DRAFT
Ecology-Across-Campuses and -Curricula … and
Ecological Literacy:
Toward Sustainable Livelihoods and Conservation and
Sustainable Community
paul b. martin,
ph.d., Marvel Maddox, & Jolly Ellis*
Siempre Sustainable Network
605 Elm, Seguin, TX 78155
Paper presented at the 33rd Annual Conference of the Society of Educators and Scholars, Oct. 2010
We know we are in dire straits as a
species, and that we are among
associated species facing even more difficult immediate threats … such as
extinction by Homo sapiens. At least one billion relatively powerless humans,
and great numbers of individuals of other species, are in the midst of unprecedented
peril in this moment. Therefore, we must demand that our
institutions of learning--from the pre-kindergarten to post-graduate school--unreservedly address the challenge: of lowering
ecological footprints and material/energy usage/”abusage” (loss of topsoil,
usable water, and biodiversity; and
dependence on virtual slaves) in the sectors of the world with power, and of
facilitating the increases in these footprints for those lacking power (the objective being an average worldwide per capita
ecological footprint of ca. 5 acres and daily energy usage of ca. 60 thousand
kilocalories with a very small standard deviation.). Stakeholders should be basing their decisions
on ecological principles and processes; they should be thinking critically
& creatively and acting in local & global systems with goals of banning
inequality, and enhancing conservation, resilience and sustainability. A comprehensive and intensive plan for making
this happen through our educational systems is seriously needed. Development
of ecology-across-curricula toward ecological literacy and sustainable
livelihoods and sustainable community is a moral and ethical imperative for
true scholars and educators. Educational
systems should be a part of the solution rather than serving to increase the
social and ecological problems we all will continue to face in the future if we
do not begin to rapidly change our socio-political/economic local and global
systems.
………………….
“We stand now where two roads diverge. But unlike the
roads in Robert Frost's familiar poem, they are not equally fair. The road we
have long been traveling is deceptively easy, a smooth superhighway on which we
progress with great speed, but at its end lies disaster. The other fork of the
road -- the one less traveled by -- offers our last, our only chance to reach a
destination that assures the preservation of the earth.” Rachel
Carson, Ecologist
_______________
*The junior authors are
included because their impassioned support in this effort has been and is
essential. … However the senior author
is solely responsible for the content herein.
We of the greatest generation, baby boomers, Gen X,
Millennials, are responsible for: the devastating Deepwater Horizon BP oil spill
damage in the Gulf of Mexico, for dead zones in our bays and estuaries, e.g.,
also in the Gulf of Mexico, for the covering of precious topsoil by Texas Toll
Road SH-130, and also for the desperate condition of millions in the world who
lack even limited power and basic resources in order to live quality
lives. Nevertheless, we—the authors of
this paper--do feel we can do something about these and other problems we have
caused. Moreover, we believe it is
obvious that our educational systems must be at the forefront in providing
immediate and long-term solutions.
Therefore, the major points we wish to leave the reader with
after his/her digesting of this paper, are:
- world
systems are facing local and global quality life-threatening challenges
which need immediate and very significant attention,
- we
have knowledge of responsible, appropriate responses to these challenges
(although we are not generally doing much about realizing these needed
actions at this time), and
- our
educational systems at all levels are the logical vehicles for:
- teaching
and molding community and society such that it yields quality life,
- developing
critical and creative thinking and ethical decision-making built on knowledge
of ecological principles and processes, and
- motivating
communities and society at local and global levels toward conservation
and development of resilient and sustainable community involving
generalists & sustainable livelihoods.
Barriers to
Ecological Literacy. In the senior author’s small rural childhood community,
children were taught about:
- “doing
to others as you would have them do unto you,”
- natural
resource and energy conservation,
- some
basic principles & processes of ecology,
- appropriate
scale,
- being
generalists, and
- how to
live well in a place.
) which is conducive to
quality education, and there was plenty of “Natural” pasture in which to roam
and learn in a hands-on way about Nature and the Land.
(This author almost wrote that his formative
community had lots of “Greenspace”.
However
these formative years were during the long and severe drought of the 1950s in
south Texas, and the green space was very brown.)
Finally, there was an attitude of life-long
learning and of the belief that a citizen working in local community
could
really make a difference.
But despite this great ecological knowledge-base provided the
senior author down in South Texas in the 1950s and 60s, he was born the
year after WW II ended, and baby-boomers in the U.S. were experiencing an
explosion of technology--and “stuff”, of increasing numbers of automobiles,
large heat-pump air-conditioned homes, expanding exotic lawns and lawnmowers,
and energy- and material-extracting gadgets, resulting in generally rapid
conversion of Natural to Artificial.
Therefore, even though we were
being taught one system of values, many
sectors of society—including parents and children--were beginning to live,
more and more, another ethos.
This consumptive system of values continues to
escalate. A consumerism mindset, which even much of China
and Mongolia now have or are rapidly getting, is terribly destructive of the
top soil, high quantity of clean water, clean air, macro and micro mineral
cycles, and robust biodiversity upon which high quality and robust life systems
depend for quality life and sustainability.
This consumerism and need for more is destroying humanity because of its
inhumaneness.
We need to consume less here North of the equator (and those
with considerable power south of the equator need to do likewise). Along with reduction of consumption by the
powerful, it is imperative to increase the power and consumption of the world’s
poor, undernourished and disenfranchised.
(Another confounding issue is “War,” and particularly our U.S.
military-industrial machine and all the arms it produces.)
Moreover, even though population growth rates are not as
serious a problem as per capita consumption by the powerful, we must continue
to curb population growth. … Obviously we
would be in a better situation now if we had to deal with one to two billion
humans rather that seven, nine or 11.
October 2010 is a time of “unprecedented” talk of education
reform. Why are we not hearing more
about what is fundamental to the education process and essential to critical
thinking and quality life for all, i.e., ecological literacy and ecology-across-curricula?
We think there are at least seven reasons:
1. Ecological
Illiterates. In 2010, most parents, teachers, administrators, education
policymakers in the U.S. do not have real knowledge of a concept of ecological
literacy (EL) and ecology-across-the-curriculum (EAC). Moreover, their grasp of EAC and EL is
probably less than that of parent, teachers, administrators and policymakers
in, e.g., the 1930s. (The senior
author’s father, who had not attended college, and mother, who only went to
school through the eighth grade, knew much more about ecological principles and
processes than most folk coming out of college in today’s world.).
A good foundational knowledge in ecological
principles and processes is essential to anyone even beginning
to understand socio-political/economic systems and for beginning to help
move us toward correcting them in an ethical manner, i.e., for the good of rich
or poor--including other species--and for as long as possible.
2. Fear of Change.
When folk do have an inkling of understanding of what might be meant by EAC,
they often generally want to avoid it at all costs (including the costs
incurred from the sacrifice of necessary ecological knowledge and actions resulting
from critical thinking which would take us toward future quality living within
this ecosphere). The reason for this is that their paychecks, interest rates and
dividends, yields from stocks and bonds, annuities, government checks,
subsidies and assistance, i.e., their relatively comfortable conventional
lifestyles, depend upon the bankrupt financial system and fragile
socio-economic/political structure which is perilously propped upon a deteriorating
natural resource base. And they do
not want to rock the boat!
The very powerful, in particular, are reluctant to give up
power or even use what they have in order to gain increasing power. Moreover, many of those with power threaten
those without similar power with certain job and income loss, in the event that
they, the rich and powerful, should lose their own foothold on their exorbitant
power.
3. Uncompassionate
Apathy. Many people do not de facto
care much about the three billion humans who really are struggling to get by in
the world and we care even less about other species, especially if they are not
mammals or are not relatively large or not stunningly beautiful.
4. Sustainability Is
Difficult! (Particularly in a World of 7 Billion and Capitalism). Individuals
and world systems are complex, and difficult to reprogram toward conservation
and sustainability. Moreover, there are many
folk who settle for the status quo,
and thus there are many naysayers, cynics and con artists taking a perceived
easier path, even while their actions are nudging, shoving or leading us over
the cliff..
5. Communication
Barriers. It is extremely difficult to even begin to communicate with folk who
hold a completely different system of values, especially when these values are
on a compellingly attractive and even addictive (yet unfounded)
"foundation."
6. Faster Horses!
Older Whiskey! Younger “Mates”! More Money!
We generally continue
to worship at the altar of growth and big, fast and noisy, and technological
and artificial, (and energetically and socio-economically/ecologically costly) …
at the expense in particular of "average" students/people.
7. Problems in Knowing When the Well Really Is About
to Run Dry. As human populations and
their appetites and their technology increase, the finite resources of this
finite planet are rapidly tapped into and utilized. But to some extent, everything seems fine up
until the depletion of necessary resources (especially macronutrients/essential
elements & compounds) is precariously near.
It is difficult to know and predict when the last amount of life-essential
resources are nearing depletion until very near the end of depletion (or near
the point where it is virtually energetically impossible to secure them in
sufficient amounts to maintain the homeostasis of life systems). [Dr. Albert Bartlett eloquently and
thoroughly discussed this in 1978 in his “Forgotten Fundamentals of the Energy
Crisis” www.npg.org/specialreports/bartlett_index.htm ]
Ecology-Across-the-Curriculum and the Campus. Of course dealing with
challenges and surmounting barriers is what we in education are all about. Therefore, we propose that we whole-heartedly
really get to work and begin to realize EAC and EL.
First of all the
schools would of necessity be small. www.ecobooks.com/books/smbeaut.htm (Schools should be small enough so that administrators teach.)
Pre-university educational systems would involve more
neighborhood and rural schools (including
high schools) built in concert with Nature and the Land with
no more than 500 students www.wested.org/online_pubs/po-01-03.pdf
. The
landscapes of
the schools would be of
mostly native plant communities (possessing placards with species
identification/information), some agricultural production, living and
rainfall-catchment roofs, and limited vehicle parking space (encouraging
walking, bicycling, bus transport and car-pooling).
Buildings would be sustainably built of mostly
local materials and would be designed and strategically placed (perhaps in earthen
embankments) for passive cooling and heating, and for comprehensive, holistic
education that is lived and breathed on the campus.
Food and drink—and fibers and other materials
used on campuses-- would be mostly locally produced, processed, and prepared
for consumption.
An individual/group walking through the campus with EAC and
teaching EL would immediately recognize humility and courtesy within the school
population, but would also note can-do attitudes indicative of leadership
schools in its citizenry. (The “yes
sirs” and “no sirs”, and “thank yous” and determination to listen and learn,
which the senior author recently encountered while working with elementary
students of Jacksboro ISD, would be very apparent in the systems we envision
with EAC toward EL.)
All those involved the school system—students, staff,
faculty, administrators, school board members, the larger community—would be
knowledgeable about energy flux and material flow inputs/throughputs and
outputs for the school campuses (or at least seeking out this information) and
ecological footprints of the school and school system, and involved in changing
them for the better (effective communication, participatory/hands-on,
decentralized/site-based management, lifelong learning/critical thinking). Various low input technologies like chalk and
blackboards and “dog run”-venturi cooling systems; “renewable” energy sources;
holistic and preventative systems of student health care; composting toilets
and simulated-wetlands sewage-treatment systems; and higher input
systems involving LEED certification at the highest level also need to be
considered.
Schools would have systemic and holistic “greening of the
curricula.”
http://livegreenlivesmart.org/library/articles/campus_greening_movement.aspx )
All of the giants of the education process
(Appendix 1) as well as other components of this process, including
extracurricular activities, would be viewed through a lens of (applied) ecology
with a goal of quality life for all, including other species, for as long as
possible.
Community service learning toward conservation and
sustainability on campus and in the larger community would be a part of the
life of all students, teachers, staff and administrators. Teachers, staff and administrators would live
in the neighborhoods served by the school system, and pay scales of all these
entities would be equitable and relatively equal. No employee, not even administrators, would
receive a salary which would allow him or her to exact inequitable and unjust
power over others, including other species.
Some of the working or conceptual models for accomplishing conservation
and sustainability to which students and other stakeholders(faculty, staff,
administrators, policymakers) would cognizant of include ecological economics (of
Herman Daly et al.), the sustainable
livelihoods approach of the U.K. Department of International Development ,
holistic management as promoted by Allen Savory et al., the Commonwealths of Ogallala Commons, and the systems
approaches of Helmut Haberl, Vaclav Smil, Cornelia Butler Flora, David Pimentel,
Wes Jackson, and Miguel Altieri. They all
would read Donald Worster’s Nature’s
Economy: A History of Ecological Ideas and Schumacher’s Small is Beautiful. Moreover, they would need to be familiar with
the works of Paulo Freire, Saul Alinsky, Murray Bookchin, Aldo Leopold, William
Catton, Wendell Berry, and E.O. Wilson.
(Of course we did leave out many classic and conventional works related
to ecology and numerous key ecologists with which school systems should already
at least be familiar.)
Outcomes: Sustainable Livelihoods in a Conserving
and Sustainable Community.
As we have indicated, the real crisis in the world is not in the
financial
economy and its current state, … but rather, the crises in
Nature’s
economy [severe human poverty and malnutrition (and other
physical and mental/spiritual stresses on humans), watershed disruption, top soil loss, dead zones,
desertification, loss of diversity and resilience, serious pollution, global
climate change, and other ecological problems.]. Moreover, we are not providing our
children
(nor most of the “adults” around them)
with the educational foundation for developing critical thinking and ethical
decision-making skills, particularly with regard to the serious long-term
ecological challenges.
(Of course in the U.S.A. there is little
immediate awareness of many of the problems in Nature's economy because we have
so much power and we suck tremendous resources from all over the world to a
relatively small population here in North America--a process which masks and
hides the really serious problems our kids and grandkids ... will have to
confront with insurmountable difficulties. Moreover, most of us live in such a
virtual and unreal reality that whole lives of relative ignorance and procrastination
are prevalent--versus what could be fulfilling and spiritually rich and active
lives of wisely dealing with real problems.)
The bottom line is that, for the most part sustainable
livelihoods do not exist in our very artificial conventional economic systems.
Our current
(and past) economies, and
most of our livelihoods that come from these socio-political/economic systems,
are destroying soils, water, the air we breathe, and the climate which sustains
life--and these unsustainable livelihoods are doing away with the organisms and
their ecological communities with which we as humans must associate for quality
life. … They are destroying our humaneness--our humanity!
As already emphasized in this paper, some of us strongly believe that we, as “educators”
and “scholars”, should earnestly and immediately begin to attempt to change
this unpleasant situation we humans are creating as a result of our development
and continued propping up/bandaiding of non-conserving and unsustainable, and
non-resilient ecological communities. In particular, we are certain that this
major shift in behavior and action must include a comprehensive and intensive
long-range planning which would involve
(“optimally”) small
(less that a 500 student population www.wested.org/online_pubs/po-01-03.pdf ) neighborhood and rural schools—with separate elementary,
middle school and high school campuses placed side by side, but in concert with
the Land and Nature.
“To live, we must daily break
the body and shed the blood of creation. …
when we do this knowingly, lovingly, skillfully, reverently, it is a sacrament;
when we do it ignorantly, greedily, clumsily, destructively, it is a
desecration.”
Wendell Berry,
Essayist, Poet, Farmer
An ecologically-sound school system modeled after the
guidelines discussed herein, can definitely help to realize sustainable
livelihoods for local communities and the world--livelihoods which involve some
of the following:
0 Educated holistic and ethical decision-makers
0 Folk who dedicate
their lives to targeting the poor with education, knowledge, enfranchisement,
empowerment, power, and resources
0 Organic farmers who are “truly organic” in a holistic sense
0 Urban farmers and rural farmer-ranchers who produce
grass-fed and browse-fed meat animals on a small and large scale
0 Holistic low-input community gardeners
0 Health care professionals who holistically and
comprehensively practice preventative care on a local level--first and foremost!—and
curative care when needed (and who develop health care systems that
particularly target the poor)
0 Lawyers who mostly help the poor (including other species)
0 Bankers supporting microloan/microenterprise systems which
are conserving and sustainable
0 Blue collar workers who make enough for a good quality life
0 White collar workers who make enough for a good quality
life. But no more!
0 Architects who design conserving and sustainable
built-systems
0 Builders of small ecological-friendly homes
0 Constructors and maintainers of transport systems primarily
involving bicycles, trains, buses, and modern clipper ships http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2003APS..DFD.MH007D
0 Seekers of low input/throughput/output systems involving
ethical use of what is truly “renewable energy”
0 Effective and efficient communicators who work in
inexpensive low input systems
0 Systems analyzers and researchers who can effectively
communicate the state of the state/the world in terms of material flow and
energy flux—inputs, throughputs, and outputs; ... also, teams producing life
cycle assessments for products/systems
0 Scientists who truly seek knowledge vs. technicians and technologists who attempt to bring the
Land/Nature “to its knees” in service to humans
0 Guardians of diverse native living communities of organisms
(including in bays and estuaries); ample amounts of good clean water and air;
rich, deep, living top soils; and ethical use of energy
0 Ethical naturalists
0 Readers who seek socio-political/economic (ecological)
knowledge about how to live well in a place
0 Human cultures who respect other human cultures, traditions
and rituals
0 A human culture that respects the Nature, the Land
0 Ecological historians
0 Local, homegrown entertainers who are relatively “low
input”/”low maintenance”
0 Everyone actively participating in local low maintenance
sports and entertainment
0 Politicians and bureaucrats/policy-makers at all levels who
work intelligently and prudently to facilitate change toward “conservation and
development of sustainable community”
0 Teachers of reading, writing and arithmetic who live where
they teach and are striving to meet our local and global challenges within a
holistic, participatory/hands-on, site-based curriculum of applied ecology
0 True Peacemakers / Poets / Artists
0 Folk in all disciplines and roles in life who are Positively
Ethical Applied Community Ecologists
and who live light on the Land
School systems which lead to sustainable livelihoods—and more generalists
who know much about the whole
vs.
specialists who know more & more about less & less--can help us in our
journey toward conservation and development of resilient and sustainable
communities.
Conclusions. The senior author has no doubt that if we
opt to continue to only band-aid and patch up the current system, and if we
continue to use the old socio-political/economic models to accumulate capital,
… that in his specific case, he, his children and his grandchildren would
continue to do well. They have and
probably will continue to have the power, know-how, social and financial
capital and leverage to continue to have a good life.
But we do have serious concerns about the more long-term future of
humanity, and we particularly worry about those humans and other species that
lack sufficient power. And although we
have not really focused on or adequately discussed many of the various more
specific socially and culturally destructive aspects and negative consequences
of our inequitable local and global power structure in this paper up to this
point, we do particularly have concerns, compassion, and empathy for:
- the well over three
billion humans who will continue to lack adequate power in order to
realize quality life and the increasing detrimental effect deteriorating
resources will have on them,
- those in community
who have been devastated by our state, national and international drug
policies,
- the millions who are
in prison, and have quality life denied to them (attempting to sweep them
under the rug through incarceration and even capital punishment vs. their being in a society and
world that really cares and works toward rehabilitation and getting to the
root of our social problems),
- undocumented workers
who do not openly receive the wages and services they deserve, nor the
compassion and respect they should receive, and
- the millions
devastated by War, preemptive strikes, military nation-destruction, and
related chaos.
Positively ethical applied ecologists coming out of our school systems will
actively work in a collaborative and intelligent fashion to resolve this horrific
lack of humaneness in today’s ecosphere.
The argument is oftentimes over whether is the cup half full
or half empty with respect to dealing with our socio-political/economic (ecological)
challenges. But does it really matter?
It most certainly is emptying at unprecedented global scale
and at a rate we have never before experienced.
It is time we began working together in a transdisciplinary manner to
educate across the curriculum toward ecological literacy. It is immoral and unethical to do otherwise.
……………………………………….
Appendix 1. Giants
of the Education Process
_____________________________________________________________________
Communication [Language(s), MATHEMATICS, Computer Science]
ART Kinesiology/SPORTS POLITICS [Law, Military Science, …]
Philosophy / Religion [Ethics, Morals, Values, Mores]
Physics [Energetics]
Economics [Money,
Marketing, Management, Accounting]
ECOLOGY [Chemistry, Biology (Agriculture, Medicine, Dentistry)],
Geography,
Social Studies-Anthropology
________________________________________________
Appendix 2.
A Panel Discussion realized at Siempre
Sustainable Network’s Monthly Meeting, November, 2009
Questions
for the Panel of Experts in the Field of Education. I am certain each and
every one of the panel members feels strongly that there is much room for
improvement in our public schools. However, differences arise when we begin to
discuss what?, where?, when? and how?
we need to go about realizing improvement. The questions listed below will
hopefully provide some initial insight into how this community and others might
move forward toward providing sustainable livelihoods and quality life for all—locally
and globally:
Briefly tell the audience what the term “quality life in community” means to
you? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quality_of_life
What is education for? www.context.org/ICLIB/IC27/Orr.htm
What is the most important change we can make in our public schools in
order to realize quality life locally and worldwide for as many folk as
possible, and for as long as possible?
What are your thoughts concerning ecological literacy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecological_literacy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecological_economics and the importance of such?
Discuss the importance of keeping schools small, “neighborly” and
rural—and in concert with the environment.
Discuss the role of schools in community and the need for schools to be “truly Green”
holistically, and in concert with the local ecological community of diverse
organisms?
Do you believe a “charter
school”-initiative targeting low-income families and involving
a small middle-school student population--and an ecologically-sound, socially
just and humane mindset--might be effective in improving our public school
system? Could
you actively support a charter school in your current situation, i.e.,
primarily in an advisory capacity and through possible collaboration with
institutions/entities you represent?
What are some other
suggestions for moving us toward:
· ecological literacy?
·
sustainable livelihoods?
· and communities which are
socially just and humane, and ecologically-sound?
Appendix 3.
Proposed Sustainability Course for Texas Lutheran University
Realizing Sustainability and Sustainable Livelihoods: Quality Life Locally and Globally/Helping the
Powerless with a Hands-up & Protecting Nature
paul b. martin
[“Team taught” with key
members from all sectors of community, including TLU]
Billions
of powerless, disenfranchised people in the world have little hope for quality
life and living. Moreover, “Nature” is
currently being destroyed locally and globally at unprecedented rates. This course will investigate ways to better:
- realize locally and
globally our power to know,
- spread real/active
compassion, and
- take action
judiciously toward conservation and sustainable/resilient community and
sustainable livelihoods …
while
recognizing our insignificance and ignorance, and a need for humility and light
ecological footprints.
This
course will require active hands-on involvement of the student in understanding local community and global
influences as well as involvement in developing
policy and actions (including within the university) providing a
knowledge base for:
- revealing truly
important questions,
- initiating and
developing processes which might lead us to more
conserving/resilient/sustainable communities, and
- ways to shift the
structure and actions of power toward realizing the development of a
sustainable knowledge base, revealing real problems, and sustainable
community/livelihoods.
Quality Life. (First 2 wks)
What
is Life? Biology basics?
What
is Nature?
What
do we mean by Quality Life?
What
determines peace of mind/happiness?
Sense
of place/community?
[Describe this for your
community/place. … Early one morning feed &
prudently/humbly/respectfully interact with day laborers on Kingsbury St.—after
cking with City/County officials concerning related ordinances/Health rules
& regs]
Critical Thinking. (2 wks)
Ecological
processes and principles?
Key
steps to critical thinking?
Facilitating
creative/critical thinking?
[Work on
addressing/”solving” a major ecological challenge in Seguin. (Watershed challenges; appropriate water
quantity/quality; droughts and floods??)
Invite Debbie Magin and/or Cinde Thomas-Jimenez, GBRA for
presentation/interaction.
(“Green”/sustainable
housing for the poor. ) Deal with this
holistically by bringing in the poorest of Seguin’s population, folk involved
in implementing stimulus package retrofitting-projects/programs, Guadalupe
County Appraisal District, etc.
Shouldn’t all Texans be
vegetarians? (Morally & ethically)]
Sustainability. (2 wks)
The “End of Nature”--and do
humans need “Nature”? Ecosystem
blocks—Energy flux, mineral cycles, hydrological cycle, dynamic ecological
communities
History
of concept of sustainability and “appropriate” technology/actions/processes?
Energetics and ecological
footprints? (Rees, Wackernagel, Haberl;
WWF Living Planet Report)
Ecological
soundness?
Socio-political/economic
(ecological) justice?
Humaneness?
Resilience?
Sustainability
indicators?
What
is education for? (David Orr, Oberlin
College)
[What is the EF of an
average student, staffperson, faculty member, administrator? Does going “Green” mean being sustainable as
an individual/community? State of TLU
(Sustainability initiatives/projects/programs on campus).]
Local Challenges to
Resilience/Sustainability. (1 wk)
Literacy. Ecological literacy. Education toward/for
sustainability/sustainable livelihoods.
(Small neighborhood/rural schools in concert with Nature?)
Relative
poverty. Inequity/inequality.
Substance
abuse in all socio-economic sectors.
Health issues. Obesity, diabetes, cardio-vascular problems,
respiratory challenges, HIV/AIDS, cancer, etc.
Health care access.
Appropriate
housing.
Transport/bike-walking
lanes.
Water/energy/food/fiber/green
space-wilderness.
Trash/pollution.
Socio-political
structure/processes including bureaucracy, large and small business, role of
churches, etc.
[Sustainable Livelihoods,
Ogallala Commons, Holistic Management International, Cornelia Butler Flora,
ecological economics (Herman Daly, E.F.Schumacher, Robert Constanza, H.T. Odum,
John Ikerd, David Pimentel, …) approaches to address these challenges.
Local vs. global. Low input/throughput/output vs. high.
“Renewable” energy.]
Global Challenges to
Resilience/Sustainability. (1 wk)
Global
climate change. Energy (“renewables”,
fossil, nuclear)
Food/agriculture/organic
agriculture/sustainable agriculture/agroecology.
Water.
Species
extinction/loss of diversity. Green space-wilderness.
Trash/pollution.
Health
care systems.
Socio-political
structure/processes including bureaucracy, corporations, religion, etc.
[Cap and
trade/taxing/education/remediation/etc. efforts to address global climate
change. International governmental, NGO
efforts at address resilience/sustainability issues.]
Systemic Change toward
Conservation and Development of Sustainable Community. (Remainder of time minus last week of
classes)
Short-term
and long-term actions.
Sustainable livelihoods
approach; ecological economics; conservation and development of sustainable
community; positively ethical applied community ecology; commonwealths;
traditional/sustainable/organic agriculture; natural systems agriculture;
holistic management
General
steps
- Historical roots of
sustainability in region
- Rapid
appraisal/Assessment of natural resources and quality life
- Definition of
workable community boundaries (w/ consideration for migratory trends of
populations
- Team-building/leadership
development
- Goal-setting, policy,
action plan development
- Testing of action
plan
- Financing strategic
actions
- Measuring for
sustainability, analyzing, evaluating, replanning
- Continuing (quality)
education for all
Effecting change in your
university? How will we begin to better
realize “ecology across the curriculum”
and ecological literacy?
Realizing change in
community? (Obtaining
real/robust/dynamic participation from the poor/powerless/disenfranchised.)
Local/regional/state/national/international
policy.
[Meetings with “movers
& shakers” at TLU.]
Making This Course
Obsolete--and Having a Natural University of Sustainability that Graduates
Students with Sustainable Livelihoods? (Last wk)
[Evening
round table discussion with members of TLU administration, faculty, support,
parents/family of students, larger community.]
Assessment: Portfolio
“graded” through rubric twice.
Mid-term and final essay
exam.
Service learning
required.
