CULTURE & SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVE (CAS) BACKGROUND 
Why creativity and the arts, democratic participation, vibrant communities, social justice, and cultural heritage are just as important as protecting our air, land, and water
Sustainability - which at its core is the study of the whole and its interconnections - is an attempt to resist fragmentation and integrate knowledge. And yet sustainability itself has become a fragmented idea, equated by many with narrowly construed notions of the “environment” or “greening.”
In fact, sustainability encompasses all that sustains us now and into the future, including, and perhaps most importantly, human culture. Human beings are meaning makers, and the ways in which human beings make and derive meaning from the world is through culture.
Human beings are more than merely "consumers." The consumer is a degraded notion of a human being and a caricature of someone who’s driven by price and convenience. In contrast, the concept of the "citizen” represents the human being in social or political settings. Citizens do buy things, so they are consumers in that respect, but they also have a set of values and concerns that extend far beyond price and convenience. Re-engaging the civic culture and citizenship is a vital part of a sustainable community.
The Culture and Sustainability Initiative strives to unify University community celebrating and promoting creativity and the arts, democracy participation and citizenship, sustainable community development, social justice, and conservation and development ofcultural and natural heritage, including our:
tangible heritage -
- architecture;
- public art and public spaces;
- ecosystems;
and intangible heritage -
- history and sense of place;
- rituals and practices that reflect our shared commitment to principles of diversity, unity and plurality in our civic community.
Ensuring that citizens in all sectors of the economy and all professions share an understanding of the role of cultural creativity and diversity in human progress presents a significant educational challenge: how do we as a community teach that diversity, plurality, and unity support creativity and social cohesion, which, in turn, support human development now and in the future? This is the most fundamental and challenging aspect of our work.
What can you do?
- Support the arts! Take in a music, theatre, or dance performance or check out the latest art exhibit at a gallery or museum. Go on a Cultural Excursion to hear the Boston Symphony Orchestra rehearse!
- Get involved! Many cultural organizations need enthusiastic volunteers. Find out how you can get involved by contacting your local arts center, historic preservation society, museum or theatre.
- Learn more! Visit our list of links to get started!
Learn more about why we consider culture so fundamental to sustainability...
