Pathways to Sustainability will be a track within the World Future Society's annual program July 17-19, 1997 in San Francisco. (See also Pathways Main Site at http://ceres.ca.gov/tcsf/pathwaysmain/)
An increasing global population will place increasing demands on the environment, resources and human ingenuity. Sustaining and enhancing civilization requires that we develop and apply better technology, human abilities and collaborative relationships.
This track will focus on the practical efforts being made to work towards a sustainable future. It begins with a panel following the opening plenary and includes six sessions during the conference.
A number of the presenters have been working together for several years. One of their goals is to develop an integrated approach to issues and solutions which includes capacity building, leadership and learning. Each of the presenters will discuss how their expertise and experience relates to these core elements within the track.
Another goal of this track is to build an ever expanding network of practitioners and thinkers who will work together and contribute to creating the future we want. Audience participation is essential and will be a key part of the program.
A separate program for the Professional Member's Forum is also included on July 20, 1997 which will focus on specific tools and methodologies which can be used by practitioners, consultants and writers who are working with business, government, community and other non profit organizations towards a sustainable future.
* indicates confirmed speaker for session.
What do we know about achieving sustainability and what trends are influencing our decisions? Questions to be considered are how can we determine the carrying capacity of the earth, assuming human beings collaborate; what is the time-scale in which we need to act; where should decisions be made: locally, regionally, nationally, in groupings of nation states or globally; what approaches to decision-making will be effective; what do we need to learn and what indicators will help us to create sustainable societies?
keywords: @sustainability, @public policy
The challenges of creating sustainable societies require leaders to adapt to changing circumstances, work collaboratively to support teams and facilitate the efforts of others, all while considering the interrelationships of the environment, economy and human well being. What qualities and styles support meeting these challenges? What is the role of the leader in developing the capacities for change? How can we effectively train ourselves and other leaders in our communities? A team of practitioners and trainers of the new leaders involved in public and private domains will address these and other issues.
keywords: @sustainability, @leadership, @communities
No one person or group has every skill, resource or answer to deal with all of the challenges we face across all levels of society. The concept of Meta-Teams is evolving as a unit which can facilitate achieving transformation in our communities. Sustainability is possible if we work together and use the tools of consensus democracy and other new ideas of governance and relationship. This session will describe these new models, their effect on the communities where they have been applied, the potential for systemic change, and the keys to successful public- private partnerships.
Keywords: @sustainability, @governance, @civil society
There are places around the country and the world which have already established sustainability as a goal and are working to achieve it. Others are focusing on individual issues like energy and resource use which are essential components. In both cases, common issues are being identified and approaches tried to determine what works. This session will describe what has been learned so far in selected regions, what are the successes and challenges and how we can move forward in the future.
keywords: @sustainability, @community, @energy
Common elements are evolving as resources on the path to sustainability. Indicators of sustainability are being developed and tracked in regions where people share the economy, the environment and quality of life. Strategic alliances allow partners to create new means of learning how to deal with similar issues. As the internet expands and develops, we have better communication tools and access to more information to build knowledge and enhance decision making. New information technology tools, such as remote conferencing and geographical information systems (GIS) have applications in urban and rural areas to provide collaboration, modelling and scenario building. This session will discuss how these tools promote a better understanding of issues and facilitate better decision making.
keywords: @sustainability, @information technologies, @indicators
Educational institutions must acknowledge the changes occurring in society to prepare students to deal with them. Life-long learning, whether formally, at work or through individual programs, will become necessary for all as we learn to adapt to these changes. How do we learn most effectively? How can we understand issues and relationships from a total systems approach? How can we build the capacity for understanding a future with accelerating rates of change? How can we prepare students in K-12 programs and beyond to successfully deal with the complexities of integrating economic, environmental and human issues? This session offers methods to broaden our concept of education to address these issues.
keywords: @sustainability, @learning, @values
What trends are occurring in business in response to the issues surrounding sustainability? Are there sufficient incentives now for businesses to adopt sustainable practices? Can making sustainability a core business driver contribute to profitability, innovation and market leadership, as well as improved quality of life? The field of industrial ecology and the efficient use of resources have the potential for introducing practical, cost effective changes. This session will discuss current efforts and opportunities for the future.
keywords: @sustainability, @business, @technology
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