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Dialogues on Education for Sustainable Living with Fritjof Capra

Fritjof Capra and educators from the Center for Ecoliteracy will offer a four-day residential seminar, "Dialogues on Education for Sustainable Living" February 4–8, 2007. The seminar, to be held at a beautiful retreat center 30 miles north of San Francisco, is based on Capra's application of the science of living systems to the creation of sustainable communities and on a decade of experience by the Center in educating for sustainability.

The seminar will address fundamental concepts and practices, including thinking systemically, living systems science, principles of ecology, nature as model and mentor, deep ecology, ecodesign, integrating curricula, project-based learning, and the pedagogy of place.

The session, from Sunday evening to Thursday afternoon, is designed as a learning community in which participants will experience as well as discuss basic tenets of education for sustainability. In addition to lectures/presentations, the seminar will include small-group practice in applying sustainability concepts, dialogue with accomplished practitioners, and field trips to exemplary regional projects. Participants are encouraged to bring a project in which they seek to apply principles and practices from the seminar. Enrollment will be limited, to encourage maximum participation.

Dialogues on Education for Sustainable Living is one in a series of seminars, for which Fritjof Capra will serve as scholar in residence, to be offered by the Center for Ecoliteracy. The Center is a public foundation dedicated to education for sustainable living that was founded by Capra, Peter Buckley, and Zenobia Barlow in 1995. It is a pioneer in combining hands-on experience in the natural world with curricular innovation to help cultivate in students the competences of heart, hands, and mind to create sustainable communities. CEL administers a grant program, publishes in print and online, offers seminars and technical assistance, and supports systemic change in such areas as food, health, habitat restoration, and environmental justice.

Another 2006–2007 Center for Ecoliteracy seminar, "Rethinking School Lunch," is based on the framework presented in CEL's online Rethinking School Lunch (RSL) guide — a model for food service and curriculum reinvention that places nutritious school meals at the center of a learning experience connecting food, culture, health, and the environment.

A third seminar, "The Council Process: Collaborating to Devise a Better Future," will immerse participants in an indigenous community process of leadership and decision making steeped in sustainability principles. Facilitated by Okanagan wisdom keeper Jeannette Armstrong, the seminar introduces participants to an Okanagan practice designed to ensure that decisions are cooperative, grounded in relationships, and take into account the needs of all members of the community, a living network rooted in the land.

For more information about Dialogues on Education for Sustainable Living and other Center for Ecoliteracy seminars, see www.ecoliteracy.org/seminars/index.html