indsendt for 3 minutter siden15/03/2011 21.31 af Karen Blincoe
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ICIS has launched a new website as a reflection of its changing focus.
We started in 2001 as an educational centre running a multitude of courses, master classes and seminars.
From 2004-2008 we developed educational programmes for professional designers. Simultaneously we started research projects, all to do with education and sustainability.
We lectured, taught, discussed and worked with a variety of organisations and colleagues around the world.
The director, Karen Blincoe, disappeared to Devon, UK for a few years to be the Director of Schumacher College (see inspirations below) and ICIS went quiet for some time.
Now we are back in business and are this time focusing on advisory, project development, consultation and communication activities.
However, the work done till now is available for those interested and this new website contains elements of all of the life of ICIS so far both past, present and future.
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indsendt for 38 minutter siden15/03/2011 20.56 af Karen Blincoe [ opdateret for 2 minutter siden15/03/2011 21.33 ] SEED is a collaborative project between ICIS and Ducks-in-a-Row, a social entrepreneur company lead by Annelise Ryberg in Copenhagen. Annelise invited Karen Blincoe to join in a collaborative project to develop a concept for a folkhighschool with sustainability as its core educational content. The project has been going on for 3/4 of a year. The two dedicated women have made inroads, met with many influential people, got collaborators i.e. Schumacher/Dartington, UK and the EEA, The European Environmental Agency in Copenhagen, and are currently looking for the appropriate physical frames to implement the curriculum as well as funding for the implementation activities.
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indsendt 23/04/2012 04.57 af Karen Blincoe
SEED, The School for Education in Environment and Diversity, held its first seminar last month to explore the processes, methods and tools with which to teach sustainability. The seminar is the first in a series of exploratory discussions aimed to shape the concept of the school. Karen Blincoe, ICIS, and Annelise Ryberg, Ducks in a Row, are the founders while the VELUX Foundation is funding the school's developmental phase.
Participants of the seminar were all experienced practitioners in sustainable education and creative learning:
Mel Risebrow, Deputy Director of the Schumacher College, talked about how to facilitate a broader engagement with ecological literacy.
Chris Seeley, Artist and Educator in creating learning situations, looked at Artful Knowing in Higher Education and Organisational Development.
Julie Richardson, Co-Director of the MA in Economics for Transition at Schumacher College and Patricia Shaw a teacher at the Schumacher College shared the thinking and practice behind the development of a Holistic Science MSc at Schumacher College in Devon.
Jeppe Læssøe, Professor of Environmental Education and co-director of the Research Programme for Environment and Health Education, Aarhus University, Copenhagen DK, talked about the education of change agents for sustainable development.
James Aldridge, artist and creative-learning consultant and director of Creative Ecology (UK), explored how the methods by which we learn about ourselves and our relationship with the world have as much importance as what we learn because of their effect on our perceptions, our values and our behaviour.
Ditlev Nissen talked about the development of, and dissemination of learning, from the Danish Eco-village movement.
A summary of discussions will be posted on the ICIS website in the next few weeks.
Related websites:
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indsendt 28/03/2012 04.34 af Karen Blincoe
Denmark's Parliament made a landmark decision on 22nd March passing an ambitious green energy policy that puts Denmark ahead in the green energy arena. The policy put forward by Helle Thorning Smidt's coalition government, supported by a broad majority in Parliament, will put in place initiatives that will reduce carbon dioxide emissions to 34% of 1990 levels by 2020.
"This is the most comprehensive, greenest and most long-term agreement on energy ever passed in Denmark. Today we have laid the foundations for a greener future," said the Danish Minister on Climate, Energy and Building Martin Lidegaard. Targets also include securing 35% of energy production from renewable sources while 50% of total electricity consumption will come solely from wind generation. To achieve these ambitious targets two off-shore wind farms are to be built: a 400 MW wind farm at Horns Rev, in the North Sea off the west coast of Jutland, and later, a 600 MW wind farm at Kriegers Flak in the Baltic Sea between Denmark and Sweden. Currently wind energy provides Denmark with a fifth of the nation's electricity demand. "Denmark will once again be a world leader in the production and provision of green energy. It will shield us from volatile increases in oil and coal prices. And it will create employment opportunities which we will need in the coming years," said Lidegaard. Its 3.5 billion kroner price-tag will be shared by consumers and businesses; an average household will pay an additional 1,300 DKK for their energy by 2020, while it will cost businesses 200 DKK per employee. However, Lidegaard emphasised that there will be significant savings from a reduction in energy consumption and reduced dependence on price-rising fossil fuels. "Greening a country's energy system and reducing its dependence on fossil fuels requires investment. But the costs may be much greater if we do not act now. Additionally, the transition will benefit the environment and secure the future competitiveness of Danish businesses." said Lidegaard. -------- Martin Lidegaard: Vi skriver energipolitisk historie http://www.kemin.dk/en-US/Sider/frontpage.aspx Denmark to boost offshore wind energy http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/22/denmark-energy-idUSL6E8EMB9320120322 Green energy deal finally in place http://www.cphpost.dk/news/national/green-energy-deal-finally-place
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indsendt 28/03/2012 04.31 af Karen Blincoe
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opdateret 28/03/2012 04.32
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indsendt 01/03/2012 06.22 af Karen Blincoe
A pre-cursor to Rio+20, the 12th Special Session of UNEP's Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum (GC/GMEF) in Nairobi 20-22 February, focussed heavily on environmental governance and greening the economy; two key issues to be discussed and hopefully acted on at the upcoming June UN Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio+20. Ministers around the world aired opinions on international environmental governance (EIG), more specifically the future role of UNEP, and the role of environmental governance in relation to creating an International Framework on Sustainable Development (IFSD) in order to structure and drive international efforts on sustainability. Two main options for the future of UNEP were put on the table: 1. Upgrading and strengthening UNEP's current role through inter alia introducing universal membership; 2. Transforming UNEP into a UN specialized agency e.g. a World Environment Agency (Earth Negotiations Bulletin, IISD, Vol. 16, No. 98). Ministers were divided as to which approach would result in better more effective environmental governance. Rio+20 will be the next forum at which this will be discussed or hopefully decided upon; a decision that will be influenced by the IFSD and future role of the Commission on Sustainable Development. Creating stronger environmental governance and institutionalising sustainable development (through the IFSD) were considered to be essential to driving the green economy initiative. Since 2008, UNEP has been championing the Green Economy initiative. Deputy Executive Director of UNEP, Amb. Amina Mohamed, on behalf of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, suggested it was time to make significant headway toward the greening of the economy - an issue that had been "incubating for 40 years" (ENB, IISD, Vol. 16, No. 98).The recent report from the High Level Panel on Sustainable Development (see earlier post) emphasised the need to establish economic "signals that value sustainability" . In concluding remarks, moderator Mark Halle, International Institute for Sustainble Development, emphasised that economy and institutions are two sides of the same coin: the green economy could act as a mechanism for integration of various public policy streams; while strengthened governance could enable the transition to a green economy (ENB, IISD, Vol.16, No.98). The strong concerns of some countries that greening the economy will require additional cost and trade conditions will make achieving consensus on the subject difficult to achieve. Again, we await with baited breath for Rio+20. This has been written based on the Earth Negotiations Bulletin meeting summary: http://www.iisd.ca/download/pdf/enb1698e.pdf GEO-5 Summary for Policy Makers was endorsed at the 12th Session in Nairobi. http://www.unep.org/geo/GEO5_SPM.asp The GC meeting also marked UNEP's 40th Anniversary. http://www.unep.org/40thanniversary/about/
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indsendt 10/02/2012 05.51 af Karen Blincoe
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opdateret 19/02/2012 12.50
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ICIS Director Karen Blincoe has just returned from the latest Consortium meeting on the establishment of The Innovative Centre for Agro-Forestry (CAF) agri-business incubator project. Awaiting confirmation of funding from the Danish organisation UniBRAIN, the Consortium is preparing the Action Plan to develop CAF. The purpose of UniBRAIN agribusiness incubators is to support individual entrepreneurs, SMEs and businesses to start new enterprises, expand or diversify existing ones and solve business problems. The challenges faced by small agro-based businesses and entrepreneurs is hampered by factors such as lack of business knowledge, technical know-how, and inability to access adequate market and finance support services. CAF is an important venture aimed at helping small agro-based businesses to succeed through providing the business-research connections, access to innovation, support and education in key agri-business skills.
CAF is also about creating sustainable development in Mali through generating better income for rural communities as well as providing vocational learning. The High-level Panel on Sustainable Development (see previous post) recognises that poverty eradication, education and employment are critical components of sustainable development. And that education is crucial in empowering change: "Investing in education and training provides a direct channel to advancing the sustainable development agenda. It is widely recognized as a tremendously efficient means to promote individual empowerment and lift generations out of poverty, and it yields important development benefits for young people, particularly women". Mali is one of the world's poorest countries, ranking 178th out of 182 countries in the United Nations Development Programme's 2009 Human Development Index. Some 80% of the labour force is engaged in farming and fishing, and in rural areas up to 90% of the population is directly engaged in some form of agricultural activity (IER 2008). CAF could change the livelihoods of many living on the poverty line as well as provide women with a means to use their skills for greater economic gain.
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indsendt 07/02/2012 14.13 af Karen Blincoe
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opdateret 07/02/2012 14.16
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Sustainable Development is heralded as the key solution to our world's problems from poverty eradication to economic discord in the most recent report from the High-level Panel on Global Sustainability. "Resilient People, Resilient Planet" argues that climate change, resource scarcity and environmental degradation are threatening current production/consumption systems beyond comfortable "planetary boundaries"; and only the implementation of cross-cutting sustainable approaches can solve these challenges.
The long-term vision of the High-level Panel on Global Sustainability is to "eradicate poverty, reduce inequality and make growth inclusive, and production and consumption more sustainable, while combating climate change and respecting a range of other planetary boundaries". They note that 25 years after the Brundtland Report "sustainable development remains only a generally agreed concept, rather than a day-to-day, on-the-ground, practical reality". The Panel argues that sustainability is still on the periphery because of a lack of political will,, "short-termism" and an unwillingness to incorporate the concept into economic policy.
According to the report, some progress toward alleviating the threats and improving quality of life have been made between 1990 and 2010. For example, those living in absolute poverty has dropped down from 46% to 27%; the ozone layer will recover to pre-1980 levels in 50 plus years; by 2015, access to improved drinking water sources will increase from 77% to nearly 90% of the population in developing regions. However, there are some trajectories that are worrisome: there has been an increase of 20 million undernourished people since 2000 while food supply forecasts are less than optimistic and demand for food is projected to rise by 70 per cent by 2050; two thirds of the services provided by nature i.e. biodiversity, to humankind are in decline; 85 per cent of all fish stocks are over-exploited, depleted, recovering or fully exploited; and there has been a 38 per cent increase in annual global carbon dioxide emissions between 1990 and 2000. Achieving "sustainability" in its true Brundtland meaning still seems unattainable.
So what does the panel suggest? It makes 56 recommendations in three key areas: "empowering people to make sustainable choices, working towards a sustainable economy and strengthening institutional governance to support sustainable development". The trouble is we have heard most it all before! Empowerment requires better and more education, capacity building, gender and economic equality, job creation and incentives, incentives, incentives. Preserving and managing our resources more sustainably requires better monitoring, more co-ordinated efforts, wider integrated ecosystem-based management that recognises the interlinkages between nature's services. However, saying that, the report does emphatically emphasise that sustainability must become part of economic policy for it to work. Worthy recommendations include the need to establish economic "signals that value sustainability" by reforming national fiscal and credit systems "to provide long-term incentives for sustainable practices, as well as disincentives for unsustainable behaviour; and the removal of "those subsidies which cause the greatest detriment to natural, environmental and social resources", such as fossil fuel subsidies.
Establishing a "set of key universal sustainable development goals" is their solution to galvanizing political action. While a "regular global sustainable development outlook report" including "the preparation of regular assessments and digests of the science around such concepts as "planetary boundaries", "tipping points" and "environmental thresholds" in the context of sustainable development" is recommended to frame and ensure targeted and appropriate action.
Will such a universal set of goals change our path? The trouble is the factors that prevented sustainable development from becoming the vision 25 years ago are more-or-less still there. The Panel argue that current drivers such as environmental tipping points, current economic crises, technological breakthroughs...will finally drive the sustainability agenda home. I am not convinced. I feel we have been on the brink of imminent catastrophe since the Brundtland Report 25 years ago. Also, economic woes and geopolitical unrest will likely only thwart sustainable development. The question is what will be the tipping point for sustainable development? Hopefully it won't be beyond the irrevocable.
"Resilient People, Resilient Planet" was put together to inform discussions at the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development taking place in Rio de Janeiro on 20-22 June this year. View the report at:
http://www.un.org/gsp/sites/default/files/attachments/GSPReport_unformatted_30Jan.pdf
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indsendt 31/01/2012 12.41 af Karen Blincoe
The seminar series, "In 100 Years-Starting Now", hosted by House of Futures in Copenhagen has come to an end. Here are a few quotes from the final talks on people, mindsets and sustainable futures (visit www.in100y.dk for more information). A magazine publication summing up the series and outlining a set of preferred futures for sustainable societies is planned for publication in Spring this year. So watch this space.
The Future We Want: "The future we don't want is constantly reflected in society. We rarely talk about the future we do want. Three years ago we got together to define - The Future We Want: The Power of Positive Thinking. We have now created a 20-year positive vision that will be part of Rio+20." William S. Becker, Senior Associate at Natural Capitalism Solutions.
Sustainability Utopias: "If we really want to creat a sustainable world we must be prepared to change everything in our society. It is okay if it takes a while....A combination of raising literacy bottom up and top down and a good bit of patience and acceptance of qualified mistakes is the path towards making our visions for a sustainable world come through." Karen Blincoe, Director of The International Centre for Creativity, Innovation and Sustainability (ICIS).
Human Values at a Tipping Point: "We are now leaving the zone of modernity and are at the frontier of transmodernity. Some of the characteristics of this frontier are that we are moving from a quantitative development of society to qualitative development. We are striving for a sustainability revolution." Hans Tibbs, CEO Synthesys Strategic Consulting Ltd.
Conceptions of Nature: "We must orient ourselves much more towards defining nature in a holistic way. We must remember that the totality cannot be divided into parts where one part is more natural than the other." Hans Fink, Senior Associate Professor, Aarhus University.
From Consumption to 'Next-Use': "A consumer is a user that does not need to possess a thing to use it." Dominic Balmforth, Director of Susturb.
Mindshifting: "We have to get rid of property as the dominant factor and start respecting each other. Stop striving to possess property and switch to sharing property." Ole Fogh Kirkeby, Professor of Philosophy at Copenhagen Business School.
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indsendt 23/01/2012 03.38 af Karen Blincoe
Key to the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP17, in Durban last November was creating a long-term post-Kyoto climate policy regime as the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012. A decision was finally reached, spearheaded by the EU Climate Action Commissoner Connie Hedegaard, committing all parties to develop a new universal legally binding framework to be concluded in 2015 coming into force by 2020.
AOSIS, the Alliance of Small Island States, and LDCs, Least Developed Countries along with many NGOs consider the outcome of Durban too little, too late. Scientific evidence indicates that global emissions need to peak before 2020 to limit a climate-induced temperature rise of only 2 degrees. But in order to bring on board the more reticent countries, India and China as well as the US, compromise was necessary.
Although the agreement reached at Durban is in effect putting off making the hard decisions, it does represent a strong symbolic breakthrough. Quibbles about recognising common but differentiated responsibilities (developed countries carrying the greatest burden due to past majority emission outputs) are still present. But as developing countries, led by China, are estimated by 2020 to be responsible for around two thirds of global emissions, the balance of responsibility will change. Leading, hopefully, to more inclusive action on climate change mitigation in the future.
On the positive side Durban signifies not the end but rather the beginning of a new, proactive phase in international climate policy - potentially resulting in a legally binding framework with ambitious emission reduction targets. On the negative side words of agency still outweigh actual action; leaving some vulnerable parties still vulnerable to the early impacts of climatic change.
What happens in the next three years, culminating in 2015, will show whether there is any meat on those words.
SourcesEU Commission for Climate Action http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/hedegaard/headlines/articles/2011-12-14_01_en.htmThe Guardian newspaper http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/dec/13/europe-global-climate-policy-durbanIISD, International Institute for Sustainable Development http://www.iisd.org/climate/
Events
COP18 is planned to take place in Nov/Dec 2012 in Doha, Qatar. See http://unfccc.int
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indsendt 05/12/2011 06.11 af Karen Blincoe
Check out this alternative advent calendar: 24 case studies on sustainable development in practice with daily quizzes and ideas for sustainable christmas gifts. http://www.advent-calendar.info/
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indsendt 01/12/2011 03.19 af Karen Blincoe
We are pleased to inform readers that the VELUX Foundation has agreed to provide DKK 1 million to ICIS, in collaboration with the organisation Ducks in a Row, for the development of SEED, The School for Education in Environment and Diversity. Funding has been earmarked for a year-long pilot project to establish the strategic and tactical framework for the establishment, implementation and operation of SEED. SEED will become the much needed educational platform for teaching sustainability, especially in terms of developing and applying practical implementable solutions. Aimed at people active in the workforce, the goal of SEED will be to explore creative and innovative sustainable solutions across a broad set of topics from food production to virtual environments.
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