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Planet U: Sustaining the World, Reinventing the University
Planet U places the university at the forefront of the sustainability movement. Questioning the university’s ability to equip society to deal with today’s serious challenges such as economic growth, democratic citizenship and planetary survival, it calls for a new social movement to take a lead in reforming the university. The book reviews the university’s 900-year history from medieval religious philosopher, to Renaissance nation-builder, to its modern function as training grounds for the world’s managerial class and the world’s largest industry. It examines diverse campus initiatives across North America and Europe and their traditional concerns of green buildings, renewable energy and transportation demand management. But it also demonstrates the promise for social and ecological progress open to the “planetary university” once the university takes its place seriously and discovers its new to create diverse models of local and global innovation centered around tough new questions about what universities — and their societies — can • How might the university help move us to a post-automobile, energy-saving society?
• How might universities help refashion the city to be sustainable?
• How might universities be governed for sustainability? Lively, engaging and perfectly timed for the UN Decade for Sustainability in Education launched in 2005, Planet U will have wide appeal. Michael M’Gonigle , Professor and Eco-Research Chair of Environmental Law and Policy at the University of Victoria, is a co-founder of Greenpeace International and has published widely on sustainability issues. Justine Starke is a Research Associate in the POLIS Project on Ecological Governance at the University of Victoria.
• How might universities help refashion the city to be sustainable?
• How might universities be governed for sustainability? Lively, engaging and perfectly timed for the UN Decade for Sustainability in Education launched in 2005, Planet U will have wide appeal. Michael M’Gonigle , Professor and Eco-Research Chair of Environmental Law and Policy at the University of Victoria, is a co-founder of Greenpeace International and has published widely on sustainability issues. Justine Starke is a Research Associate in the POLIS Project on Ecological Governance at the University of Victoria.
288 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 12, 2009
yes, cheesy title, but a stunningly good book both from the theory and history side as well as practical guide for those looking to transform universities in pursuit of social and environmental sustainability. Having read a fair amount of sustainability blah blah and being somewhat informed on the corporate university etc., i was surprised by their analysis of the uniqueness of the university and why this uniqueness (despite recent "corporatization") makes the university as a type of institution: in short, because it buys so much, drastically impacts the traffic and transportation systems that feed it, employs a variety of persons, contains bushels of young humans, and oh yeah contains dozens of fragmented cannisters of knowing, a few of which could be seriously useful but most of which feed the majorly unsustainable planetary work/accumulation machine.
Their theoretical innovation is in their use the concept of "territoriality", the U. should be "place based", and construct community ownership and management of its planning and knowledge production. most U's now of course are "deterritorialized" and proud of it: the best academics jet set around, students study abroad, and departments bear no direct relationship the adjacent communities. There are some exceptions to this of course with what is called "place based learning", and that can be built upon. But anyways, check this work out if this topic seems important.
Their theoretical innovation is in their use the concept of "territoriality", the U. should be "place based", and construct community ownership and management of its planning and knowledge production. most U's now of course are "deterritorialized" and proud of it: the best academics jet set around, students study abroad, and departments bear no direct relationship the adjacent communities. There are some exceptions to this of course with what is called "place based learning", and that can be built upon. But anyways, check this work out if this topic seems important.
April 17, 2012
In this wonderful engaging book Michael M'Gonigle and Justine Starke bring their copious knowledge of the University of Victoria, its history, culture, structure, and potential, to bear on an engagement with both the history of universities in general, and their possible future. The result is a book which challenges and rewards the reader by combining cutting edge environmental innovation (both in engineering and governance) with a thorough and altogher enjoyable presentation of the university's people and history.
Importantly, this is more than a book about the University of Victoria, in British Columbia, Canada; it is more than a book about universities, although much is learned about them through this book; it is an odessy which takes seriously our present ecologically precarious situation on this planet with an eye to showing how universities can be transformative spaces of learning and action which create wonderful future possibilities and realities.
If you are interested in Universities, Institutional Governance, Local Activism, Ecological Building and Planning: including green energy, waste water recycling and more; Learning and Teaching or desire to read a positive yet realistic book that challenges you to see the world in a new (and hopefull!) light, then this book is for you.
Importantly, this is more than a book about the University of Victoria, in British Columbia, Canada; it is more than a book about universities, although much is learned about them through this book; it is an odessy which takes seriously our present ecologically precarious situation on this planet with an eye to showing how universities can be transformative spaces of learning and action which create wonderful future possibilities and realities.
If you are interested in Universities, Institutional Governance, Local Activism, Ecological Building and Planning: including green energy, waste water recycling and more; Learning and Teaching or desire to read a positive yet realistic book that challenges you to see the world in a new (and hopefull!) light, then this book is for you.
April 6, 2011
There were some really great concepts and ideas in this book, some of which got me really excited. I love the idea of "incremental radicalism" in terms of sustainable changes.
"It is time for the university to negotiate a new social contract."
That line was just *so* powerful to me.
"It is time for the university to negotiate a new social contract."
That line was just *so* powerful to me.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews