Creating sustainable education systems (June 25-July 4, 2012)

Task Discussion

• 
  Anna   June 30, 2012, 6:48 a.m.

  What does sustainability mean to you?
  
  The ability to maintain an ecosystem (nature, finances, people, systems, etc.) over a long period of time.
  
  How have the education systems you've experienced prepared you to interact with the natural world?
  
  Sadly, the natural world is a huge gap in my knowledge. While I took the requisite basic biology courses in high school and college, I was bored out of my mind. So, I never rarely paid attention in class (except to regurgitate “vacuous” information on multiple choice tests), nor did I make connections with what I was learning in the classroom and the natural world/other disciplines.
  
  I don’t really understand how the natural world works and having lived in big cities for so long, I feel rather divorced from it.
  
  But, at least I am starting to be conscious of this. I just moved to a neighborhood with lots of green, sand and amazing migratory birds in Dubai. I need to start observing the natural world more. I can’t really say what will happen after that. But, consciousness is the first step of the change cycle. Right?!
  
  Do you agree with the messages in above video Two Loops: How Systems Change? Please explain your response.
  
  Yes. I think the system diagrammed is an accurate description of how systems change (peak oil → alternative energy, rail → planes, landlines → mobile phones, etc.). I like that the Deborah addresses the issue of “good hospice work”. I think many of the groups out there that try to promote a “save the planet” agenda are naive about the time it takes for systems to change. Or, they are promoting eco-work that works in small communities, but may not be ready for “the masses” yet. They can also come off as extreme and demeaning at times based on the language/activism tactics used.
  
  I remember learning in my life coaching class, “What you say rarely offends people. It’s how you say it, that makes all of the difference”. Many great eco-friendly ideas, systems, etc. need to be repackaged (marketing-wise) in a language that the “eco-unaware” can make sense of, relate to and feel comfortable with. For those that want to pioneer new systems/ideas/eco-work, understanding human psychology and developing a skill around compassionate rhetoric are a must.
  
  David Orr writes in his essay above, "If education is to be measured against the standard of sustainability, what can be done?" How would you answer this questions as it pertains to your community?
  
  Sustainability can apply to so many areas. But, in the area of the environment I think schools, businesses, NGOS and key decision-makers need to sit at the same table to discuss what it means to have a sustainable ecology and economy in the desert. We are so disconnected from how our food is grown, how it comes to the supermarket, simple initiatives that can be undertaken at home to save electricity and water... Note: I think this applies to lots of places (not just desert cities).
  
  A few strategic public service announcements and informational posters at the supermarket could go a long way towards educating the public about issues related to food, water and electricity. Schools could also do more in the curriculum and process of education to encourage awareness and conscious actions when it comes to the environment. For example, conducting classes in the desert or having a school garden, helps kids connect with the land in a real (non-theoretical) way.
  
  How do you plan to bring more sustainable practices into your own teaching and learning?
  
  1) Start thinking about sustainability!
  2) Make concrete connections between my concept of sustainability and how I operate within myself, family, business, the community, environment, etc.
  3) As I organize a number of educational programs for the community, I want to bring more sustainability and eco-talks to the region. This week was a good start. We invited a permaculturist to give a community talk on how to grow sustainably in the the desert. I really like the permaculture philosophy of observe first and minimum input to get maximum output. From the little I understand, permaculture design also really focuses on “the long term” sustainability of environmental systems.
  
  What other ideas or questions did you think about as you explored this week's topic?
  
  Orr discusses learning as a process, not an output. I think this is critical for educationists to wrap their heads around!
  
  He also brings up a wise point that “education is no guarantee of decency”. Of recent I’ve realized that while I am very “educated,” there are many ways in which I can be much more decent to the natural world in how I shop, cook, dispose of waste, use water, etc.
  
  We bought a bokashi (http://www.bokashi.com.au) system this week for the house. We are turning our natural food waste into fermented soil food. As the system fills up with discarded seeds, orange peels, leftover spaghetti, etc., I am amazed at how much I throw away each week that can be turned into really great “natural fertilizer” for our yard. Next step, start growing veggies!

• 
  Aleksei Malakhov   July 1, 2012, 11:40 a.m.
  In Reply To:   Anna   June 30, 2012, 6:48 a.m.

  > I think many of the groups out there that try to promote a “save the planet” agenda are naive about the time it takes for systems to change. Or, they are promoting eco-work that works in small communities, but may not be ready for “the masses” yet. They can also come off as extreme and demeaning at times based on the language/activism tactics used.

  Unfortunately, in some societies such activities can only exist on a grassroots level. I remember seeing a program about Russian ecology activists who took hostage directors of large industrial enterprises - only that could put an end to harmful practices. However, from the point of view of the law, it is classified as terrorism and punished severely.

  I think it's  connected with the globalist practice of dividing the world into raw material and production zones. It strikes me as unfair to see how in Canada they seem to care so much that every plasic bag must be recycled, while in China whole regions are rendered almost unlivable - because it's an industrial zone. How stupid - the Earth is so small after all.

• 
  Anna   July 5, 2012, 7:15 a.m.
  In Reply To:   Aleksei Malakhov   July 1, 2012, 11:40 a.m.

  "How stupid - the Earth is so small after all." <-- Agreed!

• 
  Aleksei Malakhov   June 29, 2012, 1:15 p.m.

  • What does sustainability mean to you?

  The ability of an organism, system, human, or society to be successfully self-sufficient in providing means for their development throughout their lifespan, without harming others.

  • How have the education systems you've experienced prepared you to interact with the natural world?

  We had field trips to the nearby park when I was in elementary school - these are still my best memories of the whole 10 years spent in school. Other than that, I can hardly remember. After the Chernobyl atomic power plant explosion, Belarus became a pretty risky place to interact with the natural world.

  • Do you agree with the messages in above video Two Loops: How Systems Change? Please explain your response.

  I agree that when you think you're on peak, don't let it get into your head - look at the alternatives that arise and try make use of them. Say, in Saudi Arabia, they whole system is about mining for oil and processing pertochemical products. A guy I knew, an ecologist from Finland (a Nordic country with very little sun) noted: there are hundreds of square miles of unused territory and 360 days of sun per year - there's a way to go, put solar panels and enjoy the income generated by exporting oil to countries like Finland. Sounds like a good idea but needs a change in mentality - that's why the system keeps on working until its downfall - oil is not forever, after all.

  • David Orr writes in his essay above, "If education is to be measure against the standard of sustainability, what can be done?" How would you answer this questions as it pertains to your community?

  If we consider my current community to be the nice area I live in on the shore of the Lake Ontario, I'd say that the very fact it's still a very attractive and clean area with pretty low crime rate speaks in favor of the local schools. My children enjoy their activities that tell them about the local ecosystem (they include field, farm and museum trips) and feel themselves part of it. If salmon returns to Ontario, we'll have a celebration :-)

  • How do you plan to bring more sustainable practices into your own teaching and learning?

  I solemnly promise to give it a good thought.

  • What other ideas or questions did you think about as you explored this week's topic?

  I liked David Orr's essay and some ideas resonated with me pretty much. For instance, ed is not a value in itself. Examples? The late Turkmenistan's dictator Niyazov, in a frenzy of inspiration, wrote a book called the Rukhnama (Spirituality). It became a mandatory subject in higher ed. Moreover, you had to pass an exam based on it if you wanted to get a driver's license. Do the crazed musings of a power-obsessed loonie facilitate safer driving? I hardly believe so. What's the use of such learning? Zero.

  Orr also questions so many valuesof a modern technology and capital-driven society - like progress, success, competition (some would call it rat race). However, these are the values promoted by the libertarian Capitalist free-market thought - facilitate competition, keep your hands off it - you'll get efficiency and equity. In reality, more often than not it creates dog-eat-dog situations. Orr touches upon political questions saying that Capitalism ruins morality, while Socialism tried to promote it but failed. Dear David, let me break some disappointing news to you - Socialism only pretetnded to have morality (there was the so-called  Moral Code of the Builder of Communism - a kind of religious creed without any religion. As far as I know, most people in the USSR simply didn't give a damn about it). The partocrathy that existed/exists in most Socialist states is a perfect breeding ground fot corruption - look at USSR, China, North Korea, Lybia. I'd say we'got a lot to think about in terms of changing human mentality thru' ed. I strongly recommend Orr for reading.

• 
  Anna   June 30, 2012, 6:59 a.m.
  In Reply To:   Aleksei Malakhov   June 29, 2012, 1:15 p.m.

  Thanks for being the first to respond!

  1. I am curious to hear how Chernobyl impacted school kids on a day-to-day basis in Belarus. I read about the accident in a book called, "The Logic of Failure". But, it didn't really discuss the human/community impact of the accident in great detail. How was the accident discussed in school? How did it impact your day-to-day and connection to the natural world?
  2. What was the "logic" or idea behind having to read "Spirituality" in order to get a license. There must have been some reason for the connection in the first place!
  3. I solemnly promise to give it a good thought. <-- :-)
  4. In the last question you discuss the issue of morality. Do you think schools should promote a certain "moral agenda"? If so, how so? If not, where should morality or comparative morality be addressed? Would be interesting to discuss moraility and "moral sustainability"!
• 
  Anna   June 30, 2012, 7:14 a.m.
  In Reply To:   Anna   June 30, 2012, 6:59 a.m.

  P.S. Thanks so much for your avid participation throughout this seminar. I'd love to read your final reflections if you have a chance (see last task). Thanks again and keep in touch! :-)