Linking sustainability and spirituality: A preliminary assessment in pursuit of a sustainable and ethically correct world

Walter Leal Filho; Amanda Lange Salvia; Rohana  Ulluwishewa; Ismaila Rimi Abubakar; Mark Mifsud; Todd Jared  LeVasseur; Vanderli  Correia; Adriana  Consorte-McCrea; Arminda  Paço; Barbara  Fritzen; Subhasis  Ray; Neil  Gordon; Johannes Michael Luetz; Bruno  Borsari; Madhavi  Venkatesan; Sharif A Mukul; Richard M.  Carp; Halima  Begum; Subarna  Sivapalan; Katarzyna  Cichos; Edward Kweku  Nunoo; Nandhivarman  Muthu; Esther  Farrugia

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.135091

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Linking sustainability and spirituality: A preliminary assessment in pursuit of a sustainable and ethically correct world

Journal article

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Linking sustainability and spirituality: A preliminary assessment in pursuit of a sustainable and ethically correct world

Walter Leal Filho, Amanda Lange Salvia, Rohana Ulluwishewa, Ismaila Rimi Abubakar, Mark Mifsud, Todd Jared LeVasseur, Vanderli Correia, Adriana Consorte-McCrea, Arminda Paço, Barbara Fritzen, …

Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol.380(Part 2), pp.1-10

2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.135091

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Abstract

Spirituality

Sustainable development

Higher education

Teaching

Research

The influence of humanity on the environment and the use of natural resources may be affected by spirituality, through awareness for developing a greater conscience about the implications of human actions and needs to adjust these in achieving sustainable development. However, the literature indicates a lack of consensus about operationalizing spirituality outside the management field and its connection with sustainability. This study focused on the relation between these topics in the educational sector and investigated whether spirituality informs the teaching and research of sustainability within higher education curricula. An online survey was administered to a convenience sample (n = 100) of academic staff working at higher education institutions in 25 countries. The questions posed by the research instrument included open ended and multiple choice queries, that yielded qualitative and quantitative data. Overall, the results suggest that there is widespread awareness about making connections between spirituality and sustainability and a general agreement about the usefulness of including spiritual aspects in sustainability teaching and research practices. However, there are some elements which hinder progress in this area, such as a common understanding of spirituality definition and an apparent lack of training to handle matters related to spirituality as part of teaching and research. The study presents actions to promote a better integration of sustainability and spirituality, which include a greater emphasis on matters related to sustainability, human well being, and ethics, a part of initiatives on spirituality, and involvement of key stakeholders.

Details

Title: Linking sustainability and spirituality: A preliminary assessment in pursuit of a sustainable and ethically correct world
Authors: Walter Leal Filho (Author) - HAW Hamburg
Amanda Lange Salvia (Corresponding Author) - HAW Hamburg
Rohana Ulluwishewa (Author) - University of Sri Jayewardenepura
Ismaila Rimi Abubakar (Author) - Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University
Mark Mifsud (Author) - University of Malta
Todd Jared LeVasseur (Author) - College of Charleston
Vanderli Correia (Author) - Universidade Federal do ABC
Adriana Consorte-McCrea (Author) - Canterbury Christ Church University
Arminda Paço (Author) - University of Beira Interior
Barbara Fritzen (Author) - Universidade de Passo Fundo
Subhasis Ray (Author) - Xavier University
Neil Gordon (Author) - University of Hull
Johannes Michael Luetz (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Law and Society
Bruno Borsari (Author) - Winona State University
Madhavi Venkatesan (Author) - Northeastern University
Sharif A Mukul (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Tropical Forests & People Research Centre
Richard M. Carp (Author) - University of Hull
Halima Begum (Author) - Northern University of Malaysia
Subarna Sivapalan (Author) - Universiti Teknologi Petronas
Katarzyna Cichos (Author) - Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw
Edward Kweku Nunoo (Author) - University of Cape Coast
Nandhivarman Muthu (Author) - Pondicherry University
Esther Farrugia (Author) - Centre for Environmental Education & Research (Malta, Imsida)
Publication details: Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol.380(Part 2), pp.1-10
Publisher: Elsevier BV
DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.135091
Organisation Unit: School of Law and Society; Tropical Forests & People Research Centre; School of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Legacy; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99687998202621
Output Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration; International collaboration
Web Of Science research areas: Engineering, Environmental; Environmental Sciences; Green & Sustainable Science & Technology

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