c onnecting e nvironmentalism to d emocracy through e nvironmental s tewardship dana r. fisher...
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CONNECTING ENVIRONMENTALISM TO DEMOCRACY THROUGH ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
Dana R. FisherDirector, Program for Society and the EnvironmentProfessor of Sociology, University of [email protected]@Fisher_DanaR
FUNDED BY: USDA FOREST SERVICE NORTHERN RESEARCH STATION AND US NSF ULTRA-EX GRANT DEB-0948451
2How does participating in environmental stewardship (like helping to plant a million trees) strengthen the roots of democracy?
Who participates in volunteer stewardship in our nation’s cities?
Are these types of activities related to other kinds of environmental and civic participation?
How does the organizational structure of the activity relate to the nature of civic participation?
Studying Urban Initiatives Aim to plant trees and
increase the canopy
Involves Public/private partnerships NYC and NY Restoration
Project: Million Trees NYC
DC and Casey Trees
Philadelphia and Pennsylvania Horticulturalist Society: Plant One Million Campaign
Explicit role for citizen volunteers to plant the trees and steward them in different capacities
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4Varied Organizational Structures Central coordination in New York City
NGO Management through Casey Trees and citizen foresters in DC
Indigenous structure of local groups in Philadelphia
5Studying Volunteer Stewardship In person survey of volunteers
Random selection from among the eligible adult volunteers in NYC (Philadelphia and Washington DC)
Response rate was very high
92.7% in NYC
98.7% in DC
?? In Philadelphia
Follow-up telephone interview with stratified sample
6Geography of Survey Respondents(Home Zip Codes)
Civic Action
Percent of Philly Steward
s
Percent D.C.
Stewards
Percent NYC
Steward
Percent US Pop
Signed a petition 71.1% 64% 54.9% 35.2%
Contacted an elected government representative
44.6% 44% 36.1% 22.3%
Attended a public, town, community board, or school meeting
57.8% 41% 39.5% 24%
Participated in a protest 7.2% 20% 12.8% *
6.1%
Contacted the Media to Express Views 24.1% 25.2% 19.0% 5.1%
Gave a speech 18.1% 26% 21.7% 4.4%
Held or ran for public office 2.4%* 1%* 6.5% .7%
Engaged in political discussion on the Internet 13.3% 28% 13.5% 5.4%
Worked for a political party 13.3% 11% 6.5% 18.7%
Comparison of Civic Engagement for Survey Respondents and National Sample Data
* Indicates NOT statistically significant.
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8What Comes First??
Excluding voting and religious activities, environmental stewardship precedes the development of democratic citizenship
There is a reciprocal relationship between stewardship and civic engagement
Those who were active stewards for longer have also been more civically engaged for longer
9Why do they do it?
“It’s always been important to me because I feel better, I feel healthier. I feel like I contribute something….I grew up on the Lower East Side where so many buildings were burned out or abandoned …that’s why I got involved with community gardens. So, that’s where it all started” (Maria, 52 years-old).
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Digging in the Dirt Strengthens the Roots of Democracy• In an era of financial strain, these hybrid
arrangements are playing a significant role in re-greening urban areas.
• Environmental stewardship serves as a gateway into democratic practice
• Environmental stewardship and civic engagement are deeply intertwined—in terms of individuals personal identities and associational lives.
• Organizational form of mobilizing structure may contribute to longer term differences in both civic participation and environmental outcomes (urban tree canopy etc.)
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Selected ResourcesFisher, Dana R., Erika S. Svendsen, and James J.T. Connolly. 2015 . Urban
Environmental Stewardship and Civic Engagement: How Planting Trees Strengthens the Roots of Democracy. Routledge Press. http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415723633/
Fisher, Dana R., Erika S. Svendsen, Joseph Waggle, Anya M. Galli, Sarah Low. 2015. “Under the Green Umbrella: A Census of Civic Environmental Stewardship Organizations in the City of Philadelphia.” PSE Whitepaper. Spring.
Fisher, Dana R. and Erika S. Svendsen. (2013). “Hybrid Arrangements within the Environmental State.” Routledge International Handbook of Social and Environmental Change. Lockie, Sonnenfeld and Fisher (eds). Routledge Press. 179-189.
Connolly, J. J., Svendsen, E. S., Fisher, D. R., & Campbell, L. K. (2012). Organizing urban ecosystem services through environmental stewardship governance in New York City. Landscape and Urban Planning, 1–9.
Fisher, D. R., Campbell, L. K., & Svendsen, E. S. (2012). The organisational structure of urban environmental stewardship. Environmental Politics, 37-41.