Chico CSU Sustainability II Confernece was a HIT!

F8L · Nov 10, 2006

Just thought some of you would be interested in seeing the paradigm shift that is taking place on UC and CSU campuses across the country. So many of us are tired of seeing poorly thought out worldviews enacted. There are thousdands of students and professors pushing for sustainability in the curriculum and this event drew 900+ people to learn, showcase and network their ideas and prove their models.

One of the biggest highlights for me was the addition of a Sustainable Bussiness Minor and the recipient of a $10k award went to an economics major for his eco-friendly sustainable business model. Even the mayor came and did a speech and signed onto the nationwide Mayor's Global Warming Initiative. A long with their 5-acre solar panel array I think Chico, Ca. is pushing the sustainability idea full steam ahead and with fantastic results.

Here is a link to part of their website so you get an idea of what went on over here.

Chico CSU Sustainability II Conference

This guy put on a great seminar on organic/green architecture. Pretty amazing stuff and one of the main pionts was that unlike 10yrs ago building a "green" home will only add 0% to 1% in upfront costs compared to a standard house/building design. That doesnt account for the energy and replacement savings on down the road. Add in health care and such and the savings are even larger. Lots of great stuff!

If anyone is truely interested in any other info let me know and my college's environmental club took nots on just about all of it so I can get you any contacts you might be interested in.

This conference inspired me to write my first offical blog on a site my college and myself support. It just started up. Its called Saving the Sierra.org

Here is the blog:

Posted by Justin Wages
November 8, 2006

In The Structure of Scientific Revolution, Thomas Kuhn defined â€œparadigm shiftâ€ and argued that scientific advancement is not evolutionary, but rather is a â€œseries of peaceful interludes punctuated by intellectually violent revolutionsâ€, and in those revolutions â€œone conceptual worldview is replaced by anotherâ€.

In 1962 his definition of paradigm was that of a worldview. For the better part of our modern history our worldview has been one of consumption and conquer of the natural world. To wrestle it, tame it then shape it into our vision of perfection. A garden if you will. In the last few decades more and more people have started to question this paradigm. More specifically, how such worldviews are effecting our environment, our mental and physical health, our economy, and our social systems. This pushed the use of â€œsystems thinkingâ€ and our need to look at the big picture. In a systems thinking approach, we look at our planet as a massively complex system with a great many actors playing their part in a great cycle of which, we are a member.

This brings me to my topic, Environmental Literacy in Education. It has become very apparent that some of our school systems are taking environmental issues seriously and â€œGreen Campusesâ€ are springing up across the nation. Classes in sustainable lifestyles, environmental ethics, sustainable business and economics, â€œgreenâ€ architecture, environmental law and a host of other subjects with an interdisciplinary approach that help to show us that our current worldview will not work in the long term and aims to give us the tools we need to make a change, to start a revolution, to create a paradigm shift in our friends and family, our communities, our countries and finally the world. The Chico CSU Sustainability II Conference this last weekend was a perfect example of such efforts. Over 900 students, teachers, businesspersons, and citizensâ€™ attended/participated in the three-day conference and the mood was one of excitement, determination and optimism. These were more than just â€œpep talksâ€ on doing the right thing. This was a gathering of members from our communities who have had a paradigm shift towards sustainability and who wanted to showcase their models and projects or curriculum changes to provide evidence that their environmentally friendly ideas were indeed healthy, sustainable, and even, *GASP* economically viable, no wait; make that economically prosperous.

What does this have to do with conservation? It has everything to do with conservation and saving our precious natural spaces and the resources contained within. By making more people aware of our effects on the environment and how our worldviews directly guide our everyday actions we can facilitate understanding. Understanding is the first step on the path to caring and caring is what we need to create lasting change for places like our spectacular Sierra Nevada. In universities and K-12 programs all over California, the push for â€œEcological Literacyâ€ â€“ David W. Orr, has begun in earnest and with tremendous success despite the time frame involved with implementing such changes. We are now teaching our children their place in the web of life (complex biotic communities) and how natural cycles work (food origins, growth, consumption, and disposal), which translates to a sense of place (their homes, neighborhoods and cities) and their role in protecting that, which sustains them in every way. In short, we teach them how to care and that is where conservation has to start, conservation of our intrinsic love of nature. Paradigm shifts will followâ€¦
[/b]
Click to expand...

Chico CSU Sustainability II Confernece was a HIT!

F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

About PriusChat

Quick Navigation

Like us on Facebook

Buy us a beer!

Useful Searches

Chico CSU Sustainability II Confernece was a HIT!

F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands