Social-Environmental Impacts of Design

Beyond the technical issues of renewable, sustainable energy, there are socio-economic , environmental and policy issues that must be understood and addressed. Why do some communities seem to be reluctant to accept renewable energy projects? What are the technical and policy barriers that prevent industries from implementing sustainable energy options?  What are the environmental trade-offs that must be reconciled as we transition to a low-carbon global energy system. Michelle Adams focuses her renewable energy research at the intersection of policy, technology and the society it affects, seeking to understand the barriers and enablers impacting renewable energy development and uptake. Hamid Afshari is developing frameworks and mathematical models to investigate the sustainability of innovative approaches to moving toward renewable energy supply chains such as hydrogen, industrial symbiosis, and waste-to-energy systems. Stanley Asah’s research interests and practices are in the domain of understanding and influencing human and organizational behaviors. He uses social-psychological principles and complex adaptive system approaches to inform efforts (direct action, policies, etc.) to initiate, direct, and sustain (promote) pro-environmental behaviors. Karen Foster's research focuses on the sustainability of rural life in Atlantic Canada, with a particular emphasis on how government policy and everyday life intersect. Kate Sherren studies how landscape change influences stakeholder perspectives of energy options. Chad Walker’s interdisciplinary environmental research is centered around issues of justice, equity, and support for low-carbon transitions. Alana Westwood focuses on responsible, ethical co-production of research for natural resource management and communicating across the science-policy barrier. She provides training to personnel in the LES cluster to support responsible work with policy impact.