California Green Academies

Robert D. Cormia

Foothill College

Imagine Our World: 500 Years From Now

• What does our world look like?• How do we live, work, and

conduct ourselves?• A world of peace? Or conflict? • What problems did we solve?• How did we get there?

Civilization 2.0

How do we live?What do we do?

Is the planet healthy – or in peril?

Visioning a Green World

• A green civilization

• New models of living

• New models of learning

• Everyone will be onboard

• Responsible world citizens

Green Collar Economy

• Van Jones – Green Jobs Guru

• Two problems – one solution

• New models of living

• Engagement with the earth

• Sustainable economic models

What is Green?

• Green is an arc between the environmental movement and sustainability

• Less environmental impact

• Healing the planet

• Living a cleaner life

• Building sustainable systems

Green Collar Academies

• Initially focused on green jobs

• Understanding natural systems

• Building sustainable communities

• Integrating living / collaboration skills

• Sustainable Living Outcomes (SLOs)– Living green is not a cliché – It is a new way of being!

Green Collar Academy

Linked Learning Outcomes (LLOs)

• Each unit builds on reflection

• GED – Green Economy Dissertation

• Integrating green skills / sustainable living

• Programmatic (over arching) outcomes

• Developing responsible world citizens

Green Thinking

• Purpose

• Impact

• Systems / cycles

• Biomimicry

• Equity

Green Building

• 90 million homes

• Complete renovation

• LEED / Title 24

• Lower energy

• Lower water

• Built into the environment

Renewable Energy

Civic Engagement

• How does a city work?

• Local civil governance

• Advocacy & process

• Building consensus

• Cultural competency

Understanding Systems

• Nature as a system

• Food as a system

• Your body as a system

• Earth as a system

• Living within as system

Ecosystem Services

• Clean air

• Abundant water

• Food webs

• Soil systems

• Oceans

Agriculture and Land Use

Personal Sustainability

• Nutrition &health• Personal relationships• Social networks• Conflict resolution• Chemicals have

consequences!

Sociograms

Investing in Yourself

• Healthy choices

• Relationships

• Education / growth

• Career / work

• Self esteem

Chemicals Have Consequences

• Drugs

• Tobacco

• Alcohol

• Toxins

• Waste

Conflict Resolution?

This was preventable – it didn’t need to happen. Where was the dialog?

Collaboration – a Basic Human Skill

Healing the Planet

• Climate

• Pollution

• Oceans

• Forests

• Biodiversity

The Role of the Trades

The trades are the muscle of the emerging green economy

Green Collar Muscle

• Green building

• Energy efficiency

• Renewable energy

• Transmission lines

• Materials / recycling

• Habitat restoration

Materials / Recycling

• Remanufacturing

• Demanufacturing

• Materials recycling

• Repair and rebirth

A Double GED – GED2

• General Education Degree (GED)

• Green Economy Dissertation (GED2)

• Reflective linking of all learning experiences

Civilization 2.0

• A world in balance

• A planet in harmony

• Global collaboration

• How did we get there?

• What do humans do?

Sustainable Core ValuesEnvironment 1. Ecosystem services – Eco-economy and valuing ecosystem services2. Concept of limits – linear / exponential rates of extraction in a finite world. Peak Everything.3. IPAT (Gapminder) – impacts from population, affluence (consumption) and technology4. Waste = food and ‘cradle to cradle’ manufacturing / remanufacturing and recycling5. Biomimicry – learning from nature – and employing ‘natural’ (biogenic) solutions6. Diversity – how it works in nature – how it works in society – specialization of skills (economic) Social 7. Social equity – healthy societies / social systems – foundation of sustainable societies8. Environmental justice (more complex subset of industry, and social systems, class issues)9. Cultural sustainability – awareness of cultural identity and cultural values, language, art10. Personal sustainability – health, personal relationships, foundation for lifelong learning11. Intergenerational impacts (economics and environmental – debt and resource depletion)12. Civic engagement (interaction of individual and society) – healthy societies / social systems13. Ethics (doing what’s right when no one is looking)14. Conflict resolution (at all levels – personal / interpersonal / organizational / political) Economic 15. Sustainable development – building new innovation economies not tied to consumption16. Built to last – design, build, and maintain for the long haul 17. Collaboration vs. individualism (as an ethic vs. individual wealth)18. Collaborative value creation (personal, social and economic models) – Wikinomics 19. Value vs. wealth (new economic models and metrics)20. Social production / Social capital (adding to information, knowledge and culture)

Wrenching on Humanity

http://www.valuenewsnetwork.com/davos-2015-a-pivotal-decade.html

Building a Better World

It’s time that we got serious about working together to build a better world

Spaceship Earth

• This is our only ride• No real ‘2nd chance’• Ecosystem services• Redefining the

mission – • - 500 year plan?• Sustainable Values

A Second Chance

• Green academies are a fresh approach to build the world we’d like to see in 500 years

• We start with the most underserved

• Basic skills for working and living

• Program includes Linked Learning Outcomes (LLOs) – reflective / synthesis

• Sustainable Living Outcomes (SLOs)

Middle College might be the best place to launch a Green Academy!