Leadership, Education and the Closed-Loop Economy

8 Nov 2010 - 12 Nov 2010, Dartington, UNITED KINGDOM

Event organiser: Schumacher College
Schumacher College is a unique international educational institution. It provides individuals and groups from across the world with the opportunity to learn on numerous levels about subjects relating to environmental and social sustainability.  More info

Type of event: workshop
Target audience: all audiences
Issues covered: general CSR, corporate lobbying, workplace, environment, product responsibility, strategy

Ellen MacArthur, Ken Webster

How do we educate for sustainability? What new skills and ways of thinking can help young people and the institutions that work with them prepare for a challenging – and unpredictable – future? What qualities of leadership can inspire a new generation of engaged citizens?

There is a growing awareness that we have to radically re-think how we produce everything from energy and food to objects and services. It has been called the “second industrial revolution” and its implications are wide-ranging and fundamental, but it is a hard thing to understand and even harder to communicate and get other people excited about. Talk of resource depletion and climate change tends to lead to gloom and despondency, whereas the challenges inherent in such a radical redesign of society should be inspiring the next generation to immerse themselves in this new approach.

This course will help participants understand systems thinking and its applications at the level of product design and manufacture (cradle to cradle) and at the level of national/regional planning (closed loop or circular economy). Ellen MacArthur will explain her own process of coming to understand the importance of systems thinking, and discuss how it can be communicated in an effective, inspirational and relevant way. Ken Webster will outline how approaching issues at the systemic level affects the kind of education, thought processes and skills that we offer our young people, particularly the need for a cross-disciplinary perspective that moves well beyond traditional models of ESD. Ramon Arratia will discuss the experiences of one of the country’s leading exponents of cradle to cradle manufacturing – InterfaceFLOR. What skills do their workforce need to operate effectively in this environment and how can educators and planners ensure the next generation is ready for the challenge?

This course is for:

Senior school planners and leaders
Senior careers and industry links workers
Experienced ESD practitioners
Senior NGO representatives with a communications responsibility
Industry managers with responsibility for developing education partnerships or internships
Curriculum developers in the design and technology/ business and economics areas
Education practitioners, consultants and others interested in education and communications

The course is supported by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.

Teachers:
Ken Webster, Head of Learning for the Foundation and author of the influential book Sense and Sustainability: Educating for a Low Carbon World.
Ellen MacArthur joins Ken for the early part of the week where the focus is on leadership and change and the need to ‘redesign the future’.
Ramon Arratia is European Sustainability Director for InterfaceFLOR.

All course fees include accommodation, food, field trips and all teaching sessions.

Event cost: 750.00 (United Kingdom, Pound (GBP))

Event website: Go to website

8 Nov 2010 - 12 Nov 2010, Dartington, UNITED KINGDOM

Event organiser: Schumacher College

Type of event: workshop
Target audience: all audiences
Issues covered: general CSR, corporate lobbying, workplace, environment, product responsibility, strategy

Event cost: 750.00 (United Kingdom, Pound (GBP))

Early bird rate expired on 31 Dec 2009

Event website: Go to website