Toward an environmental cosmology: The power of vision, values, and participation in planning for sustainable development

Nearly two decades after the concept of sustainable development entered the environmental discourse, the term remains problematic. Some scholars question whether it has become nothing more than a vacuous buzzword or oxymoron. Others fear that improperly interpreted, sustainability could serve as a politically-correct veneer behind which conventional economic growth is pursued, perpetuating the already wide gap between the developed North and the developing South, as well as the growing gap between “have” and “have-nots” within modern, industrialized countries. These and other critiques reveal that sustainable development rests on contested terrain.; This research explores how sustainable development can be rehabilitated—at both the theoretical and practical level—to become the powerful organizing principle it has the potential to become. A critical examination of sustainability's theoretical foundation is undertaken in order to identify conceptual weaknesses and identify more robust alternatives.; This review demonstrates that many of the tacit assumptions that have come to define sustainability arise from a materialist cosmology that has The participatory worldview (Heron and Reason, 1997) is presented as a robust conceptual foundation with the capacity to bring much of life's multidimensionality back into the sustainability discourse. By prioritizing experiential knowledge and practical action in the service of human flourishing, the participatory worldview engages both scientific expert and ordinary citizen in collaborative partnerships to confront the complex challenges of sustainability.; A case study of the Lake County (Oregon) Sustainability Initiative explores how a more multidimensional conceptualization plays out “on the ground.” Local citizens are interviewed to learn how their engagement in a visioning process contributed to decision-making focused on revitalizing a steadily declining rural economy based on logging and ranching on federally owned forest and rangelands. Representatives from national environmental organizations, federal land management agencies, and local citizens joined in a partnership to chart a future for Lake County that serves the multiple interests at stake there while also preserving a way of life that holds deep meaning and value for the ordinary citizens of Lake County. Lake County is discussed as a model for other communities to emulate.