Dear Colleagues:
Next month, Sustainability Institute is offering a low-cost two-day workshop
in Burlington, Vermont introducing participants to the application of
systems thinking tools to the challenge of ecological and economic
sustainability.
The workshop is introductory and thus not directed towards most people on
this email list. But please forward this invitation to interested
colleagues or come yourself if youd like to deliver such a course yourself
some time -- we plan to share the curriculum we are developing.
Sincerely,
Drew Jones
Sustainability Institute
apjones@cheta.net
Systemability: Systems Thinking for Sustainability
April 23-24, 2001
At Shelburne Farms near Burlington, Vermont
Drew Jones and Phil Rice
This interactive workshop introduces the tools of systems analysis and helps
you apply them to the problem of sustainability. We all are caught up in
systems -- ranging from families and communities to corporations,
governments and economies. Sometimes, these systems produce outcomes, such
as degradation of the environment, that no one actually wants and whose
causes are difficult to understand. The tools of systems thinking are
designed for just this sort of dilemma. They provide a way to describe
problems clearly and uncover the chains of causation that lead to them.
More importantly the tools give us insight into where (and where not) to
invest our energy as we try to make the systems within which we live and
work more sustainable. The tools you will learn to use include
behavior-over-time-graphing, stock-and-flow mapping, and causal loop
diagramming. No prior experience with systems tools is expected. The
workshop will run from 9 AM to 5 PM each day.
The workshop is offered by the staff of Sustainability Institute, a
non-profit education and research institute that provides information,
analysis, and practical demonstrations that can foster transitions to
sustainable systems at all levels of society, from local to global.
Sustainability Institute is based in Hartland Four Corners, Vermont and was
founded by Donella Meadows. For more information about Sustainability
Institute see <www.sustainer.org>. There is $25 registration fee. Attendance
is limited. To register, call 802-985-8686 X 15, and ask for Mary.