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Purpose
The Institute for Nature and Culture has been created by DePaul University to foster collaboration among the disciplines and among researchers, conservation practitioners and the general public on behalf of our environmental future. Building on widely respected programs in Environmental Science, Urban Ecology and Public Policy, and reflecting the University's long-standing commitment to the Chicago community, the Institute is a response both to what we regard as a crisis of vision and leadership within environmentalism and to the opportunities represented by the emerging disciplines of urban ecology and environmental restoration pioneered in the Chicago metropolitan area. |
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Mission The mission of the Institute is to develop a new environmentalism capable of providing the means for negotiating a healthy, sustainable relationship between humans and the rest of nature. Stepping back to question and appraise environmental practice and thinking from new directions, the Institute is undertaking an ambitious program of research, education and public participation that will provide leadership in the urgent task of setting environmentalism on a new course during the critical decade just ahead. Vision Our vision is to be: A center for advanced study, experimentation and practice relevant to the relationship between humans and their environment. A widely available, respected source of information, ideas and insights, and a forum for the exchange of ideas at the leading edge of environmental thinking and practice. What makes us different? An entrepreneurial style, seeing problems as opportunities, seeking solutions outside the box, taking risks and fostering a vision of the work of conservation, not as an expense but as a source of wealth. Our emphasis on collaborative, trans-disciplinary work, recognizing the role of practitioners and citizens as well as researchers in the development and evaluation of ideas and practices, and fostering public participation in every aspect of our work, including the posing of questions and the testing and refining of ideas. Our focus on the city as the most challenging, but also the most promising, context in which to work out the terms of our relationship with nature--the Yellowstone Park and Kitty Hawk of a new environmentalism. A critical perspective on environmental thinking and practice based on our inter-disciplinary commitments and our work in the fields of urban ecology and ecological restoration. When we talk about a "new environmentalism," what we have in mind is not merely expansion of the environmental constituency, but a thorough-going, radical questioning of environmentalism itself at the most basic and the most practical levels. Cost effective approach, recognizing the wealth of resources available for the development and implementation of ideas about the environment. We have deliberately conceived the Institute as organizationally modest, working principally through partnerships and collaborations to minimize organizational effort and expense. Accomplishments In the first year of its existence the Institute and its staff have: • Sponsored a national colloquium to evaluate claims made for the ecological and social benefits of natural landscaping • Collaborated with our partners to launch a program of retreats based on the experience of ecological restoration • Created a travel award supporting the work of faculty and staff members engaged in projects related to the mission of the Institute. • Initiated a program of public discussions leading up the Nature and Culture Forum DePaul sponsors each year for Earth Week. Ongoing Projects • Inventory and evaluation of land-management efforts in natural areas in the greater Chicago region. Prof. Liam Heneghan is principle investigator for this project, which has received funding from several regional and federal sources. • Field research on invasive species such as buckthorn, garlic mustard and Eurasian earthworms to characterize the problems they pose for restoration and management, to evaluate conventional methods of control and to test alternative methods. Principle investigator: Prof. Liam Heneghan. • Research agendas. This is a multi-organizational program to identify factors limiting progress toward the objectives of the Chicago Wilderness Coalition and to identify and prioritize relevant research in a variety of disciplines. Natural Sciences: Coordinators for this phase of the research agenda project are Prof. Heneghan and Lauren Umek at DePaul and Chris Mulvaney with the Chicago Wilderness Coalition. This phase should be completed by Fall, 2006, when it will be available online at http://condor.depaul.edu/~lumek/CWRA.pdf Social Sciences: Concentrating on the people side of the nature/culture story, this study is being coordinated by Lynn Westphal in the North Central Research Station of the U.S. Forest Service in Evanston, Carol Saunders with the Brookfield Zoo, and Institute Executive Council member Barbara Willard. Upcoming In addition to the core program and projects already underway, we will be launching several new projects during the two-year period beginning January 1, 2006: Creation and Re-creation--As the idea and practice of ecological restoration have spread around the world in recent years it has become clear that "restoration," though a universal idea, is understood in very different ways in different cultures. We are currently engaged in a series of conversations to develop a plan for a cross-cultural exploration of the idea of restoration, including related--or component--ideas such as ideas of time, change, representation and authenticity. We welcome contributions to this conversation, and encourage anyone who is interested to contact INC Co-director, Dr. William R. Jordan III at newacademy@comcast.net (815-337-6896). Foundations of Conduct--An exploration of ideas regarding values, value-creation and conscience formation and their relevance to behavior with respect to other species and the environment, including ideas developed by literary critic Frederick Turner. We are in the initial stages of planning for this program, but welcome opportunities to share ideas with colleagues interested in exploring these issues. Contact Dr. Jordan, newacademy@comcast.net (815-337-6896). Who We Are The INC Executive Council acts as governing body for the Institute, reporting to the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Current members of the Council are: Liam Heneghan, Environmental Science, (Co-director) William R. Jordan, The New Academy for Nature and Culture, (Co-director) Barbara Willard, Communication Randy Honold, Philosophy and LA&S Lauren Umek, Environmental Science The Advisory Board works with the Executive Council of INC to plan events and advise on the development of INC policy and objectives. Current members are: Hugh Bartling, Public Policy Studies Judy Bramble, Environmental Science Jim Fairhall, English Steve Harp, Art & Art History Patrick McHaffie, Geography Pat Monaghan, School for New Learning Jim Montgomery, Environmental Science Tom Murphy, Environmental Science Lynn Narasimhan, Associate Dean, LA&S Kay Read, Religious Studies Christine Skolnik, English Kelly Tzoumis, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dolores Wilber, Art & Art History Partners In addition to partnerships we develop on a project-by-project basis, the Institute develops more-formal relationships with organizations on behalf of long-term collaboration related to a shared mission. We currently have two such partners: The New Academy for Nature and Culture Created by Institute Co-director William R. Jordan III, The New Academy focuses on the development of ecological restoration, complementing the InstituteÕs broader mission on behalf of urban ecology. The McHenry County Conservation District MCCD manages nearly 20,000 acres of conservation lands in one of the seventh-fastest growing counties in the United States, and is working with both the INC and the New Academy to develop a program of retreats based on the experience of ecological restoration. In addition to contributing to the development of the District's volunteer and public outreach programs, the retreat program will serve as a laboratory for the development of restoration as a form of outdoor recreation and a new way for Americans to "use" the natural landscape. |
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