Learning to Connect the Dots: Developing Children’s Systems Literacy
Posted by Kindle Loomis, Published: October 24th, 2012
By Linda Booth Sweeney
A brief interaction between the author and her four-year-old son at a traffic rotary illuminates the awareness young children have, often overlooked, of systems and connectedness. (Image credit: Tauno Tõhk)
In Brief
How can can adults nurture children’s capacity to “connect the dots” through everyday conversations and activities? How can educators build an environment that leads children to see the patterns that [...]
Managing Complexity: A Simulation’s Insights into Climate Change
Posted by Kindle Loomis, Published: October 19th, 2012
By Sarah Parkinson
Using the En-ROADS simulation tool to visualize our energy choices and understand their implications
Elizabeth Sawin
When we talk about climate change, we’re really talking about systems—a whole web of linked issues. We can’t really discuss the eroding health of our planet without bringing up the causes of that decline, such as habitat destruction and resource extraction. Mention of resource extraction brings [...]
What the Economic Crisis Really Means and What We Can Do About It
Posted by Kindle Loomis, Published: October 17th, 2012
By Theo Kitchener
We were told that the global financial crisis of 2008 happened because irresponsible borrowers couldn’t afford to pay back their loans. This is true, but it was also part of a much deeper problem. The issue is that our economic system is based on the need for continuous, perpetual growth. It’s highly likely that we’re already in the beginnings of [...]
From Sustainability Science to Real-World Action: A Short History of the Balaton Group
Posted by Kindle Loomis, Published: October 15th, 2012
By Neils Meyer, Alan AtKisson
The Balaton Group is named for Lake Balaton in Hungary, where meetings have been held for most of the past 30 years. In the 1980s, Hungary proved an informally neutral ground between the Soviet bloc and Western nations. (image credit: Zsolt Halasi)
The Balaton Group has been responsible for the creation or accelerated development of a number of innovations in the [...]
Slow Ride Stories: Perspectives on Climate Change
Posted by Kindle Loomis, Published: October 12th, 2012
By Sarah Parkinson
Erik Fyfe studied environmental management at the Yale School of Forestry before embarking on Slow Ride Stories
“Climate change has become such a hot button issue in the United States that people are uncomfortable talking about it,” states Erik Fyfe. ”I imagine that the only time that the average person hears anyone talk about climate change is if it comes up in the [...]
