Sustainability

City of Greater Geelong Environmental Management Strategy

BarrettBrown — Fri, 03 Aug 2025 04:49:37 GMT

By Paul Barnard

Keywords: environmental sustainability, values and behaviours, relationships, treatments, risk analysis, integral approach, survey instruments, strategic applications, leadership style, 360 degree views, community engagement, corporate governance, capacity, feedback loops, continuous improvement, triple bottom line, community ownership, interdependent reality, best practice, intrinsic motivation, aspirational excellence.

Abstract: This report supports a corporately driven continuous improvement program to evaluate the on-going effectiveness and implementation of an organization’s Environmental Management Strategy (EMS). The EMS is the principal strategy document that supports the triple bottom line approach of orientating businesses to best practice and sustainable environmental, social and economic values and outcomes. In its own right it is a comprehensive analysis and plan to address existing environmental challenges and is supported by a team of specialists within the organisation. The report chronicles the development and relative success of past strategies, the incorporation of community feedback and the merits of adopting an international auditing standard for environmental issues. By far, the most revealing integral aspect is the ‘health systems check’ that deals with the current competency and capacity to deliver the EMS, based on the intention, behaviours, cultural mindset and shared actions and systems in place. A significant component of the enquiry methodology and report presentation are based on the AQAL four- quadrant approach to enable the issues to be reflected in their complex and interdependent reality, encouraging the development of more sophisticated strategies and remedial treatments. The EMS is only effective when the people (internal and external stakeholders) develop positive relationships and transparent and accountable processes to implement the actions from the high level strategy. A visual integral presentation of the results powerfully displays opportunities for improvement. The results reflect the importance of paying attention to all four quadrants as they arise. Management has comprehensive, reliable data and an effective tool to engage everyone in a positive dialogue for the best way forward. [Co-Director’s note: This piece addresses the quadrants aspect of Integral Theory. – Barrett]

Integral Sustainability Application: Surf Coast Wildfire Tourism Engagement

iiadmin — Tue, 17 Apr 2025 20:14:22 GMT

By Paul Barnard

Keywords: human behaviours, representative samples, emergencies, wildfire, sustainability, treatments, risk analysis, integral approach, survey instruments, tourist industry, accommodation providers, strategic applications, local solutions, community engagement, capacity, feedback loops, community ownership, interdependent reality, modern communications, emergency forewarnings, bushfire.

This document is a case study to determine integrated risk treatments for the specific dynamics of transient populations (tourists) and their interface with wildfire. The enquiry methodology and report presentation are based on the AQAL four- quadrant approach to enable the issues to be reflected in their complex and interdependent reality, encouraging the development of more sophisticated strategies.

South- eastern Australia, and the state of Victoria are amongst the most fire prone areas in the world. Resident and tourist populations in these fire prone areas have some significant differences for types of information, emergency forewarnings and their possible responses to wildfire. Compared to the support for residents, there has been relatively little research in Australia as to strategies and treatments that can be adopted to enhance personal safety for tourists and other transients. Accommodation providers in these areas derive significant income from tourism. The summer bushfire season in coastal areas is the peak time for providers and visitation and providers are keen to add value to their visitors stay while also encouraging prudent awareness of the wildfire danger. Conducting community workshops highlighted the importance of public and private sector partnerships to develop a wide range of strategic and localized treatments.

The case study provides a model that can be extrapolated to other areas of Victoria to enable a customized and integrated response to the problem.

The Four Worlds of Sustainability: Drawing Upon Four Universal Perspectives to Support Sustainability Initiatives

iiadmin — Fri, 23 Feb 2025 21:46:42 GMT

By: Barrett Brown

The quadrants element of the Integral framework developed by Ken Wilber is introduced in the context of sustainability. The quadrants represent lenses with which to better understand any occurrence; they reveal dynamics and forces in the interiors and exteriors of individuals and collectives. Together, they offer a map of psychology, behavior, culture, and systems. After tracing the philosophical lineage of the quadrants, numerous practical examples of a quadrant analysis by sustainability practitioners are offered. The quadrants can be used in three key ways for sustainability: to organize sustainability information, to diagnose the challenges facing a sustainability initiative, and to prescribe an integrated solution that accounts for all the major dynamics at play. The results from recent research—a quadrant analysis—of eight popular sustainability books are shared, quantitatively showing which aspects of reality these books privilege, and discussing the reasons therein. The article ends with guidelines for doing a more complex quadrant analysis, including the introduction of a creative problem solving methodology called Q-DyTS.

Q-DyTS Problem Solving Process for Sustainability Initiatives

iiadmin — Tue, 03 Oct 2025 00:07:01 GMT

By: Barrett Brown

There are many problem solving methodologies available. This is an intermediate-level methodology based upon working with the quadrants element of Integral theory. The last page offers an advanced approach.

Animations & Web Movies that Cultivate Care for the Environment and Human Development

iiadmin — Mon, 02 Oct 2025 23:55:35 GMT

By: Barrett Brown

Keywords: sustainable development, integral, integrally-informed, animation, flash, video, multimedia, communication, movie, web movie, Ken Wilber, sustainability, international development, developmental psychology, communications psychology

Different value systems resonate with different communications, and different types of communication. With respect to sustainable development, this document attempts to reference some of the best flash films, web movies, and animations publicly available on the Internet which attempt to motivate people to take care of the environment, take political action around a sustainability or human development issue, or educate the public about these issues. [Co-Director's note: This list refers to the developmental levels and developmental lines (values) elements of Integral Theory, but does not offer a precise analysis of which value systems each of the multimedia pieces appear to be communicating to. - Barrett]

The Samsara Stuff

iiadmin — Mon, 02 Oct 2025 23:39:12 GMT

By: Michael Zimmerman

Keywords: Integral Ecology, sustainability, environmentalism, noosphere, biosphere, hierarchy, desire, addiction, quadrants

Michael Zimmerman discusses the important notion for sustainability practitioners that social and environmental issues are getting worse and better simultaneously. There is no absolute worse or better, and to operate in a healthy fashion, it is important to recognize this paradox. [Co-Director's note: this asset addresses the quadrants element of Integral Theory. - Barrett]

Span and Depth

iiadmin — Mon, 02 Oct 2025 23:38:37 GMT

By: Michael Zimmerman

Keywords: Integral Ecology, sustainability, depth, span, biosphere, noosphere, humans, transcend, include, obligation, dependence, quadrants

Michael Zimmerman introduces the concept of “depth versus span.” As creatures of the noosphere, we are not restricted to the biosphere in the ways other mammals are – we have a sense of the future, suffer from addictions, and can manipulate our environment extensively. Because of our ability to transcend the biosphere, we have an obligation to keep it healthy. [Co-Director's note: this asset addresses the quadrants element of Integral Theory. - Barrett]

Killing Bacteria, Is it Wrong

iiadmin — Mon, 02 Oct 2025 23:37:48 GMT

By: Michael Zimmerman

Keywords: Integral Ecology, sustainability, depth, span, bacteria, noosphere, biosphere, value, importance, quadrants, transcend, include

Michael Zimmerman continues to tease out the relationship between the biosphere and the noosphere through discussing how humans and other organisms can be categorized by value. Although humans require the presence of bacteria, because bacteria are more fundamental to the biosphere, humans can be considered more valuable in that they transcend and include the biosphere. [Co-Director’s note: this asset addresses the quadrants element of Integral Theory. – Barrett]

What does Modernity do with Consciousness

iiadmin — Mon, 02 Oct 2025 23:37:04 GMT

By: Michael Zimmerman

Keywords: Integral Ecology, sustainability, consciousness, interiority, modernity, flatland, quadrants, nested being, environmentalism, noosphere, biosphere

Michael Zimmerman discusses the depth of the noosphere and how modernity considers interiority. Consciousness or internal experience is reduced by modernity to external scientifically observable behavior. The value of consciousness is slighted because it is subjective, its expressions have no value. A stumbling block for environmentalists is the juxtaposition that the noosphere contains the biosphere, because an environmentalist tendency is to say that humans, and therefore consciousness, are part of the biosphere. [Co-Director’s note: this asset regards the quadrants element of Integral Theory. – Barrett]

We Can't Kill the Planet

iiadmin — Mon, 02 Oct 2025 23:36:07 GMT

By: Michael Zimmerman

Keywords: Integral Ecology, sustainability, Gaia hypothesis, ecology, biosphere, physiosphere, relationship, social holon, physics, mysticism, quadrants

Michael Zimmerman discusses the relationship between the earth and the organisms which inhabit it. According to the Gaia hypothesis, organisms control elements of the biosphere and physiosphere, such as the earth’s surface temperature, the mineral content of the ocean, and the gaseous content of the atmosphere, in order to maintain life-friendly conditions. [Co-Director's note: this asset addresses the following element of Integral Theory: quadrants - Barrett]

**note requires an active Integral Naked account.

We're not in Gaia, She's in Us

iiadmin — Mon, 02 Oct 2025 23:35:13 GMT

By: Michael Zimmerman

Keywords: Integral Ecology, sustainability, transcend, include, social holons, individual holons, biosphere, noosphere, interiority, Gaia, micro, macro, ecofascism, ecocentrism, environmental values, quadrants

Is Gaia really an absolute whole that everything else is a part of? In this video clip, Michael Zimmerman discusses the concepts of individual and social holons as non-reductionistic means to understanding the relationship between the biosphere and noosphere. Ecofascism is also discussed, as an example of how environmental values can appear and be applied within negative contexts. [Co-Director's note: this asset addresses the following elements of Integral Theory: quadrants. It also focuses on the concepts of holons and holarchy. - Barrett]

**note requires an active Integral Naked account

Eye of the Storm: An Integral Perspective on Sustainable Development and Climate Change Response

iiadmin — Mon, 02 Oct 2025 23:32:53 GMT

By: Chris Riedy

Keywords: integral sustainability, sustainable development, integral theory, Ken Wilber, futures studies, sustainable futures, Australia, energy policy, climate policy, climate change, behavioural development, social development, system development, psychological development, cultural development, integral methodological pluralism, greenhouse gas emissions, autopoiesis, social autopoiesis, energy subsidies, transport subsidies, Dryzek, causal layered analysis, developmental psychology, developmental levels, developmental lines, developmental stages, quadrants

In this thesis, I explore the implications of integral theory for sustainable development and climate change response. Integral theory seeks to integrate objective and subjective perspectives using a developmental orientation. It addresses issues of subjectivity that have received inadequate attention in mainstream approaches to sustainable development, while also providing theoretical grounding for the developmental aspect of sustainable development. According to integral theory, there are four main epistemological approaches to any problem: behavioural, systemic, psychological and cultural. The first is objective and individual, the second objective and collective, the third subjective and individual and the fourth subjective and collective. Development occurs within each of these realms. To test the value and implications of integral theory for sustainable development, I adopt a case study on climate change response in Australia. I begin the case study by using the four perspectives of integral theory to guide a review of the energy and climate change literature. I follow the literature review with a critical review of Australian energy and greenhouse policy, providing the starting point for development of an integral climate change response. While there is attention to subjectivity in the literature, it is not reflected in Australian policy practices. An objective perspective and an instrumental form of rationality dominate policy. In the literature review, I identify two gaps in the literature that deserve attention. The first is the role of public subsidies in creating the observed cost differential between renewable energy sources and fossil fuel energy. I examine the relative magnitude of subsidies to fossil fuels and renewable energy in the Australian energy and transport sectors and conclude that the distribution of these subsidies distorts the market in favour of fossil fuels, particularly in the transport sector. The second is the application of a developmental perspective to cultural theories of climate policy discourse. I introduce a method called meta-discourse analysis to identify consistencies and relationships across discourse descriptions by different authors and demonstrate that aspects of each discourse can be related developmentally. Drawing on the literature review, policy review and other work, I propose an integral policy response to climate change that could be applied in Australia. The policy response combines participatory integrated assessment, normative futures work, a modified version of the cooperative discourse model for public participation, an evolutionary policy orientation and several methods to promote subjective development. The proposed policy approach should be equally applicable to other sustainable development issues. [Co-Director's note: This is the most comprehensive inquiry into Integral Sustainability to date. I cannot recommend a more clear and cogent document outlining the core of this work. The author addresses the following elements of Integral Theory: quadrants, eight native perspectives, developmental levels, developmental lines, and types. He also identifies a number of tools that are useful for any Integral Sustainability practitioner's toolkit. The link allows you to download it in three parts. Enjoy! - Barrett]

Integral Geography: Space, Place and Perspective

iiadmin — Mon, 02 Oct 2025 23:31:44 GMT

By: Brian Eddy

Keywords: AQAL; ecosystems modeling; GIS; holons; Integral Geography; mapping; perspectives

Considering the role of space and place in Integral Ecology is presented as the concept of Integral Geography. First, an ecological AQAL model is proposed to situate the diverse scientific disciplines used in geography, giving equal consideration for their respective contributions in knowledge and understanding of the world. Second, a model for incorporating perspectives provided in the arts and humanities is proposed in situating scientific understanding in relation to aesthetic and cultural aspects of “being and becoming.” Third, a Geographical Information System (GIS) based map model illustrates how biophysical and social realities can be viewed and analyzed from a geographical perspective as “Integral places.”

**note this article must be purchased

Integrating Interiority in Community Development

iiadmin — Mon, 02 Oct 2025 23:23:37 GMT

By: Gail Hochachka

Keywords: community development, expanding worldviews, Integral development, interiority, Jiquilisco Bay, El Salvador, psychological development, sustainable development, values, quadrants, developmental levels

This article explores Integral community development; an approach that integrates material needs (such as economic growth, resource management, and decision-making structures) and interior needs (such as cultural, spiritual, and psychological wellness). Including “interiority” in development is unique to conventional and alternative development practices, and analysis suggests it is necessary for sustainability. Integral community development works in three domains of action/application, dialogue/process, and self-growth/reflection, and recognizes the importance of changes in worldviews. Using this approach in a case study in El Salvador, research outcomes showed increased collaboration and self-reflection, where economic objectives merged with equality and environmental concerns. [Co-Director’s note: this article appears in World Futures, 61: 10-126, 2025. The following elements of Integral Theory are addressed: quadrants and developmental levels. – Barrett]

**note this article must be purchased

Finally, A Sustainability Program That Works

iiadmin — Mon, 02 Oct 2025 23:21:29 GMT

By: David Johnston

Keywords: Green Building, Denver Homebuilders Association, ecological footprints, Alameda County Waste Management Authority, quadrants, Hunter Lovins, Amory Lovins, Natural Capitalism, failure of green movement, value systems, Integral Sustainability, Paul Ray, cultural creatives, solar power, wind energy, General Electric, egocentric vs. ecocentric thinking, Bioneers Conference, Paul Hawken, Dupont, Clare Graves, tier-one warfare, second tier, developmental levels, developmental psychology, Ken Wilber

David Johnston—president of the green building firm What's Working and co-host of the Integral Sustainability domain of Integral University—is responsible for a pioneering use of the integral (AQAL) model to develop a green approach to residential construction in Alameda county (Oakland and Berkeley, CA). The first of its kind anywhere in the country, David’s model is currently being considered for adoption by California on a state-wide basis. In this riveting dialogue, David and Ken address the crucial question: why have so many sound environmental programs failed miserably to be adopted? This discussion outlines the overall perspective as well as the pragmatic steps of the integral approach to sustainability, while also highlighting the central reasons for the dramatic failures of so many alternative (if well-intentioned) programs. [Co-Director's note: David Johnston is a Co-Director of the Integral Sustainability Center. In this piece he addresses three elements of Integral Theory: quadrants, developmental levels, and developmental lines (values). - Barrett]