Environmental Sustainability: Jacksonville vs. Navajo Nation

This project investigated the relationship between environmental sustainability and cultural beliefs in two very different American societies. In particular, we compared how citizens of contemporary Jacksonville, FL view and exploit the environment in comparison with environmental utilization of the Native Americans in Navajo Nation, which spans across the states of AZ, NM, and UT. This evaluation entailed conducting surveys of individuals in both populations, as well as an aspect of cultural immersion in which we lived amongst the Navajo for approximately three to four weeks during the summer of 2005. Immersion allowed us to participate in the Navajo way of life and enhanced our understanding of their culture through experience. Conducting surveys of individuals in both populations allowed us to collect demographic and economic data, as well as data that pertained to individual resource use and opinions of the environment and/or related environmental issues