Sustainable Path

March 22, 2010 Idea Club

Nora — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:08:04 +0000

This month’s Idea Club will discuss systems thinking, using a template developed by the Sustainable Path Foundation. Amongst the questions we will examine are: How does systems thinking change the individual? the team? the organization? the community? How does synthesis drive systems thinking, in contrast to analysis which drives hierarchical thinking? What are some of the problems we face today that require systems thinking to solve?

Hope to see you there on the 22nd of March.

Changes in Idea Club

Richard — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:56:27 +0000

There was a wonderful discussion on Monday about the past and the future of Idea Club. As with good systems approaches, we are making some mid-course corrections.

One is that each Idea Club following one of our seminars this year will deal with the same topic, allowing us to carry on the conversation in more intimate surroundings. We will have 3 seminars this year (the details are being finalized). I’ll have more later.

Another suggestion was to pose questions as the topics. This might help get people to think more deeply about the topic before arriving.

Finall, it was felt that having some people present who had some expertise in the topic, in order to help facilitate the conversation, would be really helpful. I’ll see what we can do.

Thanks for all the great feedback and hope to see you soon.

2010 CONVERSATION SERIES

Nora — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 22:37:18 +0000

We are currently in the planning stages for our 2010 Series. Please check back later this month for more details!

If you are interested in volunteering with the series, please call us at 206-443-8464.

December Idea Club Canceled

Richard — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 04:54:53 +0000

The next Idea Club was scheduled for December 28. Its proximity to Christmas and New Year’s makes it somewhat problematic to have a full discussion with everyone who might be interested.

So we will cancel it and have the next Idea Club in January. Have a wonderful December.

Archived E-News

Nora — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:08:38 +0000

December 2009 E-News

November 2009 E-News

Announcing 2010 RFP E-News

October 2009 E-News

September 2009 E-News

Changing Higher Education

Richard — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:34:13 +0000

The Information Age is producing massive changes in the methods and approaches we use to educate ourselves. Our university system is derived from models developed in the middle of the 19th century. They need to change. How they change will be a topic of discussion at the next Idea Club. You can follow some of the ideas at Path to Sustainable, written by Richard Gayle, a board member for the Foundation.

Thinking systems at the EPA

Richard — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:48:33 +0000

A recent article from the American Chemical Society describes how the EPA needs to use systems approaches to performing its job. It contains this nice paragraph:

Today, the resilience of both human society and the natural environment are being tested on a global level by pressures of population and economic growth, which have in turn led to increasing greenhouse gas emissions, declining biodiversity, and other threats to such vital natural resources as fresh water, soil, forests, and wetlands. The threats were clearly delineated in the 2005 Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, which determined that 15 of 24 global ecosystem services are being degraded or used unsustainably

The article provides some wonderful insight into how some of our government agencies must be altered in order for our problems to be solved. Our ability to survive change will depend on it.

This will be part of our discussion at the next Idea Club on October 26. RSVP.

Next Topic - Resilient Cultures

Richard — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 20:28:28 +0000

There are many things that are needed for a resilient culture. Be part of the conversation. RSVP.

There will be a conference in Vancouver, British Columbia just a few days (Oct. 20-22) before the next Idea Club on Resilient Cities: Urban Strategies for Transition Times. This looks like a very useful meeting and one that many people should examine.

The program really seems to bring a systems view to the problems of resiliency. There is even a bootcamp for policy activists. If someone is attending, please let us know.

DIY Bio

Richard — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 22:49:47 +0000

Do It Yourself Biology will be a part of Citizen Science. While it still takes some expertise to do biological experiments, it is becoming much easier to buy and use the equipment needed, as well as access the building blocks. There are an increasing number of sources for some very interesting approaches.

Synthetic Biology is a real approach to create defined biological systems. Ginkgo BioWorks was started by some young researchers interested in Open Science approaches. They are working with New England Biolabs to distribute, BioBricks, pre-made segments of DNA that can be put together in standardized fashions.

These BioBricks are found in the Registry of Standard Biological Parts. And the work is supported by a Foundation. So, an interested amateur can get the parts to make their own bioengineering project.

There is a yearly contest and exposition describing novel engineering approaches.While currently limited to undergraduate teams from accredited institutions, they are examining "a new way for "non-traditional" teams to participate in iGEM."

And we can also purchase equipment that was not only quite expensive not long ago, but could only be found in research labs.. For instance, an open design gel electrophoresis apparatus, for separating and visualizing DNA strands, is available for a few hundred dollars.

Notes from Idea Club on Sustainable Urban Farms

Richard — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 00:40:58 +0000

Here are some notes from the August Idea Club on Sustainable Urban Farms. It was a very vigorous discussion and we hope to identify ways to maintain the conversation. Stay tuned.