADIGM Recognition of limited resources Awareness of the fragility of nature’s balance Rejection of human exemptionalism Ecocentric vs. anthropocentric point of view Belief in the probability of an eco-crisis aka “Spaceship Earth” Dunlap and van Liere (1978); Dunlap et al. (2000)

6. 6 What Did We Do? Empirical Study Sustainability on the Voyage

7. 7 field practica “walking the talk”co-curricular activities global studieselective courses evening programs

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9. 9 Empirical Study New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) Scale Dunlap and Van Liere (1978); Dunlap et al. (2000) Research Questions 1. Are our results comparable with other studies? (validity) 2. How is ecological worldview related to various demographic characteristics? 3. Did participation in the voyage shift students’ ecological worldview and/or environmental attitudes?

10. 10 Characteristics of the Sample Population n = 215 71% female 68% juniors variety of disciplines 26% business/economics diversity of geographic regions, institutional sizes, Sustainability Report Card scores

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12. 12 50.86 - 57.08 USA students Hawcroft and Milfont, 2010 Comparisons with Other Studies 56.88 Pre-Survey 57.14 Post-Survey Range = +15 (weak ecological worldview) to +75 (strong ecological worldview)

13. 13 NEP Scores and Demographic Characteristics FemalesMalesBusiness Majors Non- Business Majors Western Regions Non- Western Regions NEP Score 15 25 35 45 55 65 75

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15. 15 Human ingenuity will insure that we do NOT make the earth unlivable (4) Humans will eventually learn enough about how nature works to control it (14) Human have the right to modify the natural world to suit their needs (2) The so-called “ecological crisis” facing humankind has been greatly exaggerated (10) The earth has plenty of natural resources if we just learn how to develop them (6) 1 = Strongly agree, 2 = Mildly agree, 3 = Unsure, 4 = Mildly disagree, 5 = strongly disagree. Error bars represent 95% confidence intervals. Greater disagreement with even-numbered items indicates greater acceptance of the NEP. Shifts in Pre- and Post-Survey Environmental Attitudes 012345 Pre-Survey Post-Survey Anti-Exemption Anti-Anthropomorphism Eco-Crisis Limits

16. 16 Change in NEP Scores and Report Card Grades Mean Change in NEP Score -6.00 -4.00 -2.00 0.00 2.00 4.00 6.00 Below AverageAverageAbove Average Sustainability Report Card Grades

17. 17 Summary Around-the-world sustainability-themed voyage Learning objective = changed worldview Integrated curricular and co-curricular activities Survey evidenceBehavioral evidenceAnecdotal evidence

18. 18 “Now, let me share with you one word, “sustainability” … I cannot possibly share with you all that I have learned about our environmentally twisted planet from these past four months but I can give you a summary. We’re on the wrong track. The state of this planet both environmentally and socially is heading down a road that we probably shouldn’t be on … Environmentally, the planet is heating up. Like a bowl of microwaveable Easy-Mac, bad things happen when you let it get too hot. To identify only a few concerns from the extensive list of issues, waters are rising, extinction is becoming too common, and many lives, both human and not, are at risk.

19. 19 “Each day in the classroom we were pummeled and overwhelmed with information regarding the unstable conditions of our planet. We saw current problems, potential future ones, and learned of catastrophic possibilities. I won’t lie to you -- we didn’t stop global warming. We didn’t eradicate hunger or end poverty. In fact, we may have only shot one tiny bullet in this battle for the improvement of our planet. But as the old saying goes, “knowledge is power!” It is. Trust me. What we learned from this program was all the weapons and coat of arms we need to have a chance in winning this fight. By arming us with knowledge for both now and the future, 586 students disembarked yesterday with a firm grasp on what needs to be done to support the soil we stand on.” -- Chris Constantine http://chrisconstantinesas.blogspot.com/2010_05_01_archive.html

20. Environmental Attitudes in Germany and the USA US business students will be less likely to support the NEP than German business students; neither group will strongly support the NEP American students will express more support for the DSP tenets of human exemptionalism, exaggeration of ecocrises, and anthropocentrism The difference between the two groups on the issue of limits to human growth will be less distinct John Locke, 1632-1704Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 1712-1778 Sarah Peterson, Harrison Award (2010-11)

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22. 22 White, M. A., Abel, D. & A. Predmore (2011). Transformative Sustainability Education in a Shipboard Living-learning Community. Forthcoming in World Trends in Education for Sustainable Development, W. Leal, Ed., Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang. White, M. A., Predmore, A. and D. Abel. (2011). Effectiveness of a Seagoing Global Immersion Program in Fostering Ecological Awareness. Working paper. Under review at the Journal of Environmental Education Dunlap, R. E., & van Liere, K. D. (1978). The ‘New Environmental Paradigm’: A Proposed Measuring Instrument and Preliminary Results. Journal of Environmental Education, 9, 10- 19. Dunlap, R. E., van Liere, K. D., Mertig, A. G., & Jones, R. E. (2000). Measuring Endorsement of the New Ecological Paradigm: A Revised NEP Scale. Journal of Social Issues, 56(3), 425-442. Hawcroft, L. J., & Milfont, T. L. (2010). The Use (and Abuse) of the New Environmental Paradigm Scale over the Last 30 years: A Meta-Analysis. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30, 143-158. If You’d Like to Learn More...

23. 23 Mark White, University of Virginia Dan Abel, Coastal Carolina University Amy Predmore, Charlottesville Erin Webb, Commerce/ETP ’12 Sarah Peterson, Politics ’11 23 Sustainability at Sea: Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes Version 1-8