{"id":491,"date":"2016-10-22T13:42:08","date_gmt":"2016-10-22T13:42:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.sps.ed.ac.uk\/global-environment-society-academy\/?p=491"},"modified":"2016-11-03T10:56:02","modified_gmt":"2016-11-03T10:56:02","slug":"disruption-rethink-the-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sps.ed.ac.uk\/global-environment-society-academy\/2016\/10\/22\/disruption-rethink-the-system\/","title":{"rendered":"Disruption! Rethink the system"},"content":{"rendered":"

Susan McLaren, <\/strong>Senior Lecturer in Design & Technology, Moray House School of Education, University of Edinburgh and\u00a0Fleur Ruckley, <\/b>Project Director, \u00a0Scotland\u2019s 2020 Climate Group<\/p>\n

Disruption! Rethink the system<\/strong><\/h1>\n

A\u00a0<\/span>circular economy<\/b>\u00a0is one where “the goods of today become the resources of tomorrow at yesterday’s prices”.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Economic Context: <\/strong>Scotland was the first nation to join Circular Economy 100.\u00a0 In August 2013, Environment Secretary, Richard Lochhead, issued the statement: \u201cScotland\u2019s economy will benefit from moving to a more circular model of production and consumption. Our Zero Waste Plan is already delivering important actions to make better use of resources, and we can accelerate progress if we join together with others on a global level.\u201d By 2016, the Scottish Government issued Making Things Last<\/em>:\u00a0 <\/em>A Circular Economy Strategy.<\/em><\/p>\n

Using a Nature as Teacher<\/em><\/strong> where waste=food<\/em><\/strong> philosophy, the circular economy rests on three principles, each addressing several of the resource and system challenges. These are becoming increasingly more discussed and adopted, by large scale and SME businesses- aiming to disrupt \u2018business as usual\u2019 of the linear economy systems and encourage a rethinking of the status quo.<\/p>\n

Principle 1: Preserve and enhance natural capital…by controlling finite stocks and balancing renewable resource flows.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Principle 2: Optimise resource yields…by circulating products, components, and materials at the highest utility at all times in both technical and biological cycles. <\/strong>This means designing for remanufacturing, refurbishing, and recycling to keep components and materials circulating in and contributing to the economy.<\/p>\n

Principle 3: Foster system effectiveness..by revealing and designing out negative externalities.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Education Context: <\/strong>Many policies and publications* have nudged the core school curriculum (3-18years old) towards an overall aim to embed Sustainable Development Education in Scottish education.\u00a0 The most recent construct is Learning for Sustainability<\/em>, LfS (One Planet School Group, 2012) which comprises sustainable development education<\/em>, global citizenship<\/em> and outdoor learning.\u00a0 <\/em>The intention is that LfS in the curriculum helps to \u2018nurture a generation of children and young people who know and value the natural world\u2026\u2026. committed to the principles of social justice, human rights, global citizenship, democratic participation and living within the ecological limits of our planet.\u2019 (One Planet Schools Implementation Group, 2016: 3).\u00a0 As a contributor to LfS, Circular Economy, through Cradle to Cradle, is incorporated in the school certificate course \u2019Design and Manufacture\u2019 (SQA, 2013)<\/p>\n

University of Edinburgh is working to identify how the principles of the Circular Economy can be embedded into Research, teaching, operations across the whole university (UoE,2016). The university SRS department have been leading the concept of the university as \u2018A living Lab\u2019 to progress thinking and actions related to sustainability and social responsibility in all aspects of the university.<\/p>\n

Several Professional Institutes have embedded the requirement for education for sustainable development and \/ or Circular Economy in their professional accreditation processes.<\/p>\n

Prompts to explore and cause pause to ponder<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Principles:: Values:: Responsibilities:: Practices::<\/strong><\/p>\n

Preparation for the GESA Reading group, please choose from these 2 papers and \/ or 2 videos <\/strong><\/p>\n

Webster, K (2013)\u00a0\u00a0 Missing the wood for the trees: systemic defects and the future of education for sustainable development Curriculum Journal<\/em> 24:2, 295-315 http:\/\/www.tandfonline.com.ezproxy.is.ed.ac.uk\/doi\/full\/10.1080\/09585176.2013.802585<\/a><\/p>\n

The circular economy.<\/em>\u00a0By Walter R. Stahel \u2013 Nature, 23 March 2016.\u00a0http:\/\/www.nature.com\/news\/the-circular-economy-1.19594<\/a><\/p>\n

and \/ or<\/p>\n

Circular Economy: Thomas Rau at TEDxZwolle \u2013 ( approx. 20mins) https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=zrb2v_f0ZYY<\/a><\/p>\n

Rethinking Progress: The Circular Economy\u00a0 (3 mins 11 secs)<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/made2bemadeagain<\/a><\/p>\n

Questions:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n