UW Gazette, September 18, 1996
     
     by Barbara Elve
     
     Trying to pry apart the public and the private lives,
the personal and the political aspects of environment and
resource studies professor Dr. Robbie Keith is like trying
to separate the strands of a spider web.
     His work is simply his life.
     Keith's "deep appreciation" for the environment was
sown and nurtured by his father, Bob Keith, a
horticulturist and CBC broadcaster. From his dad, he
developed a love of gardening and canoeing.
     Retiring this summer after 26 years at UW, Keith
probably won't  find much time to pursue those hobbies,
however. He'll be continuing his consulting work with the
Canadian Arctic Resources Committee, an independently
funded public interest organization which is "regarded as
one of the most successful, influential voices on issues in
the North."
     "I've always had a strong sense that science should
serve society, that it should take some measure of
direction from issues faced by society," he said, a
philosophy which forms the core of his approach to
teaching. Keith feels privileged to have been part of a
department that shares that perspective.
     "The people who have been brought together under this
(department) have come from very diverse backgrounds, but
have been genuinely concerned about  the development  of
integrated approaches to environmental sustainability and
human well-being.
     "Collectively, we have committed ourselves to a high
level of research and teaching that has contributed so much
to the success of this program. Related to this is a very
unique feature of the faculty in this department.  Almost
without exception, we have each been involved in envi
ronmental affairs and public policy outside the university
in a wide range of public interest and government
organizations.
     "In a sense, we are three things at once -
researchers, teachers, and practitioners."
     What that has brought to both the students and the
research is "a perspective rooted in the practical reality
of environmental and social justice issues," said Keith.
"There are other universities with environmental studies
programs, but none like this one." While others tend to be
more science-based, "ours is thematic, issue-oriented,
problem solving. That is me," he added. "I feel very
strongly about these matters."
     Keith maintains that "an informed citizen is a potent
force in society," and calls it gratifying to see so many
of his students going into careers which attempt to enhance
the environment across the North and throughout Canada.
     However, they face tremendous challenges as
governments slash budgets in the areas of inspection and
surveillance, forming arrangements with the private sector
which are not open to public scrutiny, he explained.
     "Self-regulation is becoming the norm. This does not
bode well for independent, public interest analysis, which
is essential for an open, democratic society.
     "These are issues that matter to Canadians," he said,
citing "poll after poll in which Canadians are saying they
don't want the environment compromised, in spite of
economic hardship. At the same time, individuals in the
private sector overwhelmingly report that their
environmental programs are in response to regulatory
requirements. If regulations are not there, they wouldn't
do it.
     "The challenge of trying to integrate the environment
and the economy in public decision making is a real and
difficult one - not only because of the current economic
agenda. We have a lot to learn about how to integrate these
two, and imaginative perspectives are needed."
     Keith is concerned about the tendency in educational
circles to think in terms of "back to basics".
     "People think they know what the basics are. But this
is not the same world it was 10 or 15 years ago. It calls
for some imaginative solutions linking the environment and
the economy. We can't get there by doing things the way we
have - we have to do things differently. We need whole new
ways of thinking about challenges that may not come from
conventional ways of analysis.
     "Intellectually and academically, we are responsible
at the university to make a contribution. I hope we would
sense that need and obligation."