Researcher(s)
- Hope Gottschling, Environmental Studies, University of Delaware
Faculty Mentor(s)
- McKay Jenkins, English, University of Delaware
Abstract
As environmental crises continue to escalate, the need for sustainable solutions becomes ever more pressing. Although governing bodies possess the power to enact meaningful change, the constraints of political processes hinder their ability to adapt with the necessary immediacy. In these conditions, grassroots organizations serve as an experimental space where innovative ideas, frameworks, and systems can be modeled on a small scale. This research seeks to contribute to the existing literature on community-based environmental initiatives by focusing on specific projects in Delaware and Baltimore city through participation in Professor McKay Jenkins’ “Community Engagement and Ecological Restoration Internship.” By investigating the local impacts and influence of these projects in a summerlong field study, this research analyzes the significance of bottom-up initiatives and their potential to drive a paradigm shift.
During this research, quantitative data was collected to understand the measurable environmental and social outcomes that these initiatives produce. This assists in establishing the scale and relative success of the projects, providing an important analytical context. Furthermore, through conversation with those involved, this study has explored how these initiatives influence values and behaviors within communities. Collected stories provide anecdotal evidence about the cultural and structural effects that have emerged from local environmental projects. Most meaningfully, immersive engagement in these initiatives and thoughtful discussion with project leaders has revealed the nuanced reality of environmental and social change in the face of complex structural challenges. The final field report facilitates an informed discussion about the potential of grassroots initiatives to drive systemic change, analyzing questions of scale and expansion.