The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) announced ‘Embedding sacred ecology in sustainability solutions: The role of post-secondary environmental science programs’, thesis research authored by Priscilla Costa Dos Santos, MESPOM alumna from CEU's Department of Environmental Sciences and Policy, as a finalist for a 2021 AASHE Sustainability Award in the campus sustainability research category, recognizing outstanding scholarship in higher education.
The AASHE Sustainability Awards provide global recognition to the individuals and organizations leading the higher education sustainability movement. With the help of volunteer judges, this program raises the visibility of high-impact projects, pioneering research, and student leadership that helps to disseminate innovations and inspire continued progress toward environmental, social and economic health.
The outstanding individuals and institutions recognized as finalists were selected based on overall impact, innovation, stakeholder involvement, clarity and other criteria specific to each award category. Winners will be celebrated during a virtual awards ceremony on Thursday, Dec. 9 at noon Eastern.
“The higher education sustainability community continues to show themselves as leaders in the global sustainability movement. This is never more evident than through the many entries received for the AASHE Sustainability Awards,” said Executive Director Meghan Fay Zahniser. “I am proud to recognize the innovation and leadership demonstrated by this year’s finalists.”
“Priscilla's research explores the potential contribution of environmental science programs in Canada that integrate traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) perspectives to sustainable solutions. It explores indigenization and decolonization of higher education as a contentious topic, including its contribution to a renewed perception of environmental ethics. The research shows that the ways in which relationships within and towards the environment are framed can address the origins of unsustainability,” said Laszlo Pinter, Head of CEU’s Department of Environmental Sciences and Policy, and Priscilla’s thesis supervisor.
Professor Aleh Cherp, MESPOM Coordinator at CEU, stressed that Priscilla wrote her thesis at the Erasmus Mundus Masters Degree in Environmental Sciences, Policy and Management (MESPOM), which CEU operates together with Lund University (Sweden), the University of the Aegean (Greece) and the University of Manchester (UK). “As a testimony of MESPOM's academic excellence, Priscilla's nomination makes the MESPOM community of over 500 students and alumni from over 80 countries very proud,” Professor Cherp concluded.
