Area of Focus: Culture and Sustainability

Created:Jan 6, 2007
Updated:Jan 14, 2008
Viewed:2166 times

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Culture and Sustainability

At times, cultural diversity has been a major barrier to the achieving of sustainable communities, national policies, or international agreements. Bridging cultural attitudes, even toward the meaning of sustainability or nature, can be challenging. In addition, many "cultures" are actually a mix of "subcultures" that may find it hard to find common ground on many issues of concern (e.g. family planning, male/female employment, diet, clitorectomy, gun control, hunting, material wealth). Finally, there are elite subcultures, especially in science, technology, and business, that may have little experience with sharing power and decision-making tasks that involve more than one kind of social group.

Education and conflict resolution have been two tools to try to overcome these barriers.

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Featured Resources

The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People are Changing the World

Featured Organizations

Network for a New Culture is a North American group that was originally inspired by the 9-year-old German community ZEGG. NFNC facilitates events and programs designed to help heal the wounds between men and women, between men and men, women and women, the individual and the community, and between the community and the Earth.

Pacific Intercultural Exchange has dedicated itself to breaking down barriers to communication and building bridges among the cultures of the world through the medium of international student exchange. P.I.E.-USA believes that only through knowledge can the fear of the unknown be eliminated and true cooperative unity be achieved.

Tags/Keywords

culture, race, social class, decision-making, sustainability, race relations, tolerance, conflict resolution, cultural elite, cultural diversity, long-term survival, racial healing, cultural biodiversity, hunting/gathering, ethnobiology

Quote

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"The Law of Raspberry Jam: the wider any culture is spread, the thinner it gets." -Alvin Toffler

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Related WiserEarth Portals

Education
Conflict Resolution
Cultural Diversity
Globalization Impacts
Human Rights and Natural Law
Cultural Heritage Conservation
Traditional Culture
Language Revitalization
Sustainability Education
Sustainability, Religious and Spiritual Issues
Advertising
Media and Communication

Comments (1 - 2 of 2)

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BHaskovec over 2 years ago

I am working on the issue of culture and sustainability for my Master's Thesis. I would love to talk with others interested in this topic. In particular, I am looking for academics, activists, and international development practitioners who are familiar with UNESCO's Convention on Cultural Diversity, transnational advocacy campaigns dealing with culture/sustainability, and culture as a tool for poverty reduction.