Eco-Capabilities as a Pathway to Wellbeing and Sustainability

Abstract

Eco-Capabilities is an AHRC funded project situated at the intersection of three issues: a concern with children’s wellbeing; their disconnect with the environment; and a lack of engagement with arts in school curricula. It builds on Amartya Sen’s work on human capabilities as a proxy for wellbeing, developing the term eco-capabilities to describe how children define what they feel they need to live a fully good human life through environmental sustainability, social justice and future economic wellbeing. A total of 101 children aged 7–10 from schools in highly deprived areas participated in eight full days of arts in nature practice. The study drew on arts based research methods, participatory observations, interviews and focus groups with artists, teachers and children. Findings suggest that arts in nature practice contributed towards eight (eco-)capabilities: autonomy; bodily integrity and safety; individuality; mental and emotional wellbeing; relationality: human/nonhuman relations; senses and imagination; and spirituality. This was facilitated through four pedagogical elements: extended and repeated arts in nature sessions; embodiment and engaging children affectively through the senses; ‘slowliness’, which envelops children with time and space to (re)connect; and thoughtful practice, which facilitates emotional expression. We suggest that, through these elements, arts in nature practice supports children’s wellbeing, and guides them towards a more entangled relationship with nature and a clearer understanding of themselves as part of it, thereby motivating them to take better care of it.

Perceptions of Sustainability among Children and Teachers: Problems revealed via the Lenses of Science Communication and Transformative Learning

“…The findings from the discussions with key stakeholders shed light on both challenges and opportunities in implementing environmental education within the school setting [33]. The identified weaknesses primarily revolve around time constraints, the perceived additional workload for teachers, and budget limitations affecting the school's environmental impact.…”

Linking sustainability and spirituality: A preliminary assessment in pursuit of a sustainable and ethically correct world

“…A search in notable databases such as Web of Science and Scopus returns over 200 and 300 published articles, respectively, with the words 'sustainability' and 'spirituality' together in titles, abstracts or keywords. Publications involving these topics significantly increased in the last few years, and the topics cover the connection with health and well-being (Gerhardt-Strachan, 2022;Triplett, 2022;Walshe et al, 2022), pro-environmental behaviour (Lestar, 2022;Muñoz-García and Villena-Martínez, 2020;Ramyar, 2021) and the relations between workplace spirituality and sustainability (Alomar et al, 2022;Iqbal et al, 2018;Rezapouraghdam , 2019). This investigation supports the development of further studies in this area, particularly with a focus on teaching and research and the role of higher education institutions.…”

Planting a seed: Sustainable education for students with Additional Support Needs

“…The Eco-Capabilities project (Walshe, Moula & Lee 2022) is designed to engage students with the arts, to develop their well-being through a connection with the environment. The project uses CA to allow the students to develop their agency to gain empowerment and determine their future.…”