Green Academies – a Second Chance at

EducationRobert D. Cormia

Foothill College

Imagine Our World: 500 Years From Now

• What does our world look like?• How do we live, work, and

conduct ourselves?• A world of peace? Or conflict? • What problems did we solve?• How did we get there?

Civilization 2.0

How do we live?What do we do?

Is the planet healthy – or in peril?

Civilization 2.0

• A world in balance

• A planet in harmony

• Global collaboration

• How did we get there?

• What do humans do?

Sustainable Core ValuesEnvironment 1. Ecosystem services – Eco-economy and valuing ecosystem services2. Concept of limits – linear / exponential rates of extraction in a finite world. Peak Everything.3. IPAT (Gapminder) – impacts from population, affluence (consumption) and technology4. Waste = food and ‘cradle to cradle’ manufacturing / remanufacturing and recycling5. Biomimicry – learning from nature – and employing ‘natural’ (biogenic) solutions6. Diversity – how it works in nature – how it works in society – specialization of skills (economic) Social 7. Social equity – healthy societies / social systems – foundation of sustainable societies8. Environmental justice (more complex subset of industry, and social systems, class issues)9. Cultural sustainability – awareness of cultural identity and cultural values, language, art10. Personal sustainability – health, personal relationships, foundation for lifelong learning11. Intergenerational impacts (economics and environmental – debt and resource depletion)12. Civic engagement (interaction of individual and society) – healthy societies / social systems13. Ethics (doing what’s right when no one is looking)14. Conflict resolution (at all levels – personal / interpersonal / organizational / political) Economic 15. Sustainable development – building new innovation economies not tied to consumption16. Built to last – design, build, and maintain for the long haul 17. Collaboration vs. individualism (as an ethic vs. individual wealth)18. Collaborative value creation (personal, social and economic models) – Wikinomics 19. Value vs. wealth (new economic models and metrics)20. Social production / Social capital (adding to information, knowledge and culture)

Visioning a Green World

• A green civilization

• New models of living

• New models of learning

• Everyone will be onboard

• Responsible world citizens

What is Green?

• Green is an arc between the environmental movement and sustainability

• Less environmental impact• Healing the planet• Living a cleaner life• Building sustainable systems• Living in equilibrium

Green Collar Economy

• Van Jones – Green Jobs Guru

• Two problems – one solution

• New models of living

• Engagement with the earth

• Sustainable economic models

Green Collar Academies

• Initially focused on green jobs

• Understanding natural systems

• Building sustainable communities

• Integrating living / collaboration skills

• Sustainable Living Outcomes (SLOs)– Living green is not a cliché – It is a new way of being!

Green Collar Academy

Linked Learning OutcomesLife Learning Outcomes (LLOs)

• Each unit builds on reflection

• GED – Green Economy Dissertation

• Integrating green skills / sustainable living

• Programmatic (over arching) outcomes

• Developing responsible world citizens

Green Collar Muscle

• Green building• Energy efficiency• Renewable energy• Transmission lines• Materials / recycling• Habitat restoration

Green Thinking

• Purpose

• Impact

• Systems / cycles

• Biomimicry

• Equity

Personal Sustainability

• Nutrition & health• Personal relationships• Social networks• Conflict resolution

• Chemicals have consequences!

Sociograms

Understanding and Managing Influences

• Positive influences• Negative influences• Leaders / role models• Engineering better

socioeconomic outcomes• Green academies must

foster effective workgroups

Investing in Yourself

• Healthy choices

• Relationships

• Education / growth

• Career / work

• Self esteem

Chemicals Have Consequences

• Drugs

• Tobacco

• Alcohol

• Toxins

• Waste

A Double GED – GED2

• General Education Degree (GED)

• Green Economy Dissertation (GED2)

• Reflective linking of all learning experiences

Sustainability System

Social

Natural

Economic

Self

Directed Sustainability Graph – goal is to build ‘capital’ in all four dimensions!

Sustainable Capital

• Human capital

• Social capital

• Natural capital

• Economic capital

Unsustainable Models

• Extracting from society (theft, inequities)• Extracting from nature (mining, fishing)• Extracting from yourself (poor health habits)• Extracting ‘wealth’ from the economy (debt)• Polluting the biosphere (ecosystem damage)• Polluting your body (drugs / poor nutrition)

Creating capital in the sustainability system (model)

enriches the entire system

Wrenching on Humanity

http://www.valuenewsnetwork.com/davos-2015-a-pivotal-decade.html

Indigenous Sustainability Science

Nature-society interactions confront a range of challenges including maintenance of ecosystem services, conservation of biodiversity, and continuance of ecosystem functioning at local and global scale. Local people over thousands of years, have developed an intimate knowledge about landscapes they interact with, inhabit and manage. Natural and social sciences are now converging into a novel discipline called sustainability science. Recognizing that transition to sustainability shall be a knowledge-intensive journey, this paper argues that a careful use of Indic resources provides options to design innovative policies and programs for management of natural resources. Sustainability science of tomorrow shall be a basket of tools drawn across disciplines from the natural and social sciences, as well as local andformal knowledge systems. Equity of knowledge between local and formal sciences results in empowerment, security and opportunity for local people. Incorporation of people’s knowledge into the resource management decisions, reduces the social barriers to participation and enhances the capacity of the local people to make choices to solve the problem. In order to facilitate the humanity’s progress towards a sustainable future, traditional knowledge systems and Indic traditions can contribute to local actions relevant to the sustainability of earth system as a whole.

http://www.infinityfoundation.com/indic_colloq/papers/paper_pandey2.pdf

Building a Better World

It’s time that we got serious about working together to build a better world

Spaceship Earth

• This is our only ride• No real ‘2nd chance’• Ecosystem services• Redefining the

mission – • A 500 year plan?• Sustainable Values

A Second Chance

• Green academies are a fresh approach to build the world we’d like to see in 500 years

• We start with the most underserved

• Basic skills for working, living, thriving

• Program includes Linked Learning Outcomes (LLOs) – reflective / synthesis

• Sustainable Living Outcomes (SLOs)

Middle College might be the best place to launch a Green Academy!