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Learning for sustainability (LfS) site update (July 2009)

Site update

The Learning for Sustainability site - http://learningforsustainability.net - brings together resources that help address the social and capacity building aspects of managing collective interests within complex and adapting systems. The site highlights the wide range of social skills and processes that are needed to support constructive collaboration, and indicates how these skills and processes can be interwoven to achieve more integrated and effective outcomes. This site brings links to several hundred annotated on-line resources from different sectors and geographic areas together in one easy to access site.

This portal site has been substantially revised and updated over the past few months. This newsletter provides a brief introduction to new resources that have been added.

• Link updates
• Interesting reading: Recent reports and research papers
• Thoughts for the day
• Subscribing and unsubscribing
• Other ideas for browsing and reading

Link updates

Most pages have been expanded with new resource links added. particular attention has been paid to expanding the sections on undertaking interdisiplinary and integrated projects and adaptation. Other updated resource sections link to resources to support thinking and practice around managing complex systems, community resilience, and participation.A central guides, tools and checklists section provides practical guidance to help readers address issues involved in managing multi-stakeholder participation and engagement initiatives. Lessons are drawn from different sectors including catchments and watersheds, natural resources, HIV/AIDS, climate change, and disasters. A new page in this section now covers tools, tips and techniques for facilitators and other social engagement specialists. Other site sections provide links to best and emerging practice in specific areas including social learning, adaptive management, network building and mapping, dialogue, knowledge management, and evaluation and reflection. Research links cover action research, systems thinking, participation, integration and interdisciplinarity. One page lists on-line resources for both post-graduate research students and their supervisors.

Interesting research papers and reports

The featured links for this issue are drawn from some of the new links added recently. As the pages in this portal shows there is a lot of really good material available � so this newsletter section is is by no means intended as an award list, it just lists some recent additions that are good sites to share.

• Bonfire This is the latest issue of the International Institute for Facilitation and Change magazine. This month's issue includes the third and last article of the series by Ben Fuchs, Betrayal, Revenge and Forgiveness, an inspiring reflection on human behavior, a true life initiation. The second article, Checking Moods, belongs to Andy Langford's series and is a simple, well thought out resource for checking the "vibes" in a meeting. Finally, Michele Dagnino's article, Meaningful Youth Engagement, is a list of suggestions on how to engage young people in participatory events. Total reading time 10+ min. More resources on facilitation >> .


• Canadian communities' guidebook for adaptation to climate change - Including an approach to generate mitigation co-benefits in the context of sustainable development This guidebook by Livia Bizikova, Tina Neale and Ian Burton explores the potential for adaptation to climate change by suggesting a process closely tied to on-going planning cycles to help decision-makers in incorporating responses climate change into their local development initiatives. The authors' intent is that this guidebook will be of use to planners, decision-makers, local practitioners and to anyone interested in responding to climate change and building a resilient community. This Guidebook emphasizes the importance of being proactive in creating responses that prepare communities for future climatic, policy and development challenges. The Guidebook provides additional reference materials, including: information on how to interpret the consequences of climate change; an extensive list of adaptation options available; a list of published guidebooks; and several other resources available for consultation. More resources on adaptation >> .



• Expressive lives This Demos publication is a collection of essays that examine the idea of �expressive life�, and is edited by Samuel Jones. It helps us to see creativity and heritage as the fabric of our society that gives meaning and value to our lives. Contributors from across the creative and cultural sectors look at the effects of changes in people's behaviour towards cultural institutions, developments in technology and the global exchange of different attitudes and beliefs. These combine with political uncertainty and economic upheaval to put culture and creativity at the heart of debate about the future of our communities and international relations.� New thinking on how to achieve better dialog and expression >> .



• Integrating the social and natural sciences in environmental research: a discussion paper This paper by Veronica Strang considers the practical and intellectual challenges that attend efforts to integrate the social and natural sciences in environmental research, and the broader political, social and economic context in which this takes place. It is the outcome of discussions between social and natural scientists about the obstacles impeding their efforts to collaborate. It attempts to draw together the key issues, to consider the broader social, political and economic context from which these arise, and to propose some potential guidelines for successful interdisciplinary collaboration. New thinking on how to achieve integrated and interdisciplinary research >>.



• Climate Change: Global risks, challenges and decisions This 2009 synthesis report presents an up-to-date overview of a broad range of research relevant to climate change �including fundamental climate science, the impacts of a changing climate on society and environment, and the many tools and approaches available to deal effectively with the challenge of climate change. The report has been produced by a writing team comprised of members of the Scientific Steering Committee for the IARU Congress and individuals invited to give the writing team academic and geographic breadth. This report was developed from the International Alliance of Research Universities international scientific congress on climate change, Climate Change: Global Risks, Challenges and Decisions, which was held in Copenhagen from 10-12 March 2009. More resources on drivers around sustainable development >> .

Thoughts for the day

• "Participation is not something that can be conjured up or created artificially ... Participation is a feeling on the part of the people, not just the mechanical act of being called in to take part in discussions." -- Lawrence, P.R. (1954 May-June). "How to Deal with Resistance to Change" Harvard Business Review, 32(3), pp. 49-57.



• "Sustainability, is better seen as a measure of the relationship between the community as learners and their environments, rather than an externally designed goal to be achieved." -- Sriskandarajah, N., Bawden, R.J. & Packham, R.G. (1991). Systems agriculture: A paradigm for sustainability. Association of Farming Systems Research/Extension Newsletter 2: 1-5

Sharing, feedback, subscribing and unsubscribing

Please forward this site to interested colleagues. Feedback is welcomed, and visitors are encouraged to suggest sites to add. Thanks to those of you who have pointed to papers and other material for inclusion, and sharing among the wider global community of practice in this area. This month the site has averaged around 450 visitors each day, with the highest number of visits in any one day this year being in excess of 1500.

Newsletter postings advise of major changes and additions to this site, and will be sent out as an LfS site update e-mail to those of you who wish every couple of months. These postings will indicate the major changes on the site during that time. Each posting will also include links to 5-6 feature articles, so it is a good way to gain an overview of material in this area which cuts across the health, environment and development sectors. Just click here to add your name to this list through the newsletter update subscription page. If you have received this newsletter electronically and you wish to unsubscribe you can also do this from the LfS site update page. Alternatively you can subscribe by sending an e-mail to [email protected] or unsubscribe by sending an e-mail to [email protected]. If all else fails just contact me directly through the link in the footer of this page.

Other ideas for browsing and reading

If you have time to browse the web then visit some of the sites featured via the Guardian Environment Network. The network connects sites from across the globe that provide high-quality news, opinion, advice, blogs, data and tools. And as the site managers believe information should lead to action, so the network also includes selected campaigns. If you want to use the Internet to donate then you may also be interested in the following links to sites that let you help just by using click throughs or donating to support different causes. You choose the cause, and it only takes a few minutes of your time.

And if you want some real book reading, or to buy a gift for yourself or someone else, then visit Amazon. Below I have listed books that were highlighted through the site or mentioned on the IntSci - Integrated science for sustainability discussion forum in recent months.