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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)

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

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)