Eric Pawson
Professor, Department of Geography
Sustainability is an essential component of geography – as Professor Eric Pawson explains, ‘it’s pretty central to how geographers understand and see the world.’
Eric teaches a number of courses at all levels which focus on sustainability. ‘I try to get people thinking about ways in which we might cope with and manage change. We cover a whole series of things from population growth and resource consumption through to climate change issues.’
‘I tend to use my teaching to explore the implications of some of these things, in the present or for the future.’
Eric encourages students interested in sustainability to consider geography, but also to take courses which have a group learning component. He says that sustainability education ‘should not focus just on the tangible issues, but very much on the human behaviour issues, and I think working with other people is a very good way of getting insights into that.’
Eric’s research interests have a strong environmental and historical focus. ‘I would have a longer time perspective on issues of human behaviour with respect to resources.’ Much of his work is interdisciplinary, working especially with historians. In 2006 he co-supervised a project with UC Sustainability Advocate Kate Hewson on the environmental history of the University of Canterbury Ilam campus.
Along with the academic aspects of sustainability, Eric agrees that practical measures are also important: ‘departmentally, we feel we have something important to contribute in this sort of area.’ Four years ago, as Head of Department he oversaw a scheme where staff members were trained in Natural Step methodology.
‘What that was designed to do was to encourage staff and students in geography to think through the wider implications of resource use at work. It focused particularly on recycling and on trying to minimise power usage. The recycling aspects of that still are still in full swing here today, so you won’t find an office in this building that has a rubbish bin, for instance, and we do actively recycle all our food waste and milk containers and cans and glass.’
He is also actively involved in incorporating sustainability into wider university practices, mainly through his role as a member of the working group on benchmarking. ‘One of the projects we have been looking at there is benchmarking for sustainability, and ways in which we can improve environmental practice through the use of appropriate benchmarking methodologies; in which for instance the university would compare itself with other agencies or public bodies or companies which are making good progress in this area.’