I will if you will… Join us on our sustainability journey by trying out one item from each of three sections below. Our team at SEEd will do the same. Please do share your actions and commitments with us by email or on social media.
Commitment
- ETHx: Beyond Systems Thinking
The University of ETH Zürich designed a free course called Beyond Systems Thinking that aims to introduce designing resilient regenerative systems in a world of increasing crises. Changing our mindsets from believing we can shape the systems we are entangled in, to being able to move with the system as a whole, as well as accepting uncertainty and inter-being, are key concerns for sustainability and systems thinking. The course is available for free on EdX and contains seven modules: Critical systems thinking, Living systems, Social Networks, Resilience, Circularity, Systemic Innovation and Synthesis. If you want to know more about these themes and work on your view on sustainability, the 6-week course (3–5-hour per week) could be a powerful first commitment for you. ETHx: Beyond Systems Thinking - IMP>ACT: Assessing the impact of sustainability and climate change education
This EU research project aims to develop a framework that allows various and diverse groups of education for sustainability to assess the extent to which they can empower learners to be able to act towards a more sustainable world. To design a powerful alternative to standardised testing, the group focuses on action competence – 1) knowledge of action possibilities 2) being confident that action matters 3) the willingness and drive to act. However, it can be hard to assess such a complex topic without missing the broader systematic change. When education for sustainability is implemented in public education, how will it be assessed? Is there a qualitative perspective needed? Is it fair not to assess performance? If yes, why? These are some questions many educationalists are asking themselves, yet we cannot see a shift towards a reasonable alternative. Whether you are a student, teacher, parent, or simply a concerned citizen, you might find it interesting to start thinking about these issues and come up with your ideas. Be aware, that there are no wrong ideas, we are all just figuring out. If you wish, you can share your views with us – we are always interested in your thoughts. IMP>ACT research project - Act for the oceans
Protect the oceans instead of pushing them to the limits. The UK still hasn’t ratified the Global Oceans Treaty. Demand your new government to do so as quickly as possible to help stop the climate crisis. In addition, you could help and stop deep sea mining, support costal communities, push the Global Plastics treaty to eliminate plastic pollution of our oceans, or let the fossil fuel industry feel the pressure. Read the GreenPeace article and choose your commitment. - GikiZero: Apps for sustainability – our SEEd Commitment! GikiZero provides information on the sustainability of everyday products you buy, helping you make informed choices. Use Giki Zero to calculate your carbon footprint and set goals for yourself to reduce it. The app helps you track your transition to a sustainable lifestyle. It offers you options for smaller and more impactful goals and trajectories to achieve them. The SEEd Team will explore and use the app for the next month as our first sustainability commitment. You will be able to read about our experiences and tips in a follow-up section in our next newsletter. Download the free GikiZero app here.
New York’s iconic Brooklyn Bridge on the eve of the IGC5 negotiations at the United Nations. © POW / Greenpeace
Joy
- Democratic Multiplicity: Perceiving, Enacting, and Integrating Democratic Diversity
Is democracy an institutional form or a social construction? Is cultural multiplicity harming or helping democracy to thrive? And what are the links between democracy and community? This book engages with such issues while analysing Indigenous democracies, Representative democracies, and democracies “beyond the state” and how these interact with one another. The main concern of the book is to challenge the mainstream anthropocentric view on social existence and open up to ecocentric alternatives. The idea is that concerns for the entire biosphere should lead to political judgements. These Gaia democracies should then rely on six types of working relationships among citizens that would form a socially and ecologically sustainable democracy – as argued in the book. If you wish to find new questions for your query on social existence, Democratic Multiplicity is a must-read.“The question is, how can we better incorporate lessons from the natural world into democracies’ futures? How might we listen to those we do not conventionally hear? How can we incorporate these politics into our everyday lives?”
- Music for Sustainability
We have created a playlist for you with some well-known artists who are eager to act on environmental or social aspects of sustainability and use their voices to spread the word. Give it a go, you might even enjoy their music! Read our full article here and listen to the playlist on Spotify - Nadya Tolokonnikova Exhibition, Linz
Nadya Tolokonnikova is an artist and founder of the feminist arts collective Pussy Riot. Under the Putin regime, the collective performed illegally in several public settings which landed Nadya in prison. Now, her first exhibition called “RAGE” can be observed in a traditional setting in Linz, Austria. With her art, Nadya reflects on international injustices, Russia’s war on Ukrainians and the U.S. Supreme Court’s attack on women’s reproductive rights among other themes. Although the exhibition is at a museum, it is considered to be unique, since museums rarely encourage artists to express their political voices. Nadya’s aim is to contradict conservative art and the dictatorial regime of Putin – something she continues with “RAGE” as well. Nadya was a personal friend of Alexei Navalny, an idol of courage, hope and perseverance which is reflected in her work which you can get a glimpse of in this article or on her Instagram page.
- Creatures and Masks
You can also attend an exhibition from home. This online exhibition aims to provoke questions about the body as subjective and objective, self-consciousness, seeing oneself from the outside, and the external impact of the society on one’s behaviour. These questions on who we really are might help you discover an alternative side to yourself. Creatures and Masks exhibition - The Durrells
The British television series “The Durrells” is now accessible on Netflix. The story is based on the autobiographical books of Gerald Durrell who had lived on the island of Corfu with his family. The family moves to Corfu after losing the father and getting close to financial collapse. To have a fresh start and live with joy again. Apart from the character development of the four children and the mother, one might focus on the environmental, cultural, and community perspectives of the story. Why does Mrs. Durrells hope to find happiness in Corfu and not in England? How is their connection to nature redefined and what connects them to their new home? These are some aspects that the viewer might be interested in considering while exploring or revisiting the series.
Tiny Forest planting in the Netherlands
Impact
- E-Bike City
Have you encountered the idea of an E-Bike city? If you haven’t, or did but couldn’t really imagine what it would look like, investigate the re-imagination of urban transport with this map of Zürich designed by researchers of the University of ETH. - Trespassing Law
Jonathan Moses from the organisation called Right to Roam discusses the combination of rights and responsibilities for trespassing that would allow anyone to access nature freely. Some arguments for the right to roam considers the massive damages of ecosystems happening on private land and the connection between non-environmentally friendly behaviour and alienation from nature. However, England only has 8% of free accessible land and 3% of free accessible rivers. So, would England need to reconsider its attitude towards property, land and nature? Listen to the podcast on Spotify here - Tiny Forests
What do we consider as a forest? “A forest is a place so dense with natural vegetation that a person can’t even walk into it”. The quotation is from Miyawaki, a Japanese botanist who invented a unique technique that can enable urban societies to integrate forests into their cities. In the Miyawaki forest plants are planted densely on a relatively small piece of land. This way the plants start to compete for sunlight resulting in much quicker growth. Afforest is a business that uses the same technique for creating natural, maintenance free, native forests worldwide. Their forests are 30 times more dense, 30 times better in noise and dust reduction, and 30 times better in carbon-dioxide absorption compared to the conventionally grown monocultures. How they do it, and how you can plant your own forest in your backyard, at your school or at your workplace can be found here: TED Talk, DIY forest - Sustainable Holiday Trips
‘Good Journey’ believe everyone should have access to culture, leisure and nature, without needing a car and are aiming for every visitor attraction in the UK to welcome people by train, bus, bike and foot. The website features over 400 attractions to visit car-free and you can enjoy up to 50% off entry to attractions when you arrive car-free. Good Journey website and special offers
Photo by Ray Harrington on Unsplash
