of the most globalized organizations—long before
economic globalization. From the perspective of individual scholars, the scholarly livelihood is traditionally
sustained through an examination of human and nonhuman natural systems. Natural environments serve as
a source of questions, experimental models, inspired
solutions, and places for testing hypotheses. For this
reasons scholars and campuses are frequently situated
in natural settings; symbols of knowledge have historically been tied to plants and animals (e.g., the tree of
knowledge in Genesis (2:17)). Unlike non-university
environments where environmental science is highly
contested (due, in part, to the disruptive implications of
findings on traditional industries and interest groups),
scholars are trained to accept well-supported, peer
reviewed findings and through collegial governance
are motivated to conform to environmental limits even
when other organizations do not (for example, limiting greenhouse gas emissions contributing to climate
change). University campuses are, in themselves, sufficiently large (akin to small towns or even cities) that,
in doing so, they can effectively model gradual or rapid
changes in livelihood and lifestyle, sustainable energy
production and consumption, and sustainable building
design for other communities. At the same time, given
the typical land area of universities, they have ample
room for experimentation with new forms of production that increase overall biomass and natural habitats
while generating new natural capitals for campus use.
Against these four criteria of Scoones (i–iv), universities seem to be a credible (if not ideal) location
for implementation of the SLA and the creation of a
new SSL identity.
4.2 Case Study of the University of Regina: How a
whole-institution, cultural, place-based,
approach can promote sustainable livelihoods
through campus living laboratories
The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals are a
roadmap for sustainability and well-being. As higher
education addresses sustainable development and the
SDGs, universities are impacted and transformed
through living laboratories. A university living lab
integrates academic teaching and research into campus
operations such as planning, infrastructure, and community engagement. The university’s campus is used
as a lab to test out new ideas, initiatives, and opportunities that may arise in a local/community context.
Students, staff, faculty, alumni, community members,
and organizations can come together to collaborate.
They also learn, from both successes and failures, and
in the latter case it can be argued that failures are just
as helpful to developing local strategies of responsible
consumption and production.
The paper will now illustrate the application of
a whole institution, place-based, living laboratory
approach in a case study of a comprehensive, midsize university, the University of Regina (U of R). The
U of R also includes three federated college partners:
First Nations University of Canada, Campion College
and Luther College (the last two have religious affiliations). Treaties between Indigenous peoples (First
Nations) and the British Crown (and later the Government of Canada) are formative documents in the
development of Canada as a country. The U of R campuses are located on Treaty 4 and Treaty 6 lands.
These are the territories of the nehiyawak (Cree),
Anishinapek (Saulteaux), Dakota, Lakota, and Nakota
nations, and the homeland of the Métis/Michif Nation
(University of Regina 2018). This connection is mentioned in relation to living labs and what Scoones refers
to as “appreciating the complexity of people in places
and…understanding of the wider, structural and relational dynamics that shape localities and livelihoods”
(Scoones 2015, p.113). The U of R has committed
to support truth and reconciliation with Indigenous
peoples, which involves responsibly sharing the lands
that the campus now sits on, establishing mutually
respectful relationships (University of Regina 2018),
and the University’s role in developing and applying
knowledge, space, and maintaining relationships with
Indigenous peoples and communities.
University of Regina “high level” livelihood
strategy: Institutional Strategic Plan
In June of 2020, the U of R’s Board of Governors
approved a five-year strategic plan entitled All Our
Relations: kahkiyaw kiwahkomakaninawak. The plan
reflects a broad cultural approach. The title acknowledges the interconnectedness of the University with
Indigenous peoples both in the use of Cree, one of
the languages of the peoples originally living on the
territory before the campus was built, and the centrality of maintaining good and healthy relationships
between individuals, communities, and humans and
other species and the land that are found in Indigenous
worldviews. The plan’s development was also culturally grounded in the University’s own context, being
led by a volunteer team of faculty, staff and students,
and engaged stakeholders (“students, faculty, alumni,
local communities, Indigenous Elders, industry partners, government representatives” and staff) through
broad forms of participation (such as town halls, focus
groups, world cafés, and other forms of consultation).
The resulting content of the plan reflects what people across the campus said that they wanted, based on
participation from more than 1,300 individuals. Such
engagement is similar to earlier open processes used by
the University for campus planning of operations in the
Campus Master Plan 2016, and sustainability activities and principles outlined in the President’s Advisory
Committee on Sustainability’s Strategic Plan for Sustainability: 2015–2020. These plans reflect varying
degrees of a whole institution, participatory approach
in generating interests and goals to be shared across
the entire university, and the role of volunteerism in
both their development and mobilizing participation
for their resulting implementation.
The resulting plan has five strategic priorities (these
“areas of focus” are “discovery,” “truth and reconciliation,” “well-being and belonging,” “environment
35
economic globalization. From the perspective of individual scholars, the scholarly livelihood is traditionally
sustained through an examination of human and nonhuman natural systems. Natural environments serve as
a source of questions, experimental models, inspired
solutions, and places for testing hypotheses. For this
reasons scholars and campuses are frequently situated
in natural settings; symbols of knowledge have historically been tied to plants and animals (e.g., the tree of
knowledge in Genesis (2:17)). Unlike non-university
environments where environmental science is highly
contested (due, in part, to the disruptive implications of
findings on traditional industries and interest groups),
scholars are trained to accept well-supported, peer
reviewed findings and through collegial governance
are motivated to conform to environmental limits even
when other organizations do not (for example, limiting greenhouse gas emissions contributing to climate
change). University campuses are, in themselves, sufficiently large (akin to small towns or even cities) that,
in doing so, they can effectively model gradual or rapid
changes in livelihood and lifestyle, sustainable energy
production and consumption, and sustainable building
design for other communities. At the same time, given
the typical land area of universities, they have ample
room for experimentation with new forms of production that increase overall biomass and natural habitats
while generating new natural capitals for campus use.
Against these four criteria of Scoones (i–iv), universities seem to be a credible (if not ideal) location
for implementation of the SLA and the creation of a
new SSL identity.
4.2 Case Study of the University of Regina: How a
whole-institution, cultural, place-based,
approach can promote sustainable livelihoods
through campus living laboratories
The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals are a
roadmap for sustainability and well-being. As higher
education addresses sustainable development and the
SDGs, universities are impacted and transformed
through living laboratories. A university living lab
integrates academic teaching and research into campus
operations such as planning, infrastructure, and community engagement. The university’s campus is used
as a lab to test out new ideas, initiatives, and opportunities that may arise in a local/community context.
Students, staff, faculty, alumni, community members,
and organizations can come together to collaborate.
They also learn, from both successes and failures, and
in the latter case it can be argued that failures are just
as helpful to developing local strategies of responsible
consumption and production.
The paper will now illustrate the application of
a whole institution, place-based, living laboratory
approach in a case study of a comprehensive, midsize university, the University of Regina (U of R). The
U of R also includes three federated college partners:
First Nations University of Canada, Campion College
and Luther College (the last two have religious affiliations). Treaties between Indigenous peoples (First
Nations) and the British Crown (and later the Government of Canada) are formative documents in the
development of Canada as a country. The U of R campuses are located on Treaty 4 and Treaty 6 lands.
These are the territories of the nehiyawak (Cree),
Anishinapek (Saulteaux), Dakota, Lakota, and Nakota
nations, and the homeland of the Métis/Michif Nation
(University of Regina 2018). This connection is mentioned in relation to living labs and what Scoones refers
to as “appreciating the complexity of people in places
and…understanding of the wider, structural and relational dynamics that shape localities and livelihoods”
(Scoones 2015, p.113). The U of R has committed
to support truth and reconciliation with Indigenous
peoples, which involves responsibly sharing the lands
that the campus now sits on, establishing mutually
respectful relationships (University of Regina 2018),
and the University’s role in developing and applying
knowledge, space, and maintaining relationships with
Indigenous peoples and communities.
University of Regina “high level” livelihood
strategy: Institutional Strategic Plan
In June of 2020, the U of R’s Board of Governors
approved a five-year strategic plan entitled All Our
Relations: kahkiyaw kiwahkomakaninawak. The plan
reflects a broad cultural approach. The title acknowledges the interconnectedness of the University with
Indigenous peoples both in the use of Cree, one of
the languages of the peoples originally living on the
territory before the campus was built, and the centrality of maintaining good and healthy relationships
between individuals, communities, and humans and
other species and the land that are found in Indigenous
worldviews. The plan’s development was also culturally grounded in the University’s own context, being
led by a volunteer team of faculty, staff and students,
and engaged stakeholders (“students, faculty, alumni,
local communities, Indigenous Elders, industry partners, government representatives” and staff) through
broad forms of participation (such as town halls, focus
groups, world cafés, and other forms of consultation).
The resulting content of the plan reflects what people across the campus said that they wanted, based on
participation from more than 1,300 individuals. Such
engagement is similar to earlier open processes used by
the University for campus planning of operations in the
Campus Master Plan 2016, and sustainability activities and principles outlined in the President’s Advisory
Committee on Sustainability’s Strategic Plan for Sustainability: 2015–2020. These plans reflect varying
degrees of a whole institution, participatory approach
in generating interests and goals to be shared across
the entire university, and the role of volunteerism in
both their development and mobilizing participation
for their resulting implementation.
The resulting plan has five strategic priorities (these
“areas of focus” are “discovery,” “truth and reconciliation,” “well-being and belonging,” “environment
35