King's Launches New Sustainability Action-Research Hub
The King’s University is pleased to announce the public launch of its Sustainability Transformation Action and Research (STAR) Hub.
Bringing together academic, societal, and governmental partners from around the world, STAR Hub advances creative sustainability research by exploring, supporting, and implementing alternative pathways to sustainability.
Sustainability transitions regularly involve lobbying for new government policies and implementing large-scale market incentives. These strategies are important, but they tend to exclude small-scale industry operations and ignore the contributions of local societal actors. STAR Hub bridges this gap by pursuing bespoke research projects and innovative windows of opportunity for grassroots sustainability efforts.
One ongoing STAR Hub project is Faith Institutions Advancing Transformation (FIAT). This initiative, funded by the Canada Research Chairs Program, studies sustainability efforts sponsored by church networks. By observing church action, studying its impact on society, and determining which processes can be repeated elsewhere, FIAT explores what is possible when the global church uses its widespread influence for positive environmental change.
STAR Hub is actively preparing to launch a range of new projects, including one focused on agroecology. When it comes to agricultural sustainability transitions, small operations often lack the necessary resources to keep up with their larger counterparts. By researching ways to connect local farmers with tools, knowledge, and community partners, STAR Hub will empower small-scale agriculture to match the sustainability efforts of large-scale competitors.
Taking action towards sustainability transition is essential for building a better world. Dr. Adrian Beling, STAR Hub Director and Canada Research Chair in Transition to Sustainability, believes King’s is uniquely positioned to enter into this work.
“A central component of King’s vision is the idea that advancing sustainability is part of building the Kingdom of God,” he says. “We need fundamental change. We can work within the systems that exist, but we also need to introduce disruptive elements. Ultimately, our current systems need to be brought into a new, more sustainable equilibrium. STAR Hub furthers this peaceful sustainability revolution by transforming the lives of people on the ground and restoring human dignity to those who are most often excluded.”
The work of STAR Hub is possible thanks to a generous donation from the Wubs Family Foundation. STAR Hub is currently partnered with the Canada Research Chairs Program, Dr. Vasilis Kostakis from the Ragnar Nurkse Department of Innovation and Governance at the Tallin University of Technology in Estonia, the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET) in Argentina, the Sophia University Institute’s Global Studies Programme, and the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLASCO).