WELCOME to this TENTH ANNUAL EARTH KINSHIP CONFERENCE 1999 where people of diverse backgrounds:
* share ideas and experiences about ways to create sustainable living practices on the Earth;
* learn skills and strategies for building a new, more responsible environmental ethic;
* explore and create new models for learning, teaching and living;
* integrate science, art, culture, economics, business, health science, history, philosophy and
spirituality;
* celebrate each other and our shared environment with our natural neighbors;
* search for appropriate human roles and relationships with the Earth as a Living Community;
* will learn to "Look to the Mountains"
Humans, it seems to me, are tuned for relationship. The eyes with which we see the world, skin, tongue, the ears, and nostrils - all of these are gates where our body receives the nourishment of otherness ... we are human only in contact with what is not human.
--David Abram
Bill Neidjii, an Australian Elder, reminds us that all that we should learn about living on the Earth, cannot be found in books full of facts committed to memory, but in the feelings from the direct experience. He teaches that we must "feel it with my body..." Learning to be human, in a more than human world is a process, which calls upon the teacher and the student to totally immerse, body, mind and soul with the experience. Is this an idea promoted by our "modern" educational methods?
"Producing environmentally literate citizens who demonstrate responsible environmental behavior could be considered the ultimate goal of environmental education."
How do we teach and learn to become responsible environmental citizens? How effective are current educational methods for creating responsible environmental behavior? Are we reaching the ultimate goal of environmental education to act responsibly towards the community of life? Are current educational methods shaping values and behaviors appropriate for a sustainable future for humans and the natural world? Are we teaching people to care?
We frequently hear that more education, not more legislation, is needed to promote responsible, long term, ethical, behavior towards the environment. Rarely do we discuss how effective we have been in achieving this. We focus on the body of facts we are teaching, the subjects, and ignore teaching the concepts necessary for building responsible and happy people. We use "modern teaching methods" that we know are effective for teaching facts as measured from standardized tests for fact-recall. We do not measure how to change the attitudes, which become the basis for a life-long value system. We assume the student will have the will to apply memorized facts to solve future, unforseen issues. We believe the student will intuitively behave in a manner beneficial for the long-term good of the Earth. We assume that classic American educational techniques will prepare us to live on the Earth, in a sustainable manner! We never ask: "Is this assumption correct?" We never ask: "Are there other educational systems, perhaps even "primitive ones", which will better prepare us for an uncertain future. If our ways of teaching today are so refined, perfected and visionary, then why are we consuming the Earth, faster than it can replenish itself, or sustain the needs of those in "less developed" countries?"
Perhaps our new technology-based educational methods are creating an illusion about the relationship we should have with the Earth and its "resources". First, we are trained to value only those things we can identify as "resources". Everything else is labeled as a "disease organism", an "infestation", a "weed", or as something having "no value" and therefore can be destroyed. Thus odoriferous bird rookeries are made into golf courses.
We are even being trained that "cyber-world" represents a whole new world which is safe to enter, and limited only by what we are capable of imagining. A recent "World Watch" (Jan/Feb. 1999, Vol. 12, No. 1) article "Virtual Disconnect" raises the notion that "...high-tech boosters ...inspire scorn for the actual, physical world." They quote futurist Gregory Stock who says that there are "...only a few animals in the world that really matter..." and that "There is an immense roster of species that neither affect nor interest the vast majority of humankind." Today, teachers are leading "cyber-world" field trips to visit "cyber-nature" from the comfort and safety of the class room. They, encouraged by administrators, argue that there is less risk from parental law suits when they do not have to expose students to real bug-swatting, sweaty and muddy-shoe field trips to the "real world." Is there a need for "reality experiences" in education? Does this not create future generations who are learning that the human role in the natural world is to remove or sanitize "snake and bug infested disease hotbeds" and replace them with human development designed to tame wildlife habitats?
Are there other, perhaps more effective, educational strategies we could use in environmental education? Do we make full use of drama, cultural arts, sensory experiences, guided discovery experiences, and even ceremony to learn new environmental values?
Perhaps the way we teach is more important in shaping our core values, attitudes and behaviors, than what we teach. The teaching method, should become the example for learning to live in harmony and relationship with humans and those other-than-human. Can we find examples of cultures which use methods different from the classic American model? This conference intends to explore this question, by hearing from educators who have experienced, what some might consider, different ways of teaching. Ways either forgotten by modern-culture, or ways discovered by those who are asking new questions about the effectiveness of our current methods of shaping environmental ethics.
We will see how seemingly unrelated disciplines as science, health studies, social studies, economics, business, and anthropology come together in shaping values in our youth and society.
- How can we educate to build a sense of place? ...a sense of community? ...a sense of hope?
- Can we preserve traditional values in a high tech, high speed world? Can we learn to slow down long enough to "smell the flowers?"
- Can we recognize the Earth as the primary Educator?
- Can we learn to experience an intimate connection with nature, by moving beyond a purely intellectual approach? ...if so, how?
- How can we transform through teaching? How can we create significant life experiences?
We will learn how indigenous people convey cultural values from elders to uncles and aunts and to children, in tribal societies from our featured speaker, Dr. Gregory Cajete, a Tewa Indian from Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico. Dr. Cajete, in his book Look to the Mountain: An Ecology of Indigenous Education, (1994, Kivaki' Press) tells us:
"A primary orientation of Indigenous education is that each person is their own teacher and that learning is connected to each individual's life process. Meaning is looked for in everything, especially in the workings of the natural world."
"Everything that humans do and experience revolves around some kind of story. The predominance of television and the other mass media in modern life is largely because they are vehicles for storytelling, i.e., the transfer of information to relate a message or convey a meaning. A basic wisdom of educating is to provide a context in which this natural human sense may be nourished."
A nationwide study (1998, Closing the Achievement Gap by Lieberman & Hoody) suggest a new approach to teaching, using the "Environment as an Integrating Context for Learning" (EIC). This new paradigm for "interdisciplinary, collaborative, student-centered, hands-on, and engaging learning" suggests using the school's surroundings and community as a framework within which the student constructs their own learning, guided by teachers, community members and the natural world. This "new" paradigm sounds remarkably familiar with the very "old" one of indigenous cultures where all tribal members were the teachers!
As you ponder these and other unasked questions about how and what we are teaching and learning, consider Dr. Cajete and the Tewa People's advice, "Pin pe obi" -- Look to the Mountaintop for a Guiding Vision of Life.
"MOST OF ALL, ENJOY THE CONFERENCE, ENJOY EACH OTHER AND ENJOY THE NATURAL NEIGHBORS FOUND SO CLOSE TO THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH FLORIDA CAMPUS!"
The conference theme(s) is still evolving representing, we hope, a logical progression of thinking which will lead to fresh ways of solving "tough" environmental problems.
This conference IS NOT a public hearing!!! It is NOT a political platform from which to build or destroy support for some local, regional or national issue. Please use examples of issues as a basis for discussion, but do not expect the conference to resolve them. This conference intends to explore old issues by using new ways of thinking and using new perspectives. Perhaps what appears to be an issue, is merely a symptom of a deeper underlying cause which has remained hidden.
We hope the conference is a place where we can begin to build models for our behavior which puts us back into harmony with the pulse of the Earth, its cycles and our vital life support systems.
8:30 am Fire Lighting Ceremony *** General Assembly --- All Assemble Outside Building 14 near the Fire Circle. Introductory Remarks -- Joe Halusky, Florida Sea Grant Extension Program and Bill Hamilton, Rotary International District 6970, Preserve Planet Earth Committee --- Harold Lock, Rev. Zack Lyde, Dr. Gregory Cajete
9:20 am Welcome Remarks -- Dr. Kathe Kasten, Dean, College of Education and Human Services, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, Florida.
9:30 am Science and Engineering in the 21st Century. Dr. Jay S. Huebner, Dept. Of Natural Sciences, University of North Florida, 4567 St. Johns Bluff Rd., South, Jacksonville, Florida, 32224-2661. (904) 620-3885 E-mail: jhuebn@unf.edu
Jay S. Huebner has a bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering, a masters and doctorate in Physics, and post-doctoral training in Astronomy, Membrane Biophysics, and Photochemistry. He worked as an engineer for General Dynamics when they made the Atlas rocket which put John Glenn in orbit the first time, and he was a founding member of a society which advocates the colonization of space, which has become the National Space Society. That society boosts 27,000 members (see www.nss.org). Dr. Huebner is a founding faculty member at UNF, and his membrane research there has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, Eastman Kodak Company, and Research Corporation, among others. He co-authored a book, Basic Astronomy Labs, Prentice-Hall, 1996, and is also a National Tour Speaker for the American Chemical Society.
Science and Engineering in the 21st Century; by Dr. Huebner. Modern life requires individuals to have access to commodities provided by nature, such as gravity, clean air and water, and commodities provided by industry, such as energy, information, and manufactured goods, including food. Producing the latter for the billions of people now on Earth is increasingly disrupting the former. For millions of years humans lived as hunters and gatherers, presumably making only modest and local perturbations in their environment. But the large number of humans now, and our increasing demands for engineered products, restrict the options. More productive, yet environmentally sensitive, industries are needed. Only more science and technology can provide them. This talk will explore what can be expected in the near future, which will include more activities in cis-lunar space and beyond.
10:30 am Break
10:45 am Thoughts on Global Warming and Weather Patterns. Tim Deegan. 1070 E. Adams Street, TV-12, Jacksonville, Florida, 32082. (904) 633-8816
Tim Deegan graduated from Texas A & M with B.S. in Meteorology. Currently Senior Meteorologist with WTLV TV-12 News, in Jacksonville, Florida, since 1982.
11:15 am Emerging Environmental Intelligence. Dr. Sandra Anderson Schuh. Miami Dade Community College, 300 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami, Florida, 33132-2297
Dr. Sandra Anderson Schuh graduated from University of Miami, 1986, dissertation: Astroethics: An Instrumentalist Exploration of Space Ethics. Philosophy Professor at the University of Tampa until 1995; Social Science Professor at the University of South Florida until 1998. Presently Director of the Environmental Ethics Institute at Miami/Dade Community College, Miami, Florida. Past President of The Florida Philosophic Association. Florida Residential Scholar for the Florida Humanities Council. Numerous published papers in Engineering ethics, environmental ethics, and theoretical ethics. Listed in Who's Who in Engineering and Who's Who Among American Teachers.
Emerging Environmental Intelligence. In order to tackle the formidable array of looming environmental threats we need to reject the traditional view of scientific method that has been fashionable in recent centuries. The standard Cartesion-Newtonian view of the universe as mind-body dichotomized, mechanized, and patriarchal no longer holds up to a more modern scientific approach.
Our universe is not nearly so pacific and regular as optimistic humans have believed. But there does seem to exist a web of relationships between all things. It is our job to educate our students to think critically about these interrelationships and to nuture a commitment of stewardship over all life, a commitment to a new Earth Literacy.
12:00 pm Lunch -- Community Kitchen by John Hammond, served near the fire circle.
John Hammond Gourmet Poet. 1540 Leestan Court, Orange Park, Florida, 32073. (904) 264-8807 E-mail: JHam605345@aol.com
John is retired from Amtrak. He is a poet and environmentalist. John has spent over 21 years as a scout leader and more than 15 years working with 4-H. He has authored six poetry books and is a co-founder of the Earth Kinship Conferences. He has received numerous awards for his volunteer work with youth education, civic organizations and leadership development programs. John is also a Reef Research Diver. You will also find John around the fire sharing his poetry, stories and songs.
Joseph Iannone has a Ph.D. in Historical Systematic Theology from the University of Notre Dame; as dean of the Graduate School he is involved in reshaping curriculum to correlate with the emerging ecological paradigm. Dr. Iannone is currently teaching in the area of Practical Theology, especially creation- centered spirituality. Coordinates the Healing the Earth Center, Board member of the MDCC - Environmental Ethics Institute, also Board member of the Holocaust Education Center as well as Peace Education Foundation.
Earth Literacy - Redefining Education to Address an Endangered Earth.
1) The Universe as Educator 2) The Human as the Earth Conscious of Itself 3) Nature - Human: Mutual Enhancement or Destruction? 4) What does the Earth know that Teachers need to know? 5) Strategies to re-engage the human spirit with the restoration and sustainability of the planet 6) The Local is Global
Dr. Gerald R. Culen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Community Sciences. He is the design team leader for the Cooperative Extension Service's Environmental Education Program and directs the programs at the University's four residential camping centers. He received three degrees from Southern Illinois University, a Ph.D., and M.S. in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in environmental education and a B.A. in Zoology. His research emphasis focuses on curriculum evaluation and how instructional models in environmental education influence environmental behavior. He has also authored or co-authored a number of publications including three case studies: Canada Geese: A Wildlife Management Case Study; Wetlands: A Major North American Issue, and his most recent publication, Coastal Marine Environmental Issues: An Extended Case Study for the Gulf Coast and Florida Panhandle.
Environmental Education and Responsible Citizenship. This presentation will introduce an educational methodology, the "Extended Case Study" (ECS) which can be utilized by youth and adults interested in environmental issues. Learners begin the case study with an overview of basic ecological concepts relevant to the particular problem or issue under study. The next phase introduces "issue awareness" which examines the players in the issue, the players' beliefs and associated values. This phase presents a method by which the various sides in an issue can be critically reviewed for a more comprehensive understanding of the issue perspectives within a community. Next, the learners are given the opportunity to develop investigation techniques that provide community based data that is evaluated and applied to the issue under investigation. The last step in the ECS provides training in skills necessary for learners to take positive and appropriate environmental actions. The intent here is to provide an opportunity for learners to develop citizenship action skills that can then be applied to decisions applicable to the remediation of local issues or other environmental problems. A key point of this methodology focuses on the ability of citizens to become informed and involved in the decision making process relative to issues and problems within their community. The ECS follows a nationally recognized model that has been well researched and provides strong evidence that supports an increase in positive environmental behavior when implemented.
2:15 pm Our Cosmic Journey for Teachers, Parents and Other Travelers. John X. Linnehan. 12230 Flynn Woods Road, Jacksonville, Florida, 32223. Phone: (904) 262-5071. E-mail: metanoia@juno.com
John X. Linnehan has been involved in education and community organizing for more than 25 years. He and his wife, Martina live at Metanoia Community, a residential intentional community that focuses on the integration of spirituality and the work of peace through social, economic and environmental justice. They embrace nonviolence as a lifestyle and attempt to live sustainably within the context of the sacred community of life.
Our Cosmic Journey for Teachers, Parents and Other Travelers. This workshop will draw heavily from the work of Brian Swimme and Thomas Berry as contained in their book, The Universe Story.
In this interactive workshop, participants will have the opportunity to explore our cosmic journey as part of an unfolding universe, from the primordial flaring forth to the emerging Ecozoic Age. The role of the human in this process will be examined and the consequences of human choices will be evaluated.
The 21st Century will soon be a part of human history. But, the emerging Ecozoic Age is only possible with the assent and cooperation of the human community.
Three underlying principles that are integral to the evolution of the natural world will be considered. Participants will examine the relationship between these governing principles and "human choice" as we continue our journey into the Ecozoic Age.
As Thomas Berry warns, "The human and the natural world will go into the future as a single sacred community or we will both perish on the way."
3:45 pm Break
4:00 pm Watershed Action Volunteers & Florida Yards Neighborhoods & Ponds. Jennifer Sagan, St. Johns River Water Management District/WAV, 3718 St. Johns Avenue, Jacksonville, Florida, 32205. Phone: (904) 387-4529 Joe Sewards, University of Florida, St. Johns County Cooperative Extension, Florida Yards & Neighborhoods Program Coordinator, 3125 Agriculture Center Drive, St. Augustine, Florida, 32092. Phone: (904) 824-4564 FAX: (904) 829-5157 E-mail: jjse@gnv.ifas.ufl.edu
Jennifer Sagan has been an active member of the St. Johns River Water Management District's WAV Program since 1997. She holds a Master of Science degree in Environmental Microbiology and has ten years of science teaching experience at the elementary, secondary, and college levels.
Joe Sewards has a B.S. degree in Ornamental Horticulture from Ohio State University in 1977. Joe was a part-time horticulture instructor at Lively Vocational Technical Center, Tallahassee, Florida, from 1989 to 1994. He was an instructor at Federal Correctional Institution, Tallahassee from 1992 to 1994. Currently Joe is pursuing a Masters studies at the University of Florida while working for the St. Johns County Extension Service as FYN Program Coordinator.
Watershed Action Volunteers and Florida Yards Neighborhoods & Ponds. The impact of environmental education can be maximized by using local issues as a vehicle for discussing general environmental principles while providing citizens the opportunity to effect positive change within their community. Discussed will be two educational programs which rely on neighborhood participation and volunteer collection of scientific data. The Florida Yards Neighborhoods and Ponds program is a partnership between UF's Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences and the Watershed Action Volunteers (WAV) of the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD). The ultimate goal of this program is to reduce citizen water use while decreasing the amount of pollutants in storm water runoff by exposing homeowners to environmentally sound gardening practices such as proper plant selection and reduced use of fertilizers and pesticides. The second program, the Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) assessment project is a grass bed monitoring program established by the SJRWMD. This program uses WAV volunteers to assist in the collection of scientific data within the St. Johns River. Volunteer training includes instruction about the ecological principles of aquatic ecosystems, field sampling, data recording, and vegetation identification. Data collected by the volunteers are used to evaluate the quality of grass bed habitats as it relates to the overall health of the St. Johns River. The session will be valuable to both potential volunteers and volunteer coordinators alike. Interested citizens will learn more about volunteer opportunities within Northeast Florida. For the environmental educator and scientist, an overview of the logistics of volunteer coordination, material development, and community involvement will be addressed.
4:00 pm The Importance of Creating Significant Life Experiences -- Dr. Nancy Peterson, University of Florida, Center for Natural Resources, Post Office Box 110230, Gainesville, Florida, 32611-0230. Phone: (352) 392-7622 E-mail: njp@gnv.ifas.ufl.edu Gerald Culen, (see above), Dr. Susanne G. Fisher, Interim Program Leader, Cornell University, 354 Roberts Hall, Ithaca, New York, 14853-4203. Phone: (607) 255-2233 FAX: (607) 255-0788 E-mail: sgf2@cornell.edu.
Nancy Peterson is the Coordinator for Programs and Services at the Center for Natural Resources, University of Florida/IFAS. She is also a "fellow" for the Florida Natural Resources Leadership Institute. She received her M.S. in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in Environmental Education at Southern Illinois University in 1982, and her B.S. in Recreation in 1976, at SIU. Her master's thesis investigated "Developmental Variables Effecting Environmental Sensitivity in Professional Environmental Educators." She has been involved in the field of environmental education/science education for over 20 years. Prior to moving to Gainesville, Florida in 1994. Nancy served as Director for The Children's Science Center and as Executive Director for Green Earth, Inc., in Carbondale, Illinois.
Dr. Sue Fisher is currently providing leadership for the New York 4-H Youth Development Program while on leave from the University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service position of Assistant Director, Partnership Programs. She has worked closely with the Florida Sea Grant Program and UF Whitney Laboratory on an effort to expand outreach programming for youth and adults in the Marineland, Florida area. Dr. Susanne Fisher acquired her B.S. degree in Home Economics Education from the University of Minnesota in 1962. Her M.S. degree in Family Relations, University of Minnesota - 1963, and her Ph.D. in Adult Education, University of Minnesota in 1980. Sue's research fields include: Cross Cultural Comparison of Family Power Structure Among Middle Eastern and American Students and Educational Participation Patterns of Farm Wives. Current Youth Development Program interests: Program evaluation and accountability. Chaired National 4-H Youth Development Program Outcomes Committee that designed and published a framework for youth development program outcomes. Honors include: Distinguished Service Award presented by Florida and National Associations of Extension 4-H Youth Development Agents; Served as Interim Deputy Administrator, USDA, for the nationwide 4-H Youth Development Program.
Creating Significant Life Experiences: How they shape your lifelong values. What experiences, events, people or places have shaped your life, career or environmental values? Can those experiences that seem to promote positive environmental values, or what has become known as environmental sensitivity, be duplicated today to foster behaviors that are consistent with environmental quality? Can environmental educators provide similar experiences within their program, thus cultivating environmental sensitivity in their students? This presentation will consider significant life experiences (SLE) and how these experiences may lead to heighten concern and/or interest about the environment in individuals.
Effective youth development programs include quality experiences and nurturing relationships. Current research suggests that experiences must be sustained over an extended period and include "hands on" components. Relationships, too, must be sustained over an extended period with at least one caring adult. As the contexts for youth development change, i.e., families, peer groups and communities, youth development professionals must find new ways to establish the supportive network of experiences and relationships that are needed by today's youth.
The concept of developmental assets (Search Institute, 1996) is becoming very useful as the complexity of youth development programming is addressed. Forty assets that are associated with the life choices that youth make have been identified. The more assets youth have, the less likely they are to engage in problem behaviors. The more assets youth have, the more likely they are to engage in positive, pro-social behaviors.
For over 80 years, the Cooperative Extension Service has provided leadership for youth development programming in both rural and urban communities. The 4-H club is the keystone component of this youth development initiative. Current research suggests that this programming approach is strongly associated with the development of assets in its youth participants. What are the components of the club experience that make a difference? What are the implications for environmental education leaders? Our discussion will address these questions.
4:00 pm Walking with the Mountain, a Practical Exercise. -- Dr. Gregory Cajete. Post Office Box 1167, Espanola, New Mexico, 87532. Phone: (505) 438-8864
Dr. Greg Cajete is an educator, practicing artist, and educational consultant. He is a Tewa from Santa Clara, Pueblo, New Mexico, where he lives with his wife Patricia and son James. He received his Ph.D. in Social Science Education from International College, Los Angeles, California. Dr. Cajete has taught extensively at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, where he was the founding director of the Center for Research and Cultural Exchange. Additionally, he has lectured widely in schools, universities and for educational programs throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and the former Soviet Union. Dr. Cajete has just published a book entitled, Look To The Mountain: An Ecology of Indigenous Education. According to Vine Deloria, Jr., "Cajete develops an educational theory of context, something that has been missing, indeed, not even conceived, in American education from the very beginning...Look To The Mountain represents a new, creative and sophisticated effort to build intellectual bridges between two entirely different systems of knowing the world. It is the first major work by an American Indian scholar that systematically works through the tangent points that exist between Indian and non-Indian understanding of education." Dr. Cajete currently teaches The Archetypal Elements: A Native American Perspective at the Institute of American Indian Arts on the campus of the College of Santa Fe and two education classes: Multi-Cultural Education and Science and Social Science for ElementaryTeachers at Highland's University in Las Vegas, New Mexico; and is an assistant professor in the College of Education at the University of New Mexico.
Dan Hemenway, is the founder of Elfin Permaculture, is recognized among the most innovative and effective teachers of permaculture. He has taught workshops, designed courses and advanced programs from Mexico to Canada and in Europe, Asia, and the Pacific, and now offers an internet Permaculture Design Course. Dan is also founder, editor and publisher of The International Permaculture Solutions Journal, highly regarded among permaculturists and PROD (Permaculture Review Overview and Digest). He is program director of APT (Advanced Permaculture Training), founder of the Forest Ecosystem Rescue Network (FERN), and active in related movements such as remineralization. He contributes to the development of permaculture with ongoing work on principles of transformation. Dan holds five diplomas in various aspects of permaculture from the International Permaculture Institute. He received the annual Conservation Award from Friends of Nature in 1983 and the Community Service Award from the International Permaculture Institute in 1984. In 1991, he was named as a delegate to "Roots of the Future," a conference of NGO's in Paris, France, to prepare input to the UN "Earth Summit" held in June 1992. More recently Dan was cited in Swathmore's Who's Who in America for 1996-97.
The Earth Can Teach Us a Sane Way to Live. Permaculture design brings our lives back into participation with the Earth. Permaculturists and other environmentalists warn of global destruction unless we learn to live with the Earth rather than continuing to prey upon her. Permaculture trusts that the Earth shows us solutions to halt the destruction of the biosphere while sustaining ourselves in wholesome and fulfilling ways.
Permaculture design integrates people into Nature's design for the bioregion as a whole so that it is respected, enhanced and strengthened. People receive shelter, energy, food, water, income, community and aesthetic as well as spiritual fulfillment as part of the permaculture design, all within a balanced biological community. Permaculture design students learn to make practical recommendations to develop the natural potential of a site. They also learn to identify the source and availability of every resource required to implement the permaculture design. A time table for orchestrating the unfolding of the design and using each stage of implementation to prepare for the next helps to assure practical and efficient results. Thus the design integrates the goals of the Earth and the people in that place.
An initial slide presentation will provide some background for the rationale behind permaculture and present visual examples of some of the permaculture design principles. The slides conclude with some examples of permaculture design being lived.
We will then briefly discuss permaculture ethics and open the floor for discussion. Potential topics include urban permaculture, the permaculture zone and sector approach to landscape design, keyline design, water management, soil management, nutrient cycles, etc. Examples will be based on Florida conditions where pertinent.
2:15 pm Council of All Beings & the Cosmic Walk -- Steve Torma. Earthaven Ecovillage, 7-1/2 Greenoak Road, Asheville, North Carolina, 28804. Phone: (828) 254-5613 E-mail: stevetorma@aol.com
Steve Torma has been researching and experimenting with sustainable lifestyles for 20 years. His life is his research lab seeking answers to the question, "How can we create a culture that is peaceful, just, and sustainable?" He has started and/or helped animate peace and justice organizations, intentional communities, business cooperatives, eco-spirituality groups, and personal growth support groups. He presently travels nationally to lead workshops and retreats and set up bookstores for social transformation conferences. He is a member of a five year old ecovillage, Earthaven, near Asheville, North Carolina.
Council of All Beings and The Cosmic Walk. The present ecological and social crises are largely the result of the dysfunctional cosmology which is at the foundation of western culture. We are presently at a crossroad where we have to choose between continuing our dualistic and anthropocentric mode of consciousness or evolving into a more mature species which recognizes and behaves out of the awareness of our radical interdependence with the entire community of life. Ritual and play will have a significant role in this evolution toward reinventing the human, and in the process it too will be reinvented by the enormous developments that are occurring in human consciousness.
The Council of All Beings and The Cosmic Walk are examples of what deep ecologist John Seed calls "re-Earthing rituals" which assist in humanity remembering our oneness with the rest of the Earth Community and thereby contribute to the healing of this perceived split which is fueling our self-destructive behavior. For it is out of the dysfunction and pain of this dualism that ecological destruction is primarily created. We generally perceive the universe to be a collection of objects rather than a communion of subjects and thus lack a sense of reverence and awe. As a result of feeling separate, alone, and without meaning we are trapped in a cosmic loneliness that drives our self-destructive behaviors of consumerism and violence.
Re-Earthing rituals help create a new vision for humanity that guides us and evokes our wisdom and creativity. As Carl Jung says, "The Dream Drives the Action." Just as the present destructive path is the result of our dream of dominating and controlling nature, these "Re-Earthing" rituals serve as tools in our co-creative, self-organizing evolutionary process. They facilitate intimacy with other beings and activate our sensitivities and spontaneities toward articulating and manifesting a vision of a mutually enhancing human-Earth relationship.
We are a young species and the nature and power of our minds is just beginning to be understood. In the Newtonian era, the mind was believed to function separately from our surroundings and be able to allow us to maintain objectivity in our relationships. Now we understand that the human mind was made possible by the incredible complexity and beauty of the Earth process that took billions of years to unfold. A healthy and diverse planet is necessary for a psychologically healthy human species. We are planet Earth thinking about itself. Our primary role is to understand and celebrate the beauty and wonder of the universe.
My concluding remarks are that we live in enormously exciting yet dangerous times in which we are being called to reinvent ourselves as a species, take our place in the community of life, and live in awe, wonder, and celebration. Healthy re-Earthing rituals can help us do that.
2:15 pm Consensus Building Techniques for Solving Environmental Issues -- Arjuna da Silva. Post Office Box 1107, Black Mountain, North Carolina, 28711. Phone: (828) 254-9322 E-mail: MaArjuna@aol.com
Arjuna da Silva has a B.A. degree in Social Sciences, New School for Social Research, Masters studies in Integral Psychology, California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco, CA. Process work and worldwork training with Arnold & Amy Mindell focusing on community building through diversity and conflict. Consensus process trainings with C.T. Lawrence Butler and with Caroline Estes.
Consensus Building Techniques for Solving Environmental Issues. Making decisions by consensus is a new paradigm approach to team building and conflict resolution. The process requires patience, creativity, and commitment to the challenges of inclusiveness. This workshop will cover: ground rules, facilitation, processing conflicts, styles, and options to suit different situations, plus small and large group practice sessions. Environmental activists have especially learned how polarization presents solutions. Within one's own group, consensus practice keeps everyone from getting lost in the margins. The experience of working toward consensus begins to develop our ability to work more effectively with "the opposition." Thus the tools and perspective gathered through working with consensus are actually helpful in all types of decision making situations.
6:00 pm til ? SHARING CIRCLE at the Fire. All participants and speakers are encouraged to assemble at the Fire Circle to share storytelling, poetry, music, discussion, wisdom. Fire tenders will stay with the fire during the entire conference, until it is closed Sunday at noon. "Sawmill Slough Conservation Club" will be helping out with the fire tending.
Sawmill Slough Conservation Club. Sawmill Slough ("slough" rhymes with "true") is the oldest club at the University of North Florida. It was established as a club for students, faculty, staff and alumni in the same year the University was founded. The Club is named for a large wetland running, north to south, through the western half of UNF.
Sawmill Slough's first president was Dr. Robert W. Loftin, after who the UNF Nature Trail system is named. Dr. Loftin served as the Slough's faculty advisor for ten years (nonconsecutively).
The Club's history is documented in a book written by one of its most active presidents, Michael Woodward, entitled Fight On! The Club periodically publishes a newsletter call The Swamp Stomper.
We Are All Kernels on the Same Corn Cob. With a special emphasis on Indigenous foodways and utilizing the thesis of his recent book, Look To The Mountain: An Ecology of Indigenous Education, Dr. Cajete will metaphorically present a way of looking at traditional forms of education as expression of ecological ways of learning, thinking and acting in "Right" relationship with our inner and outer environments. Dr. Cajete will present various examples from many indigenous peoples to reflect the epistemological basis for indigenous education. At the core of this presentation lie the concepts of culture, ecological relationship and spirit of place...and their relationship to indigenous and non-indigenous education. These concepts will be presented and reflected upon through examples from indigenous cultures related to Tribal Education, Spiritual Ecology, Environmental, Mythic, Artistic and Communal Foundations of indigenous life. The final focus of the presentation will address the challenge of creating a "Living Vision" for indigenous and environmental education in a 21st century world.
10:15 am Break
10:30 to Drama Workshop (Concurrent Session - Limited to 25 people)
12:45 pm Using Drama to Explore Global Warming. Christopher Lyboldt. 210 West 101 St., #4K, New York, New York. Phone: (212) 998-7386
Christopher Lyboldt is an instructor at the Paul A. Kaplan Center for Education Drama, New York University. Program Director of the Elementary Program at the Creative Arts Team. He has also directed international facilitation programs with youth from the Middle East, Bosnia, Turkey, and Greece. He has been an instructor at the Paul A. Kaplan Center for Educational Drama for three years and has been a teaching artist for over ten years. He received his Masters degree in Educational Theater from New York University and his Bachelors in English and Theater from Amherst College.
Using Drama to Explore Global Warming. Participants will actively explore issues related to global warming through the medium of drama. After the demonstration, participants will actively apply the strategies of pantomime, tableaux, and role play to issues that they would like to examine with their own interest groups.
Drama provides teachers, facilitators, artists, and educators with a means to explore the human side to an issue. Theory provides people with a cognitive understanding of issues as they relate to the environment. Drama enables people to go beyond the cognitive realm and into the emotional realm. Through drama, we become linked to the human condition that issues in the environment cause or will cause. In so doing, we're forced to face the issues experientially, and respond to them emotionally rather than intellectually.
This interactive presentation will be both a demonstration and a workshop. After the demonstration, participants will have the opportunity to use the strategies they've experienced to design some potential dramas of their own.
10:30 am Environmental Citizenship in Action -- Premier of a new Florida
Curriculum for Environmental Values in Education. Jim Lewis, 851 Fairbanks Ferry Road, Tallahassee, Florida, 32312. E-mail: jklewis@nettally.com Dr. David Fenner, University of North Florida, 4567 St. Johns Bluff Rd., South, Jacksonville, Florida, 32224-2645
Jim Lewis retired in 1999. He was the Director of Environmental Education for the Department of Environmental Protection since 1993. Mr. Lewis has been with the state for 30 years in environmental affairs. He was staff Director of Environmental Committees in Legislature.
Dr. David Fenner teaches philosophy at the University of North Florida. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Miami. Recent publications include Ethics in the Arts: An Anthology (Garland Press, 1995), The Aesthetic Attitude (Humanities Press, 1996), and Ethics in Education (Garland Press, 1999).
Environmental Citizenship in Action. Mr. Lewis and Dr. Fenner will be presenting a new high school "Workbook" on environmental ethics. The book presents several scenarios with ethical connotations and leaves students the responsibility of developing their own ethical solutions.
11:00 am Traditional Circle Discussion with Audience & Speakers: Exploring the Impact and Value of Environmental Education ---Facilitator: Dr. John Eisler. University of North Florida, Department of Psychology, 4567 St. Johns Bluff Road, South, Jacksonville, Florida, 32224-2673. Phone: (904) 620-2807 FAX: (904) 620-3814 E-mail: jeisler@gw.unf.edu
John Eisler received a Ph.D. in Psychobiology from Emery University and is currently an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of North Florida. His major areas of research include: Stress Neurobiology, Animal Behavior and Ecopsychology
Exploring Environmental Education. Every citizen is a potential environmental educator. As environmental educators, we are often challenged with many difficult questions regarding the purpose, utility and value of our endeavors in addition to most of the inherent challenges of teaching. This open forum provides the opportunity for participants to openly and critically discuss the challenges and probe the future of environmental education. Possible topics for discussion may include: identification of short-and-long-term goals, contemporary educational strategies and available resources, application of environmental education to issues such as youth development of a vigorous environmentally responsible citizenry. Another major set of challenges we can explore involves the following types of questions: Will acquisition of knowledge about environmental issues alone spawn good citizenship and kinship? How do we establish whether our education efforts provide for significant life experiences that can engender long-term changes in attitudes and behavior as well as knowledge? What are some possible methodological approaches for measuring the importance and long-term impact of environmental education? Together in this forum we can discuss these questions, raise many more, and refine a set of key goals, questions and approaches to help educators work toward enhancing the effectiveness of environmental education. All Earth Kinship 99 participants are encouraged to participate.
12:30 pm Lunch Community Kitchen by John Hammond.
Dr. Jessica Miller did graduate work at the University of Connecticut. This is Dr. Miller's first year as Assistant Professor in History and Philosophy at the University of North Florida. Her interest include ethics and feminist theory.
1:30 pm Solar Cooking and its Role in Environmental Education. Jose Nunez, University of Florida, Whitney Laboratory, 9505 Ocean Shore Blvd., St. Augustine, Florida, 32086. Phone: (904) 461-4042 FAX: (904) 461-4008 E-mail: jnuez@whitney.ufl.edu
Jose Nunez has a M.S. in Ecology from the University of California, Davis, and a B.S. in Biology from Universidad Central of Venezuela. He is currently a Biological Scientist at the University of Florida, Department of Fisheries an Aquatic Sciences working at the Whitney Laboratory in Marineland. He does research on aquatic invertebrate development and is developing a salt marsh curriculum for use in schools.
Solar Cooking and Its Role in Environmental Education. This workshop will address the use of solar cookers as tools for environmental education and show how our use of energy impacts the environment. We will explore ways to teach others how to use solar energy and "think solar" in our daily life. As part of the workshop participants will learn to build and use solar cookers.
1:30 pm Our Cosmic Journey for Teachers, Parents and Other Travelers. An interactive workshop that explores the scientific and spiritual unfolding story of the universe, as we move into the Ecozoic Age. John X. Linnehan, Metanoia Community, Jacksonville, FL (Repeat)
1:30 pm Water Shed Action Volunteers & Florida Yards Neighborhoods & Ponds. Jennifer Sagan, St. Johns River Water Management District/WAV, and Joe Sewards, University of Florida, St. Johns County Cooperative Extension/Florida Yards & Neighborhoods Program Coordinator. (Repeat)
3:00 pm Legacy Program: Getting Youth into the Natural World, doing real things! Frances Royals, Flagler Palm Coast High School, Post Office Box 488, Bunnell, Florida, 32110. Phone: (904) 439-3116, Dan Hayes, St. Johns River Water Management District, Post Office Box 1429, Palatka, Florida, 32178. Phone: (800) 451-7106 Ext. 4291 FAX: (904) 329-4103 E-mail: daniel_hayes@district.sjrwmd.state.fl.us
Frances Royals has a B.A. degree in Psychology and History from the University of South Florida. She has a M.A. degree in Emotionally Handicapped/Special Education from the University of Florida. She has been teaching at Flagler Palm Coast High School for 20 years. Frances developed the Dropout Prevention program at FPC which includes the "Legacy" component and also an internship component where students explore careers. She was named "Teacher of the Year" at FPC and given the Paul Harris Fellow Award by Flagler County Rotary. She has written and administered three grants to support the program: Flagler Compact Grant, Florida Learn and Serve Grant and Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Environmental Education Grant.
Daniel Drake Hayes received B.A. degrees in Philosophy, History & Education from the University of West Florida in 1982 - 1983. Dan has performed graduate work in Historical Administration from 1983-84 at Florida State University. He also has earned graduate hours in education from 1985 - 1990 with the University of North Florida and the University of South Florida. Since 1993 Dan has been an Education Specialist with the St. Johns River Water Management District, Palatka, Florida. He has developed and administered District's award winning secondary school "LEGACY" resource management education program involving 30 schools in 11 counties. His awards include: Department of Education Business Partner of the Year Award 1996 and Governor's Council on Sustainability, Environmental Education Program of the Year 1996: grant writing, negotiations with school boards, school system administrators and various District departments, development of curricula, marketing, public speaking, conducting workshops for students educators and the public, acting as liaison between school boards and various public agencies and private businesses and organizations. Also Dan has administered District's "WATERWAYS" elementary water resource education program and "WET" national K-12 curriculum in nineteen counties: marketing, conducting teacher training workshops, administering school board and Department of Education paperwork, development of new education outreach materials.
Legacy Program: Getting Youth into the Natural World, doing Real Things! Dan Hayes, Educational Specialist for St. Johns River Water Management District, will present an overview of the Legacy programs in Florida. Frances Royals, Flagler Legacy coordinator/teacher, will discuss the environmental education program located at the Princess Place Preserve.
The Legacy Resource Management Education Program is a collaborative venture between the St. Johns River Water Management District and area schools. Legacy enlists educators and their students to help District staff make public lands more "user friendly." District lands serve as living laboratories in which students learn how to manage natural resources. Long-term community stewardship of public resources is the "legacy" to be passed from generation to generation.
Ms. Royals will describe the curriculum and outcomes for the program. Also, Mr. Hayes and Ms. Royals will discuss ways to implement similar programs to help students develop a sense of community stewardship and enhance public involvement for the preservation of our natural resources.
3:00 pm Youth Asset Building, a Hands on Approach for Building Values in Youth. -- Marilyn Halusky, 1358 Lakewood Drive, Jacksonville, Florida, 32259. Phone: (904) 287-5193 E-mail: jghmjh@aol.com
Marilyn Halusky recently retired from the Duval County Cooperative Extension Service as the 4-H Program Director and Duval County 4-H Foundation after 30 years of service. She has a B.S. degree from Ohio State University in Home Economics and a MED in Adult Vocational Education from the University of North Florida. Marilyn received the Distinguished Service Award from the ESP and National Association of 4-H Professionals. She is the co-author of "Building Assets for the Youth of Tomorrow" Leaders Guide, pp. 60. Marilyn is also the co-founder of the "Florida 4-H I Can, We Can" program.
Youth Asset Building, a Hands on Approach for Building Values in Youth. This workshop will involve "Action Activities" that all adults (parents, teachers and neighbors) can use to positively influence the ways our youth act and re-act to themselves, their families and their environment. Also included will be a bibliography of reference books, Healthy Communities/Healthy Youth newsletters that give Ideas for Parents, and review of a "Case Study" of youth in Jacksonville for workshop participants that desire baseline data.
Asset Building is a new approach to youth development, yet it is just good common sense. It is a paradigm shift in thinking, however, about how to teach youth to reach their potential. Instead of focusing on negative deficits of youth (illiteracy, drug abuse, juvenile crime), this new method focuses on a positive "asset based" approach which builds upon the good things a child needs in his or her life. The asset model suggests that society, as a whole, plays an active role in contributing to the healthy development of children. The "asset" approach is more about building relationships that connect youth to adults instead of programs.
Many factors influence why some young people have success in life and why others seem to struggle to survive. Economic factors, genetics and environment all play a role in the influence of a child's success. Over the past 30 years, The Search Institute (Minneapolis, MN) has identified 40 developmental assets that can make a difference in a young person's life. These are things every adult can help nurture and develop in youth. Research shows that the more assets a young person has the more likely he or she is to lead a healthy, positive life. These "assets" are divided into two types: External and Internal.
External assets are things in one's environment that they cannot control. They are factors set by family, community, and religious groups. They are things in a youth's environment that nurture and support, set boundaries, and involve youth in structured use of time with caring adults.
Internal assets are factors found within youth which have been nurtured. They include: Commitment to Learning, Positive Values, Positive Identity, and Social Competencies.
3:00 pm Inner-City Outings Program of the Sierra Club. Mary-Slater Linn, Sierra Club Staff, 3131 Middlesex Road, Orlando,Florida, 32803. Phone: (407) 894-4530. Jimmy Orth, Inner City Outings Program, 5169 Emery Circle, Jacksonville, Florida, 32207. Phone: (904) 730-9917 FAX: (904) 737-5111 E-mail: johike@aol.com
Mary-Slater Linn is the Sierra Club's Natural Areas Protection Coordinator. She is working with the 22,000 Sierra Club members in Florida on grassroots projects, such as "Habitat for bears" and press conferences called "Tovr de Sprawl."
Jimmy Orth is a concerned volunteer with a passion for our environment and a desire to make a difference in the lives of underprivileged youths.
Inner-City Outings Program of the Sierra Club. We will introduce our audience to information about the Inner-City Outings Program and what we have learned through our involvement with this program. We will teach you how to play environmental games and how to do outreach to minority communities and youth.
1:30 pm Techniques for Building Consensus in Solving Environmental Issues -- Arjuna da Silva (Repeat)
1:30 pm Council of All Beings & the Cosmic Walk -- Steve Torma
Experience creative ways to connect with other than human beings. (Repeat)
6:00 pm til ? SHARING CIRCLE at Fire Ring. All participants and speakers are encouraged to assemble at the fire circle to share storytelling, poetry, music, discussion, wisdom. Fire tenders will stay with the fire during the entire conference, until it is closed Sunday at noon.
11:00 am Educate, Educate, Educate for Eco-Justice and Humanity's Sake -- Rev. Zack Lyde. Save the People, Inc., 1401 Monck Street, Brunswick, Georgia, 31520. Phone: (912) 265-1275 or (912) 264-3890
Zack Lyde is the Executive Director of "Save the People, Inc.", and the pastor of "St. Johns Missionary Baptist Church." Rev. Lyde was born and raised in Brunswick, Georgia and has many generations of family living there. He is a Vietnam Veteran and Veteran of Racist Resistance. Rev. Lyde attended college at the University of Washington Moorehouse and is a Street Advocate.
Educate, Educate, Educate for Eco-Justice and Humanity's Sake. Rev. Lyde will be speaking on: "Educate to Eliminate Racism", "Educate to Reduce Greed from Destruction of Our Only Livable World" and "Educate to Create Power for the Sustainable Possibility for All Life on this Planet".
12:00 pm Fire Closing Ceremony. Steve Torma, Harold Lock,
Dr. Greg Cajete, and Rev. Zack Lyde