Education

This is where my teaching and research overlap: what, how and why ‘water people’ – students, policy makers, trades people – learn the way they do.

Efficiency

Drought conditions and everything about why people make the decisions they do when water is scarce.

Emotion

Emotion – specifically fear and awe – within water decision processes at multiple scales.

Gender

Mentorship, career progression and the elusive ‘work-life-balance’ with the water research and policy community.

Research Themes

SCHOLARLY WRITING

* Undergraduate; **Graduate student
Smith, L.**, Ross, H., Shouldice, S**. and Wolfe, S. (2022) “Mortality management and climate action: A review and reference for using Terror Management Theory methods in interdisciplinary environmental research.” WIREs Climate Change. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc.776
Ross**, H.C. and S.E. Wolfe (2021). “Mortality awareness and lawn watering: Using terror management theory to understand residential water consumption.The International Journal of Social Sustainability in Economic, Social, and Cultural Context. 17(2). https://doi.org/10.18848/2325-1115/CGP/v17i02/29-53
Andrews, Evan, Sarah Wolfe, Prateep Kumar Nayak, Derek Armitage (2021). “Coastal Fishers Livelihood Behaviours and their Psychosocial Explanations: Implications for Fisheries Governance in a Changing World.” Frontiers in Marine Science (Marine Affairs and Policy). https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.634484/full
Smith**, Lauren K. M., Jennifer K. Lynes, and S. E. Wolfe (2019). “Community-Based Social Marketing—Creating Lasting, Sustainable, Environmental Change: Case Study of a Household Stormwater Management Program in the Region of Waterloo, Ontario.” Social Marketing Quarterly, 25(4), 308-326. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524500419883288
Wolfe, S.E. and A. Tubi (2018). “Terror Management Theory and Mortality Awareness: A Missing Link in Climate Response Studies?” WIREs Climate Change. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/wcc.566
Cote**, S. A., H. C. Ross**, K. David**, and S. E. Wolfe (2017). “Walkerton revisited: how our psychological defenses may influence responses to water crises.Ecology and Society 22(3):32. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-09616-220332
Cote**, S.A. and S.E. Wolfe (2017). “Evidence of mortality salience and psychological defenses in bottled water campaigns.Applied Environmental Education & Communication. doi.org/10.1080/1533015X.2017.1399836
Wolfe, S.E. (2017). “Fear, Anger and Responsibility: Using emotions and Terror Management Theory to assess historic speeches about water and policy.” Water History
S.E. Wolfe and Brooks, David (2016). “Mortality awareness and water decisions: a social psychological analysis of supply-management, demand management and soft-path paradigms.” Water International. doi: 10.1080/02508060.2016.1248093
Mann*, C. and S.E. Wolfe (2016). “Risk perceptions and Terror Management Theory: assessing public responses to urban flooding in Toronto, Canada.” Water Resources Management. 30(8): 2651-2670
Ross*, H. and S.E. Wolfe (2015). “Life after death: evidence of the Hoover Dam as a hero project that defends against mortality reminders.” Water History, 1-19. doi: 10.1007/s12685-015-0151-9
Cote*, S. and Wolfe, S.E. (2014). “Assessing the Social and Economic Barriers to Permeable Surface Utilization for Residential Driveways in Kitchener, Ontario.”Environmental Practice. 16: 6–18. doi:10.1017/S1466046613000641
Wolfe, S.E. (2014). “Women’s choices and Canadian water research and policy: a study of professionals’ careers, mentorship and experiential knowledge.”Environmental Practice. 16: 37–51. doi: 10.1017/S1466046613000550
Wolfe, S.E., S. Davidson** and T. Reid* (2013). “Mentorship, knowledge transmission and female professionals in Canadian water research and policy.” Water Policy. 15:610-627
Wolfe, S.E. (2012) “Water cognition and cognitive affective mapping: identifying priority clusters within a Canadian water efficiency community.” Water Resources Management.  26(10): 2991-3004. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11269-012-0061-x
Elton**, K. and S.E. Wolfe (2011). “Water Efficiency and the Professional Plumbing Sector: How capacity and capability influence knowledge acquisition and innovation.” Water Resources Management. 26(2): 595-608. doi: 10.1007/s11269-011-9934-7
Wolfe, S.E and E. Hendriks** (2011). “Building Towards Water Efficiency: The influence of capacity and capability on innovation adoption in the Canadian home-building and resale industries.” International Journal of Housing and Built Environment. 26(1): 47-72.
Brooks, David and Sarah Wolfe. (2011) “Institutional Challenges for Effective Implementation of Water Demand Management and Institutional Assessment for Capacity Development.” Chapter in: Hammou Laamrani, Joshua Paglia and Lamia El-Fattal (Eds.). “Water Demand Management in the Middle East and North Africa: Policy, Practice and Power.International Development Research Centre. Cairo, Egypt and Ottawa, Canada.
Wolfe, S.E. (2010). “Beyond a Pipe Dream – The role of social capital in the development of a community’s water efficiency strategy.Environmental Practice – Journal of the National Association of Environmental Professionals. 12 (3): 214-226.
Wolfe, S.E. (2009).  “A Social Innovation Framework for Water Demand Management Policy: Practitioners’ Capabilities, Capacity, Collaboration, and Commitment.Society and Natural Resources. 22(5): 474-483.
Wolfe, S.E. (2009). “What’s your story? Practitioners’ tacit knowledge and water demand management policies in southern Africa and Canada.”  Water Policy.11: 489-503.
Wolfe, Sarah and K. Elton** (2009). “Pushing the boundaries: shifting water soft paths philosophy toward hard policy in municipal water management.” Chapter in: Brooks, David, Oliver Brandes, and Stephen Gurman (Eds.). Making the Most of the Water We Have: The Soft Path Approach to Water Management. EarthScan, London, UK.
Wolfe, S.E. (2008).Capacity, capability, collaboration and commitment: How social networks influence practitioners of municipal water demand management policy in Ontario, Canada.Environmental Practice – Journal of the National Association of Environmental Professionals. 10(2): 42-52.
Brooks, D. and S. Wolfe (2007). “Water Demand Management as Governance:  Lessons from the Middle East and South Africa.” Chapter in: Shuval, Hillel and Hassan Dweik (Eds.). Water Resources in the Middle East: Israel-Palestinian Water Issues – From Conflict to Cooperation. Hexagon Series on Human and Environmental Security and Peace, Vol. 2. Springer-Verlag.
Wolfe, S.E. and D.B. Brooks (2003). “Water Scarcity: An alternative view and its implications for policy and for capacity building.” Natural Resources Forum. 27(1): 99-107.

SCHOLARLY WRITING

* Undergraduate; **Graduate student

Smith, L.**, Ross, H., Shouldice, S**. and Wolfe, S. (2022) “Mortality management and climate action: A review and reference for using Terror Management Theory methods in interdisciplinary environmental research.” WIREs Climate Change. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc.776

Ross**, H.C. and S.E. Wolfe (2021). “Mortality awareness and lawn watering: Using terror management theory to understand residential water consumption.The International Journal of Social Sustainability in Economic, Social, and Cultural Context. 17(2). https://doi.org/10.18848/2325-1115/CGP/v17i02/29-53

Andrews, Evan, Sarah Wolfe, Prateep Kumar Nayak, Derek Armitage (2021). “Coastal Fishers Livelihood Behaviours and their Psychosocial Explanations: Implications for Fisheries Governance in a Changing World.” Frontiers in Marine Science (Marine Affairs and Policy). https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.634484/full

Smith**, Lauren K. M., Jennifer K. Lynes, and S. E. Wolfe (2019). “Community-Based Social Marketing—Creating Lasting, Sustainable, Environmental Change: Case Study of a Household Stormwater Management Program in the Region of Waterloo, Ontario.” Social Marketing Quarterly, 25(4), 308-326. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524500419883288

Wolfe, S.E. and A. Tubi (2018). “Terror Management Theory and Mortality Awareness: A Missing Link in Climate Response Studies?” WIREs Climate Change. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/wcc.566

Cote**, S. A., H. C. Ross**, K. David**, and S. E. Wolfe (2017). “Walkerton revisited: how our psychological defenses may influence responses to water crises.Ecology and Society 22(3):32. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-09616-220332

Cote**, S. A. and S. E. Wolfe. (2017). “Evidence of mortality salience and psychological defenses in bottled water campaignsApplied Environmental Education & Communication 22(3):32. doi: 10.1080/1533015X.2017.1399836

Wolfe, S.E. (2017). “Fear, Anger and Responsibility: Using emotions and Terror Management Theory to assess historic speeches about water and policy.” Water History

S.E. Wolfe and Brooks, David (2016). “Mortality awareness and water decisions: a social psychological analysis of supply-management, demand management and soft-path paradigms.” Water International. doi: 10.1080/02508060.2016.1248093

Mann*, C. and S.E. Wolfe (2016). “Risk perceptions and Terror Management Theory: assessing public responses to urban flooding in Toronto, Canada.” Water Resources Management. 30(8): 2651-2670

Ross*, H. and S.E. Wolfe (2015). “Life after death: evidence of the Hoover Dam as a hero project that defends against mortality reminders.” Water History, 1-19. doi: 10.1007/s12685-015-0151-9

Cote*, S. and Wolfe, S.E. (2014). “Assessing the Social and Economic Barriers to Permeable Surface Utilization for Residential Driveways in Kitchener, Ontario.”Environmental Practice. 16: 6–18. doi:10.1017/S1466046613000641

Wolfe, S.E. (2014). “Women’s choices and Canadian water research and policy: a study of professionals’ careers, mentorship and experiential knowledge.”Environmental Practice. 16: 37–51. doi: 10.1017/S1466046613000550

Wolfe, S.E., S. Davidson** and T. Reid* (2013). “Mentorship, knowledge transmission and female professionals in Canadian water research and policy.” Water Policy. 15:610-627

Wolfe, S.E. (2012) “Water cognition and cognitive affective mapping: identifying priority clusters within a Canadian water efficiency community.” Water Resources Management.  26(10): 2991-3004. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11269-012-0061-x

Elton**, K. and S.E. Wolfe (2011). “Water Efficiency and the Professional Plumbing Sector: How capacity and capability influence knowledge acquisition and innovation.” Water Resources Management. 26(2): 595-608. doi: 10.1007/s11269-011-9934-7

Wolfe, S.E and E. Hendriks** (2011). “Building Towards Water Efficiency: The influence of capacity and capability on innovation adoption in the Canadian home-building and resale industries.” International Journal of Housing and Built Environment. 26(1): 47-72.

Brooks, David and Sarah Wolfe. (2011) “Institutional Challenges for Effective Implementation of Water Demand Management and Institutional Assessment for Capacity Development.” Chapter in: Hammou Laamrani, Joshua Paglia and Lamia El-Fattal (Eds.). “Water Demand Management in the Middle East and North Africa: Policy, Practice and Power.International Development Research Centre. Cairo, Egypt and Ottawa, Canada.

Wolfe, S.E. (2010). “Beyond a Pipe Dream – The role of social capital in the development of a community’s water efficiency strategy.Environmental Practice – Journal of the National Association of Environmental Professionals. 12 (3): 214-226.

Wolfe, S.E. (2009).  “A Social Innovation Framework for Water Demand Management Policy: Practitioners’ Capabilities, Capacity, Collaboration, and Commitment.Society and Natural Resources. 22(5): 474-483.

Wolfe, S.E. (2009). “What’s your story? Practitioners’ tacit knowledge and water demand management policies in southern Africa and Canada.”  Water Policy.11: 489-503.

Wolfe, Sarah and K. Elton** (2009). “Pushing the boundaries: shifting water soft paths philosophy toward hard policy in municipal water management.” Chapter in: Brooks, David, Oliver Brandes, and Stephen Gurman (Eds.). Making the Most of the Water We Have: The Soft Path Approach to Water Management. EarthScan, London, UK.

Wolfe, S.E. (2008).Capacity, capability, collaboration and commitment: How social networks influence practitioners of municipal water demand management policy in Ontario, Canada.Environmental Practice – Journal of the National Association of Environmental Professionals. 10(2): 42-52.

Brooks, D. and S. Wolfe (2007). “Water Demand Management as Governance:  Lessons from the Middle East and South Africa.” Chapter in: Shuval, Hillel and Hassan Dweik (Eds.). Water Resources in the Middle East: Israel-Palestinian Water Issues – From Conflict to Cooperation. Hexagon Series on Human and Environmental Security and Peace, Vol. 2. Springer-Verlag.

Wolfe, S.E. and D.B. Brooks (2003). “Water Scarcity: An alternative view and its implications for policy and for capacity building.” Natural Resources Forum. 27(1): 99-107.

Research Themes

NEWS AND NEW MEDIA

Wolfe, S.E. (2019). “Flush your disgust. We can’t let emotions dampen our water policies.” The Globe and Mail. March 22nd.
Lynes, Jennifer and Wolfe, S.E. (2017). “It’s time to rethink our messaging about environmental change.” The Globe and Mail. May 7th.
Wolfe , S.E. (2016). “Sounding the water alarm will backfire thanks to human nature.” The Globe and Mail. March 22nd.
Wolfe, S.E. and S. Wismer (2010). “Gender and Careers in the Canadian Water Policy Community.”  Women and Environments International Magazine. Special Issue on Women and Water, 82-83
Wolfe, Sarah and Ailsa Craig (2010). “What are you doing today? Mentoring, gendered work, and an academic career.”  Invited submission to the Canadian Federation of Social Sciences and Humanities – Equity Matters.
Wolfe, S.E. and E. Hendriks** (2010). “Building Toward Water Efficiency in Canada – Policy Innovation and Education in New and Existing Homes.” Water Efficiency: The journal for water resource management. Jan/Feb 2010.
Wolfe, Sarah (2009). “How to keep women on the career ladder.” The Globe and Mail. December 23rd: A23.
Homer-Dixon, T. and Sarah Wolfe (2008). “Everything is not Peachy.” The Globe and Mail. August 18th: A21.
Wolfe, Sarah (2007). “Reforming and Rebuilding: Water Efficiency Initiatives in Hermanus, South Africa.” Water Efficiency: The journal for water resource management. Nov/Dec – 2(6).
Wolfe, Sarah (2003). “Networks.” Invited paper for the UN Chronicle Magazine (Water Resources Special Issue). XL (1): 33-35.
Wolfe, Sarah and T. Homer-Dixon (2003). “The matrix of our troubles.” The Globe and Mail. Saturday, August 16th:A23.

NEWS AND NEW MEDIA

Wolfe, S.E. (2019). “Flush your disgust. We can’t let emotions dampen our water policies.” The Globe and Mail. March 22nd.

Lynes, Jennifer and Wolfe, S.E. (2017). “It’s time to rethink our messaging about environmental change.” The Globe and Mail. May 7th.

Wolfe , S.E. (2016). “Sounding the water alarm will backfire thanks to human nature.” The Globe and Mail. March 22nd.

Wolfe, S.E. and S. Wismer (2010). “Gender and Careers in the Canadian Water Policy Community.”  Women and Environments International Magazine. Special Issue on Women and Water, 82-83

Wolfe, Sarah and Ailsa Craig (2010). “What are you doing today? Mentoring, gendered work, and an academic career.”  Invited submission to the Canadian Federation of Social Sciences and Humanities – Equity Matters.

Wolfe, S.E. and E. Hendriks** (2010). “Building Toward Water Efficiency in Canada – Policy Innovation and Education in New and Existing Homes.” Water Efficiency: The journal for water resource management. Jan/Feb 2010.

Wolfe, Sarah (2009). “How to keep women on the career ladder.” The Globe and Mail. December 23rd: A23.

Homer-Dixon, T. and Sarah Wolfe (2008). “Everything is not Peachy.” The Globe and Mail. August 18th: A21.

Wolfe, Sarah (2007). “Reforming and Rebuilding: Water Efficiency Initiatives in Hermanus, South Africa.” Water Efficiency: The journal for water resource management. Nov/Dec – 2(6).

Wolfe, Sarah (2003). “Networks.” Invited paper for the UN Chronicle Magazine (Water Resources Special Issue). XL (1): 33-35.

Wolfe, Sarah and T. Homer-Dixon (2003). “The matrix of our troubles.” The Globe and Mail. Saturday, August 16th:A23.