Beyond Sustainability

In Beyond Sustainability: A Thriving Environment, Delaney and Madigan approach the study of the environment from two academic disciplines - sociology and philosophy. Both sociologists and philosophers have concerns about our environment's ability to not only sustain itself, but also reach a point where it can actually thrive. It is especially important to take an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the environment. In this book we examine the differences between ""sustainability"" and ""thrivability"" and discuss such topics as sociological and philosophical environmentalism, the ecosystem, and mass extinctions. We provide a review of some of the major human causes (e.g., hydro-fracking, the use of plastics, food waste, deforestation, and poor agriculture practises), that will likely bring about the sixth mass extinction. We take a look at the skepticism toward humans as the cause of a deteriorating environment and detail nature's adverse role in harming the environment. We examine ways to help the environment thrive, and discuss the concept of ""environmental happiness."" Finally, we give reasons why choosing a thrivability approach is not only possible but beneficial, and discuss practical ways in which thrivability can be taught, both in academic settings such as in college courses, as well as through community efforts.