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Sustainability and Eco-Justice in Everyday Research - RE4GREEN

Research shapes the world – not just through big discoveries, but through the everyday choices we make: what questions we ask, which methods we use, how we share our work. The RE4GREEN micromodules can be used individually or together to guide students, researchers, citizen scientists, people reviewing research proposals and those teaching research ethics on how to embed sustainability and eco-justice knowledge, skills and values in research.

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RE4GREEN

Sustainability and Eco-Justice in Everyday Research

Instruction

Introduction to environmental justice

This micromodule introduces the concept of environmental justice and its relevance for research practice. After completing this micro-module learners will be able to:

• Understand the concept of environmental justice
• Recognize how environmental harms and benefits are often distributed unequally across different communities.
• Reflect on the responsibility researchers hold in shaping sustainable and fair outcomes and how disparities may arise within the context of their own research or professional practice.

0.4 hour(s)

Individual learning

Instruction

Addressing environmental justice in research & innovation

This micro module introduces five ethical principles central to environmental ethics and asks learners to apply them to research practice.

• Describe five key ethical principles related to Environmental Justice and their implications for research practice: 1) Leave No One Behind; 2) Do No Significant Harm (DNSH); 3) Precautionary Principle; 4) Polluter Pays Principle; 5) Informed consent
• Apply each principle to one’s own research practice.

0.4 hour(s)

Instruction

Applying ecofeminist ethics to research practice

This micromodule provides an introduction to Ecofeminist Ethics and its relevance for research. A completing this module, learners will be able to:

• Understand the role of ecofeminist principles in research;
• Apply relevant ecofeminist principles to various research dilemmas.

0.3 hour(s)

Instruction

Planetary health, human well-being and environmental justice

This introductory micromodule explores the concept of Planetary Health as a framework linking human well-being with the state of natural systems. By the end of the module, participants should be able to:

• Explain how environmental degradation affects human health through the framework of planetary boundaries
• Identify the disproportionate effects of climate change on different populations.
• Reflect on the ethical implications of environmental injustices.
• Relate the concept of planetary health to research responsibilities.

0.75 hour(s)

Individual learning

Instruction

Ethics of care and human-nature relations

This micromodule introduces the ethics of care and its relevance for research. By the end of this micromodule participants should be able to:  

• Understand core ethics of care concepts and their basis in feminist and indigenous philosophies
• Identify care-based practices in your own research setting
• Propose strategies for strengthening care-based and environmentally aware practices in your own research and research setting.

1 hour(s)

Individual learning

Embracing Complexity

Instruction

Just Transition (part one): Sustainability as a wicked problem

This Micromodule introduces sustainability as a wicked problem and highlights the importance of Perspective Taking, Systems Thinking, and Negotiation in engineering.

By the end of the module participants will be able to:

• Understand the wicked nature of sustainability and recognize the complexity of balancing environmental, social, and economic dimensions in engineering decisions.
• Apply transversal skills — Perspective Taking, Systems Thinking, and Negotiation — to analyze and solve complex sustainability challenges in engineering contexts.
• Evaluate material and design choices considering environmental impacts, societal wellbeing, and ethical responsibilities to promote sustainable engineering practices.
• Reflect on the broader responsibilities of engineers in creating solutions that are socially responsible, environmentally sound, and technically effective.

0.35 hour(s)

Individual learning

Instruction

Just Transition (part two): Green colonialism and energy justice

This micromodule introduces the idea of a just transition by looking at how climate solutions can unintentionally repeat old patterns of inequality. It focuses on the tension between climate justice and what some scholars call green colonialism. By the end of the micromodule, learners should be able to:

• Identify and distinguish key types of justice (e.g., recognition, spatial, distributive, epistemic, intergenerational) that shape environmental justice debates.
• Recognize how certain green initiatives overlook broader social and historical contexts.

0.4 hour(s)

Instruction

Mapping research connections to environmental justice: Crisis Tree exercise

This micromodule invites researchers and students to reflect on their work in relation to intersectional environmental justice using a visual “Crisis Tree”.

By the end of the module, participants should be able to:

• Identify systemic factors (e.g., public policy, health equity, urban inequality) that shape research impacts and responsibilities.
•  Map research linkages to climate justice, interspecies justice, and gendered (urban) contexts using the “Crisis Tree”.
•  Articulate how their research connects with environmental and climate justice using intersectionality-based thinking.

0.5 hour(s)

Instruction

Mapping research connections to environmental justice: Crisis Tree exercise

This micromodule invites researchers and students to reflect on their work in relation to intersectional environmental justice using a visual “Crisis Tree”.

By the end of the module, participants should be able to:

• Identify systemic factors (e.g., public policy, health equity, urban inequality) that shape research impacts and responsibilities.
•  Map research linkages to climate justice, interspecies justice, and gendered (urban) contexts using the “Crisis Tree”.
•  Articulate how their research connects with environmental and climate justice using intersectionality-based thinking.

0.5 hour(s)

Instruction

Incorporating gender, health, and climate justice in your research: A reflexive question card exercise

This micromodule introduces a reflexive tool based on question cards designed to support researchers and practitioners in integrating intersectional gender, health, and climate considerations into their research. Developed by Verdonk et al. (2024), the card prompts support thoughtful engagement with public policy contexts, systemic inequities, and positionality. Drawing on the Intersectionality-Based Policy Analysis (IBPA) framework, ecofeminist theory, and feminist systems thinking, the cards help participants address equity, voice, and sustainability in the context of planetary health and just urban transitions. the end of this micromodule, participants should be able to:

• Identify and reflect on intersectional dimensions (e.g. gender, race, class, disability) in climate and health research.
• Explore how power and privilege operate in environmental and health research design and policy influence.
• Formulate more inclusive and socially just research questions using reflexive prompts.

0.65 hour(s)

Individual learning

Instruction

Doing research with communities affected by climate change: Climate-conscious methodologies matrix (for researchers and ethics reviewers)

This micromodule focuses on the intersection of climate justice, community collaboration, and citizen science in research and innovation. It uses conversation cards inspired by Valeria Berseth and Angeline Letourneau's (2024) on responsible research framework for ‘climate change-conscious methodologies. Applying the concepts mentioned in these cards to practical scenarios, the module encourages reflection on research methodologies that prioritize affected communities, foster fairness, and address shifting vulnerabilities in climate-related challenges. By the end of this module, you should be able to:

• Evaluate different approaches to research design in terms of fairness, inclusivity, and responsiveness to underrepresented communities.
• Apply responsible research methods in citizen science or community engagement in climate-affected contexts.

0.8 hour(s)

Instruction

Doing research with communities affected by climate change: Climate-conscious methodologies matrix (for students and citizen scientists)

This micromodule focuses on the intersection of climate justice, community collaboration, and citizen science in research and innovation. It uses conversation cards inspired by Valeria Berseth and Angeline Letourneau's (2024) on responsible research framework for ‘climate change-conscious methodologies. Applying these concepts to practical scenarios, the module encourages reflection on research methodologies that prioritize affected communities, foster fairness, and address shifting vulnerabilities in climate-related challenges. By the end of this module, you should be able to:

• Evaluate different approaches to research design in terms of fairness, inclusivity, and responsiveness to underrepresented communities.
• Apply responsible research methods in citizen science or community engagement in climate-affected contexts.

0.8 hour(s)

Instruction

Circularity in Research and Innovation

This Micromodule introduces participants to the concept of circularity and its application in research and innovation.

By the end of this module participants should be able to:

• Understand the concept of circularity and explain its relevance to sustainable research and innovation.
• Identify and apply the 9R strategies (Refuse, Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Refurbish, Remanufacture, Repurpose, Recycle) in practical contexts.
• Develop systems thinking and adaptability skills to analyze how circularity influences research, innovation, and design decisions.
• Integrate circular principles into their professional activities to promote sustainability and resource efficiency.

0.34 hour(s)

Individual learning

Instruction

Technology and sustainability

This micromodule introduces learners to the often-overlooked environmental impacts of technology, from data centers and energy use to e-waste and rare earth mining. It presents two strategies for making technology more sustainable — by using technology to address environmental challenges (greening by technology), and by redesigning technology itself to reduce its environmental impact (greening of technology).  Learners are then introduced to concrete principles for sustainable tech design and encouraged to reflect on how these concepts apply to their own field of research or practice. By the end of this micromodule, participants will be able to:

• Identify key environmental and climate impacts associated with technology.
• Distinguish between “greening by technology” and “greening of technology.”
• Apply practical design principles for more sustainable technology.
• Reflect on how sustainability considerations apply to their own research or innovation practices.
• Evaluate the ethical and social implications of sustainable technology choices

0.5 hour(s)

Instruction

Nature relations in research and innovation

This micromodule introduces Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) and Multispecies Thinking as key frameworks for sustainable and inclusive research and innovation. By the end of this micromodule, learners should be able to:

• Describe the advantages of NBS for research and innovation and differentiate from greenwashing.
• Reflect on a case study that applies multispecies thinking to urban design.
• Consider how you could apply these insights to your research and innovation projects.

0.5 hour(s)

1-20

Instruction

Planetary health: Connecting climate, health, and power

This micromodule builds on the content of the fourth episode of “Earth to Research”, titled “Planetary Health (Part One): Expelling Shell”. This training activity helps learners critically reflect on the podcast’s insights and apply them to their own research practices, values, and ethical choices. By the end of this micromodule, learners should be able to:

• Explain how gender and intersectionality shape health outcomes and vulnerabilities in the context of climate change and planetary health
• Analyse how dominant research paradigms produce knowledge gaps and perpetuate inequalities in health research.
• Reflect on the ethical responsibilities and potential roles of researchers and students in responding to climate injustice and institutional collaborations with harmful industries.
• Apply individual strategies to engage with complex and emotionally challenging topics related to climate change, health, and social justice.

1 hour(s)

Instruction

Planetary health, human well-being and environmental justice

This introductory micromodule explores the concept of Planetary Health as a framework linking human well-being with the state of natural systems. By the end of the module, participants should be able to:

• Explain how environmental degradation affects human health through the framework of planetary boundaries
• Identify the disproportionate effects of climate change on different populations.
• Reflect on the ethical implications of environmental injustices.
• Relate the concept of planetary health to research responsibilities.

0.75 hour(s)

Individual learning

Envisioning sustainable futures

Instruction

Innovation in a post-growth world

This Micromodule familiarizes participants with the ideas of degrowth, postgrowth, and post-growth-oriented innovation, highlighting the limits of traditional growth and the need for sustainable, socially just approaches.

By the end of the module participants should be able to:

• Recognize the significant differences between growth-oriented and post-growth-oriented innovation.
• Identify and understand the core values associated with each orientation.
• Reflect on the role of each approach to innovation in relation to sustainability.
• Assess the broader social significance of both approaches to innovation.

0.4 hour(s)

Individual learning

Instruction

The environmental cost of AI: What can we do about it?

This micromodule focuses on AI’s environmental impact. From energy-hungry data centers to e-waste and water use, this micromodule explores AI’s footprint and what people  can do about it. Participants will explore both the opportunities and risks of AI in the environmental context and begin to imagine what a more sustainable AI future could look like. By the end of this micromodule, participants will be able to:

• Identify key environmental impacts of AI technologies
• Explain how AI’s infrastructure contributes to climate and environmental pressures
• Reflect on trade-offs and future governance needs regarding AI deployment

0.5 hour(s)

Instruction

Directionality towards planetary stewardship: From disconnection to relational praxis

This short micromodule introduces learners to the visual and conceptual model of “directionality towards planetary stewardship” developed by Redvers et al. (2023). It prompts critical reflection on how institutions, knowledge systems, and personal attitudes either reproduce or resist dominant paradigms of disconnection. The exercise helps bridge the cognitive, affective, and relational shifts needed to move from disconnection to stewardship. It integrates Indigenous pedagogies, critical theory, and planetary health education frameworks.

By the end of this module, participants should be able to:

• Recognise the paradigm shift from extractivist/anthropocentric logics to relational, ecocentric orientations.
• Reflect on their own positionality and role as planetary stewards.
• Explore the role of emotion, compassion, and plural knowledge systems in transforming research and education practices.
• Identify actions to support inclusive, just, and relational planetary health education

0.6 hour(s)

Individual learning

Instruction

Transformative research (part 1): Storytelling, reflection, and the power of reimagining academia

This micromodule builds on the content of the first episode of Earth to Research, ) to explore what it means to do transformative research in times of ecological and social crisis. By the end of this micromodule, researchers will be able to:

• Explain the concept of transformative research—including how research can contribute not only to knowledge production but to societal change.
• Describe the PePe framework (Pluralizing, Empowering, Politicizing, Embedding) and its relevance for advancing more just and impactful research practices.
• Apply the PEPE framework to their own research practices and systems.
• Critically evaluate their role as researchers, including ethical responsibilities, boundary work, and potential influence on change.

1 hour(s)

Instruction

Transformative research (part 2): Emotions & justice

This micromodule, inspired by the podcast Transformative Research, Part 2: Emotions & Justice,  explores the emotional and justice-oriented dimensions of research. After completing this micromodules learners will be able to:

• Identify ethical tensions in their own research ecosystems by reflecting on who benefits, who pays the price and what is left unseen or unaddressed
• Use imagination and analogy as tools to surface inner dynamics, silenced voices, and neglected consequences in research systems and practices.
• Critically evaluate their role as researchers not only as knowledge producers but as moral and political actors.

1 hour(s)

Instruction

Earth to research podcasts

By taking this module learners will use the content of the Earth to Research podcast to reflect on how to align research methods and research ethics with environmental justice.

0.5 hour(s)

Instruction

Myths and rituals: Art-science, sustainable tech, and degrowth

This micromodule builds on the content of the third episode of Earth to Research, titled "Myths and Rituals: Art-Science, Sustainable Tech, and Degrowth" and explores how research and innovation can be re-imagined in the context of ecological crisis. After engaging with this resource and completing the activities, learners will be able to:

• Explain how sustainability and ecological issues extend beyond technological solutions and require social, cultural and epistemic change.
• Recognize degrowth as a plural, evolving critique of endless economic growth.
• Reflect on how art–science collaborations can foster new narratives, empathy, uncertainty, and ethical awareness in research practice.
• Identify ways in which reflexivity, care, storytelling and plurality of knowledge can reshape research design and engagement with the environment.

1 hour(s)

Acting for sustainability

Instruction

Creating and communicating a sustainable research culture

In this micromodule participants will learn how to develop a tailored climate communication strategy for their research environment (department, group, project). They will explore practical ways to implement small but impactful behavioral changes that promote sustainability within academic culture. Additionally, they will gain the skills to apply core sustainability values when planning and delivering events or conferences in their field.  By the end of the module participants should be able to:

• Develop a tailored climate communication strategy for their research environment (department, group, project).
• Explore practical ways to implement small but impactful behavioral changes that promote sustainability within academic culture.
• Apply core sustainability values when planning and delivering events or conferences in their field.

0.35 hour(s)

Individual learning

Instruction

From waste to wisdom: rethinking plastic waste management in the lab

This micromodule enhances learners understanding of the role and importance of plastic waste recycling for a green and sustainable lab. By the end of the micromodule, learners should be able to:

• Identify different types of plastic materials in a lab.
• Describe actionable steps for managing and recycling plastics in a lab.
• Reflect on the challenges of developing a recycling pipeline for plastic waste in a lab.

0.75 hour(s)

Individual learning

Instruction

Green labs, smarter science: Practical steps for sustainable research and innovation

This micromodule is designed to raise awareness about sustainable laboratory (lab) management through environmentally friendly practices that promote green labs, improve research efficiency and drive smarter innovation.

By the end of this activity, participants should be able to:

• Identify daily small actions that can be undertaken to make labs more environmentally friendly.
• Examine the case of inefficient energy use in labs to identify underlying causes and propose improvement strategies.
• Reflect on how changes towards sustainable management should be implemented

0.75 hour(s)

Individual learning