Promoting environmental stewardship has proven to be difficult. Successful approaches seem to need a mixture of understanding, motivation and participation. None alone appear sufficient. Another fascinating notion is Green Care, the use of natural settings to promote human wellness in its many forms (e.g., physical, psychological, spiritual). Work in this area could be called Sustainable Living since it is about crafting a wholesome and meaningful existence on a finite planet. 

Bob Grese serves as Director of the Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum.

Interests are in landscape design and management that respects the cultural and natural heritage of a region. Research work has included four themes: restoration and management of cultural and natural landscapes; landscape history; landscape design for children's play and exploration; and urban ecological design. Ecological restoration work has focused on prairie and oak savanna ecosystems and the re-introduction of fire as well as the social aspects of restoration, primarily developing a better understanding of volunteer stewardship programs and networks. Historical investigations have centered primarily on the work of designers such as Jens Jensen and Ossian Cole Simonds who chose to use native vegetation for much of their design work. Interests in children's play is especially focused on the role of plants and playground wilds in promoting imaginative play. Finally, urban design interests center on exploring ways to enhance ecological integrity and promote environmental literacy through intelligent design and community involvement.

Some environments bring out the best in people; many do not. That constitutes a puzzle that takes many directions, including: (1) the importance of the natural environment; (2) ways to make environments both understandable and interesting; (3) approaches to meaningful participation in environmental decision-making; (4) exploration of ways to conceptualize and assess effectiveness and well-being.

Rachel Kaplan is the Samuel Trask Dana Professor of Environment and Behavior.

Michael Moore's teaching involves courses in natural resource and environmental economics. His research interests include analysis of federal water policy and water allocation conflicts between environmental and consumptive uses of river systems; economic aspects of biodiversity and species conservation; and economics of environmental markets, including markets for green products (such as green electricity) and markets for pollution permits (such as the federal SO2 allowance market).

My courses are largely case-based and discussion-oriented. They examine different dimensions of environmental decision-making in organizations, agencies and society in the face of conflict. Specific course topics include: Environmental Dispute Resolution; Collaborative Ecosystem Management; Negotiation and Mediation; and Environmental Organizations.

Research interests focus on testing and enhancing human behavior, decision, and persuasion theories in environmental education and communication (especially risk) contexts applying structural equation modeling, meta-analysis and case studies. Most current studies focus on evaluating environmental education resources and programs.