Consciousness, Recycled

Fueling Sustainability through Self-Concept Transformation

 

N. Abreu†*, J. Begeman††, M. O’Carroll††

 Florida International University, ††University of Florida, *International Academy of Consciousness

 

Increased social sustainable practice can be promoted through psychological environments that stimulate individual sustainable manifestation or self-sustainability.  It is widely accepted that the frame of reference for most human endeavors – including economic, environmental, and social sustainability – is related to one’s pursuit of survival, well-being and development.  Specific priorities and actions emerge from paradigms adopted by individuals. The relationship between proneness to sustainable action and one’s self- and world-views is explored through a pilot survey; an overview of emerging alternate worldviews influenced by contemporary studies of ethics, consciousness, and physics; and the International Academy of Consciousness – a European campus dedicated to the scientific study of subjective experience. 

 

Keywords: consciousness, sustainability, sustainable communities, paradigm shift

 

 

Nelson C. Abreu studies at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Florida International University and is a tutor at the Toby Rose’s College Prep.  Abreu was instrumental in founding the Science of Self Club and establishing a consciousness studies psychology course at the University of Florida.  Nearing a decade of scholarship in the emerging field of consciousness studies, Abreu has presented at numerous public events and at academic conferences at UF, FIU, U. of Arizona, Utah Valley State College, Penn State, and the International Academy of Consciousness in Evora, Portugal.  He currently serves as the Student Members’ Representative of the Society of Scientific Exploration and is a volunteer at the International Academy of Consciousness – Miami, a 501(c)3 non-profit educational organization.

 

Email: Nelson.Abreu@fiu.edu

 


John B. Begeman is an environmentalist, artist, and architect. Begeman graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelors in architecture and is currently working on his masters of science in building construction with a concentration in sustainability. He currently resides in Gainesville, Florida, where he co-founded Thoscene Design. His interests lie in quantifying the effects of the evolution of consciousness on our environmental condition and discovering how the built environment can be improved to flow with natural order. He is currently working closely with U.S. Senatorial Candidate Leroy Collins to educate him on the importance of sustainability in the built environment. His work has led Collins to define sustainability as a key point in his campaign.   

Email: thoscene@ufl.edu


Michelle R. O’Carroll
received a B.A. in architecture from the University of Florida in 2005 with a concentration in psychology; she continues to assimilate the immediacy of the mind/matter connection through her studies with the International Academy of Consciousness, the New York School of Feng Shui, the Florida Vedic College, the International Institute of Building Biology, the University of Integrated Sciences, and the departments of Urban Design and Sustainable Construction at UF.  O’Carroll is the co-founder of Thoscene Design, an architecture firm inspired by a sustainable vision and post-Cartesian models.  

Email: moc@ufl.edu