Marilyn Waite

Numeracy as a Prerequisite for Sustainability

The 22nd International Conference of Adults Learning Maths (ALM)"Opening Our Mathematical Eyes"

Sunday, July 12 to Wednesday, July 15, 2015Hilton Alexandria Mark Center | 5000 Seminary Road Alexandria, Virginia 22311

Marilyn Waite

The Age of SustainabilityNumeracy as a Prerequisite for Sustainability

1. Sustainability Clarified2. Sustainability in Business3. SURF Framework4. Government Policy & Sustainability5. Seeing Numeracy in Sustainability Issues6. My Water – Energy – Waste – Food – Travel 7. Take Action

Marilyn Waite

Sustainable Development DefinitionsNumeracy as a Prerequisite for Sustainability

“Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” -WCED, 1987

“A creatively ambiguous phrase…an intuitively attractive but slippery concept.” -Mitchel, 1997

“An obligation to leave behind a generalized capacity to create well-being.” -Solow, 1993

“Meeting the needs of all generations, present and future, while improving their well-being through social, economic, environmental, and intergenerational efforts.” – Waite, 2014

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Sustainable Development: A Path

Sustainability: An End Goal

Sustainable Development vs. SustainabilityNumeracy as a Prerequisite for Sustainability

Sustainable: An Adjective

Marilyn Waite

Sustainability in BusinessNumeracy as a Prerequisite for Sustainability

Marilyn Waite

SURF FrameworkNumeracy as a Prerequisite for Sustainability

Marilyn Waite

(1) Raw Material

(Bamboo)

(2) Bamboo

Fiber

(3) Bamboo

Yarn

(4) Bamboo

Cloth

(5) Bamboo T-Shirt

SURF – Supply Chain

Numeracy as a Prerequisite for Sustainability

Marilyn Waite

How do the products in the supply chain measure when it comes to:

• Greenhouse Gas Emissions• Water Use (Efficiency, Recycled, Rainwater)• Energy Use (Efficiency, Low Carbon, Renewable)• Land Use (Ecological Footprint, Soil Quality)• Transportation (Distance, Pollutants, Renewable)• Materials (Biodegradable, Recycled, Sustainably Harvested)• Waste (Composting, Cradle-to-Cradle, Re/Up-Cycling)• Pollution (Air, Land, Water)• Labor (working conditions, fair wages)• Long-term Profit

*Non-exhaustive list

SURF – Supply Chain

Numeracy as a Prerequisite for Sustainability

Marilyn Waite

The Age of SustainabilityNumeracy as a Prerequisite for Sustainability

UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014)

“Failure to reverse trends that threaten future quality of life will steeply increase the costs to society or make those trends irreversible” - European Heads of State and Government, Gothenburg, 2001

“Sustainability is a political choice, not a technical one. It's not a question of whether we can be sustainable, but whether we choose to be” - Gary Lawrence, Director of Seattle Planning Department, USA

“Sustainability is here to stay or we may not be” - Niall Fitzgerald, UK CEO, Unilever

“This is the moment when we must come together to save this planet. Let us resolve that we will not leave our children a world where the oceans rise and famine spreads and terrible storms devastate our lands” - President Barack Obama (2008)

Marilyn Waite

Please click here to start video.

Sustainability in GovernmentNumeracy as a Prerequisite for Sustainability

Marilyn Waite

MathematicalStructures

• Numbers• Algorithms• Ratios• Shapes• Functions• Data

“The art of counting ecologically, I think, is understanding numbers relative to the things we ultimately value" – in Quantitative Analysis of Environmental Issues, Robert A. Herendeen, 1998

Numeracy Concepts in Environmental SustainabilityNumeracy as a Prerequisite for Sustainability

Marilyn Waite

How is numeracy present in this short film? Numeracy as a Prerequisite for Sustainability

Please click here to start the film from the Rainforest Alliance.

Marilyn Waite

My Water Bill – A PollNumeracy as a Prerequisite for Sustainability

What % of Earth’s Water is Freshwater?( 2% | 20% | 50% )

How much water is used to make ONE newspaper?( 7 L | 70 L | 700 L )

Do you conserve more water by taking a bath or a shower?

( bath | shower )

Marilyn Waite

My Water BillNumeracy as a Prerequisite for Sustainability

US NAS - Perceptions of Water Use - 2013

• Participants underestimated water use by a factor of 2 on average.

• High numeracy scores were associated with more accurate perceptions of water use.

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Water InfrastructureNumeracy as a Prerequisite for Sustainability

Marilyn Waite

My Electricity BillNumeracy as a Prerequisite for Sustainability

US NAS - Public Perceptions of Energy Consumption and Savings - 2010

• Participants underestimated energy use and savings by a factor of 2.8 on average.

• Higher numeracy scores were associated with more accurate perceptions.

Marilyn Waite

My WasteNumeracy as a Prerequisite for Sustainability

“Imagine you are driving in your car and every mile you drive you throw a

pound of trash out your window. And everyone else on the freeway in

their cars and trucks is doing the exact same thing, and people driving

Hummers are throwing two bags out at a time - one out the driver-side

window and one out the passenger-side window. How would you feel?

Not so good. Well, that is exactly what we are doing; you just can't see it.

Only what we are throwing out is a pound of CO2 - that's what goes into

the atmosphere on average, every mile we drive.”

- Chemist Nate Lewis

Marilyn Waite

My PlateNumeracy as a Prerequisite for Sustainability

Marilyn Waite

Travel – Tourism Numeracy as a Prerequisite for Sustainability

• Tourists consume double the amount of water when on vacation

• Travel & Tourism sector represents 5% of global carbon emissions

• 17 kg of carbon emitted per room day for hotel stays

• 3.5 kg of waste generated daily per cruise ship passenger compared to 0.8 kg normally

Marilyn Waite

Numeracy in Sustainability

Sustainability in Numeracy

Take-home MessageNumeracy as a Prerequisite for Sustainability

EcolateSmart Labels

“For years it was easier to busy myself with metaphors of multiplication than to contemplate imminent environmental catastrophes. But over time, I have realized that I cannot be a genuine educator and also avoid the greater challenges that will confront my students in the future” - MOSHE RENERT

Marilyn Waite

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www.marilynwaite.com

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Numeracy as a Prerequisite for Sustainability

Thank you.

“We cannot solve environmental or societal issues without knowing the numbers” – Marilyn Waite