ABSTRACT

Green social work espouses a holistic approach to all peoples and other living things – plants and animals, and the physical ecosystem; emphasises the relational nature of all its constituent parts; and redefines the duty to care for and about others as one that includes the duty to care for and about planet earth.

By acknowledging the interdependency of all living things it allows for the inclusion of all systems and institutions in its remit, including both (hu)man-made and natural disasters arising from the (hu)made ones of poverty to chemical pollution of the earth’s land, waters and soils and climate change, to the natural hazards like earthquakes and volcanoes which turn to disasters through human (in)action. Green social work’s value system is also one that favours equality, social inclusion, the equitable distribution of resources, and a rights-based approach to meeting people’s needs to live in an ethical and sustainable manner. Responding to these issues is one of the biggest challenges facing social workers in the twenty-first century which this Handbook is intended to address.

Through providing the theories, practices, policies, knowledge and skills required to act responsibly in responding to the diverse disasters that threaten to endanger all living things and planet earth itself, this green social work handbook will be required reading for all social work students, academics and professionals, as well as those working in the fields of community development and disaster management.

chapter |6 pages

Introduction

Why green social work?

part I|78 pages

Green social work theory

chapter 1|12 pages

Green social work in theory and practice

A new environmental paradigm for the profession

chapter 2|14 pages

Transdisciplinary collaboration between physical and social scientists

Drawing on the experiences of an advisor to Earthquakes without Frontiers (EwF)

section |36 pages

Theory into practice section

chapter 4|12 pages

The critical role of social work in disaster response

Experiences in the United Kingdom

chapter 5|11 pages

Rebuilding lives post-disaster

Innovative community practices for sustainable development

chapter 6|11 pages

Green social work for environmental justice

Implications for international social workers

part II|71 pages

Natural disasters

chapter 7|12 pages

Promoting public interest design

Green social work interventions during the post-Ya’an earthquake reconstruction and recovery in Sichuan, China

chapter 8|11 pages

Solidarity in times of disaster

The case of Chile

chapter 9|11 pages

Social work response to Himalayan disasters

Insights from green social work

chapter 11|12 pages

A post-Morakot environmentally friendly reconstruction solution

Reflections from a green social work perspective

part III|35 pages

Green agricultural practices

chapter 14|11 pages

Reflections on a Tribal Kitchen Project

A case study about green social work in Taiwan

chapter 15|10 pages

Community gardening

The nexus for community, social work and university collaboration

part IV|24 pages

Food (in)security

chapter 16|11 pages

Food insecurity

Where social injustice meets environmental exploitation

chapter 17|11 pages

The food security crisis and CSA movement in China

Green social work practice in Yunnan Province

part V|61 pages

(Hu)man-made disasters

chapter 18|9 pages

Environmental issues and controversies in Latin America

A challenge for social work

section |49 pages

Climate change-driven disasters section

part VI|28 pages

Extreme weather events

chapter 23|12 pages

The 2015 Chennai Floods

Green social work, an emerging model for practice in India

chapter 24|14 pages

Mitigating the impact of drought in Namibia

Implications for social work practice, education and policy

part VII|25 pages

Disaster-driven migration

chapter 26|11 pages

Positioning Social Workers Without Borders within green social work

Ethical considerations for social work as social justice work

part VIII|38 pages

Health disasters

part IX|36 pages

Industrial and urban issues

chapter 30|12 pages

Sowing the seeds

A green social work project in Sri Lanka

chapter 31|12 pages

The ecological hazards of nuclear waste disposal

Tensions between aspirations for economic prosperity and community sustainability in a small Croatian municipality

chapter 32|10 pages

Integrating green social work and the US environmental justice movement

An introduction to community benefits agreements

part X|103 pages

Practicing green social work

chapter 33|11 pages

Historical trends in calls to action

Climate change, pro-environmental behaviours and green social work

chapter 35|11 pages

Human-made disasters and social work

A Ukrainian perspective

chapter 36|12 pages

Strategies used by activists in Israeli environmental struggles

Implications for the future green social worker

chapter 37|10 pages

Working with children in disasters

chapter 38|14 pages

Persons with disabilities in the Great East Japan Earthquake

Lessons learnt and new directions towards evidence-based empowering just practices

chapter 39|11 pages

Social work and terrorism

Voices of experience

part XI|62 pages

Education

chapter |4 pages

Conclusions

Towards a green society and mainstreaming green social work in social work education and practice