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Raymond De Young
Associate Professor
Behavior, Education, and Communication
Climate + Energy
Food Systems
Office
2034a Dana
Lab website
About
Raymond De Young, PhD, is a broadly trained psychologist, planner, and engineer. He is an Associate Professor of Environmental Psychology and Planning at SEAS and in the Program in the Environment (PitE), and a Faculty Associate at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum and at the Graham Sustainability Institute. His research focus is on the process of re-localization, a response to emerging biophysical limits and the consequences of having deeply disrupted the Earth's ecosystems. De Young applies conservation and environmental psychology principles to the challenge of helping people to envision and adopt frugal behavioral responses that support a life lived well within local resource limits. Despite what for some people is a dismal forecast, his work is decidedly hopeful. He is described as neither an optimist nor pessimist when it comes to human behavior, but rather an idealist without illusions.
His current work includes research on (1) helping people to pre-familiarize themselves with the behavioral aspects of the coming resource downshift, (2) motivating environmental stewardship using innate satisfactions and (3) using nature to restore the mental vitality needed for responding to and coping with the lean and difficult yet exciting times ahead.
Publications
- De Young, R. (2019). Supporting behavioral entrepreneurs: Using the biodiversity-health relationship to help citizens self-initiate sustainability behavior. In Marselle, M., J. Stadler, H. Korn, K. Irvine and A. Bonn [Eds.] Biodiversity and Health in the Face of Climate Change. (Pp. 295-313) Switzerland: Springer.
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Harbo, S. and R. De Young (2019). Community-based resource sharing: Motivations and spillover effect. In Boucher, J. and J. Heinonen [Eds.] Sustainable Consumption, Promise or Myth? Case Studies from the Field. (Ch. 6, Pp. 100-120) Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Read more publications here.
Research
Selected student-involved research projects:
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2021: Assessing impact of a consignment-based, farmer-supporting food store.
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2021: A Pattern Language for neighborhood resilience.
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2021: Developing youth education programs on a diverse organic seed farm.
- 2020: Therapeutic design for healthcare environments: A practical application at St. Joseph Mercy Oakland Hospital, Pontiac, MI, USA.
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2020: Creating a library of workshops for enhancing neighborhood resilience.
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2020: A framework for implementing resilience hubs in Ypsilanti, Michigan, USA.
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2019: Enhancing knowledge sharing and collaboration among farms at healthcare facilities.
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2019: Localizing the Mackinac Island, Michigan foodshed.
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2018: University-community partnerships for re-skilling and resilience building.
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2018: Preparing for climate change with psychological resilience and well-being in Northeast US communities.
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2018: Psychological and organizational principles of a new model for selling locally grown food.
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2018: Foodloose: Stories and tours through Washtenaw County's local food system.
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2018: Assessing psychological well-being outcomes from involvement in planned, agriculturally-based sustainable communities.
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2017: Living well and living green: Participant conceptualizations of green citizenship.
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2017: Community-based resource sharing: Motivations and spillover effects.
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2017: The Farm at St. Joe’s: Growing healthy and resilient communities.
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2016: Sustainable food systems at the University of Michigan.
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2016: The Farm at St. Joe’s education program evaluation.
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2015: Evaluating a farm-based nutrition and health educational program.
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2014: Transition Times: YouTube/VideoScribe localization cases.
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2012: Urgent transitions: Responding to emerging biophysical limits.
Education
PhD, University of Michigan
MS, Stevens Institute of Technology
BS, Stevens Institute of Technology
Affiliations
American Psychological Society
American Psychological Association
Environmental Design Research Association
Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues
North American Food Systems Network (NAFSN)
Sustainable Agriculture Education Association (SAEA)
In the Media