Transcript Workshop Session 4 - Transition Universities & Colleges

Bringing the
Transition Movement into
Further & Higher Education
David Somervell, Sustainability Advisor,
University of Edinburgh, and
Glenn Strachan, Senior Research Fellow,
University of Gloucestershire
Icebreaker: Spectrum Lines
AGREE
DISAGREE
Content of the Workshop
• Brief overview of Transition Movement
• Notion of a Transition College
or Transition University
• What’s happening at
Transition Edinburgh University
• Discussion Activity
• Feedback
Growth of Transition Town Movement
Permaculture Course in
Kinsale, Ireland
Totnes, Devon
The first Transition Town
UK wide
15 Countries worldwide
http://transitiontowns.org/TransitionNetwork/TransitionCommunities
Climate Change
Peak Oil
Source: www.fraw.org.uk, The Free Range Network
The link between oil & food prices
Transition’s Basic Assumptions
1. Life with dramatically lower energy consumption is
inevitable: plan for it – don’t be taken by surprise.
2. Our communities presently lack resilience to weather
severe energy shocks that will accompany Peak Oil.
3. We have to act collectively and we have to act soon.
4. Unleashing the collective genius of those around us
to design our Energy Descent Action Plan, we can
build ways of living that are more enriching and that
recognize the biological limits of our planet.
12 Steps to Transition
The Transition Handbook sets out
12 Steps for a community to follow.
Step 8 is: “Facilitate the Great Re-Skilling”
What skills are needed and what skills should be
taught to prepare for a post Peak Oil future?
The Debate at University Level
“Taken seriously, this scenario
suggests that we need to develop a
completely different kind of education.
The system that we have developed
over the last hundred years is
designed to develop abstract,
cognitive skills and forms of
theoretical understanding which equip
students to take up ever more
specialized functional niches in the
economy”
(Stephen Quilley, 2009, in The
Handbook of Sustainability Literacy)
www.sustainability-literacy.org
The Debate at University Level
“Universities seek knowledge, but do not
devote themselves to helping humanity
learn how to create a better world.
Judged from this standpoint,
they are a disaster.”
Nicholas Maxwell, Emeritus Reader in
Philosophy of Science, University College London,
Guardian letter 22 August 2009
Universities & Colleges IN Transition
Many FE and HE institutions are
tackling the challenge of sustainability
including Climate Change & Peak Oil.
Some do so within existing funding,
management and academic structures.
They have varying degrees of success.
Sustainability in the DNA
University of Gloucestershire’s mission:
‘… within this overarching mission, the
University will contribute fully to the
economic, social and cultural life of
Gloucestershire and its region, while
fostering national & international links.
It will also develop an approach to
social responsibility which reflects its
commitment to sustainability and
social justice.’
UOG’s Sustainability Strategy :
‘It is vital to link work undertaken in environmental and campus
management with matters of procurement, marketing, catering,
strategy, operations, outreach, partnerships, education and research’
Sustainability in the DNA
Student Involvement:
•
Student Consultation Committees
on Sustainability
•
Transition University Initiative
- led by students
•
Allotments
•
Edible Gardens
•
Ecopower rangers
•
Switch-off to Switch-on
Annual Campaigns
• Strong student presence on
Sustainable Development Committee
and Carbon Management Team
Universities & Colleges OF Transition
“To open up collaborative learning
pathways for individuals so that we can
initiate and support community-led
responses to Climate Change & Peak Oil
and build resilience.”
Universities of Transition Workshop,
Hereford, UK October 2008
Transition Edinburgh University
A student - staff project initiated by
Edinburgh University People & Planet Soc
October 2008 – May 2009 – “mulling”
5 Summer Interns June – Sept: Feasibility
Footprints and Handprints report & Ph 2 bid
1 Oct public launch, end Nov £340k awarded
Dec 09: 3 Action Research Facilitators,
2 Communication Facilitators and
1 Project Support Facilitator appointed
Transition Edinburgh University
Purpose: To cut emissions from whole Uni
community of 37,000 by 10% in 2010
Raise awareness and lay foundations
• Big Switch in Halls & Big Green Makeover
• Food and Travel Working Groups
• Peer Learning programmes:
• Carbon Conversations
• Climate Solidarity
- delivering our UoE & EUSA 10:10 promise
Transition Edinburgh University
www.seag.estates.ed.ac.uk
www.teu.org.uk
0131 650 4065 TEU Office
The Activity
Fifteen minutes to respond to these
two questions:1. What will the major challenges for
today’s students be when they are
mid-way through their careers in
2025 – 2030?
2. What skills should they be taught in
our institutions now in order to
address these challenges?
The 7 Principles of Transition
1. Positive Visioning
2. Help People Access Good Information
and Trust Them to Make Good Decisions
3. Inclusion and Openness
4. Enable Sharing and Networking
5. Build Resilience
6. Inner and Outer Transition
7. Subsidiarity: Self-Organisation and
Decision Making at the Appropriate Level