Sustainable Development in Higher Education in Europe INNOVATIVE PRACTICE COMPENDIUM Edited by Vesna Weingerl Erasmus Networks project N°177267-LLP-1-2010-1-FR-ERASMUS-ENWA With the support of www.isle-project.eu the Lifelong Learning Programme of the European Union Innovation in the teaching of Sustainable Development in Life Sciences in Europe Erasmus Networks project N° 177267-LLP-1-2010-1-FR-ERASMUS-ENWA www.isle-project.eu Sustainable Development in Higher Education in Europe INNOVATIVE PRACTICES COMPENDIUM Deliverable 6.5 Dissemination Public Status Final Edited by Vesna Weingerl Authors Vesna Weingerl, University of Maribor, Slovenia, vesna.weingerl@um.si Nidal Shaban, University of Forestry Sofia, Bulgaria, nidalshaban@abv.bg Iman Mussa Kadhum, Agricultural Academy Sofia, Bulgaria, kadhumi@yahoo.com With the support of the Lifelong Learning Programme of the European Union. Innovative Practices Compendium (Final report on Work Package 6) Edited by: Vesna Weingerl, University of Maribor, Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences Authors: Chapter 1 Vesna Weingerl, Nidal Shaban, Iman Mussa Kadhum Chapter 2 Vesna Weingerl Chapter 3 – 4 Vesna Weingerl, Nidal Shaban, Iman Mussa Kadhum Chapter 5 – 7 the authors’ names and affiliations are indicated in the footnotes of each form Chapter 8 – 10 Vesna Weingerl Selection of Innovative Practices: Hristina Yancheva, Agricultural University Plovdiv, Bulgaria Rumi Bakardzhieva, Agricultural University Plovdiv, Bulgaria Emilio Chiodo, University of Teramo, Italy Nidal Shaban, University of Forestry Sofia, Bulgaria Iman Mussa Kadhum, Agricultural Academy Sofia, Bulgaria Vesna Weingerl, University of Maribor, FALS, Slovenia Preparation of the questionnaire: Andreja Borec, University of Maribor, FALS, Slovenia Idea and realisation of the video challenge: Jannie van der Luit, Van Hall Larenstein, University of Applied Science, The Netherlands Sonia Kaminska, Warsaw Agricultural University, Poland Krisztina Hracs, Szent István University, Hungary Anželika Dautartė, Aleksandras Stulginskis University, Lithuania Leticia Chico Santamarta, Harper Adams University, UK Proof-read by: George Yeoman This document is available at http://www.isle-project.eu © Copyright 2013 Buča, Knjigotrštvo, d.o.o. www.buca.si ISBN: 978-961-6704-34-2 The report applies to the activities of Work Package 6 entitled “Innovative Practices” which was accomplished within the framework of the ISLE Erasmus Networks project (Innovation in the teaching of Sustainable Development within Life Sciences in Europe) and was co- financed by the European Commission within the framework of the Lifelong Learning Programme. Full Application Number of the project: 177267-LLP-1-2010-1-FR-ERASMUSENWA, Website: http://www.isle-project.eu/ This communication only reflects the views of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein. Acknowledgements The authors would like to acknowledge the tremendous support from all ISLE partners. Directly or indirectly they were all involved in the development and realisation of WP6. A huge thank you to all participants at the 1st and 2nd Workshop Innovation Practices! Thank you for all your excellent efforts, ideas, and dedicated work. You were the most important pillars during the realisation of WP6. Our thanks go to: Erika Quendler (Federal Institute of Agricultural Economics, Vienna, Austria), Thomas Eidenberger (University of Applied Sciences, Austria), Nadka Ignatova and Sergey Bistrichanov (University of Forestry Sofia, Bulgaria), Christina Armutlieva (International University College, Dobrich, Bulgaria), Petros Savva (Cyprus University of Technology, Cyprus), David Herak (Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Czech Republic), Marianne Aaroe-Hansen (Aarhus University, Denmark), Kadri Kalle (Estonian University of Life Sciences Estonia), Ea Maria Blomqvist (Åbo Akademi University, Finland), Jean-Pierre Lemière, Amélie Jaillet, Sylvie Granger, Christine Notte (all AgroSup Dijon, France), Maxime Legrand and Saranne Comel (Project Education, Paris, France), Aurélien Montagu (University of Orléans, France), Harmut Sommer (University of Applied Sciences Bingen, Germany), Andrea Katrakilis, Vasileios Protonotarios (Agroknow, Greece), Marton Kocsis (Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary), Péter Nagy (Szent István University, Hungary), Tímea Süli-Zakar (University of Szeged, Faculty of Agriculture, Hungary), Kjartan Bollason (Holar University College, Iceland), Mary Forrest (University College Dublin, Ireland), Massimo Monteleone (University of Foggia, Italy), Linda Grinberga and Ainis Lagzdins (Latvian University of Agriculture, Latvia), Manou Pfeiffenschneider (Efor-Ersa Consulting Engineers, Luxembourg), Adrian Bugeja Douglas and Marie Louise Zammit (University of Malta), Trude Wicklund (Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Norway), Cristina Cunha-Queda (Technical University of Lisbon, School of Agronomy, Portugal), Gheorghe Matei and Marin Soare (University of Craiova, Faculty of Agriculture, Romania), Magdalena Lacko-Bartosova and Joanna Korczyk-Szabó (Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Slovakia), Kristine Kilså (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden), Gürkan Alp Kagan Gürdil and Mehmet Kuran (Ondokuz Mayis University, Samsun, Turkey), Ali Galio Onal (Ondokuz Mayis University, Turkey), Keith Chaney, Jill Chaney, Letitia Chico Santamarta and Andrea Humphries (all Harper Adams University, Shropshire, United Kingdom). Our special thanks go to: Vladimir Ilchev (Agricultural Academy Sofia, Bulgaria), Hristina Yancheva (Agricultural University Plovdiv, Bulgaria), Rumi Bakardzhieva (Agricultural University Plovdiv, Bulgaria), Klaus Wagner (Federal Institute of Agricultural Economics, Vienna, Austria), Jaromir Nemec (Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Czech Republic), Sandor Makai (University of West Hungary, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, Hungary), Krisztina Hracs (Szent István University, Hungary), Emilio Chiodo and Francesca Valente (University of Teramo, Faculty of Agriculture, Italy), Anželika Dautartė (Aleksandras Stulginskis University, Lithuania), Jannie van der Luit (Van Hall Larenstein, University of Applied Science, The Netherlands), Sonia Kaminska (Warsaw Agricultural University, Poland), Marija Lešnik (University of Maribor, Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Slovenia), Pedro Aguado Rodriguez (University of Leon, Spain) and Zeki Kara (Selcuk University, Faculty of Agriculture, Konya, Turkey). Special compliments and thanks for the valuable guidance and comments: Danijel Rebolj, rector and Matjaž Mulej, professor emeritus, both University of Maribor, Slovenia. Special compliments and thanks go to: Andreja Borec, Karmen Pažek and Jernej Prišenk (University of Maribor, Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Slovenia) for their excellent work with organization of the 6th ISLE meeting in Maribor, Slovenia. Special thanks also for Mario Lešnik, dean of Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Maribor, Slovenia. Proof-read: George Yeoman, man of his word, thank you! Not to ignore: Anne Walker, Oli Davenport and Dale Webb, students from Harper Adams University, Shropshire, United Kingdom. Thank you for your excellent cooperation in the video challenge! Congratulations! Attention: The Innovation Practices Compendium is a continuation of the Good Practices Compendium, so there are several similarities in content between both reports. Many thanks go to all the authors of the Good Practices Compendium. Compliments on their masterwork! Last but of course not least: many thanks to Corinne Stewart (AgroSup Dijon, France) – a fantastic coordinator of the ISLE Erasmus Networks project. Thank you, thank you and thank you. It was a great pleasure working with you. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................................................ 7 THEOREM ......................................................................................................................................................... 8 1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................ 9 2. CREATING THE MINDSET ........................................................................................................................ 12 3. SELECTION OF INNOVATIVE PRACTICES .................................................................................................. 33 3.1. DEFINITION OF INNOVATIVE PRACTICES ................................................................................................................ 33 3.2. THE EXTRACTION OF GOOD PRACTICES COMPENDIUM ........................................................................................... 33 3. 3. DESCRIPTION OF THE SELECTED INNOVATIVE PRACTICES .......................................................................................... 34 3.4. THE PROCESS OF SELECTING INNOVATIVE PRACTICES .............................................................................................. 36 4. INNOVATIVE PRACTICES WORKSHOP... .................................................................................................. 37 4.1. 1ST WORKSHOP INNOVATIVE PRACTICES .............................................................................................................. 37 4.2. 2ND WORKSHOP INNOVATIVE PRACTICES - SECTION 1 ............................................................................................. 38 4.3. 2ND WORKSHOP INNOVATIVE PRACTICES - SECTION 2 ............................................................................................. 39 5. QUESTIONNAIRE FORMS ........................................................................................................................ 43 6. VIDEO CHALLENGE FOR STUDENT GROUPS ............................................................................................ 43 7. PRESENTATION OF THE INNOVATIVE PRACTICES ................................................................................... 44 7.1. GREEN PEDAGOGY ..................................................................................................................................... 46 7.2 SUNNY GARDEN ......................................................................................................................................... 49 7.3. CZECH UNIVERSITY OF LIFE SCIENCES PRAGUE .......................................................................................... 51 7.4. TALVEAKADEEMIA (WINTER ACADEMY) .................................................................................................... 53 7.5. SPECIFIC UNIVERSITIES POLICIES ABOUT SD IN FRANCE............................................................................. 59 7.6. THE PLACE OF THE TUTORED PROJECT ....................................................................................................... 60 7.7. E-LEARNING ACADEMIC NETWORK (ELAN III) ............................................................................................ 61 7.8. MASTER GESLOPAN ................................................................................................................................... 63 7.9. FAIR TRADE MANAGEMENT......................................................................................................................... 67 7.10. MASTER IN AGRICULTURE: AGROECOLOGY AND RENEWABLE ENERGY .................................................... 68 7.11. BOTANICAL GARDENS, SPECIAL PLACES TO INVOLVE SPECIAL PEOPLE ...................................................... 71 7.12. "DE SOL A SOL” - A SUSTAINABLE DAY ........................................................................................................ 72 7.13. LEARNING REGIONS IN SLOVENIA WITH POLYGONS IN NATURE ............................................................... 74 7.14. MANAGEMENT OF PESTS, DISEASES AND WEEDS ...................................................................................... 80 7.15. GREEN ACADEMY ....................................................................................................................................... 83 7.16. PRACTICAL QUESTIONNAIRE ...................................................................................................................... 85 7.17. PRACTICES MON BG - NATIONAL PROJECT OF BG GOVERNMENT ............................................................. 87 7.18. AGRO-ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY - A (REQUISITELY) HOLISTIC VIEW................................................... 89 8. GAPS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS ............................................................................................................ 93 9. CONCLUSION AND RECOMENDATIONS .................................................................................................. 94 10. REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................................... 97 Innovative Practices Compendium Page 6 LIST OF TABLES TABLE 1. THE LIST OF SELECTED INNOVATIVE PRACTICES ........................................................................ 35 TABLE 2. MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SELECTED INNOVATIVE PRACTICES ....................................... 35 Innovative Practices Compendium Page 7 ABSTRACT The ISLE project’s (Innovation in the teaching of Sustainable Development within Life Sciences in Europe) objective was to implement the concept of Sustainable Development in Higher Education. Higher Education Institutions from amongst all educational structures have an enormous impact on knowledge discovery and transfer, as well as the promotion of Sustainable Development within the society and business world. The transformation of Higher Education Institutions according to the principles of Sustainable Development is a non-technological process requiring invention, innovation, and diffusion. By the linking educational activities, teaching, scientific research, various projects as well as examples of good practices, the discovery of new knowledge and the modernisation of values, cultures, ethics and norms would be activated. The Innovation Practices Compendium was the final product of Work Package 6 (WP6) entitled “Innovative Practices”. The objective was within the spirit of the possible and the identification of existing Innovative Practices concerned with Education for Sustainable Development within Higher Education Institutions. The topic is discussed with a requisitely holistic approach describing formal and informal learning experiences within Higher Education Institutions and highlighting some important directions for the future vision of Higher Education. 18 Innovation Practices are discussed and presented in form of indicators and descriptors. The following indicators and descriptors were used: Indicators: New technologies, Holistic approach, Collaboration, Critical thinking, Project- based learning, Creativity, Network building capacity, Internationalisation, Interdisciplinarity, Motivation aspects, Transferability, Innovation activities (present) Descriptors: Content, Tools, Method, Outcome The Innovative Practices were mostly selected from a Compendium of Good Practices emerging from the previous work package WP3 analysis, carried out within the ISLE project, and from the research of the project partners. The selection was done in accordance with the criteria of innovation. An innovative way to encourage students to actively learn the knowledge syllabus of sustainable development was the video challenge. Within the framework of WP6 a Facebook video challenge for student groups was carried out. The (requisitely) holistic and interdisciplinary approaches to ESD, the attention to achieving tangible results, the involvement of local communities and the bottom-up approaches, the importance of partnerships and networking, the capacity building, the innovation of the initiatives, the attention given to building a framework favourable to SD, tutoring (tutor as mediator) and VCEN (values/culture/ethics/norms) was the common thread during the formation of an Innovative Practices Compendium. Innovative Practices Compendium 7 Theorem Education is the ability to perceive the hidden connections between phenomena. Vaclav Havel Innovative Practices Compendium 8 1. INTRODUCTION The Innovative Practices Compendium was the final product of Work Package 6 (WP6) entitled “Innovative Practices” which was carried out within the framework of the ISLE Erasmus Thematic Network (Innovation in the teaching of the Sustainable Development of Life Sciences in Europe) which was co-financed by the European Community within the framework of the Lifelong Learning Programme. ISLE was a 36-month project that started in October 2010. Its consortium consisted of 38 partners from 32 European countries representing Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), Research Institutes, and Enterprises that focus on life sciences. The project's objective was to implement the concept of Sustainable Development within Higher Education. The project approached the topic in a comprehensive way, analysing the different aspects concerning the implementation of SD in higher education and developing both research activities and specific tools and devices that could be utilised by the wider sector for facilitating ESD. The main activities of the project were to bring together stakeholders from Europe who had already introduced the concept of SD into their curricula and wished to transfer their knowledge to the other partners of the network or wished to introduce the concept of SD into the curricula of their institutions; to acquire new knowledge on ESD and develop the necessary tools for knowledge transfer, to increase awareness in European HEIs of the urgency of ESD, and to provide the instruments for facilitating and supporting ESD. The objective of this report is the extraction of existing and other ideas for possible innovative practices in the area of Sustainable Development education within Higher Education Institutions (HESD). The topic of HESD is considered in a broader sense, on the one hand by considering the characterisations of the political and institutional frameworks, and on the other hand by describing the formal and informal learning experiences within HE Institutions. In the opinion of the authors of the Good Practices Compendium (Chiodo, 2013), to maximise the effectiveness of HESD requires taking into account all these elements. The Good Practices were classified into 4 areas: Policies, Institutional activities, Teaching, and Practical experiences. Different project activities used to address Innovative Practices. In Work Package 2 (WP2) “State of the art: information collection concerning SD in life sciences in Europe” information on good practices was collected through the collation of countries’ reports and the responses to direct surveys within the member Institutions. Surveys were completed by students, academic staff and individual institutions for each partner of the ISLE network. In WP3 all the ISLE partners were involved in identifying and describing those Good Practices considered most representatives of each country, and by integrating the State of the art results with personal knowledge and direct surveys. During WP5 the collected good practices were evaluated and the most suitable ones were selected for publication within the Good Practices Compendium (Chiodo, 2013). The criteria used for evaluation was taken into consideration regarding different aspects: Transferability, Pertinence, Capacity Building, User Friendless, Innovation, Partial/Global Approach, Networking and Interdisciplinarity. Innovative Practices Compendium 9 The selected Good Practices covered a wide range of activities and geographical origins, with the aim to maximise the replications of these practices in other institutions, both within and outside the ISLE consortium. The planned continuation of ISLE project activities was WP6 – Innovative Practices. Working on the basis of the different diagnostics collected in WP5, in WP6 end concerned itself with the innovative contents and pedagogical methods for sustainable development in the teaching of life sciences by setting-up and distributing a questionnaire to partner members and HEI’s non-members of the consortium. The lead partner responsible for coordinating the contents of the deliverables and updating the ISLE web-site concerning WP6 was the University of Maribor, Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Slovenia. The first step of the WP6 Innovation Practices work-group was taken-up by the preparation of an Innovative Practices Questionnaire (deliverable nr. 6.1). During the 6th ISLE meeting in March 2013 at the University of Maribor, Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, in Slovenia, an Innovation Practices workshop was formulated. During the WP6 workshop, the work groups responsible for WP6 started by selecting their chosen Innovative Practices categories from the Compendium of selected Good Practices. Armed with all the materials available, the work groups focused on the transfer and possible innovations in terms of content, practices and approaches, by addressing the question in a trans-disciplinary fashion. After extraction of the Good Practices Compendium, 14 innovation practices were discussed and presented in form of a questionnaire, composed from 12 indicators and 4 descriptors. The following indicators and descriptors were used: Indicators: New technologies, Holistic approach, Collaboration, Critical thinking, Project- based learning, Creativity, Network building capacity, Internationalisation, Interdisciplinarity, Motivation aspects, Transferability, Innovative activities (present) Descriptors: Content, Tools, Method, Outcome In addition to the 14 extracted innovation practices we selected three more innovative practices that were not mentioned in the Good Practices Compendium. Facebook VIDEO challenge for student groups was carried out in May 2013. The winners were invited to the 7th ISLE meeting in Varna, Bulgaria, in June 2013. The Innovative Practices compendium, as presented here, is the written result of WP6 activities. Please do enjoy the reading! Innovative Practices Compendium 10 The Innovative Practices Compendium was structured as follows: Chapter 1 acquaints the reader with the basics of WP6 involvement in the ISLE project, as well as with content of WP6 Chapter 2 inspires with creating the mind-set Chapter 3 provides a general overview of the selected Innovative Practices Chapter 4 presents the results of the 1st and 2nd Workshops Innovative Practices Chapter 5 presents the questionnaires’ formats Chapter 6 presents the winning video challenge for student groups, as spread over the social network Chapter 7 introduces the selected Innovative Practices, and comments on their contents. The selected innovative practices are presented with the indicators and descriptors used in a transferrable way Chapter 8 presents any gaps, and the future directions Chapter 9 presents the report’s conclusions and recommendations Innovative Practices Compendium 11 2. CREATING THE MINDSET We have the good fortune of inhabiting a wonderful miracle of nature. Nature, the environment in which we live, is not haphazard, but has order and purpose. From the smallest single-celled organism to mankind, there is a purpose and a place for everything and everything has its place and purpose. As you gain an understanding and appreciation of life, you discover that there is no need for mankind’s intervention. Only when mankind disrupts this balance and then proceeds to circumvent and overrule natural laws, does there appear to be chaos and brutality in nature. Nature will triumph in the end, whether mankind cooperates in harmony with it or plunders it away into oblivion. However, mankind does have the capability of helping nature to regenerate. This is a marvellous wonder to observe. Nature will more than take care of mankind if he/she simply allows nature to do so. She will also protect mankind, if left to her own devices. Nature, the environment in which we live, is everything around us, and within us. Everything is connected with everything. Every action results in a reaction. Every cause has a consequence. This is called the law of action and reaction. When respecting nature all our actions must be sustainable. Academic society today has the privilege of lauding and showing the sustainable path. In times of crisis, societies need universities capable of providing innovative solutions and opening up new horizons. As Einstein put it, “problems cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them”. Therefore, effective solutions must be sought at a higher level. Universities play a key role in raising the awareness of social responsibility and that sustainable development meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Please do allow me to introduce to you some citations of Fritjof Capra, from the book The Hidden Connections: “Our academic disciplines have been organized in such a way that the natural sciences deal with material structures, while the social sciences deal with social structures, which are understood to be, essentially, rules of behaviour. In the future, this strict division will no longer be possible, because the key challenge of this new century - for social scientists, natural scientists and everyone else - will be to build ecologically sustainable communities, designed in such a way that their technologies and social institutions - their material and social structures - do not interfere with nature's inherent ability to sustain life.’’ The design principles of our future social institutions must be consistent with the principles of organisation that nature has evolved to sustain the web of life. A unified conceptual framework for the understanding of material and social structures will be essential for this task. Innovative Practices Compendium 12 Authority - power – empowering others From the earliest times, human communities have chosen men and women as their leaders when they recognised their wisdom and experience as a firm basis for collective action. These leaders were then invested with power, which meant originally that they were given ritual vestments as symbols of their leadership, and their authority became associated with the power to command. The origin of power, then, lies in culturally defined positions of authority on which the community relies for the resolution of conflicts and for decisions about how to act wisely and effectively. In other words, true authority consists in empowering others to act. However, it often happens that the vestment that gives the power to command - the piece of cloth, crown, or other symbol - is passed on to someone without true authority. This invested authority; rather than the wisdom of a genuine leader is now the only source of power, and in this situation its nature can easily change from empowering others to the advancement of an individual's own interests. This is when power becomes linked to exploitation. A further stage of exploitation is reached when power is pursued for its own sake. It is well- known that for most people the exercise of power brings high emotional and material rewards, conveyed by elaborate symbols and rituals of obeisance - from standing ovations, fanfares, and military salutes to office suites, limousines, corporate jets, and motorcades. As a community grows and increases in complexity; its positions of power will also increase. In complex societies, resolutions of conflicts and decisions about how to act will be effective only, if authority and power are organised within administrative structures. In the long history of human civilization, numerous forms of social organisation have been generated by this need to organise the distribution of power. Power plays a central role in the emergence of social structures. Corporations seem to be more powerful than ever; business is clearly dominating politics; and the profits and shareholder values of most companies are rising to unprecedented heights. Things seem to be going very well indeed for business, so why is there so much talk about fundamental change? Listening to the conversations among business executives makes it clear, that the situation is not really searching for innovative solutions. Top executives are under enormous stress today. They work longer hours than ever before, and many of them complain that they have no time for personal relationships and experience little satisfaction in their lives in spite of increasing material prosperity. Their companies may look powerful from outside, but they themselves feel pushed around by global market forces and insecure in the face of turbulence they can neither predict nor fully comprehend. Today, the business environments of most companies change with incredible speed. Markets are rapidly being deregulated, and never-ending corporate mergers and acquisitions impose radical cultural and structural changes on the organisations that involve changes that go beyond people's learning capabilities and overwhelm both individuals and organisations. As a result, there is a deep and pervasive feeling amongst managers that, no matter how hard they work, things are out of control. Innovative Practices Compendium 13 The root cause of this deep malaise amongst business executives seems to be the enormous complexity that has become one of the foremost characteristics of present-day industrial society. At the beginning of this new century, we are surrounded by massively complex systems that increasingly permeate almost every aspect of our lives. These complexities would have been difficult to imagine only half a century ago, with their global trading and broadcast systems, instant worldwide communication via ever more sophisticated electronic networks, giant multinational organisations, automated factories, and so on. The amazement we feel when contemplating these wonders of industrial and informational technologies is tinged by a sense of uneasiness, if not outright discomfort. Even though these complex systems continue to be hailed for their increasing sophistication, there is a growing recognition that they have brought with them a business and organisational environment that is almost unrecognisable from the point of view of traditional management theory and practice. As if this were not alarming enough, it is becoming ever more apparent that our complex industrial systems, both organisational and technological, are the main driving force of global environmental destruction, and the main threat to the long-term survival of humanity. To build a sustainable society for our children and future generations, we need to fundamentally redesign many of our technologies and social institutions so as to bridge the wide gap between human design and the ecologically sustainable systems of nature. Organisations need to undergo fundamental changes, in order to both adapt to the new business environment and to become ecologically sustainable. This double challenge is urgent and real, and the recent extensive discussions of organisational change are fully justified. This situation seems to be paradoxical. When we look around our natural environment, we see continuous change, adaptation, and creativity; and yet, our business organisations seem to be incapable of dealing with change. The roots of this paradox lie in the dual nature of human organisations. Dual nature of human organisations On the one hand, they are social institutions designed for specific purposes, such as making money for their shareholders, managing the distribution of political power, transmitting knowledge, or spreading religious faith. At the same time, organisations are communities of people, who interact with one another to build relationships, help each other, and make their daily activities meaningful on a personal level. These two aspects of organisations correspond to two very different types of change. Many CEOs are disappointed about their efforts to achieve change in large part because they see their companies as well-designed tools for achieving specific purposes, and when they attempt to change their designs they want predictable, quantifiable change within the entire structures. The designed structure of an organisation always intersects with the organisation's living individuals and communities, for who change cannot be designed. It is common to hear that people within organisations resist change. In reality, people do not resist change; they resist having change imposed on them. Being alive, individuals and their Innovative Practices Compendium 14 communities are both stable and subject to change and development, but their natural change processes are very different from the organisational changes designed by "re-engineering" experts and mandated from the top. To resolve the problem of organisational change, we first need to understand the natural change processes that are embedded within all living systems. Once we have that understanding, we can begin to design the processes of organisational change accordingly and to create human organisations that mirror life's adaptability, diversity, and creativity. Sustainability is not an individual property but is a property of an entire web of relationships. Understanding human organisations in terms of living systems, i.e. in terms of complex non- linear networks, is likely to lead to new insights into the nature of complexity, and thus help us deal with the complexities of today's business environment. Moreover, it will help us design business organisations that are ecologically sustainable, since the principles of organising ecosystems that are the basis of sustainability, are identical to the principles of organising all living systems. Understanding human organisations as living systems is one of the critical challenges of our time. There is an additional reason why the systemic understanding of life is of paramount importance in the management of today's business organisations. Over the last few decades we have seen the emergence of a new economy that is shaped decisively by information and communication technologies, and in which the processing of information and the creation of scientific and technical knowledge are the main sources of productivity. According to the classical economic theory, the key sources of wealth are natural resources (land in particular), capital, and labour. Productivity results from the effective combination of these three sources through management and technology. In today's economy, both management and technology are critically linked to knowledge creation. Increases in productivity do not come from labour but from the capacity to equip labour with new capabilities, based on new knowledge. Knowledge management, Intellectual capital and Organisational learning have become important new concepts in management theory. According to the system’s view of life, the spontaneous emergence of order and the dynamics of structural coupling, which result in the continual structural changes that are characteristic of all living systems, are the basic phenomena underlying the process of learning. Moreover, we have seen that the creation of knowledge within social networks is a key characteristic of the dynamics of culture. Innovative Practices Compendium 15 Combining these insights and applying them to organisational learning enables us to clarify the conditions under which learning and knowledge creation take place and derive at important guidelines for the management of today's knowledge-oriented organisations. The task is to make the process of change meaningful to people right from the start, to obtain their participation, and to provide an environment in which their creativities can flourish. Offering impulses and guiding principles rather than strict instructions evidently amounts to significant changes in power relations, from domination and control to cooperation and partnerships. This, too, is a fundamental implication of the new understanding of life. Over recent years, biologists and ecologists have begun to shift their metaphors from hierarchies to networks and have come to realise that partnership - the tendency to associate, establish links, cooperate, and maintain symbiotic relationships - is one of the hallmarks of life. With the critical importance of information technology in today's business world, the concepts of knowledge management and organisational learning have become a central focus of management theory. The exact nature of organisational learning has been the subject of an ardent debate. Learning as a social phenomenon Is a learning organisation a social system capable of learning or is it a community that encourages and supports the learning of its members? In other words, is learning only an individual or also a social phenomenon? In every human organisation there is a tension between its designed structures, which embody relationships of power, and its emergent structures that represent the organisation's liveliness and creativity. Finding the right balance between design and emergence seems to require the blending of two different kinds of leadership. The traditional idea of a leader is that of a person who is able to hold a vision, to articulate it clearly and to communicate it with passion and charisma. It is also a person whose actions embody certain values that serve as a standard for others to strive for. The ability to hold a clear vision of an ideal form, or state of affairs, is something that traditional leaders have in common with designers. The other kind of leadership consists of facilitating the emergence of novelty. This means creating conditions rather than giving directions, and using the power of authority to empower others. Both kinds of leadership have to do with creativity. Being a leader means creating a vision; it means going where nobody has gone before. It also means enabling the community as a whole to create something new. Facilitating emergence means facilitating creativity. Since power is embodied in all social structures, the emergence of new structures will always change power relationships; the process of emergence within communities is also a process of collective empowerment. Innovative Practices Compendium 16 Leaders who facilitate emergence use their own power to empower others. The result may be an organisation in which both power and the potential for leadership are widely distributed. This does not mean that several individuals assume leadership simultaneously, but that different leaders step forward when they are needed to facilitate various stages of emergence. Experience has shown that it usually takes years to develop this kind of distributed leadership. Breathing life into human organisations by empowering their communities of practice not only increases their flexibility, creativity, and learning potential, but also enhances the dignity and humanity of that organisation's individuals, as they connect with those qualities within themselves. In other words, focusing on life and self-organisation empowers the self. It creates mentally and emotionally healthy working environments within which people feel that they are supported in striving to achieve their own goals and do not have to sacrifice their integrity to meet the goals of the organisation. Despite new environmental regulations, the increasing availability of eco-friendly products and many other encouraging developments championed by the environmental movement, the massive loss of forests and the greatest extinction of species over millions of years has not been reversed. By depleting our natural resources and reducing the planet's biodiversity we damage the very fabric of life on which our well-being depends, including the priceless "ecosystem services" that nature provides for free-processing waste, regulating; the climate, regenerating the atmosphere, and so on. These vital processes are emergent properties of non-linear living systems that we are only beginning to understand, and they are now seriously endangered by our linear pursuits of economic growth and material consumption. More stringent environmental regulations, better business practices, and more efficient technologies are all necessary, but they are insufficient. We need a deeper systemic change. Such deep systemic change is already under way. Scholars, community leaders, and grassroots activists around the world are forming effective coalitions and are raising their voices, not only to demand that we must "change the game" but also to suggest concrete ways of doing so. The ethics There is a huge difference between making politically correct statements and actually changing corporate behaviour, but agreeing on the basic values that are needed to reshape globalisation would be a critical first step. What are these basic values? What are the ethical dimensions of globalisation? Ethics refers to a standard of human conduct that flows from a sense of belonging. When we belong to a community, we behave accordingly. In the context of globalisation, there are two relevant communities to which we all belong. We are all members of humanity, and we all belong to the global biosphere. We are members of Oikos, which is the Greek root of the word Ecology, and as such we should behave as the other members Innovative Practices Compendium 17 of the household behave - the plants, animals, and micro-organisms that form the vast network of relationships that we call the web of life. No charismatic leader led. No religious figure This global living network has unfolded, evolved, and diversified for the engaged in direct action. last three billion years without ever being broken. The outstanding No movie star starred. characteristic of the Earth household is its inherent ability to sustain life. There was no alpha group. As members of the global community of living beings, it behoves us to The Ruckus Society, behave in such a way that we do not interfere with this inherent ability: Rainforest Action this is the essential meaning of ecological sustainability. Network, Global Exchange, and hundreds more were there, coordinated primarily by What is sustained in a sustainable community is not economic growth cell phones, e-mails, and or development, but the entire web of life on which our long-term the Direct Action Network. survival depends. They were organized, educated, and determined. They were human rights It is designed so that its ways of life, businesses, economy, physical activists, labour activists, structures, and technologies do not interfere with nature’s inherent indigenous people, people ability to sustain life. of faith, steel workers, and farmers. They were forest As members of the human community, our behaviour should reflect a activists, respect for human dignity and basic human rights. Since human life environmentalists, social encompasses biological, cognitive, and social dimensions, human rights justice workers, students, and teachers. should be respected in all three of these dimensions. The biological They wanted the World dimension includes the right to a healthy environment and to secure and Trade Organization to healthy food; honouring the integrity of life also includes the rejection of listen. They were speaking the patenting of life-forms. on behalf of a world that has not been made better Human rights within the cognitive dimension include the right of access by globalization. to education and knowledge, as well as the freedom of opinion and Their main concern is to expression. In the social dimension, finally, the first human right - in the stem the tide of a global words of the UN Declaration of Human Rights - is "the right to life, trading system where liberty, and security of person." There is a wide range of human rights everything is for sale, even within the social dimension - from social justice to the right of peaceful our biological heritage, or assembly, cultural integrity, and self- determination. access to seeds, food, air, and water - elements of life In order to combine respect for these human rights with the ethics of that were once considered sacred. ecological sustainability, we need to realise that sustainability - in Paul Hawken ecosystems as well as in human society - is not an individual property but a property of an entire web of relationships: it involves a whole community. A sustainable human community interacts with other living systems - human and non-human - in ways that enable those systems to Try not to become a man live and develop according to their natures. In the human realm of success, but try instead sustainability is fully consistent with the respect of cultural integrity, to become a man of value. cultural diversity, and the basic right of communities to self- Albert Einstein determination and self- organisation. Since the outstanding characteristic of the Earth household is its inherent ability to sustain life, a sustainable human community is one designed in such a manner that its ways of life, businesses, economy, physical Innovative Practices Compendium 18 structures, and technologies do not interfere with nature's inherent ability to sustain life. The key to an operational definition of ecological sustainability is the realisation that we do not need to invent sustainable human communities from scratch but can model them after nature's ecosystems, which are sustainable communities of plants, animals, and microorganisms. Sustainable communities evolve their patterns of living over time by continual interaction with other living systems, both human and non-human. Sustainability does not mean that things do not change: it is a dynamic process of co-evolution rather than a static state. The operational definition of sustainability implies that the first step in our endeavour to build sustainable communities must be to become "ecologically literate," i.e., to understand the principles of organisation, common to all living systems, that ecosystems have evolved to sustain the web of life. Living systems are self-generating networks, organisationally closed within boundaries, but open to continual flows of information, energy and matter. This systemic understanding of life allows us to formulate a set of principles of organisation that may be identified as the basic principles of ecology and used as guidelines for building sustainable human communities. There are six principles of ecology that are critical for sustaining life: networks, cycles, solar energy, partnership, diversity, and dynamic balance. These principles are directly relevant to our health and well-being. Because of our vital need to breathe, eat, and drink, we are always embedded in the cyclical processes of nature. Our health depends upon the purity of the air we breathe and the water we drink, and it depends on the health of the soil from which our food is produced. In the coming decades the survival of humanity will depend on our ecological literacy - our ability to understand the basic principles of ecology and to live accordingly. Thus, ecological literacy, or "eco-literacy," must become a critical skill for politicians, business leaders, and professionals within all spheres, and should be the most important part of education at all levels - from primary and secondary schools to colleges, universities, and the continuing education and training of professionals. It should be a centre for ecological studies with philosophical and spiritual roots in deep ecology, where students from all parts of the world gather to learn, live, and work together whilst being taught by an international faculty. Innovative Practices Compendium 19 Nature's ecosystems are cyclical The first principle of Eco-design is that "waste equals food." Today, a major clash between economics and ecology derives from the fact that nature's ecosystems are cyclical, whereas our industrial systems are linear. In nature, matter cycles continually, and thus ecosystems generate no overall waste. Human businesses, by contrast, take natural resources, transform them into products plus waste, and sell the products to consumers, who discard more waste when they have used the products. The principle "waste equals food" means that all products and materials manufactured by industry, as well as the wastes generated in the manufacturing processes, must eventually provide nourishment for something new. A sustainable business organisation would be embedded within an "ecology of organisations," in which the waste of any one organisation would be a resource for another. In such a sustainable industrial system, the total outflow of each organisation - its products and wastes - would be perceived and treated as resources cycling through the system. In a sustainable industrial society, all products, materials, and wastes would either be biological or technical nutrients. Biological nutrients would be designed to re-enter ecological cycles to be consumed by micro-organisms and other creatures in the soil. In addition to organic waste from our food, most packaging (which makes up about half the volume of our solid-waste stream) should be composed of biological nutrients. With today's technologies, it is quite feasible to produce packaging that can be tossed into the compost bin to biodegrade.” (Fritjof Capra, The Hidden Connections) The biggest problems nowadays start with our education When talking about the holistic approach we must set clear dimensions of the really holistic view. In the next section, some citations from the most comprehensive study of nutrition ever conducted The China Study by T. Colin Campbell and Thomas M. Campbell: “Sustainable medical system can’t be paid for by the drug industry, from the education to research. In that case it is clear that sustainability may just knock on the doctor’s door and no one will open it. The problem with doctors starts with our education. It starts the day medical student enter medical school. All the way through medical school everything is supported by the drug industry. In this environment it is not possible for nutrition to be given fair and honest consideration. The biggest innovation practice in medical area will be to hear it from our doctors that our leading killers can be prevented and even reversed using good nutrition. As long as the conventional drug supported environment persist in our medical schools and hospitals there will be no place for such innovation practices. Innovative Practices Compendium 20 Unless your doctor has decided that conventional medical practice as it is taught does not work, and decides to spend a significant amount of time educating him or herself about good nutrition, you Robbins, 2001, in The Food will not hear about this simple sustainable solution. This takes a Revolution, convincingly details the connection rare individual. between our diet and the environment: Another problem is challenged by the question: what is the good “We are changing our nutrition? What do you know about good nutrition, what do you climate so rapidly that many learn at school about it, what do you hear about it from your of the world’s best informed doctor and what really is good nutrition, are mostly quite different scientists fear the future. answers. When talking about innovation in education practices we Never before have had we really need a sustainable education system that is innovative in been eliminating plant and that way, that is prepared to accept and raise a truly holistic view. animal species from the face of the earth as we are doing Never before in our history had such large percentages of the now. population died from diseases of “affluence”. Never before have we introduced on such a large Is this the affluence that Socrates predicted 2500 years ago - scale genetically altered society full of doctors and lawyers wrestling with the problems varieties of plants into the caused by people living luxuriously and eating cattle? environment without knowing what the Never before have so many people suffered such high levels of repercussions will be. obesity and diabetes. Never before has the financial strain of All of these changes in our healthcare distressed every sector of our society, from business to environment are strongly education, government and to families with inadequate insurance. affected by what we choose If we have to decide between health insurance for our teachers and to eat.” textbooks for our children, which will we choose? Never before have we affected the natural environment to such an extent that we are losing our topsoil, our massive aquifers, and our world’s rainforests. We shall require a substantially new manner of Never before has there been such a mountain of empirical research thinking if mankind is to supporting whole foods, plant-based diet. We can obtain images of survive. the arteries in the heart and show conclusively that a whole food, Albert Einstein plant- based diet reverses heart disease. Never before have we had such a depth of understanding of how "Nothing will benefit human diet affects cancer both on a cellular level as well as a population health and increase the level. Published data show that animal protein promotes the chances for survival of life growth of tumours. Never before have we had technology to on earth as much as the measure the biomarkers associated with diabetes, and the evidence evolution to a vegetarian to show that blood sugar, blood cholesterol and insulin levels diet." improve more with a whole foods, plant-based diet than with any Albert Einstein other treatment. Intervention studies show that Type 2 diabetics treated with a whole foods, plant-based diet may reverse their disease and go off their medications. A broad range of international studies shows that Type 1 diabetes, a serious autoimmune disease, is related to cow’s milk consumption and premature weaning. We now know how our autoimmune system Innovative Practices Compendium 21 can attack our own bodies through a process of molecular mimicry induced by animal proteins that find their way into our bloodstream. We also have tantalising evidence linking multiple sclerosis with animal food consumption, and especially dairy consumption. We now have a deep and broad range of evidence showing that a whole food plant-based diet is best for diabetes and autoimmune diseases. Never before, there has been such a broad range of evidence showing that diets containing excess animal protein can destroy our kidneys. Kidney stones arise because the consumption of animal protein creates excessive calcium and oxalate in the kidney. More research can and should be done but the idea that whole foods, plant-based diets can protect against and even treat a wide variety of chronic diseases can no longer be denied. There are hundreds of detailed, comprehensive, well-done research studies that point towards the same direction. History can repeat itself. This time, however, instead of the message being forgotten and confined to library shelves, I believe that the world is finally ready to accept it. More than that, I believe that the world is finally ready to change. We have reached a point in our history where our bad habits can no longer be tolerated. We, as a society, are on the edge of a great precipice: we can fall to sickness, poverty and degradation, or we can embrace health, longevity, and bounty. And all it takes is the courage to change. “ If we truly seek a sustainable, peaceful world and prosperity, then there is simply no way we can circumvent veganism as a key to the future. The vegan ideal embodies the highest of spiritual and ethical aspirations – non-violence, harmlessness, reverence for life and the cultivation of compassion towards the innocent. With the elimination of support for all products and practices that exploit animals, people can greatly lessen their ecological footprint, take their health into their own hands, play a part in eliminating world hunger and experience the peace of mind that comes from making such a powerful personal contribution towards the beginning of peace on earth. Humans, please try to be finally a human to the human being. Pulchra res est homo, si homo est. A human is a good thing, if it is a human. Survival of our species depends on learning the very lessons of empathy, responsibility, self- control, humbleness and humility that the vegan ideal embodies, and which our society seems so reluctant to embrace. With our society and our world within sight of a major breakdown from resource scarcity and subsequent political conflict, it has become crucial that we face up to the need for a radical shift, beginning with a change of perception inside each one of us. One of the more important innovations in the teaching of SD within life sciences in Europe seems to be the acceptance of a whole food, plant-based diet model for all programmes taught at universities. The vegan ideal represents nothing less than the next evolutionary step for humankind. Innovative Practices Compendium 22 Another point of view: our connection with God When talking about the holistic approach we should mention another point of view: our connection to the God (if this infringes upon your belief system, insert Creator, Universal Life Force, or whatever you are comfortable with). The basis of life is God. He/she supplies the life force energy. Everything is energy, whether it is soil, water, air or something else. What makes each thing different is the energy pattern and frequency at which it resonates. Some patterns and frequencies are detrimental to biological life and some are beneficial. Our goal is to minimise the detrimental ones and maximise the beneficial ones. Those people who do not see the God, who do not see the things themselves with open eyes and just get things from books or from hearsay or their imagination etc., they have made the spiritual aspect of life, spirituality, such an amalgamation of different ideas and all controversies etc. They have made it a battlefield of quarrels; a battlefield of quarrelling through ideas, quarrelling through social factions and political factions, and they even create wars between people. Talking about our connection with God we must be clear, that this has nothing to do with the religion. God has not created any nation, East nor West, Muslim nor Christian, Buddhist nor Hindu nor Sikh, nor any other religion. Got has created only one humanity. (Sant Thakar Singh, 2005) More than ever nowadays we must be aware that all people are of the same humanity. More than ever we need to include contents of spirituality within the education system. Only this may be called a holistic approach. Mind and intellect are only meant to understand something of this way of destruction of this world, in which we are to be ruined. The human being is very, very powerful. If there is a higher power than the existence of God it is the human being. But the human beings’ powers need to be directed in some direction so that they all help each other, so that no-one is to disturb anyone else and so that they may all be very useful and happy. But it is very hard, because everyone has his/her own mind, his/her own thinking, his/her own likings, his/her own disliking, and they generally collide with each other, strike against each other. This is the criterion of life in this world. Everyone is independent. And everyone thinks: “I am right, I am true. All others are false. All others know nothing. I know the best. And my will should be done. What I say should be done. Everyone should accept my authority. Everybody should consider me to be a great, wise one, a controlling one; all should be subordinated to me. I should be the ruler of everybody.” So we cannot live without the help of each other and also we cannot accommodate each other. This is the great difficulty that has been in this world and will still be there. (Sant Thakar Singh, 2006) Precisely because of man power control it is very important to speak up about spiritual topics with students and educate them to be specialists who are skilled in handling power and influence in their professional activities. “Step into the wide open cosmos and start a new way of life. Lose yourself in the love of God and become enchanted with him. There is only one purpose in life. Once you absorb yourself Innovative Practices Compendium 23 in his love you will have no reason to leave his lap. The truth is within, not outside.” Sant Baljit Singh The law of karma is a law of action and reaction. All the actions we commit – feeding a hungry person, taking a life, eating apple, gossiping, praying, having prideful thoughts, are like seeds that we are sowing. Once sown, the seed will bring a harvest yielding similar seeds. The reactions (the harvest) that come must be allowed to have their effect on us in order to clear our karmic debts and free us to progress to higher states of existence. Called karma or others, we all are witnesses of nature’s reactions to human actions. Are we really too proud, too egoistic, too blinded by power to admit our mistakes and to start to live in connection with God? Real Masters never charge for their services, nor do they accept payment neither in any form nor in any sort of material benefits for their instructions. This is a universal law among Masters, and yet amazingly, it is a fact that thousands of eager seekers in America and elsewhere, go on paying large amounts of money for "spiritual instruction." Masters are always self-sustaining and are never supported by their students or by public charity. (Johnson, 1985) Ranking universities – who is the best? What is the measure? When ranking universities we usually use the Western model of development. The dominant Western model of development is unsustainable and we need to find other development paths towards sustainable well-being. Most measures of national progress are actually just measures of economic activity. It seems that when ranking sustainable universities we need a much more appropriate model. Universitas Indonesia initiated UI GreenMetric World University Ranking, based on information provided by universities around the world on criteria that demonstrate commitment to going green and sustainability, such as space, energy efficiency, water use, and transport and so on. The leading global measure of sustainable well-being is The Happy Planet Index (HPI). The HPI measures what matters: the extent to which countries deliver long, happy, sustainable lives for the people who live in them. This Index uses global data on life expectancy, experienced well-being, and Ecological Footprint to calculate this. The index is an efficiency measure; it ranks countries on how many long and happy lives they produce per unit of environmental input. Rebeka Lukman and co-authors introduced a model that enables a comparison between universities regarding research, educational, and environmental performances; the mission of a university fits the sustainability idea. The purpose was to improve the methodology and indicators of the existing ranking tables. Their three- dimensional index was developed that provides simplified information about the qualities of universities. It enables quick detection of the weaknesses, strengths, and opportunities for universities. The weights of the indicators are determined using the analytic hierarchy process. The results of the mentioned process Innovative Practices Compendium 24 have shown that the most important are the research-oriented indicators, followed by the social and environmental ones. (Lukman et al, 2010) Motivation – inspiration – useful knowledge The desire and motivation of the students to organise themselves within healthy and self- sufficient life, forces them to be creative. Experiential education of the individual is very important. With experiences and new knowledge students develop creative solutions. With the help of experimental work students can come to new useful knowledge, which can be transferred to their living environment. Linking experience and achieving new knowledge with experiential learning encourage people to engage in creative thinking, in particular if the new knowledge can be transferred to their home environments and with that they can improve their living environments. Living within a healthy environment, where they can achieve a natural balance and the functions of ecosystem functions and services is motivating for everyone. Students in the natural classroom learn about these possibilities, how they can by themselves provide such an environment by preserving natural resources and producing healthy food. Eco-remediation and permaculture allow this. These are natural approaches that can affect every single person even with minimal financial resources, and have big effects. This self- independence regulation of a healthy environment raises motivation for learning and practical work. Outdoor and experiential education is happening in the classroom regarding nature. There learners learn from concrete examples. They do some tests on them and experiments. With this they learn by themselves and come alone to new skills that can be transferred to their home environments. With this experiential and experimental work they also learn to be critical and responsible at the same time. Experiential education is based on experiments and experience. It also encourages teamwork, where learners are trained how to work within a team and they can realize that a group can do more than an individual. Self-learning in the classroom in nature, which is happening at different places within different environmental or social problems, is guided and so the learners have the opportunity to learn new skills by themselves through their own work (experiment, test). In this way learners can achieve some skills for life and can see that this knowledge is useful. So they have the possibilities to transfer this knowledge and skills to their environment. (Innovation practice nr. 13 – Learning regions in Slovenia with polygons regarding nature) Innovation in the teaching of SD would allow the younger generation to stay open-minded and to use this open-mindedness to research their environment and just to tutor them to reach their own (requisitely) holistic points of view. It seems to be a reasonable way of teaching this younger generation how to acquire useful knowledge and also about things that we, their teachers, don’t understand, and thus to let them teach us. This seems to be the most important innovation in the teaching of SD, especially in life sciences. The time that teachers at the Universities spend with their students is the most appropriate time for realising such innovations. The best thing about innovation is that an innovation is something new and beneficial. Something that you didn’t realize yesterday but has today become an innovative practice and you must be aware that this means that tomorrow will also be the time for new innovative practices. This is the nature - the wheel of changes. We must not be afraid of changes. Innovative Practices Compendium 25 It is important today to understand scarcity? Nature is durable, sensitive, tolerant, and unpredictable. Ecological scarcity is an all-embracing concept that encompasses all the various limits to growth and the costs attached to continued growth. It includes not only the Malthusian scarcity of food but also impending shortages of mineral resources, bio-spheric or eco- systemic limitations on human activities, and limits the human capacity for using technology to expand resource supplies ahead of exponentially increasing demands. Environmental scarcity refers only to non-renewable resources. Paradox: in an affluent society people complain about scarcity the most. We are faced with the tyranny of materialism. There is a dictatorship of consumerism. Innovations within teaching are needed that provide participants with knowledge that could change their lives. This is urgent for the preparation of students for the future. Future laws and regulations As a society we certainly need laws and regulations to work properly. There are two types of laws: physical and human laws. To further extend our mind-set the next 12 laws may serve as a basis and chance to think about it: (from the lecture of Alicia Valero Delgado, University of Zaragoza, Spain) 1st law the law of entropy (energy is not lost but degraded) 2nd law the law of intelligent control maintaining the quality required with the total irreversibility as low as possible 3rd law the law of Zidane (if one player plays badly it harms the whole team) 4th law the R law: recover, reuse, recycle, and recognise (eco-design) 5th law the law of supply and demand (storing energy is inefficient, expensive) 6th law Aristotle’s law (every system is a part of a bigger system) 7th law Nature does not produce waste (biomimisis – mimics nature) 8th law the Notarys law (the most we pay for the services of people, the less for the services provided to nature) 9th law the law of the Eleph-Ant (Efficiency + Robustness = Eleph – Ant) Innovative Practices Compendium 26 10th law Efficacy is Efficiency (time is unnatural limitation) 11th law the law of dematerialisation (less material, less water, less energy and a longer lifetime = better product). Simplify: small is beautiful. 12th law the law of replacement If you respect nature, it will work for you. We can’t trick nature. We need green, generative, political – researching high schools and universities for the makeover of economy and society. Exiting from the existing situation is impossible by revolution, but not by evolution! We must take care that our students become leaders and intellectuals, who can see the light, not the twilight, or even the darkness. The twilight or the darkness doesn’t exist. It is only the lack or the absence of light. Nowadays crisis is such twilight. The teacher’s mind-set is a key to the education of SD The problem is not what we see in front of us. The problem is not the strategies of teaching on paper. The problem is not the money. The problem is always within us! We need solutions, not the mentioned problems! The perception of social challenges is needed such as sustainable transformation that encourages partnership, and engagement in situations. The UNESCO-UNEP International Environmental Education Programme described the preparation of teachers as the ‘priority of priorities’. This paper also suggests that the teacher’s mind-set is a key to ESD. We need new teaching methods that make students proactive with many questions, aspirations, and consciousness. We must introduce new methods and tools of social technology that permit learning for raising future aspirations. In spite of a number of SD initiatives and an increasing number of universities having become engaged in SD, most HEIs continue to be traditional, and rely upon Newtonian and Cartesian reductionist and mechanistic paradigms. As a result many universities are still lagging behind companies in helping societies become more sustainable. Lozano and co-authors analysed the texts of eleven declarations, charters, and partnerships developed for HEIs, which could be considered to represent university leaders’ intentions for helping to improve the effectiveness of ESD. The analysis was done against two sets of criteria: (1) the university system, including curricula, research, physical plant operations, outreach and engagement with stakeholders, and assessment and reporting; and (2) the texts’ complexity, number of bullet points, and number of words. The analysis was done continuously; whenever a new element was found in a text it was added to the university system (first criteria set) and applied to the analyses of the other texts. In this way, the system was augmented with the following elements: collaborating with other Innovative Practices Compendium 27 universities; fostering transdisciplinarity; making SD an integral part of the institutional framework; creating on-campus life experiences; and ‘Educating-the-Educators’. The authors of the paper proposed that for universities to become sustainability leaders and change drivers, they must ensure that the needs of present and future generations are better understood and built upon, so that professionals who are well versed in SD can effectively educate students of ‘all ages’ to help make the transition to ‘sustainable societal patterns’. In order to do so, university leaders and staff must be empowered to catalyse and implement new paradigms, and ensure that SD is the ‘Golden Thread’ throughout the entire university system. (Lozano et al, 2013) Social responsibility A good decade ago, the United Nations (UN), various entrepreneurs’ associations and other stakeholders decided that society must discover new ways of overcoming the socio-economic crisis – by means of social responsibility (SR) and by building a sustainable present and future. A series of documents on SR was followed by ISO 26000, which was adopted in November 2010. ISO 26000 incorporates environmental protection as one of the seven core subjects, ensuring that socially responsible behaviour leads to SD. It is no coincidence that all seven core subjects are linked by interdependence and a (requisitely) holistic approach. The current crisis is a result of ignoring these two principles. Human survival depends on them, and neither governments nor the market would be able to replace them. In 2005, the decade of education for SD began under the auspices of UNESCO. Such an orientation requires new teaching methods, provides new opportunities for addressing social challenges, and promotes practical applications of SD. For this reason, leading European politicians prompted the discussion on promoting sustainability education (Glavič and Lukman 2006). The integration of SD into the European higher education area was also encouraged by the Bologna Process and the statement from the 2005 Bergen Ministerial Conference: “Our contribution to achieving education for all should be based on the principle of SD and be in accordance with the ongoing international work on developing guidelines for the quality provision of cross-border higher education. The 2009 Communiqué of the Conference of European Ministers Responsible for Higher Education, which took place in Leuven, states “We call upon European higher education institutions to further internationalise their activities and to engage in global collaboration for SD” (The Bologna process 2020). The usual enterprises tend to be governed by specialists of single professions, whose education for interdisciplinary creative cooperation is very rare, rather than by persons with knowledge of systems theory. Ludwig von Bertalanffy (1979: VII) explicitly stated that he had created his General Systems Theory against over-specialization, i.e. to support interdisciplinary creative cooperation as the best way toward the necessary holism of approach and wholeness of outcomes of human activity. But he did not support his intention methodologically a lot. Mulej did it with his Dialectical Systems Theory (DST). Narrow specialization is still necessary, but equally so is the other specialists’ capacity: cooperation helps humans prevent oversights and resulting failures, because it enables more holistic thinking/behaviour. The role of the narrow specializations is so strong that people hardly see that holistic thinking/behaviour – enabled by interdisciplinary creative cooperation, backed by (ethics of) interdependence – makes specialization of any profession much more beneficial than any operation inside a specialization alone. Nobody, whatever their profession, can live well without co-operation with people of other professions. De Bono’s ‘6 Thinking Hats’ support it, so does DST from the same period of time. Both of them Innovative Practices Compendium 28 have been fruitfully applied all four decades since. A new support was recently offered: social responsibility (SR) with its all-linking concepts of (1) interdependence and (2) holistic approach is close to DST and (liberal rather than neo-liberal) economics, as authors understand the essence of the recently published ISO 26000 on social responsibility and European Union’s (2011) support to it. Here, the authors aim to address use of DST (via SR) in solving the current crisis; owners, managers and staff are supposed to be interested in social responsibility as a source of their benefit, but need knowledge and values to work on implementation of SR, perhaps with a specialized professional team support. Government and other influential entities should support them with the model suggested here. The suggested findings should help humans find their way out from the current crisis, but in synergy; this crisis results from obsolete management and governance style, in which the (dialectical) systemic behaviour/thinking is neglected. (Ženko et al, 2013) Universities are unique institutions with both direct and indirect impacts on the local and national environments, graduates, and their future decisions. The European Union adopted a similar attitude towards SR. When transforming our Universities into sustainable and socially responsible institutions, all four dimensions of SD (environmental, economic, social, and ethical), all seven principles (accountability, transparency, ethical behaviour, respect for stakeholders, rule of law, international norms, ad human rights) and core subjects of social responsibility (organisational management, human rights, labour practices, environment, consumer issues, fair operating practices, community involvement and development) as well as both related terms (interdependence and holistic approach) addressed in ISO 26000, will be taken into account. A new model of a sustainable and socially responsible university would contribute to a deeper understanding of the interaction between the environmental, economic, social and ethical dimensions of SD. It would have an important impact on public, private, governmental, non- governmental and industrial organizations, by encouraging them to implement these principles, develop synergies between the universities and the local communities and to comprehensively integrate SD into their day-to-day operations (through a (requisitely) holistic approach and the ethics of interdependence). Thus, organisations would be able to generate savings, protect the environment, improve the quality of life and promote wellbeing. The transformation of a University according to the principles of SD and SR is a non- technological process requiring invention, innovation, and diffusion. All types of behaviour leading to the discovery of new knowledge and the modernisation of values/culture/ethics/norms (VCEN) would be activated by linking educational activities, teaching, scientific research, various programmes and related activities, as well as examples of good practice. Universities have an enormous impact on knowledge discovery and transfer as well as on promotion of VCEN, thus contributing to the development of society – be it positive or negative, productive or disastrous, comprehensive or limited. Due to their specific characters, they also promote knowledge and know-how transfer and thus contribute to SD and SR. It takes about 70 years or two generations for new VCEN to replace the previously prevailing ones. Signs of a visible change of VCEN have the form of crisis that means a break, troubles, and opportunities. From the 3-part world-wide crisis of 1914-1945, consisting of two world wars and the big recession between them, until the current (seemingly) only financial, Innovative Practices Compendium 29 economic, and (really) also environmental and social crisis a 2-generations cycle has passed (Mulej, 2000). SD, especially concerning the economic life, should be in line with nature and natural processes. Unfortunately, development in the 19th and 20th century was everything but that. SD and SR emphasises the importance of responsible and nature-friendly economic development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. In addition, such development implies maintaining and improving living conditions, maintaining vitality and preserving ecological diversity. “Stop hating your children and grandchildren!” Matjaž Mulej The public data about the crisis do not show the essence of the problem, but its visible consequences only. The problem did not grow on a tree; it results from human behaviour that lacks SR for humans to be less selfish for selfish reasons, i.e., less short-term and narrowly oriented in their behaviour so far – in order for the current human civilization to survive. The Planet Earth can live without humans, but humans cannot live without a healthy Planet Earth and hence without a healthy economy. (Mulej, 2010) Sustainability and social responsibility incorporate economic, social and environmental goals, and require institutional, organisational and financial changes that occur under the influence of existing values/VCEN. Since universities play a key role along the path to SD and SR, their responsibilities and tasks must be precisely defined. This transition requires modified thought patterns, new values/VCEN, radical changes in politics, technologies, and management, new forms of cooperation, and especially new knowledge. SR as defined in ISO 26000, together with the principles of SD, represents the basis for sustainable and socially responsible behaviour. (Glavič et al, 2013) The fourth pillar of SD: a convergence of perspectives There is a significantly growing concern that the three-pillar model of sustainability, consisting of environmental, economic, and social dimensions, may be overlooking something of fundamental importance. There have been several attempts to define this missing dimension as a fourth pillar of sustainability, but it has been variously described as a cultural-aesthetic, political-institutional, or religious-spiritual dimension. Different approaches to this vital but missing pillar find common ground within the area of ethical values. Values and aspects based on them are tangible and measurable with indicators. A well-established framing of the fourth pillar of sustainability is the cultural-aesthetic one. UNESCO has been active in promoting the cultural perspective, and many of its publications since the 1990s have highlighted the central role of culture (i.e. VCEN) in sustainability — either as a self-standing pillar of SD (UNESCO, 2013) or as a foundation underlying the other three pillars (De Leo, 2012). This has been particularly significant within the context of ESD, where the cultural pillar has a strong focus on acknowledging and respecting diverse worldviews, identities and local languages, and promoting open dialogue and debate. A cultural-aesthetic perspective can also be found amongst indigenous communities and their Innovative Practices Compendium 30 advocates, including the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), who frame the missing pillar debate in terms of cultural integrity. This term is used to encompass shared values, beliefs and knowledge, as well as more tangible manifestations of culture such as ceremonies and objects. (Woodley et al, 2006; Nurse, 2006) Within this context, the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UN-PFII, 2013) has acknowledged the need for culturally appropriate indicators of well-being and sustainability that reflect true indigenous perspectives such as portraying approaches grounded in wholeness [sic] and unique values. These Indigenous understandings of well-being and sustainability may be rooted in epistemologies that are very different from those of mainstream sustainability discourses (Barkin and Lemus, 2012). The concept of a political-institutional fourth pillar is also widely known. Institutional aspects of sustainability were explicitly addressed within the indicator system developed by the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) in 1995 to assess implementation of Agenda 21 (Pfahl, 2005; Spangenberg, 2002a and 2002b) as well as being the subject of a dedicated chapter in the Brundtland report, Our Common Future (World Commission on environment and development 1987). Institutions are the result of interpersonal processes, such as communication and cooperation, resulting in information and systems of rules governing the interaction of members of a society. The development of institutional sustainability indicators is rooted in an understanding of institutions which includes, but is not limited to, organisations: it also encompasses two other categories, namely institutional orientations (norms) and institutional mechanisms (formal systems of rules and procedures, whether administrative, social, political or legal) (Spangenberg, 2002a and 2002b). Beyond the initial Agenda 21 context, the use of the institutional dimension as a fourth pillar of sustainability has gained widespread acceptance within the European Commission and the United Nations. The United Nations Division for Sustainable Development also incorporates institutional indicators into its framework of SD indicators (UN Division for SD 1995, 1996 and 2000). Religious-spiritual is a third, and much lesser-known, perspective on the missing pillar/dimension of sustainability, rooted in the concept of an awakening global ethical and spiritual consciousness that underpins sustainability transitions. (Clugston, 2011; ECI secretariat, 2010; Hedlund-de Witt, 2011) In his keynote address at the 2010 Earth Charter conference An Ethical Framework for a Sustainable World, Steven Rockefeller described this emerging consciousness as “in truth the first pillar of a sustainable way of life”, on the grounds that ethical vision and moral courage are essential for generating the political will required for transitions to sustainability (Clugston, 2011). A similar sentiment is expressed through a slightly different metaphor in the Inter-religious Statement to Rio + 20, developed by religious and spiritual leaders from diverse traditions, which describes ethical/spiritual consciousness as “the foundation of the other three pillars” (Southern African Faith Communities Environment Institute, 2012). The fourth pillar of sustainability/sustainable development can no longer be ignored on the grounds of intangibility. Different approaches to this vital but missing pillar (cultural- aesthetic, religious-spiritual, and political-institutional) find common ground in the area of ethical values. Values and aspects based on them are widely assumed to be intangible and immeasurable, but it is possible to operationalise them in terms of measurable indicators when they are inter-subjectively conceptualised within clearly defined practical contexts. These processes require contextual localisation of items, which can nonetheless fit into a generalizable framework. This allows for useful measurements, and removes barriers to Innovative Practices Compendium 31 studying, tracking, comparing, evaluating and correlating values-related dimensions of sustainability. It is advocated that those involved in operationalising sustainability (especially within the context of creating post-2015 SD goals), should explore the potential for developing indicators to capture some of its less tangible aspects, especially those concerned with ethical values. (Burford et al, 2013) It is theoretically and practically possible to assess processes and outcomes relating to the less tangible dimensions, consisting of human values, ethics and worldviews, which conceptualise the fourth pillar of sustainability. Institutions tasked with developing Sustainable Development Goals, targets and indicators should take time, especially at this critical juncture, to reframe the sustainability assessment process and incorporate an explicit acknowledgement of its ethical dimensions. Human values, ethics and worldviews – the basic and most important innovation in teaching of SD nowadays! Innovative Practices Compendium 32 3. SELECTION OF INNOVATIVE PRACTICES 3.1 Definition of innovative practices This study carried out in Work Package 6 (WP6) “Innovative Practices” focused on Innovative Practices in education for Sustainable Development in Higher Education (HESD). The topic of HESD is considered in a broader sense, on the one hand by considering the characterisation of the political and institutional framework, and on the other hand by describing the formal and informal learning experiences within HE Institutions. In the opinion of the authors, to maximise the effectiveness of HESD one must take into account all of these elements. Definition of Innovative Practices: innovation within the teaching of sustainable development in the life sciences Innovation within the teaching of sustainable development in the life sciences involves the creative process of combining up-to-date teaching methods, tools, and technologies recognising the opportunities and constraints inherent in the particular situation where learning is taking place in order to create new benefit for its users. These methods are likely to include problem-based learning, teacher/experts as facilitators of learning, and to demonstrate the effective and efficient usages of all available resources, encouragement of critical thinking skills, and a focus on unleashing the creativities and talents of all learners and the teachers themselves, leading to the development of entirely new instructional content, tools, methods. Intentional target audiences for programs typically include students, faculties, university administration, private sector enterprises, and civil society, either individually or in combination. The end results of these endeavours are to foster the principles and practices that result in changes in knowledge, attitudes, and behaviour that ultimately lead to progress in sustainable development principles and practices. 3.2 The extraction of Good Practices Compendium Innovative practices were selected by extraction of them from the Good Practices Compendium, which was an outcome a previous work package within the ISLE project, WP3. A specific working group of project partners had worked on selecting of the existing innovative practices as represented in the Good Practices Compendium. All the different diagnostics collected in WP5 were analysed. Finally 14 innovation practices were selected from 12 European countries: two examples of innovative practices from France and Portugal and one each from the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Bulgaria, Austria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Poland, and Slovenia. Innovative Practices Compendium 33 The selected innovative practices were: 1. Green Pedagogy, Austria 2. Sunny Garden, Bulgaria 3. Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Czech Republic 4. Talveakadeemia (Winter Academy), Estonia 5. Specific universities policies about SD, France 6. Tutored Project, France 7. E-Learning Academic Network (ELAN III), Germany 8. Master GESLOPAN, Italy 9. Fair Trade Management, Netherlands 10. Master of Science in agriculture, Poland 11. Botanical Gardens, Special places to involve special people, Portugal 12. “De Sol a Sol” – a sustainable day, Portugal 13. Learning regions in Slovenia with polygons in nature, Slovenia 14. Management of pests diseases and weeds, Sweden We involved the following four cases of innovative practices separately in the selection, as they were not included within the Good Practices Compendium: 15. Green Academy, Bulgaria 16. Practical Questionnaire, Bulgaria 17. Practices MON BG – National project of BG Government, Bulgaria 18. Agro-environmental chemistry – a (requisitely) holistic view, Slovenia 3. 3 Descriptions of the selected innovative practices The areas of interest amongst the selected innovative practices were mainly teaching, practical experience, and institutional activities (Table 1). Their main characteristics are shown in Table 2. Innovative Practices Compendium 34 Table 1: The list of selected Innovative Practices by Country and Area of interest INSTITUTIONAL NATIONAL PRACTICAL TITLE COUNTRY TEACHING ACTIVITIES POLICIES EXPERIENCES Green Pedagogy AUSTRIA X Sunny Garden BULGARIA X Czech University of Life Sciences Prague CZECH REP. X X Talveakadeemia (Winter Academy) ESTONIA X Specific universities policies about SD FRANCE X Tutored Project FRANCE X E-Learning Academic Network (ELAN III) GERMANY X Master GESLOPAN ITALY X Fair Trade Management NETHERLANDS X X Master of Science in Agriculture POLAND X X Botanical Gardens, Special Places to Involve Special People PORTUGAL X X « De Sol a Sol” – a sustainable day PORTUGAL X Learning regions in Slovenia with polygons in nature SLOVENIA X Management of pests diseases and weeds SWEDEN X Green Academy BULGARIA X X Practical Questionnaire BULGARIA X X Practices MON BG – National project of BG Government BULGARIA X Agro-environmental chemistry – a (requisitely) holistic view SLOVENIA X Table 2: Main characteristics of the selected Innovative Practices LEVEL OF LEADING TITLE COUNTRY MAIN TOPIC IMPLEMENTATION ORGANISATION Green Pedagogy AT International University Environmental Pedagogy Sunny Garden BG National University Farm Organic Agriculture Czech University of Life Sciences Prague CZ All University Research & Teaching Talveakadeemia (Winter Academy) EE National NGO Conference on SD Specific universities policies about SD FR Regional University Sustainability Strategy Tutored Project FR Regional University Student training E-Learning Academic Network (ELAN III) DE Regional University E-learning on SD Master GESLOPAN IT National University Protected areas Fair Trade Management NL Local University Agriculture Study programs Master of Science in Agriculture PL International University Agroecology Botanical Gardens, Special Places to Involve Social Environmental Special People PT National University Management Students "De Sol a Sol” Cultural event - a sustainable day PT Local association Learning regions in Slovenia with polygons in nature SLO National University Environmental Pedagogy Management of pests diseases and weeds SE International University Teaching (Agriculture) Green Academy BG National University Environmental Pedagogy Practical Questionnaire BG National University Agriculture Practices MON BG – National project of BG Government BG National Government Agriculture Agro-environmental chemistry – a (requisitely) holistic view SLO International University Sustainable Pedagogy Innovative Practices Compendium 35 3.4 The process of selecting the Innovative Practices The process of evaluating and selecting the Innovation Practices was defined during the 6th ISLE meeting that was held in March 2013 in Maribor, and was completed during the following ISLE meeting in Varna (June 2013). The main criteria for selection was innovation: an activity can be innovative in the contents (innovative topics), in the methods (innovative ways in delivering educational processes, use of new technologies), or in building the institutional framework towards ESD. The 45 collected Good Practices represented in the Compendium of Good Practices were discussed in the working group during the first WP6 workshop ‘Innovative Practices’ in Maribor. Referees were selected for analysing and voting on the proposed Innovative Practices. After this process of extraction of the Compendium of Good Practices, the innovative practices were selected by the referees. The selection proposed by the referees was discussed amongst WP6 participants and the final selection of the Innovative Practices to include within the Compendium of Innovation Practices was defined. The selection was made by taking into account: innovation in teaching methods, social and economic impact, transferability, wide networking, sustainable results, opportunities for further expansion of the activity, e-learning possibility… Finally 18 innovation practices were selected, belonging primarily to the area of teaching”. Innovative Practices Compendium 36 4. INNOVATIVE PRACTICES WORKSHOP Innovative Practices Workshops were held during the last two ISLE meetings in Maribor, Slovenia, and Balchik (near Varna), Bulgaria. The Open-space moderating tool was used for the implementations of both events. The leader of both WP6 workshops was put in a position where he did not want to give guidance for further work, but rather led by trying to motivate a group to take over the reins of creative content creation in their own hands. It turned out that this was a great decision. 4.1. 1st Innovative Practices workshop (Maribor, March 2013) Participants of the first section discussed a reasonable construction for a questionnaire. The results from this part of the Workshop Innovative Practices are condensed within the next table: Innovation Innovation Learning outcomes Tools Resources/critical Target group Content success factors Interdisciplinarity Students of Uni LS Global problem Objectives: You tube »light« = fun to do Bachelor + master To be able to videos understand Provocative 2 students LS Interdisciplinary To develop/propose Social Green 2 students of other faculty solution to media complex/global specially 1 problem ISLE tools Proactive Students LS + high Hot topics Learn how to work in an Provocative school/primary education Real life problem interdisciplinary team (I have to join this +problem owner-s game) 2 Human activities (people planet profit) Lifelong learning Impact of human Become aware of what Interaction with activities (to get you individually, civil society the special socially, politically attention) would give up for SD for all Intentional/unintentional Know social change Direct/indirect primary/secondary target development works target groups groups 3 Are able to invite others to change SD Behaviour Know how to use social media network Facebook for change to SD behaviour Have a working knowledge of SD issues Innovative Practices Compendium 37 Section two participants of 1st Innovation Practices workshop defined the focal point innovation in the teaching of SD in life sciences in Europe, described previously in Chapter 3.1. 4.2. 2nd Innovation Practices Workshop (WP6) - Section 1 (June 2013, Varna, Bulgaria) The results of an excellent discussion between the participants of the first section of the second Innovative Practices Workshop are condensed in the next table: Descriptors Content Tools Method Outcomes Indicators Using modern I phone, I pad, video, e Stimulation of the Lifelong learning New technologies technologies, suitable - library interactivity of the generation by using on the level of the learner and teaching suitable new education and the staff, to choose the technologies location applicable idea Capacity of disciplines Study visits, Problem based Capacity of disciplines Holistic approach to transcend their interdisciplinary learning with actual to transcend their traditional boundaries seminars, workshops, solutions. traditional boundaries Consultative approach group works Consultative approach interdisciplinary interdisciplinary Participants and (respect each other, Experience and Discussion for Collaboration lecturers discussed listening to others, outreach how to do acceptable and reliable about the topic inside participation to the something together topics. Consultative their group, they discussion) Personal skill of the team learning to find established an creative Training of participants moderator to find a easy and innovative atmosphere and teachers inside solution. solutions and to create group works synergetic effects The capacity to The analysis of the Through sustaining Participants present Critical thinking develop the problem critical point of the controversial and represent looking for better processed subject. discussion and individual ways of solutions The analysis of the case irritations. thinking studies. Evaluation of analysis Simulations and results analysis of different scenarios Participants from Simulation games, case Evaluation of the Adaptation of results Project base learning different disciplines studies. results. and solutions work together in areas Project working. concerning the 4 pillars of ESD (ethics, society, ecology and economy) The capacity to solve Workshops, seminars, Brainstorming, open Participants present a Creativity the problem in an simulating games space method new design to transfer innovative way. the knowledge in Mediating diverse unfamiliar situation opinions of all participants from different cultures and disciplines Building contacts in a Internships and Informal learning, Participants develop Network building capacity self-responsible way collaborations with practical activities management skills and and estimating the civil society, NGO's cooperative importance of and governmental competencies stakeholders institutions in local and global level Ethical relationship International Organizing Participants exchange Internationalization with international exchanges, Video international events. experiences and best Innovative Practices Compendium 38 partners conferencing or Exchanging and joining practice results articles, proceedings, programs. Using seminars, practical Alumni capacities. activities To analyse, synthesizes Team-lectures Team teaching, Participants are Interdisciplinarity and harmonize links common design of capable of presenting among disciplines into programs and lectures complex information a coordinated and and arguing coherent whole controversial issues Learning arrangements Seminars, video Analysing authentic Participants show Motivation aspects are designed to arouse challenges’ as cases and models from interest in dealing curiosity and concern enterprise creation, real life - PBL, opinions flexibly with new projects elaboration, pro and contra, challenges, ideas to fundraising students submit their increasing employment opinions and self-employment Participants filter out Can be applied in other Applying knowledge Skills and competences Transferability appropriate variables countries and skills concerning various in complex tasks of independently subject matters are their work field and used for new problems can use them in their environment PBL, the network Common events Reflection of learning Participants evaluate Innovation activities (present) building capacity, with various methods their personal and interdisciplinarity, vocational innovative pedagogical development learning arrangements 4.3. 2nd Innovative Practices Workshop WP6 - Section 2 (June 2013, Varna, Bulgaria) The participants of the second section of the Innovative Practices Workshop discussed motivation and inspiration topics. Their report was presented to all ISLE partners. Reporter was Jaromir Nemec (CULS, Czech Republic). Subjects for discussions: 1. How to motivate students to make a video or other cultural presentations 2. How to inspire students for securing funds for innovative practice 4.3.1. How to motivate students to make a video or other presentation 1. Demotivation is a negative symptom that has been manifesting more over recent years. Thus, the motivation of students is a priority. Including a video or other cultural presentation in the course curricula on sustainable development is a good option. 2. If the subject of the video is connected to the experiences of the students (how to be sustainable, how to live a sustainable lifestyle), it is very good. 3. Motivation is related to the region. For example a university in Bratislava offers more international experience than in Nitra, and the students are more motivated to participate in mobility programmes. Innovative Practices Compendium 39 4. Finding short themes is an option 5. Using Facebook/Twitter is very popular amongst students and should be used 6. Ecology has a similar meaning for students as does sustainability 7. A list of usable headings for promoting sustainability: - A safe and happy future for our children - Lifestyle - Live well and in accord with nature - Practical and responsible - Ecology - Greening – what else? - Live and let live - Green and let green - Only one planet - Save hard or die hard - Be cool - live sustainably - Don`t be a coward – face the reality of climate change - Where will you be, without sustainability 8. We will be successful only when students / citizens become truly motivated from within. 9. Example is better than precept. 10. Start at the pre-elementary level. 11. Students could elaborate projects for the regional and/or local governments and then the governments could eventually commission a professional team of filmmakers to produce a video or a documentary. 12. Video conferencing is a good option and is an excellent option for preparing and implementing projects. Less travel = less CO2 = more sustainability. 13. Always promote creativity. 14. Promote excellence. 15. Group initiative / pairing of students. 16. Local initiatives are very important. 17. Involving a student from a university media department (arts, film making, and documentary making) could be highly motivating for students who wish to produce a professional video. 18. Choosing a locally relevant theme – e.g. biodiversity, honey production, the problematic of monoculture – is very good. 19. We should assign students with a theme that is close to their life experiences. 20. Producers will welcome a student presentation – connect the need for solving a problem with professionals. 21. Motivating students’ means giving them several options – more options make more possibilities for creativity. Innovative Practices Compendium 40 22. Micro farming – student`s presentations about cultivation on their balcony or in their garden – is a motivating theme. 23. Teachers can learn from students – the attitude of students plays a key role in motivation. 24. Teachers as partners with students, and vice versa: this creates synergies and motivates all participants. 4.3.2. How to inspire students to provide funds for innovative practice 1. Practice by practice – cooperating with local authorities and getting the authorities to co-finance their project on innovative practice. 2. Local initiatives for the collecting of funds (fundraising): - Food for all (supported by London municipality) is a programme that distributes food to the needy. Vegetables and others are supplied free of charge by the vegetable market. - Communal soup project in Hungary – Stone soup. - Co-ops – barter – neighbour assistance – provide funds. - Local currency – blue francs in Hungary – community exchange value. - The Danish model of taxes: those who have fortunes can donate in part for useful social organisations/initiatives and do not have to pay high taxes on their fortunes. - The tax deduction for people who offer financial support to socially active or religious organisation is also implemented in other countries (e.g. 1% in Hungary). - Lobbying at the level of local /regional governments for support, assignments of funds from the budget. 3. Strengthening the popularity of funding the sustainable projects. 4. Producing values for the community is an example of good practice for potential donors. 5. Involving companies who are interested in investing in sustainable projects is crucial. 6. Identifying the needs of companies in the area of sustainable development is crucial. 7. Creating values over a long term makes companies more liable to donate towards sustainable projects is crucial. 8. Local “ecological fairs” endorsed by universities can raise funds for innovative projects. 9. Fundraising specialists must be approached for counselling and advise. Especially if ISLE is an association (in the case ISLE 2 that will not get financing from the EU), knowing how in the area of fundraising this is crucial for the financing of innovative projects. 10. Innovative projects can be financed directly by the users (e.g. local on-line information on weather forecasting in Greece). Innovative Practices Compendium 41 11. Innovative projects must be sustainable in themselves in order to get support from external stakeholders 12. Contributing to the community must be demonstrated in practice. 13. Fundraising from university alumni (e.g. US Universities) is yet another untapped source for financing (fundraising). 14. Sometimes students can motivate their relatives, friends, and neighbours etc. to co- finance a project. 15. Local communities can contribute to fundraising by focusing on local innovative projects. 16. The public should be informed by the local media (press, TV, Radio) about innovative projects. 17. Nationwide media (press, TV, Radio) can also be informed; however this action should be endorsed by the university management. 18. Groups of universities can also become involved (clusters). 19. Crowd-funding. Authors: all participants of the 1st and 2nd Innovation Practices Workshops. Innovative Practices Compendium 42 5. QUESTIONNAIRE FORMS Innovation on contents and pedagogical methods for SD within the teaching of life sciences was proposed by the setting-up and diffusion of a questionnaire to partner members and HEIś non-members of the ISLE consortium. The team working on WP6 had carefully selected some innovative approaches from the case studies included in the Compendium of Good Practices in SD. The following questionnaire was sent to selected partner members and HEIs non- members of the consortium. Addressed partners were kindly asked to modify their case studies with an accent on innovation by filling in the following grid. WP6 Innovative motto: learning anytime, anywhere, anyplace Innovation is to be considered as a permanent process of beneficial renewal and adaptation. Descriptors Content Tools Method Outcomes Indicators New technologies Holistic approach Collaboration Critical thinking Project base learning Creativity Network building capacity Internationalization Interdisciplinarity Motivation aspects Transferability Innovation activities (present) Author: Andreja Borec (University of Maribor, Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Slovenia) Innovative Practices Compendium 43 6. VIDEO CHALLENGE FOR STUDENT GROUPS The Facebook Video Challenge for student groups was planned to inspire students to be proactive in the area of good / innovative practices for the teaching of SD. For the implementation of the video challenge, the following steps have been taken: Student group • Maximum number of students per group: 4 students • University BSc and MSc students Video • Make a short video about the work of your student group: subject a good example of innovative sustainability good practice (related to lifestyle) • Post the video on Facebook (FB) of ISLE • Video length: 2 minutes • Send a short description about the video and connected work • Get your network to provide ‘likes’ to your video The winning group of students would join the ISLE meeting in Varna and there they would give a short presentation about their work (15-20 minutes) Deadline • 24th of May was the deadline for students to send the video or post on FB • Judging of the videos before the 31st of May and the results announcement Judging the videos on • Quality • Is it about good / innovative practice? • Sustainability (as lifestyle)? • Number of Likes on FB Innovative Practices Compendium 44 Figure 1: Example of a Slovenian flyer for the video challenge WINNING GROUP: Anne Walker, Oli Davenport and Dale Webb, students from Harper Adams University Colleague, Shropshire, UK. Their mentor was Leticia Chico Santamarta. The winning video, entitled “Saving the world's finite resources through pee recycling” can be seen on the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sWGjZmgELo Innovative Practices Compendium 45 7. PRESENTATIONS OF THE INNOVATIVE PRACTICES 7.1. Green Pedagogy University College for Agrarian and Environmental Pedagogy, Vienna Environmental Pedagogy as a bachelor degree study was implemented in 2008 as a new, innovative and unique curriculum at the University College in addition to the existing curricula of agrarian pedagogy. Country Austria Description Green Pedagogy is a concept for learning, teaching and advising for SD in the university colleague Green Pedagogy is not static, not a strictly defined program or agenda. The field of Green Pedagogy is like a plantlet, growing, changing, bearing fruit, manifesting itself over and over again, adapting to conditions. The key-components are motivation to learn, learning situations, development of competences and reflections. It is implemented on the one hand in all study programs for training teachers and advisors and on the other hand in courses of further and continuing education. Green Pedagogy is one major focus in the educational research of the university college. Focus Development of human skills, social equity, health and quality of life, cultural diversity, local engagement in sustainability, Green Care. Students learn to develop innovations under the three dimensions of Sustainability and to reflect the learning process. Green Pedagogy is the developing of community in the form of cooperation and participation in all processes at the University college and in the field of practice. Green Pedagogy gives a set of values for a sustainable life. Innovative Practices Compendium 46 Descriptors Content Tools Method Outcomes Indicators New technologies Evaluation of various Blended learning New media analysis and Learners become critical and products (e.g. press, production of wikis, flyers, reflective users online-media, videos, articles and blogs advertising) Holistic approach Learners understand Seminars Learners develop Multiple perspectives of given the Interdependence hypotheses and new tasks of different systems visions Collaboration Learners and Excursions Expert-discussions prove Elaborate knowledge and lecturers work in a and show diverse opinions opinions, they lead to co- participatory way and concepts construction Critical thinking Through sustaining Case studies Interactive video methods Learners acknowledge the controversial complexity of processes in discussion and education for SD irritations Project base learning Students from Practice Simulation Learners produce their results different disciplines Game for the community, for citizens work together in in rural contexts areas concerning the three pillars of ESD (society, ecology, economy) Creativity Mediating diverse Workshop of arts Artwork Creative arts Learners present new ideas for opinions of all (drama, music, film) the design of learning results participants from different cultures and disciplines Network building Building contacts in a Internships with Independent observation Learners develop management capacity self-responsible way NGO's or practical trainings skills and cooperative and estimating the and competencies importance of governmental stakeholders institutions Internationalization Exchange with International Video conferencing or Learners exchange experiences international partners projects articles in international and best practice results journals/proceedings Interdisciplinarity Learning across the Team-lectures Team teaching, common Learners are capable of curriculum design of programs and presenting complex information lectures and arguing controversial issues Motivation aspects Learning Seminar Analysing authentic cases Learners show interest for arrangements are and models from real life dealing flexibly with new designed to arouse (case vignettes) challenges curiosity and concern Transferability Learners filter out Internships Applying knowledge and Skills and competences appropriate variables skills independently concerning various subject in complex tasks of matters are used for new their work field problems Innovation activities Current issues of Common events Reflection of learning with Learners evaluate their personal (present) agriculture, ecology, various methods and vocational development sociology, health are integrated in innovative pedagogical learning arrangements Innovative Practices Compendium 47 Further Information Website www.agrarumweltpaedagogik.ac.at Contacts Christine Wogowitsch Hochschule für Agrar- und Umweltpädagogik Christine.wogowitsch@agrarumweltpaedagogik.ac.at Beate Kralicek Hochschule für Agrar- und Umweltpaedagogik Beate.kralicek@agrarumweltpaedagogik.ac.at Authors Beate Kralicek and Angela Forstner-Ebhart Innovative Practices Compendium 48 7.2 Sunny Garden Agricultural University – Plovdiv The Agricultural University was established in 1945. It is the only specialised state university in Bulgaria in the area of agricultural and related sciences. The University provides training for the three academic degrees – BSc, MSc and PhD. The research activities are completed on the training-and-experimental fields, spreading on 185 ha. The Agro-ecological Centre is a structural unit of the Agricultural University – Plovdiv. It was founded in 1989 with the aim of coordinating the efforts of researchers, students, farmers and consumers for the development of organic agriculture in Bulgaria. Since 1994 it has been functioning as a Demonstration Centre for organic farming. The Centre has facilities to train students, teachers, farmers, and agricultural specialists in the field of organic crop production. With the close academic and research contacts kept with more than 100 universities from all over the world and the implemented educational and research international projects, the Agricultural University won its recognition as a higher educational institution open to the rich experiences of its partners. Country Bulgaria Description The aim of the “Sunny Garden” organic farm is to contribute to the ecological education of children and to give knowledge to school-age children of sustainable production, especially organic farming, as a sustainable way of life and for the preservation of the environment. “Sunny Garden” unites the efforts of university researchers, local authorities, regional educational inspectorates, teachers, non- governmental organizations, etc. for the ecological upbringings of younger schoolgirls and schoolboys and for the formation of ecological culture Focus Pollution; Conservation of Natural Resources; Biodiversity; Development of clean technology. Sustainable consumption; Urban and local development; CSR practices. Development of human capital and skills; Health and quality of life; Ecological upbringing of children. Agriculture and organic farming in particular; Children’s upbringing and ecological culture, Practical training of university students who acquire pedagogical experience and methods of teaching life sciences. Ecological education of children; practical training of university students; promoting organic farming, raising consumers’ awareness of food safety Innovative Practices Compendium 49 Descriptors Content Tools Method Outcomes Indicators New technologies - Primary school children learn how to - On-site practical - Practical training; Innovative produce safe food, to get hands-on training; - Development of approach to experience on the experimental - Group soft skills; student training organic farm ‘Sunny Garden; discussions; and to upbringing - Working in - University students teach the children to be more - Pedagogical groups; schoolgirls and boys, gaining concerned about … approach of the pedagogical experience in their work - Analytical students to with children. thinking; children; - Decision making. Holistic approach “Sunny Garden” unites the efforts of - Students put their university researchers, local theoretical authorities, regional educational knowledge into inspectorates, teachers, non- practice; governmental organizations, etc. for - Children get their ecological upbringing of younger first lessons in schoolgirls and schoolboys and for the organic farming, formation of ecological culture. ecology and love to land Collaboration Between primary, basic and higher education institutions Critical thinking Project base learning Creativity Creativity and challenge to students and to children Children are happy to have young people (students) as their tutors – they are glad to copy the behaviour and experience. Network building capacity Internationalization Transferability The innovative approach to children Sustainable way of upbringing could be transferred to life and other study practices; preservation of environment. Further Information Website: http://www.bioferma.org/ Publications: www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9ZFjKVIBtI Author: Hristina YANCHEVA, Agricultural University Plovdiv Innovative Practices Compendium 50 7.3. Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague Czech University of Life Sciences, Prague Faculties:  Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources  Economics and Management  Environmental Sciences  Forestry and Wood Sciences  Engineering Institutes:  Tropics and Subtropics (the only educational and research institute of such kind in the Czech Republic)  Education and Communication CULS is situated on a spacious and modern campus in the north western outskirts of Prague, about 20 minutes from the city centre. In harmony with global trends, CULS is putting more and more emphasis on educating students in all crucial areas related to sustainability, i.e. sustainable use of natural resources, organic agriculture, safety and security in the food chain, protection of the biosphere, sustainable land and water management, sustainable rural development and economics (e.g. in the tropics and subtropics). We educate students in ecologically-sound waste management, environmentally friendly road vehicle management and alternative energy production (i.e. solar cell technology). We offer study programmes focusing on modern, up-to- date management of private and corporate, as well as state enterprises. Our university educates future leaders who will be mindful of the sustainable management of our planetsńatural resources and of the related socio-economic and environmental issues. Country Czech Republic Description  Study programmes focusing on sustainability  Basic and applied research in the area of sustainability  Communication and cooperation with relevant stakeholders from regional, national and international institutions (environmental agencies, NGOs) as well as with the industry (food industry, animal and plant production, rural tourism etc.)  Participation in relevant international programmes related to sustainability (e.g. ISLE programme within the framework of LLP ERASMUS)  Participating on National and International Boards and Commissions focusing on sustainability Cooperating within university networks, e.g. ICA (European Association Innovative Practices Compendium 51 of Life Sciences Universities www.ica-europe.info), ICA CASEE (ICA initiative for Central and South Eastern Europe) Focus Waste management throughout the whole campus, innovations such as new rotation system for solar panels development, courses in organic farming and sustainable breeding methods in plant and animal sciences, education of sustainable development and organic farming in developing countries. Social metabolism (interactions between economic and environmental pillars) – a particular methodology for Material and energy flow accounting (MEFA) in rural areas. Health and quality of life; Ecological upbringing of children. Agriculture and organic farming in particular; Children’s upbringing and ecological culture, Practical training of university students who acquire pedagogical experience and methods of teaching life sciences. Since 2000 CULS has been implementing a systematic policy of increasing subjects and courses focusing on sustainability. Furthermore, research and innovation in the area of sustainability has led to the development and implementation of several important international projects, e.g. Sustainable Palm Oil Production Plant in Indonesia, Sustainable Rural Projects in Angola, Sustainable Development Projects in Mongolia (in cooperation with the Czech Government Development Funds) etc. On campus sustainable projects include separation of waste and recycling at all Faculties (paper, plastic, PET, used batteries, organic waste), production of biomass at CULS Forestry Establishment and CULS Agriculture Farms, low energy constructions (new lecture halls) and encouraging students and staff to use public transport instead of private cars. Further Information Website: www.czu.cz Contacts:  Contact person CULS International Relations Office - Jaromir Nemec, nemecjaromir@rectorate.czu.cz  Specialist in sustainable technology & environmental projects – David Herak, herak@tf.czu.cz  Specialist in sustainable rural development – Michal Lostak, lostak@pef.czu.cz  Specialist in sustainable economics – Petr Kment, kment@pef.czu.cz Author: Jaromir Nemec, Head of International Relations Office Innovative Practices Compendium 52 7.4. TalveAkadeemia (Winter Academy) TalveAkadeemia TalveAkadeemia is a NGO that offers a network for students by organising an annual student science conference on SD. The overall aim of TalveAkadeemia is to inspire students to get involved in research and innovative projects in the different fields of SD. Every year, the three-day conference tackles a different sustainability topic, giving participants new information, and allowing them to learn practical skills in workshops. The winners of the student science article competition get to present their work to a wider audience. Alternative ideas sessions create a supporting environment for people to meet, share ideas and develop new projects. Every year, about 150 students from all levels and disciplines from all Estonian universities take part in the conference. TalveAkadeemia was founded by students from four of Estonia’s larger universities in 2003. While the organising team consists of approximately 20 students with different backgrounds every year, the strategic development of TalveAkadeemia is run by four student organisations from the Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tallinn University of Technology and Tallinn University. Country Estonia Description The main aim of TalveAkadeemia is to encourage students to get involved in research and innovative projects in the different fields of SD. This can be broken up into the following objectives, to:  Share the latest knowledge and information on SD topics among students  Create student networks between different Estonian universities  Encourage students to continue work in research in SD  Give students practical skills and experiences in different SD cases  Inspire students to share their ideas with others, find partners and start new projects on SD topics. Focus The conference topic is different every year and it’s tackled from different perspectives. The environmental side has been the strongest so far. The conference topics have been: biodiversity, Baltic Sea, energy, SD in general. Besides the conference topic, the organisers try every year to keep the conference’s ecological footprint as small as possible by including organic food in the menu, re-usable pens and nametags, printing on recycled paper, using trains instead of buses where possible, separating waste etc. Innovative Practices Compendium 53 Some examples of how to tackle different topics from the sustainability point of view Every year the conference lasts 3 days with the 1st day for introductions and student presentations, the 2nd day for workshops and discussion and the 3rd day for practical solutions, and one young researcher presenting his/her work. Additionally participants have time on both evenings to hold open space discussion rounds themselves on topics they are interested in. At every conference a booklet is also issued with thematic articles. 2013 – Food  Introduction presentations: - Global challenges of food production - Agriculture and the environment - Problems related to food production in developing countries (Fair Trade)  Documentary film: „Taste the waste“  Workshops (all had to have interactive parts in them – a game, role play, etc.) – each participant chose one, 5h: - Effective leadership – looking at leadership and management principles, so that production lines are more effective and problems are solved faster. Included simple simulation games about the production cycle. - Life-cycle assessment in food production – Principles of LCA and the challenges of it in food production. Doing LCA in groups for specific food products. - How does food get to Estonia and where does Estonian food go? – Overview on how food trends emerge and how food export Works, working on different business models. - Seafood and the Baltic Sea – what is the condition of fisheries and what fish are healthy for eating? The practical parts were the dissecting of fish and getting samples for heavy metals. - GMO – looking at different aspects of GMO, the science behind it, debate in 2 groups. Also separating plant DNA and looking at the mutations of plants. - Food science – focusing on meat and cheese and how different products are made, E-substances and what are they are used for. Practical tests with cheese and meat. - Global dimension of our food – overview of food production in the developing world, fair trade options, alternative ways how to make food consumption choices. - National cuisine – looking at the traditions of one national cuisine – Scottish – and cooking together with a real Scottish chef.  Panel discussion: What feeds in the future? (Panellists: organic farmer, big producer, agricultural economist, head of Estonian Chamber of Agriculture and Commerce).  Final presentations: - 5 macro food trends in the next 5 years (foreign speaker) - Permaculture and urban gardening - Young researcher: functional food 2012 – Green economy  Introduction presentations - How to measure SD - Sustainability from the economic perspective  Documentary film about a small tribe living in Papua New Guinea, totally cut-off from modern society and a discussion with a director about alternative primitive economies  Workshops Innovative Practices Compendium 54 - Rio+20 simulation – just before real Rio+20 took place, participants created a simulation game, where everyone represented a certain country with its interest, and they had to come to a common activity plan. - Is Estonian higher education ready for a green economy? Overview of possible new skills and labour market needs in a green economy and a discussion whether Estonian HEI’s are ready to meet those needs, mapping the more important skills according to students. - Role of social entrepreneurship – giving examples of different social enterprises and mapping their influence, developing ideas and plans for social enterprises. - Developing communities – looking into different communities and small models of societies and micro-economies, how to build and maintain a community. Watching a documentary about an urban community in the Estonian capital city. - Nature tourism – overview on nature tourism and eco-tourism and entrepreneurship in rural areas. Participants created some tourism products taking into account all sustainability aspects. - Potential of solar energy – overview of recent developments and potential for use in Estonia. Practical side: building a solar hot water collector. - Ecological backpack of the clothing industry – looking into eco-innovation, focusing on fashion, developing practical ideas how clothes could be made in more environmentally and socially better way. - How much costs an ecosystem service? – introducing different methods to assess the economic values of ecosystem services, developing some of their own methods, discussing what are the best ways to assess the values of ecosystems. - Reuse of mining by-products – introducing methods regarding the by-product of Estonian energy industry – oil shale ash – can be used in other ways. The practical work was creating a small model for using a mixture of the ash.  Panel discussion: Estonia – why not a green country? (Panelists: economics professor, founder of green printing company, social entrepreneur, head of green economy initiative of state development foundation)  Final presentations: - Social enterprises (foreign speaker) - Options for circular economy - PhD student and young entrepreneur: combining energy saving in research and business 2011 – Biodiversity  Introduction presentations - The highs and lows of biodiversity in Earth’s history - The role of nature in SD (foreign speaker) - Nature in medieval art  Documentary film about expedition to Siberian nature + discussion with director  Workshops: - Protecting ecosystem services of wetlands – making suggestions to Estonian wetland use and protection plan draft, on how to preserve the ecosystem services, and not only from economic point. - How to make wasteland more diverse – creating plan for open mining area restoration, making a small model of the area and suggested changes. - Use of Estonian peat in SPA’s – looking into the health benefits of peat and its use in clinical procedures and testing those procedures (making facial and body masks). - European Green Belt – information and discussions about the European Green Belt, that runs through Europe. Looking at the European dimension with workshop leaders from UK and Spain and creating posters as promotion for the Green Belt. - Health care with plants – getting to know Estonian medical plants and how to make herbal teas – making and testing different tea mixtures. Innovative Practices Compendium 55 - Traditions and culture of Estonians’ and other Finno-Ugric people – dealing with cultural diversity as part of biodiversity. Watching short films and listening to music from different Estonian neighbour cultures, getting to know their beliefs and traditions. - Uses of biodiversity – mapping the everyday dependence on different species that we use in our daily life, and tracking them back to ecosystems and global scale. - Nature sounds – listening to different sounds and how they change in time, what influences that etc. - Urban biodiversity – looking into different plant and animal species in cities and practical approaches how to keep urban ecosystems healthy. Developing urban biodiversity plan for Estonian capital city. - Coastal meadows and reed-art from coastal people – introduction to a specific ecosystem type in Estonia and its connection to biodiversity. As practical work, creating traditional small decorations out of coastal reed straws. - Biodiversity and Estonian agriculture – discussion over the public services of agriculture, mapping those services and how they are influenced.  Panel discussion: What is the value of biodiversity? (Panelists: botany researcher, environmental educator, nature philosopher)  Final presentations - National spatial planning strategy until 2030 - Bio inspiration (bio mimicry) - Young researcher: biodiversity of soil fauna 2010 – Baltic Sea  Introduction presentations - Peculiarities and environmental problems of Baltic Sea - Eutrophication – causes, results and ways to tackle it - Ship traffic system in Baltic Sea  Workshops: - Oil spill operations – Basic principles how to act in oil spills and coordinate volunteers. - Plastic bag in the sea – looking into what plastic does in the sea, thinking on ways how to solve those problems. - Sand as resource – how sand gets out from the sea bottom and into industry. Practical side-work for creating sand artwork. - Coastal cultural heritage – discussing how to combine old and new ways of living along the coastal areas of Estonia, while preserving the old and allowing new things to emerge. - Water removal in mining areas and its influence on rivers – overview on how mining influences rivers, making a model of the process of how water is removed in the areas. - Environmentally-friendly cleaning products and cosmetics – looking into the components of conventional cleaning products and cosmetics and their environmental impact (also to sea), making new environmentally-friendly alternatives on the spot. - Pros and cons of wind energy – overview of how wind parks could affect coastal areas and the sea, introducing how wind parks are usually planned (what software is used in modelling), doing role-play how different stakeholders can be involved. - Cultural history of Kihnu Island – being one of the small islands of Estonia, its traditions have developed a little bit differently. The workshop looked into those traditions and their connection to the sea, focusing on the traditional clothing. - Sea pollution’s connection to ordinary citizens – mapping how ordinary citizens influence the sea and how the sea influences the everyday lives of ourselves, looking into the ways as to how negative impacts could be changed. Innovative Practices Compendium 56 - Sustainable renovation in coastal cultural heritage – introducing sustainable renovation principles and how to apply them in the sensitive coastal areas, combining with traditional building style. Practical side was the making of different natural colours. - Dissecting fish – looking into the fish gives a good overview of the water ecosystem. Workshop focused on the fish parasites, what the fish eat and how it can be linked with the health of the sea.  Panel discussion: What is the future of Baltic Sea? (Panelists: representative of Estonian Fund for Nature, member of the Parliament, sea ecosystem researcher, representative of fishers’ union)  Final presentations - Young researcher: detecting pollution in sea with satellites - Sea protection areas in Baltic Sea - Activities related to sea in the program of Tallinn, European Cultural Capital 2011 Descriptors Content Tools Method Outcomes Indicators New technologies Conference workshops Depending on the specific Combining theory and Students are understanding have practical side topic: creating models, practical part the topic better and linking building different objects theory with practical sides using eco-building techniques, constructing solar collector etc Holistic approach Conference topic Presentations, Students can better grasp should be tackled from workshops and panel the complexity of issues and environmental, social, discussion allow how one field can affect economic and different sides to be another, and that for technology point of tackled, organizers sustainability, all pillars view spend a lot of time to should be looked at and how make the program they depend on each other into one whole (1st day: intro, 2nd day: specific workshops, 3rd day: practical sides, conclusions) Collaboration Students from Workshops are organised so In the workshops, Learning about different different universities that students from different different methods (group sides of problems and and courses are background have to work work, discussion, case knowledge needed to solve present in the together study etc.) are used for them conference working together Critical thinking Conference is open to Simply allowing people Participants of the students from with different conference can form their different disciplines backgrounds to work own opinion about certain and speakers are together in workshops topics, as they have heard selected from or at discussions, so facts from and opinions different backgrounds that different views are from different sides as well expressed and debated Project base Workshops need to Depending on the specific Depending on the More concrete frames for learning have practical side topic: creating models, specific topic: role-play, what the students learn, building different objects mapping, discussion, easier to grasp one certain using eco-building giving a list of issue techniques, constructing suggestions, watching a solar collector etc. film Creativity Different parts of the Open space sessions, New ways of seeing conference allow creative tasks in solutions, better basis of students to come up workshops (coming up cooperation. Students with their own with slogans, new organize even surprising solutions product ideas, solutions things together, like building to problems etc.) an igloo outside or jumping into ice-hole in the sea. Innovative Practices Compendium 57 Network building Free time slots in the Several marked rooms and Open space Students with similar capacity program, where corners with chairs where methodology interests can meet and students can people can sit and talk, big develop ideas and projects announce their own whiteboard in the to be carried out later discussion rounds conference room with (several new projects have information about where been developed in the past) discussions are happening Internationalization Conference is only for Estonian students Interdisciplinarity Same as for collaboration and holistic approach Motivation aspects Conferences helps to Students spend 3 days Inspiration and motivation create fee and together (including are one of the biggest inspirational parties in the evenings), outcomes of the conference atmosphere they have time to every year (based on develop their own ideas feedback), which means the and discuss things with mixture of presentations, each other (open space) practical workshops, own discussions and social activities boosts the motivation very well Transferability The conference format can be used in any other setting as well Innovation activities (present) Further Information Website: www.talveakadeemia.ee (in Estonian) Contacts: info@talveakadeemia.ee Author: Kadri Kalle, representative of Estonian University of Life Sciences in TalveAkadeemia council Innovative Practices Compendium 58 7.5. Specific universities policies about SD in France French Universities French Universities, “Ecoles d'ingénieurs” or Higher Education establishments are autonomous structures but they have to follow the National Strategy of Sustainable Development set by an inter-ministerial committee for SD. Country France Description Implementation of the National Strategy of Sustainable Development at the level of the French Universities. Focus Exemplarity of Universities, waste management, energy efficiency, water saving, sustainable transport. Long-term economic choices, Integration of environmental concerns in decision-making. General knowledge relative to SD, innovation in research and in teaching methods. Development of human capital and skills Further Information Authors Jean - Pierre Lemière, AGROSUP Dijon, Department of Sciences for Engineering and Processes, 26 bd Dr. Petitjean, BP 87999, 21079 Dijon, France and Corinne Stewart, International Office, AgroSup Dijon, 26 bd Dr. Petitjean, BP 87999, 21079 Dijon, France. Innovative Practices Compendium 59 7.6. The place of the Tutored Project AgroSup Dijon AgroSup Dijon is the National Superior Institute in Agronomy sciences, food sciences and environment. AgroSup Dijon organises French engineering diplomas in food, agronomy and environmental sciences. It also organizes master level diplomas, international masters and bachelor in the same fields of activity and in the field of educational sciences. The Eduter institute within AgroSup Dijon deals with the development and the technical support of agricultural education in France. Country France Description The place of the tutored project in the conception of the curriculum of a vocational bachelor in water and waste treatment The tutored project has a particularly important role in training students during the last year of a vocational bachelor. Students must learn to work on multidisciplinary topics independently. They must work using a comprehensive (global) approach in order to be able to work in companies. Focus Waste management, Water treatment, Energy efficiency, Pollution and risk management. Conservation of natural resources Valuable diplomas for companies in SD activities, integration of environmental concerns in business decision-making. General knowledge relative to SD, development of human capital and skills, student professionalization. One of the main objectives is to learn how to practise interdisciplinarity Further Information Website http://www.agrosupdijon.fr/formations/licence-master-doctorat/licences- professionnelles/protection-de-lenvironnement.html ; http://www.u-bourgogne- formation.fr/-Traitement-des-eaux-et-des-dechets,135-.html Author Jean - Pierre Lemière AGROSUP Dijon, Department of Sciences for Engineering ad Processes, Dijon, France. Innovative Practices Compendium 60 7.7. E-Learning Academic Network (ELAN III) University Leuphana, Lüneburg Leuphana University of Lüneburg bases its development on an all-encompassing idea of education and on the content and value oriented implementation of its activities. The University sees itself as a:  Humanistic university In its understanding of education, Leuphana combines personal and academic development while placing the process of acquiring knowledge into a concrete context.  Sustainable university Through its education and research, Leuphana contributes to the SD of society. Leuphana fosters competencies in dealing with complexity, problem-solving in an interdisciplinary manner, engaging in responsible and self-directed learning, developing a readiness and willingness to take on social responsibility or shaping the future in a sustainable manner.  Proactive university Leuphana fosters the development of responsible and proactive individuals who demonstrate the creativity and thoughtfulness as well as the willingness and ability to creatively shape society. Leuphana contributes significantly to the solution of social problems through research, education, continuing education, and academic services. Country Germany Description As part of the e-learning initiative of Lower Saxony "eLearning Academic Network" (ELAN), the aim of the project "Introduction to Sustainability" is the development of a versatile e-learning module to teach the basic issues of SD within an interdisciplinary perspective. The module is used during the so-called “Leuphana semester”, which has to be completed by all undergraduate students at the University of Lüneburg across the faculties. Here, the online self-learning phases are linked to attendance periods. Thus, in an interactive and communicative learning situation, the aim is to stimulate discussion and reflection on SD and education for SD. It can also be used at other universities within different contexts in subjects in which the issue of sustainability should be considered. By designing a blended learning module with completed sub-units, the module can be used both as a complete and finished purpose product, on the other hand can also take the subject-specific background of a discipline. This is supported by the combination of e-learning and attendance periods. In site- Innovative Practices Compendium 61 specific content, the requirements of each subject can be considered and such a customised adaptation to the own needs of each user can be made. Focus Biological and landscape variety. Better understanding of and motivation to study sustainability related issues. Further information Website http://www.leuphana.de/institute/infu/aktuell/archiv/ansicht/datum/2008/09/03/ela n-iii-projekt-einfuehrung-in-die-nachhaltigkeit-ausgezeichnet-1.html http://www.dfn.de/fileadmin/3Beratung/Betriebstagungen/bt49/forum-mm- ottow.pdf Contacts Gerd Michelsen, Universität Lüneburg, Institut für Umweltkommunikation michelsen@uni.leuphana.de Author Hartmut Sommer, FH Bingen, Hartmut.Sommer@online.de Innovative Practices Compendium 62 7.8. Master GESLOPAN University of Teramo The University of Teramo was established in 1993. Today, the University boasts 5 Faculties, 19 Degree Courses, 24 Masters, 6 Post-Graduate Courses and 10 Departments. The development strategy of University of Teramo focuses on two major study areas: Law-Politics-Communication and Agricultural-Biological-Veterinarian studies. The Law-Politics-Communication sector of the University of Teramo, characterised by the Faculties of Law, Political Science and Communication Science was ranked among the top 7 of the country according to a national survey conducted by the Public Administration Department and Formez. The agricultural-biological-veterinarian sector (Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Faculty of Agriculture) started 20 years ago and has become not only a strategic scientific reference for the local Region, but is also recognised for its important role within the National and International context as well, mainly directed towards inter Adriatic relationships. Master GESLOPAN is promoted and managed in an interdisciplinary way by three Faculties: Veterinary Medicine, Agriculture and Political Science. It is now in its 10th edition. Country Italy Description Management of Local Development in Parks and Natural Areas Master GESLOPAN is a one year post-degree course that offers an interdisciplinary education in the field of management, conservation and economic development of the Protected Areas. The Master’s aims at building new experts who are able to validate the natural, cultural and agro-food local resources through a sustainable approach. The educational programme is characterised by an interdisciplinary approach, and aims to develop naturalistic, zoological, agro-food, sociological, economic and legal competences through the implementation of different educational instruments useful for operating with an innovative methodology in e protected areas (laboratories of EU project elaboration, business planning and fundraising exercises, stages in operative centres). The didactical activities show two main objectives: - Developing the self-employment capacities, directed to the creation of new business activities inside the protected areas and to the implementation of the role of SD consultant and project manager. - Increasing in Natural Parks administrators and employees new skills concerning the validated in a sustainable way of the local resources Innovative Practices Compendium 63 and new management and project capacities. Focus Conservation of natural resources; biodiversity; sustainable management of the natural resources. Environmental economy; green economy; environmental marketing; rural development; sustainable services and productions. Sustainable infrastructure. Contact with the nature, also for learning the environment. Building good social relations and good understanding of the environment. Elaboration of local SD strategies; validation of local cultural resources (agro-food products, local traditions); development of the local competences; reduction of the marginal lands decline. Geopark is a dialogue between man and the Earth. The course is organised in collaboration amongst different Faculties (Veterinary Medicine, Agriculture and Political Science) and provides an interdisciplinary learning approach to furnishing useful skills directed at improving the student capacities to approach the sustainability field. Descriptors Content Tools Method Outcomes Indicators New technologies One of the master An e-learning platform allows The e-learning platform Continuity of the objective is to create a student to complete their also support the teaching activities »community« of students study activities. The students teaching activities in during the Master. and experts and to diffuse can also follow in video- the interval among the Creation of a master job opportunities for conference the lessons if 5 lessons cycles (one community that actual and former they are unable to stay in week per month for 5 follow and support students: so a Facebook class for justified motifs and month) and in the the students after the page is continually communicate in advance this preparation of the final conclusion of the updated with news, call necessity (for a small % of thesis course. for projects and job the total number of lessons) opportunities, and is open to exchanges of opinions (mainly beyond the lessons period) Holistic approach The Master’s aims to build During each unit, students Integration among Strong integration of new experts who are able have to elaborate, present different teachers / different disciplines to valorise the natural, and discuss, in public with experts in the same and proactive cultural and agro-food local representatives, their teaching unit. approach adopted by local resources through a own project ideas for local Round tables with the students, with sustainable approach. development and sustainable participation of reference to a specific The educational program management of natural entrepreneurs, Parks topic and/or to a is characterized by an resources. managers, local specific territory (case interdisciplinary and trans- In the project ideas development experts studies). disciplinary approach, elaboration working groups with the aim of facing both in the general and trans-disciplinary real situations and program and in the approaches are used. integrating different specific didactical units points of view. (one week full time). A specificity of the Master approach is that each didactical unit (one week) is developed in a different protected area so different opportunities of interaction with the local contest are put in place. Innovative Practices Compendium 64 Collaboration To increase collaboration Working group for Project working and Integration of among students it is used elaborating project ideas and working groups. disciplines. like a didactical approach. public presentation of the Collaboration among working groups’ results. students and with teachers. Critical thinking To create a critical thinking Presentation of real Integration among Increase the capacity students are faced with problems and good practices different competences of students to face real development problems to the students by teachers on a real and defined with real situation, in the protected areas and local experts. problem. working together and where any didactical unit is During each unit, students Case studies and public compare theoretical developed. have to elaborate, present discussions. solutions with the and discuss, in public with exigencies of local local representatives, their actors. own project ideas for local development and sustainable management of natural resources. Project base A specificity of the Master - Round tables with the Integration among Realization of a learning approach is that each participation of different competences bidirectional learning didactical unit (one week) entrepreneurs, Parks on a real and defined process. is developed in a different managers, local development problem. The master is protected area: in this way experts Case studies and public appreciated by the different tools are put in - During each unit, students discussions. local actors for his act to create a bidirectional have to elaborate, present contribution to local learning (students learn and discuss, in public with development. from the experiences of local representatives, their the Park that hosts them own project ideas for the but also they can give their local development and own contribution to the sustainable management of development of the natural resources. territory) Creativity Apply innovative proposal Round tables, presentation Put in relation the Innovation in the local in real situations. of good practices. formal (teachers and contest. students) and informal (local actors) knowledge Network building Networking among Each didactical unit (one Involvement of the Networking among capacity University and Local / week) is developed in a partners both in the master managers and National administrations. different protected area. The planning and in the students with the Three National Parks, one protected areas managers realization stage of the local community and Regional Park and one are involved in the master Master Parks management. A National Marine Protected organization, through: desirable outcome is Area are strongly involved - The presentation of their the involvement of in the organization of the activities / best practices to the master students Master, together with a students in the Parks projects Regional administration - Hosting of students' training and activities after and four Municipalities. the master ending. and tutorship of Master thesis - Offer of accommodation facilities and scholarships Internationalization Presentation and Lessons, case studies, good Participation of Students – but also discussion of international practices presentation. teachers from other managers and local experiences and problems countries with very development actors in protected area different experiences of the hosting management and local (Brazil, Switzerland) protected areas – can developments. compare their experience with other countries. Interdisciplinarity The course is organized in Lessons, case studies, good Integration among The course provides col aboration among practices presentation. different competences an interdisciplinary different Faculties Interdisciplinary working on a real and defined learning approach to (Veterinary Medicine, groups. problem. furnishing useful skills Agriculture, Political Science Case studies and public directed to improve and Communication discussions. the student capacities Science). The course host to approach the Innovative Practices Compendium 65 students with different sustainability field. backgrounds (natural science, economics, social, geography, territorial planning…) Motivation aspects Students are usually Specific teaching topics The didactical activities Increasing of the strongly self-motivated in contribute to motivate show the main objective employment and self- the choice of this post- students offering transversal of developing the self- employment capacity graduate course. skills: employment capacities, of the students by - enterprise creation directed to the creation specific skills. of new business activities - projects elaboration and fundraising inside the protected areas and to the - management and planning implementation of the role of SD consultant and project manager. Transferability Content and organization of The teaching tools can be The teaching method The outcomes will the course can be applied in applied in other countries can be applied in other depend of the contest other countries. One countries where the Master will limitation at the be realized. transferability of the Master at international level is the number of credits previewed by the Italian legislation (60 credits), that differ this kind of courses from the Master degree (2 years, 120 credits). Innovation The main innovation Working group for Students have to Realization of a activities (present) aspects concern the project elaborating project ideas and elaborate, present and bidirectional learning base learning, the network public presentation of the discuss, in public with process. building capacity and the working group’s results. local representatives, Increasing of the interdisciplinarity of the Protected areas host their own project ideas employment and self- Course. students' training and do employment capacity tutorship of Master thesis. of the students by specific skills. Further Information Website: www.unite.it Contacts Pietro-Giorgio Tiscar E-mail: mastergeslopan@unite.it Author Emilio Chiodo – University of Teramo, Italy E-mail: echiodo@unite.it Innovative Practices Compendium 66 7.9. Fair Trade Management University of Applied Sciences van Hall Larenstein, location Wageningen. Van Hall Larenstein (VHL), University of Applied Sciences, is a unique university in The Netherlands. The curricula focus on nature and the environment, human and animal health and responsible entrepreneurship. Combinations of these areas of expertise result in special and challenging bachelor and master’s programmes with unique specialisations. But we offer more than just bachelor and masters programmes. Postgraduate courses and consultancy on national and international terrains are part of our service. VHL is not just a university, but also a knowledge company for social and economic questions. Van Hall Larenstein has 3 venues Leeuwarden, Velp and Wageningen. As a result there is a vast range of professional, applied and academic programmes and research on offer. Country The Netherlands Description International development management – Fair trade management Implement value chain development. To develop informal market structures into formal market access, add value through the implementation of logistic management, apply quality management systems, warehouse management Develop competences on conversion plans towards organic agriculture and design organisational structures for market access through voluntary standards certification. Focus Apply sustainable agricultural practices, Organisational Development Develop diversified market access (from informal to formal market access), Develop sustainable market access Develop inclusive business capacity competences Activities relate to the multi-stakeholder approach (supermarkets, warehouse service providers, extension services and NGO facilitation). Integration of agronomic, logistic, post-harvest, standard & certification, commercialisation Competent students for value chain development practice Empowerment of informal sector actors towards formal market actors Further Information Website: www.vanhall-larenstein.com Author: Jos van Hal, Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences Jos.vanHal@wur.nl Innovative Practices Compendium 67 7.10. MSc in Agriculture: Agro-ecology and Renewable Energy Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW (WULS-SGGW) Faculty of Agriculture and Biology Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW (WULS-SGGW) is among the premier Polish institutions of higher education. It educates experts for the broad-sense needs of the national biosphere. It offers wide-ranging programmes of study – from biological and technical, through veterinary medicine, economics to humanities. The programme of WULS - Faculty of Agriculture and Biology - specialisation in Agro- ecology and Renewable Energy provides a scientific and holistic basis for describing, analysing and improving farming and food systems. The challenges linked to climate change and increasing energy demands have generated considerable interest in renewable energy, as well. Graduates with backgrounds in renewable energy sources should be in demand at various, both public and private entities, as projects of renewable power plants and power sources (i.e. wind power, hydropower, bio-energy, biomass, biogas etc.) find their way into agricultural enterprises of different sizes. Topics lectured in agro-ecology include environmental, production-related, economic and social challenges in farming and food systems; interdisciplinary approaches to dealing with complex processes of change; SD within a local and global context; ecological organic agriculture. Renewable energy is covered within the scope of natural resource management energy technology, problems related to the production of renewable energy, as well as selected topics in economy. Country Poland Description Master of Science in Agriculture – Specialisation: Agro ecology and Renewable Energy. The objective is to familiarise students with fundamentals of agro-ecosystems, holistic methodology for evaluation and improvement, attitudes, ethics and values. The programme is designed to develop agro-ecologists who will be successful contributors to future food systems’ projects, management of agricultural and natural resources, environmental protection, and further education and research. With real-life experiences as the starting point, the programme provides knowledge and methods transferrable to a wide range of situations, as well as the personal skills to become a life-long learning agro-ecologist. The programme also aims at providing fundamental knowledge, as well as the skills of combining and using knowledge within the area of technological aspects of resources management and renewable energy generation and related aspects of economic problems. Focus Ecology; biodiversity; waste management; energy efficiency; Innovative Practices Compendium 68 conservation of natural resources; climate change; development of clean technology; reduction of gas emission Sustainable consumption; urban and local development, sustainable production, integration of environmental concerns in business decision- making. The programme combines fundamentals of organic farming and renewable energy problems under single theme of eco-agrobiology, at the same time including practical issues of economy related to these topics. Descriptors Content Tools Method Outcomes Indicators New technologies organic food systems, lectures, labs site visits at companies students are familiar natural resource with state-of-the-art management, solutions in food systems environmental protection Holistic approach internal and external introductory lecture and dependencies mapping students are aware of dependencies of food case studies cross-links of food systems systems with suppliers and final users, can predict evolution of cross-links Collaboration assessment of Projects brainstorming sessions students are able to capabilities and match problem solving limitations teams with complementary skills of members Critical thinking ideation of solution, Projects idea presenting & students can critically elimination and focusing defending games in work approach a set of teams ideated solutions and focus on most beneficial through elimination Project base team-based work out of lab environment with sub-team or individual students efficiently work learning a solution for particular equipment and work on tasks assigned in teams to deliver problem consumables enabling by project leader solutions to real life delivery of a low problems and resolution prototype demonstrate them convincingly Creativity Empathy introductory lecture and students exercise students know how to and problem redefinition case studies emphatic assessment of emphatically assess problem from the demand and how to look consumer point of view for innovative ways of and attempt to redefine delivery through the essence of problem problem redefinition to come up with innovative solution Network building competence matching, lectures, exercises & stand-around students are trained in capacity empathy, cold call networking sessions lectures/exercises with establishing and techniques professional trainers maintaining of effective contacts in their field Innovative Practices Compendium 69 Motivation aspects means of effective self- seminars, case studies lecture by faculty and students are able to management and self- external professionals, asses problems motivation exercises with emphatically & envision competition based goals to find self- games motivation Transferability confrontation of basic seminars, site visits and pitch presentations students are able to models and low res. pitch presentation pecha kucha competitively present prototypes with real life events with presentations their ideas and capture problems professionals working in interest of decision the field makers and professionals Innovation high impact topics in seminars, open case participatory learning, students recognize their activities (present) food systems, resource studies, events prioritizing available new skills, cross-links to management & information networking, creativity environmental and transferability protection Further Information Website www.sggw.pl www.agrobiol.sggw.waw.pl Author Beata Michalska-Klimczak Warsaw University of Life Sciences- SGGW Faculty of Agriculture and Biology Department of Agronomy E-mail: beata_michalska@sggw.pl Innovative Practices Compendium 70 7.11. Botanical Gardens, Special Places to Involve Special People Jardim Botânico da Ajuda The Royal Botanic Gardens of Ajuda was founded around 1768. The gardens were planned by Domingos Vandelli and were Europe’s fifteenth and Portugal’s first botanical gardens. They are divided into two levels: the upper terrace contains a patchwork of flowerbeds that house the botanical collection, while the lower level is dominated by a large central lake that is richly ornamented with sculptures of water-related animals and is prepared for growing aquatic plants, being characterised by the perfect symmetry of their layout. Various boards of management came and went, until in 1910 the Gardens were placed under the responsibility of the Instituto Superior de Agronomia (ISA). Country Portugal Description Providing contact with nature to people with disabilities, increasing their experience and knowledge by participating in activities in accordance with their capabilities. Provide feelings of solidarity and transmission of knowledge for non-disabled people. Obtain, with the help of disabled people, the same results in the maintenance of the JBA as those obtained by non-disabled people. Provide work and a salary that allows economic independence for three people to whom the labour market was inaccessible. Focus Waste management ; pollution; conservation of natural resources; biodiversity; conservation of heritage Urban and local development; sustainable production; sustainable tourism; corporate social responsibility Community cohesion; social equity; health and quality of life; equal opportunity A Garden of all for all, a place where people of all generations and all walks of life together with ISA students, have the opportunity to collaborate in all activities, along with a very small body of workers, strengthened by help from people who work within their capabilities, among them many volunteers, some of them disabled. Further Information Website: www.jardimbotanicodajuda.com Contacts: Jardim Botânico da Ajuda, Calçada da Ajuda s/ nº, 1300-011 Lisboa, Portugal. Mail: botanicoajuda@isa.utl.pt Author: Maria Dalila Espírito Santo, Coordinator of Botanical Garden of Ajuda Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Technical University of Lisbon Innovative Practices Compendium 71 7.12. "De Sol a Sol” - a sustainable day AlumnISA, Associação de Estudantes do Instituto Superior de Agronomia (AEISA), Verde Movimento, Instituto Superior de Agronomia (ISA), Universidade Técnica de Lisboa (UTL). Consortium between the actual and former students of the ISA, Verde Movimento and the ISA/UTL Country Portugal Description Creation of a sustainable day – The "De Sol a Sol". To carry out a sustainable cultural event designed for all the UTL community, where all energy will be generated by renewable sources. A set of photovoltaic panels will be installed at the event location and will generate the energy to support the activities of the whole event. Other uses of energy from renewable sources will be demonstrated during the event activities, such as solar cookers, etc. Focus Waste management, energy efficiency, pollution, conservation of natural resources, sustainable transport, climate change, development of clean technology, reduction of gas emission. Sustainable consumption, urban and local development, sustainable trade, sustainable tourism, CSR practices, integration of environmental concerns within business decision making. Development of human capital and skills, community cohesion. The installation of photovoltaic panels is a good example for students in our Institute as in the future all energy necessary for the horticultural production area will be guaranteed by this installation. Too be 100 % sustainable for one whole day. Further Information Website www.isa.utl.pt Authors Rui Cabrita Matias Vasco Valença de Sousa Cristina Cunha-Queda Ana Rita Ramos Maria Borges Innovative Practices Compendium 72 Descriptors Content Tools Method Outcomes Indicators New technologies Energy will be Photovoltaic panels A set of photovoltaic panels will To show people different generated by Other renewable be installed at the event sustainable activities that renewable sources sources, such as location and will generate the can be easily done in our solar cookers, etc. energy to support the activities life. of whole event. Other uses of energy from renewable sources will be demonstrated during the event activities, such as solar cookers, etc. Holistic approach We expect to promote Sustainable Cultural event We expect to engage more a totally sustainable activities than 10,000 students. cultural. Collaboration Between actual and Facilities and Consortium Engagement of population former students of the capacities of from UTL and other ISA, Verde Movimento, consortium universities involvement in ISA/UTL and civil partners to social and cultural life society collaborate Critical thinking Applying new Use of good Comparison of energy Participants will be able to technologies to save examples to consumptions for the different realize the benefits and energy demonstrate how methods constraints we can contribute to a sustainable life Project base learning Participants from Case studies Evaluation of benefits and Adaptation of results and different disciplines constraints solutions work together in areas concerning the 4 pillars of ESD Creativity How to be sustainable SD activities Practical examples of SD Stimulate people to be activities sustainable in their life Network building UTL is merging with SD activities Practical examples of SD UTL and other Life Sciences capacity another Portuguese activities that can be easily Universities in Portugal University; when developed at the universities merged the new university will be the biggest Portuguese university Internationalization Life Sciences, social SD activities Practical examples of SD UTL and other Life Sciences sciences and activities Universities in Europe and economics all over the World Interdisciplinarity Life Sciences, social SD activities Practical examples of SD To show to the people the sciences and activities SD Pillars economics Motivation aspects Stimulate the curiosity Activities during SD activities experience during Participants may be of participants the event one day interested to reproduce and adapt the experiences in their own life Transferability To be the first SD activities Practical examples of SD Practices that can be example of SD within activities adopted by other the national universities universities Innovation activities Stimulate people to be SD activities Demonstration of SD activities Be 100% sustainable for one (present) sustainable in their life whole day event. Innovative Practices Compendium 73 7.13. Learning regions in Slovenia with polygons within nature International Centre for ecoremediation The International Centre for ecoremediation was established at the University of Maribor, Faculty of Arts, with the goal of developing new integrated knowledge relating to the economy, environment and society. Throughout history nature has developed incredible buffer capabilities. These processes can be used because of the rapid development of knowledge we possess and which has improved our quality of life. The application of natural processes to protect the environment is called Ecoremediation, a concept that is acknowledged in Slovenia as being associated with exceptional development opportunity. Traditionally good relationships exist between West Balkan countries and consequently we wish to recognise this development potential in this part of Europe as well. THEMATIC SCOPE: 1. Ecosystem technologies 2. Education for Ecoremediations 3. Application of Ecoremediations 4. Knowledge transfer 5. Examples of Best practices and Opportunities for participation. Country Slovenia Description The aim of the project Learning regions in Slovenia with polygons in nature for learning about ecoremediations, self-sufficient supply and SD was to establish innovative and experimental conditions for the generation of knowledge and functioning of natural and built ecosystems, which is needed to achieve SD of the local environment. Thus, the specific objectives of the project were as follows:  Designing and implementing the conditions and their realisation in the field of education through direct experience.  Increasing the capacity for autonomous decision-making in favour of the protection of nature and the environment. Innovative design of learning materials for experiential education is based on the acquisition of personal experience and research approach.  Development of programmes, which are intended for use under the established conditions for education. Programmes are based on educational achievements and they develop skills at all stages of Bloom's classification. Educational institutions receive these programmes to develop the proactive approaches of education for SD. The programmes are also designed to prepare the system bases for the mandatory practice of Innovative Practices Compendium 74 biotechnology schools.  Creation of models, concepts and a systemic basis within primary and secondary education with the aim of SD being used as an ecosystem approach to protect nature and the environment, which is the basis of the survival of mankind. Focus Conservation of natural resources, protection of natural resources with ecoremediations; using permaculture for protecting and using natural resources; Local development; Development of human skills; social equity Learning Polygons have a major impact on local SD, thus helping to develop the local environment, as well as the inclusion of a wider crowd of local people who have become part of the development. Such education polygons have an impact on the educational system in Slovenia, because of the increasing interest in experiential education in classrooms in nature, which are polygons, as well as they deliver the SD of the local area. We will establish an International Eco remediation Network, the main purpose of which is to efficiently connect partners within the area of Eco remediation to ensure more appropriate SD in Europe. Descriptors Content Tools Method Outcomes Indicators New technologies Ecoremediations and Nature's Classroom, Experiential Developing new natural permaculture approaches are which is composed of: education based approaches, which are based on natural approaches, which learning polygon for on experiments experimental and experiential through the work of nature self-sufficiency and and experience. learning. This new natural imitating clean environment ecoremediations in It also approaches solve pollution, maintain the balance Dole, learning paths encourages environmental problems and in the environment and retain and bike paths. All team working, enhance ecosystem services in the quality of the individual learning places are where learners the local area and provide elements in nature (water, air equipped with didactic are trained how opportunities for development and soil) that these ecosystems educational items and to work in a within the natural balance that can perform their functions learning boards. team and they ensures healthy and quality and offer the services, which can realize that living environment. provide a healthy life. a group can do Development of this natural more as an technologies in the local area is individual. also the opportunity for the employment of local population, consequently this also represent the economic and social stability. Holistic approach Education is holistically Nature's Classroom, Experiential The holistic approach to conducted. It is based on which is composed of: education based education in the classroom in experience, which is necessary learning polygon for on experiments nature, which even includes all for a sustainable solution of the self-sufficiency and and experience. aspects of the SD and ethics, is problems, where are involved ecoremediations in It also enabling people to change their all aspects of the development: Dole, learning paths encourages behaviour and habits, in order environmental, social, and bike paths. This all team working, to start making goals of the economic, legal aspect and also learning places are where learners development that can actually the ethical aspect. equipped with didactic are trained how achieve the SD and ensure a educational items and to work in a healthy living environment. learning boards. team and they Also, learners acquire can realize that knowledge that can be a group can do transferred to their home more as an environment. individual. Innovative Practices Compendium 75 Collaboration Cooperation takes place on Nature's Classroom, Experiential Experiential learning and several levels. First and which is composed of: education is teamwork with the experiment foremost, we work with learning polygon for based on learning in the classroom in the educational institutions and self-sufficiency and fieldwork, nature can enable learning on the local environment. ecoremediations in experiments, the specific problems; learners Education learning is different, Dole, learning paths research and can find workable solutions that because they learn on concrete and bike paths. All team are sustainable. examples and experience. This learning places are collaboration. Teamwork, which brings allows them to learn on their equipped with didactic together different generations own with experiments and to educational items and of people brings acquire new knowledge, but learning boards. intergenerational respect and also to learn responsibility lifelong learning. towards the environment. Research and experiments on in Locals come to us for new the classroom in nature bring skills, that enable them to new results, which have a know how to check what significant impact on the quality of soil and water they decision-making bodies at local have, how they can use natural and national levels. substances to improve soil quality and plant health and how it can be grown in a small space and produce much food. We also work with various decision-making bodies at the municipal and state levels, which are presented to support decision makers in the field of environment and SD. Critical thinking Problems in the environment Nature's Classroom, Experiential Experiential learning that takes need to be critically solved, if which is composed of: education based place in the form of set in we do not want to cause even learning polygon for on experiments advance and known cases greater problems. Therefore, self-sufficiency and and experience. enable the learners to develop education in the classroom in ecoremediations in It also critical thinking. The nature, which is based on the Dole, learning paths encourages experiences enable them to experience, that enables the and bike paths. All team working, explain the causes and problem-solving approach with learning places are where learners consequences, and to defend a critical thinking, which is the equipped with didactic are trained how their decisions. Results of those basis to learn how to assess a educational items and to work in a learning approaches include an variety of different choices, learning boards. team and they effect on the behaviour change learn to find the causes and can realize that of learners, greater individual consequences of the decisions a group can do responsibility and knowledge and learn to argue the more as an transfer. accepted decisions. individual. Project base Education in the classroom in Nature's Classroom, Experiential Learners will acquire lifelong learning nature is lifelong learning which is composed of: education of the skills in the field of the oriented. Learners learn about learning polygon for individual, environmental protection and natural approaches named self-sufficiency and where can one the production of healthy food ecoremediations, they acquire ecoremediations in with the help of and they acquire knowledge knowledge how to clean and Dole, learning paths experimental how can be increased protect the environment. Also and bike paths. All work acquire ecosystem services. they learn about learning places are new knowledge, Ecoremediations and - permaculture as a way of self- equipped with didactic which can be permaculture arrangements are sufficiency, which saves natural educational items and transferred to provided with minimal financial resources and provides a learning boards. their living contributions and have the healthy food and, consequently, environment. maximum impact. - about the healthy lifestyle in an environment where a natural balance is achieved and - the action of ecosystem services that provide a healthy and quality living environment. Obtained knowledge in the classroom in nature is transferred to the local environment on the way of the designed projects. Creativity The desire and motivation of Nature's Classroom, Experiential Linking experience and the people to organize for which is composed of: education of the achieving new knowledge with Innovative Practices Compendium 76 them-selves healthy and self- learning polygon for individuals who the experiential learning sufficient life forces them to be self-sufficiency and can use encourage people to engage in creative. Therefore, learners in ecoremediations in experimental creative thinking, in particular if the classroom in nature first Dole, learning paths work to acquire the new knowledge can be learn about the features and and bike paths. All new knowledge, transferred to their home operation of ecoremediation learning places are which can be environment and help them and permaculture organization. equipped with didactic transferred to improve their living After that they go with this educational items and their living environment. knowledge to experiential learning boards.. environment. learning in the nature. With the experiences and new knowledge they develop with their creativity creative solutions for the problems. Network building Improving the living Organizing the Experiential Networking enables the capacity environment through the workshops on the learning, dissemination of the knowledge ecoremediations and the different places in the teamwork. about ecoremediation permaculture enables classroom in nature for approaches and permaculture networking, because it the mutual discussion and the transfer of knowledge presents the best practices, and knowledge and practice into other contexts knowledge transfer, inter- transfer. to improve the quality of the generational socialization and environment, conserve natural the need for lifelong learning to resources, and ensure the improve people’s living greatest possible level of self- environment. sufficiency. Internationalization Improving the living Organizing the various Experiential Transfer of knowledge of the environment through study visits, working learning, use of ecoremediation to ecoremediation and groups to discover the teamwork. eliminate environmental permaculture to best practices in the pollution and enhance internationalization, as people classroom in the nature ecosystem services and from abroad, who have the through the knowledge of permaculture to same environmental, social and experiential education. protect natural resources and to economic problems, can see increase the self-sufficiency of the examples of good practice, the company. As a result, thus intergenerational socializing, making the SD of the local and the need for lifelong environment. learning, improve the living environment, obtain new skills that contribute to successful solution of the problems and ensure SD. Interdisciplinary Ecoremediations prove that Nature's Classroom, Experiential Interdisciplinarity allows the one can use natural which is composed of: education is dissemination of the knowledge approaches and exploit the learning polygon for based on about ecoremediation natural resources, eliminate self-sufficiency and fieldwork, approaches and permaculture pollution in the environment ecoremediations in experiments, and the transfer of knowledge and use natural resources to Dole, learning paths research and and practice in other contexts preserve health. Permaculture and bike paths. All team to improve the quality of the provides self-sufficiency, which learning places are collaboration. environment, conserve natural results from the content of the equipped with didactic resources, and ensure the closed-in circuit and enables educational items and greatest possible level of self- the understanding of waste as learning boards. sufficiency. material for further use. This can best be achieved by connecting the different areas. Experiential learning in the classroom in nature connects geography, environmental education, biology, chemistry, agriculture, economics, technology ... so all the natural and social science areas which are necessary for the SD of the environment. Motivation aspects Living in a healthy Nature's Classroom, Experiential Students learn the processes environment, where is which is composed of: education is and management of Innovative Practices Compendium 77 achieved the natural balance learning polygon for based on ecoremediation and and function of ecosystem self-sufficiency and fieldwork, permaculture. They can easily functions and services is ecoremediations in experiments, transfer these new skills to their motivation for everyone. So Dole, learning paths research and home, and can use these the learners in the natural and bike paths. All team natural approaches for natural classroom learn about the learning places are collaboration. protection with little money possibilities, how can they on equipped with didactic themselves. So they can easily their own provide such an educational items and ensure a healthy living environment with preserving learning boards. environment and self- natural resources and sufficiency with new practical producing a healthy food. Eco- knowledge. remediation and permaculture allow this. These are natural approaches, which can provide every person with big effects and minimal financial resources. This self- independence regulation of healthy environment raises motivation for learning and practical work. Transferability Outdoor and experiential Nature's Classroom, Experiential Learners are learning on the learning about solving which is composed of: education is concrete examples of the environmental problems, learning polygon for based on natural approaches, which solve protection of natural resources self-sufficiency and fieldwork, the environmental pollution and increasing self-sufficiency ecoremediations in experiments, and natural sources. They are developed on the Dole, learning paths research and acquire knowledge about the permaculture and and bike paths. All team operation, design, construction ecoremediations approaches. learning places are collaboration. and management of The learners learn first about equipped with didactic ecoremediations and the structure and function of educational items and permaculture arrangements. the approach. Then they try to learning boards. This knowledge can be easy test its effectiveness. So they transferable in their home learn about the integrated environment. operation and are able to critically evaluate the usefulness of one of represented natural systems. Learning on the case conquers the transferable skills, which are life-long skills that a person needs and looks for, because one can by oneself be able to build and make certain natural approaches. This knowledge is heterogeneous and can provide different solutions with multiple affects and ensure SD. Innovation activities Outdoor and experiential Nature's Classroom, Experiential Self-learning in the classroom in (present) education happens in the which is composed of: education based nature, which happens on classroom in nature. There are learning polygon for on experiments different places with different learners who learn on concrete self-sufficiency and and experience. environmental or social examples. On them they do ecoremediations in It also problems, is guided and so the some tests and experiments. Dole, learning paths encourages learners have the opportunity With this they learn by them- and bike paths. All team working, to acquire new skills by them- selves and acquire new skills, learning places are where learners self through their own work which can be transferred to equipped with didactic are trained how (experiment, test). With this their home environment. With educational items and to work in a can learners achieve some skills this experiential and learning boards. team and they for livelong and they can see, experimental work they also can realize that that this knowledge is learn to be critical and a group can do usefulness. So they have responsible at the same time. more as an possibility to transfer this individual. knowledge and skills to their environment. Innovative Practices Compendium 78 Further Information Website http://www.ucilnicavnaravi.si/ Authors Ana Vovk Korže and Mojca Kokot Krajnc University of Maribor, Faculty of Arts International Centre for Ecoremediation www.erm.uni-mb.si E-mail: ana.vovk@um.si Innovative Practices Compendium 79 7.14. Management of pests, diseases, and weeds Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU – Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet), Faculty of Landscape Planning, Horticulture and Agricultural Sciences. SLU is one of Sweden’s most research-intensive universities, charged with the task of developing sustainable management and the use of biological natural resources. Education and research at the university spans a spectrum from genes and molecules to biodiversity, animal health, sustainable forestry, food supply, societal planning and sustainable urban and rural development, as well as global phenomena such as climate change and its effects. Mission Statement SLU develops the understanding and sustainable use and management of biological natural resources. This is achieved by research, education and environmental monitoring and assessment, in collaboration with the surrounding community. Vision "SLU is a world-class university within the fields of life and environmental sciences." Country Sweden Description The course gives fundamental understandings of the application of such basic disciplines as biology, ecology and technology for environmentally-sound and the sustainable management of pests, diseases and weeds in horticultural crops. The course follows up on species knowledge and principles from basic plant protection courses aiming at management programmes that are logical, practical and can be adopted by farmers. On completion of the course the students will: • Explain the fundamental applications and integration of such basic disciplines as biology, ecology and technology for the developing of the sustainable management of pests, diseases and weeds in crops that are logical, practical and possible to adopt by farmers • Explain the definition of integrated pest management and its historical background. • Have knowledge of and describe the authorities’ responsibilities in plant protection issues in the agricultural sector within a European perspective. • Explaining the environmental impacts of different pest management strategies. Innovative Practices Compendium 80 Focus Important problems with pests, diseases and weeds especially in horticulture are addressed both traditionally and within the concept of integrated pest management and organic farming. During the course students carry out several study excursions to farms. During these visits they practise their skills in communication with farmers, comprising farming practices as well as social and political aspects of farming. The students showed progressive skills in the sustainability of production systems for horticultural and agricultural crops during the course. Through the different pedagogic methods used in the course and the large focus on individual work and discussion the students matured in their relationships to questions of sustainability and especially on plant protection issues. At the end of the course the students showed much more integrated and cohesive knowledge about sustainability within plant protection. The students understand and work with questions connected to sustainability. Descriptors Content Tools Method Outcomes Indicators New technologies Evaluation of new pest Blended learning Analysing international Learners design new management and national journals production strategies and interviewing system in the context stakeholders of pest management Holistic approach Pests are evaluated as Blended learning Learners develop Learners understand a part of the of the hypotheses and visions the importance of production system and about pest including pest theories are based in management management in the science of ecology design of the cropping system Collaboration Learners and lecturers Excursion Discussion and Learners understand work in a participatory problem solving the importance of way collaboration Critical thinking Through analysing Case studies Internet based case Learners understand different production studies the complexities of the systems and discussing cropping system them Project base learning Students work Case studies Workshop Learners develop together to solve a skills to solve a complex problem complex problem and to collaborate Creativity Group work to learn The students create an Students present to Learners developed how to present editorial office stakeholders pest skills in presentation complex situations management problems techniques Network building capacity Building network Contacts with relevant Independent practices Learners develop during their stakeholders cooperative skills independent work Internationalization Exchange with International projects Presentation of Learners develop an international partners international international projects/cases by understanding of the visiting scientists curriculum Innovative Practices Compendium 81 Interdisciplinarity Learning across the Excursion Group or team work Learners are curriculum introduced to solving complex problems in the context of pest management Motivation aspects The learning Blended learning Analysing farms Learners show an environment are students have visited interest in handling performed to create or E-cases. new challenges curiosity Transferability Students synthesize Collaboration Applying their Learners integrate part of their Individual work knowledge in new their knowledge in new knowledge situations situations Innovation activities (present) The course is based on All activities Get students to reflect Reflecting and critically innovation pedagogic on their own learning thinking students to get the students motivated to go on learning Further Information Website http://www.slu.se/en/education/courses/?kurskod=BI0904 Author Birgitta Rämert Department of Plant Protection Biology E-mail: birgitta.ramert@slu.se Innovative Practices Compendium 82 7.15. Green Academy University of Forestry, Sofia The University of Forestry, ( Bulgarian: Лесотехнически университет — София (ЛТУ), often abbreviated as LTU) established in 1923 is located in Sofia. Formerly a division of Sofia university and after that Higher Forestry Institute it was renamed the University of Forestry with the Decree of the National Assembly of Bulgaria dated 27th of July 1995. The University of Forestry has two Forestry Training and Research Centres and one Training and Experimental Field Station. For more than 90 years the University of Forestry has been the only university in Bulgaria providing education in forestry, forest industry and landscape architecture. In the 1990s the range of scientific fields was expanded to include ecology, agronomy, veterinary medicine and business management. In the mid 1990’s the University adopted the three-level degree system of bachelor, master, and doctor degrees. At that time it also introduced the European Credit Transfer System. The motto of the University is Bulgarian traditions and European standards in education. As an educational institution the University of Forestry strives to establish an academic environment in which values such as professionalism, freedom of speech and thought, humanism, collaboration and tolerance are encouraged. The Green Academy - an extension activity of Biological resources extension service (BIOREX) at the University of Forestry – Sofia. The University of Forestry (UF) in Sofia is the “Green Bulgarian University”. The mission of the university is to disseminate knowledge within a broad range of subjects in the field of forestry, wood processing and furniture industry, engineering design, ecology and environmental protection, landscape architecture, agriculture and veterinary medicine, and the management of the activities in these fields. Country Bulgaria Description • Both education and research at UF have multidisciplinary character beyond traditional engineering study covering almost all aspects of bio-economy. The Biological Resources Extension service BIOREX was developed within the framework of project funded by the USA for the Bulgaria Foundation. • Conducting information events “Green academy” is one of the core activities of the extension service BIOREX. • The Academies is a meeting point between academy, administration, businesses, and local communities. • Amongst the lecturers are representatives of the University of Forestry, Executive forest agency, Bulgarian food safety agency, Ministry of agriculture and food, Agricultural academy etc. Innovative Practices Compendium 83 Focus The Green Academy is focused on the following topics: forests and their products, environment and biodiversity, agriculture, home and garden, food and health. The conducted so far green academies were hosted by vocational schools what allowed the involvement of young people in the idea of extension. The programme of events was set up on the basis of the preliminary need for identifying the region. Presentations, exhibitions and discussions, allowed the participants to exchange ideas concerning selected topics. Further Information Website http://www.Ltu.bg Authors Nidal Shaban University of Forestry Sofia, Bulgaria Faculty of Agronomy E-mail: nidalshaban@abv.bg Iman Mussa Kadhum Agricultural Academy Sofia, Bulgaria E-mail: kadhumi@yahoo.com Innovative Practices Compendium 84 7.16. Practical questionnaire University of Forestry Sofia, Agricultural Faculty This innovation practice was created within the University of Forestry, Agricultural Faculty (for details see 7.15.). The questionnaires are focused on problems concerning mushroom production in Bulgaria. They could be adapted for other disciplines. The total questions are 20, divided in three main groups – technological, economic and social. The students receive the blank document at the beginning of the course. The students are independent when forming work teams, selecting area and object to investigate and analyse the collected data. During the second half of the semester the students present their results and discuss with other colleagues and the teacher, sometimes the business partners are invited to participate in this event. The final assessments at the end of the course include significant parts of the knowledge received during this innovative activity. The mission of this questionnaire is to activate students’ efforts and disseminate knowledge received in real situations to other people using different forms (PPT, conferences etc.). Country Bulgaria Description • The questionnaire has both education and research characteristic focused on agricultural topics. The questionnaire was developed and inspired of our participation in ISLE project. • The total questions are divided in three main groups – technological, economic, and social. • This questionnaire is easy to be adopted and use from another agronomic disciplines. Focus The mission of this questionnaire is to activate students’ efforts and disseminate knowledge received in real situations to another people. Evaluation of a questionnaire for lectures in mushroom growing, vegetable production or similar includes 20 questions about the farmers, area of interest, profit, growing technology and phytosanitary problems, possibilities to participate and be granted from public funds. Students split it to the farmers and collect and analyse data and present them to the seminars with colleagues, teachers, and growers. Innovative Practices Compendium 85 Further Information Authors Nidal Shaban, Sergey Bistrichanov University of Forestry Sofia, Faculty of Agronomy, Bulgaria E-mail: nidalshaban@abv.bg Iman Mussa Kadhum, Agricultural Academy Sofia, Bulgaria E-mail: kadhumi@yahoo.com Innovative Practices Compendium 86 7.17. Practices MON BG – National project of BG Government University of Forestry, Sofia – beneficent of BG Government University of Forestry (for details see 7.16.) is active participant in this action. The main targets of the project are: to improve the quality of education by providing opportunities to gain experience and improve the practical skills of students from universities in accordance with the needs of the labour market; to facilitate the transition from education institutions to the workplace and increase the successful realisation of young people into the labour market; to support and encourage the development of strong partnerships between educational institutions and business; to increase incentives for students at every level of their education (BSc and MSc) to participate in additional practical training in a real work environment; to stimulate growth in the number of students who find a job immediately after graduation; to provide the conditions for updating both the curriculum as a whole, and taught subjects, courses and topics according to the needs of the labour market; to support the establishment of sustainable mechanisms and opportunities, employers’ selection of students who have proven skills within a real working environment, and their direct involvement in the labour market. Country Bulgaria Description  Activities on methodological, technical and administrative procedures to ensure the conduct of student placements.  Development of methods, materials and programmes.  Creation and maintenance of a web - platform and modules for service coordination process and implementation of student placement.  Training of functional experts.  Coordination and provision of student placements.  Organisation of information campaigns among employers.  Recruiting employers.  Organisation of information campaigns amongst students and teachers  Application, recruitment, approval of students, training, implementation and certification of student practice within a real work environment.  Perform the on-going monitoring of activities by conducting student placements. Multiplying and transparency of the process and of the implementation of student placements. Focus The Practices MON BG – National project of BG Government is focused on the following topics: students, academic staff, employers, and the current situation of the labour market. The implementation of the project enlarges the connections between educators, trainers and Innovative Practices Compendium 87 employers. It gives a chance to establish and research real problems and to go on towards sustainable agricultural practices and to improve educational system in Universities. Further Information Website http:// http://praktiki.mon.bg Authors Nidal Shaban and Sergey Bistrichanov University of Forestry Sofia, Bulgaria Faculty of Agronomy E-mail: nidalshaban@abv.bg Innovative Practices Compendium 88 7.18. Agro-environmental chemistry – a (requisitely) holistic view University of Maribor, Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences The mission of the University of Maribor is based on the quest for knowledge, authenticity, creativity, freedom of spirit, cooperation, and the exchange of information in science, arts and education. In its concern for humanity and SD, the University of Maribor enriches our store of knowledge, strengthens humanist values, raises our level of awareness, a culture of dialogue, and the quality of life and justice throughout the world. The University of Maribor will be a globally recognized ecosystem of innovation in which the students, faculty and administrative staff will enthusiastically engage in creative activity. The vision of the FALS is to become an educational, research and economy-integrating centre of European importance, where superb knowledge will be created and later spread amongst domestic and foreign graduates at all study levels, as well as into the technological knowledge of agricultural holdings and companies. We wish to become a renowned European centre with intensive exchanges of professors, researchers and students. The FALS's vision in connecting with corporations is to become a development incubator and a place for demonstrating and analysing alternative technological and business processes in agriculture, food processing and environmentalism. The FALS wishes to become an important factor in the creation of the agricultural, economic and environmental policies of the Republic of Slovenia (RS) and a European factor in these areas. Agro-environmental chemistry is a course of the 1st level study programme Agriculture and the Environment, which started in 2014/2015. Country: Slovenia Description A requisitely holistic approach to agro chemistry of the atmosphere, hydrosphere and the terrestrial environment evoked by the discussion Environmental burden resulting from agricultural production and their tracking Effects of increased intake of nutrients in agricultural ecosystems, balanced nutrient cycling Soil pollution (sources and types of pollution, organic (pesticides…) and inorganic pollutants (heavy metals) Measures to protect the quality of air, soil, surface water and groundwater Recycling of agricultural waste; Ecodesign – “waste equals food” Environmental protection in agriculture: protection and recovery of the polluted soil, cleaning of the polluted soil, ecoremediation, wetlands, water protection, biodiversity, renewable energy Sustainable environmental agro-chemistry Innovative Practices Compendium 89 Social issues and the environment: effects, the burden, human responsibility, risk, environmental ethics, human ecology, ethical values Food system studies – local food self-sufficiency and their importance Food chemistry – food as the medicine of nature Vegetarian food Alkaline and acid food Raw food chemistry Natural laws that are governing geo-, bio-and social systems Bio-energy Specific examples Focus The aim of this course is to educate and train students to integrate different skills in order to recognise and analyse environmental problems and to evaluate options for addressing them. The purpose of this course is to acquaint students with the requisitely holistic approach to agro-environmental protection. Learning and teaching methods: a requisitely holistic approach to learning, use of »Open space« moderator tools, ongoing discussion between students and lecturer, opinions pro and contra. Agro-environmental chemistry is a case study course, which includes all pillars of SD connected through the content (syllabus outline) with a requisitely holistic approach. The environmental dimension refers to the consumption of resources (energy, water, and minerals), pollution (soil, water, and air), waste reduction, transport, organic food, land use and cultivation practices, short local supply chains... The economic dimension is reflected in cost reduction, possible foundations, environment-friendly goods and services, including the local self-sufficiency of organic food, emphasising the importance of a vegetarian diet and raw food. The social dimension of the course includes cooperation within and with the wider community, environmental awareness raising and promoting values. Participants have the opportunity to learn the importance of respecting ethical values and social responsibility. Students will know the environmental impact of agriculture, environmental protection measures and conservation of multi-functionality in rural areas. Critical thinking. Ability to adapt quickly to situations. Taking independent decisions. Further Information Website http://www.fk.uni-mb.si/fkbv/ Author Vesna Weingerl University of Maribor, Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Slovenia Chair of chemistry, agrochemistry and pedology E-mail: vesna.weingerl@um.si Innovative Practices Compendium 90 Descriptors Content Tools Method Outcomes Indicators New technologies Using new technologies Open space moderation tool, Stimulation of the Open minded, critical participants understand video, e-library, social media, interactivity of the and reflective complex/global problem ISLE tools. participants and participants teaching staff to choose the applicable idea. Holistic approach Participants connect their Participants elaborate, Problem-based Participants develop a open mind, transcend their present and discuss seminar learning, opinions pro requisitely holistic traditional boundaries, works, express their and contra, tutoring, approach to connecting the importance opinions, points of view. capability to think sustainable agro- of the respect for ethical Open space moderation tool. about connecting environmental values and social different aspects, open chemistry issue. responsibility with space principles. sustainable agro- environmental chemistry topic Collaboration Ongoing collaboration is Humans should be humans Personal skill of the Integration of established in a creative to the human being. moderator to find a disciplines. atmosphere; discussion Listening to others, respect solution for excellent Collaboration among about the topic takes place each other, encouraging that team work. participants and with partially inside small each participant expresses Consultative team teachers. Discussion groups, partially in the the best of one-self learning to find easy for acceptable and entire group of participants and innovative reliable solutions. solutions and to create synergetic effects Critical thinking To create the capacity to The analysis of the case Ongoing controversial Participants express develop the problem studies, ongoing discussion, discussion, opinions pro individual way of looking for better expression of participant and contra thinking solutions, participants are opinions Evaluation of case faced with actual problems studies, analysis, results Project base learning Ability to see agro- Seminar work presentations, Public discussions. Participants are able environmental chemistry round tables, workshops Evaluation of the to adapt quickly to issues as a linking space results. Involvement in situations. Taking concerning the 4 pillars of the project work. independent ESD (ethics, society, decisions. ecology and economy) Creativity Apply innovative proposals Round tables, workshops, Brainstorming, open Participants present a in real situations. seminar work presentations, space moderation tool, new design to Mediating diverse opinions video challenge. opinions pro and transfer the of all participants. contra, tutoring, knowledge in knowledge sharing unfamiliar situations. Open minded creativity of participants. Network building Networking capability. Internships and collaboration Informal learning, use Participants develop capacity with civil society, NGO’s and of social media tools. management skills governmental institutions in Co-working. Ideas like and cooperative local and global levels. ISLE video challenge for competencies. students. Internationalization Participants from all International participant in Participation of Participants exchange Universities welcome! exchanges encourages new students from other their experiences and Ethical relationship with point of views countries with different their knowledge international partners point of views. Interdisciplinarity Agro-environmental Interdisciplinary working Team teaching. Invited Participants are able chemistry is a case study groups. lectures. to present complex course. It includes all pillars information and to of SD, connected through argue controversial the content with a issues. They are able requisitely holistic to understand the approach. necessity of inter- Innovative Practices Compendium 91 disciplinarity Motivation aspects Teacher’s capability to Teacher’s frame of mind to Participants submit Increasing of the motivate students is a key provide useful knowledge their opinions; ongoing employment and self- that makes participants which inspires participants to discussion, opinions pro employment capacity proactive with many became proactive. Co- and contra motivate of the participants by questions, aspirations, working. students to co-work. motivating them to conscious. elaborate a seminar A motivation leads us work in such a way, through the end of the day, that it could be the but inspiration leads us basis of their own through the whole life! company. Transferability Content of the agro- The teaching tools can be The teaching method Applying knowledge environmental chemistry applied in other courses and can be applied in other and skills course can be applied in other countries courses and other independently other countries. It is countries applicable also in other course cases. Innovation activities The main innovation Inspired participants develop Participants have to Increasing of the (present) aspects concern the their own personal niche elaborate, present and employment and self- requisitely holistic which leads to the discuss their own ideas employment capacity approach, project-based establishment of ideas how of the participants by learning, the network- to start their own business specific skills. building capacity, motivation aspect, creativity and the interdisciplinarity of the agro-environmental chemistry course. Innovative Practices Compendium 92 8. GAPS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS The Innovative Practices Compendium gave rise to significant findings. Among the innovative practices shown, emergent signs of innovative ideas in the teaching of SD within life sciences are evident in the reports dealing with the extraction of good practices published in the Compendium Good Practices (Chiodo, 2013) during the same ISLE project. A number of gaps in teaching, skills, competences and useful knowledge might set a useful agenda for the further evolution of teaching the sustainable development in the area of life sciences. Especially regarding the ethical and social pillars of SD, there is a huge gap for further research and intervention strategy by the politicians. The more common barriers in SD teaching in EU universities nowadays are:  lack of awareness/ignorance/laziness  professors' resistance to changes  lack of cooperation  lack of coordination between subjects and professors  complexity/ interdisciplinarity  new curricula are needed Leticia Chico Santamarta, an excellent teacher from the ISLE partner institution Harper Adams, UK, wrote on Facebook: “It is sad leaving the office late to finish a presentation but the feeling is even worse when you see your students completely wasted in the street! I just wonder why I have put so much effort in preparing the lecture, if tomorrow they will not even listen to what I have to say (and they will all be covered in blue paint, because they will have to answer all the questions).” One of the biggest gaps in the teaching of SD nowadays is the demotivation of students. How to motivate them? How to even inspire them? It is very important just to listen to them, to give them power that their opinions are equal to teachers’ opinions. Who is right anyway? Are teachers right with all their knowledge and experiences or the open-minded, unrestricted students? I asked my seventeen year old son Sebastjan, who is almost a student, for his opinion on students’ demotivation. After a while he replied: “they are trying to prove themselves, not knowing that knowledge is going to improve their existence”. Motivation leads us through at the end of the day, but inspiration leads us throughout our whole lives. We’d all like to live in prosperity. Nowadays it is obvious that the path to prosperity travels through the wisdom of respecting all pillars of SD, especially ethical - social ones. Useful knowledge of SD is going to improve our existence, that’s why it is so important to attain this knowledge. Innovative Practices Compendium 93 9. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS The biggest problems nowadays started with our education; thus learning is not only individual, but is also a social phenomenon. It is the right time for the development of systemic, i.e. requisitely holisitic, innovations. According to HEFCE’s (2009) vision our starting point is that over the next years the higher education sector “will be recognised as a major contributor to society’s efforts to achieve sustainability – through the skills and knowledge that its graduates learn and put into practice, its research and exchange of knowledge through business, community and public policy engagement, and through its own strategies and operations.” For this reason Sustainable Development education has to become a central issue for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). As observed by UNESCO Associated Schools (2011), Ministries of Education worldwide are currently examining how to introduce and reinforce the SD dimension throughout the curricula, in the training of teachers, in extra-curricular activities and in non- formal education. So an approach that considers all these aspects - and possibly also their interrelationships – is necessary. (Chiodo, 2013) The objective of the work carried out in the WP6 working group of the ISLE project has contributed to these goals with the selection and presentation of innovative practices connected with SD education in Higher Education Institutions (HESD). All Innovative Practices were chosen for their attention to transferability, inter- and trans- disciplinary approaches to ESD, the attention to achieving tangible results, the involvement of local communities and the bottom-up approach, the importance of partnerships and networking, the capacity building and the innovations of the initiatives. The described innovative practices can be replicated in other contexts present all over Europe. Detailed recommendations for the innovative teaching of SD are described in Chapters 4, 6 and 7 of this report. Education and learning processes within virtual environments require responsibility and self- initiative from each individual. The success of virtual learning depends on mutual relationships, communication, and group motivation. Experiences showed that when the tutor was included within the educational process and was active, the group was more motivated and the work was done according to the work plan. A tutor has to be a person who students can trust, somebody who is interested in their work, progress, and is personally involved in the process. Interdisciplinary and trans-disciplinary approaches are the most suitable approaches in educating for sustainability. Moreover, SD needs disciplines to transcend their traditional boundaries and move towards a holistic concept, able to integrate regarding socio-economic, ethical, and environmental questions. The main goal nowadays isn’t the solutions to theoretical questions but the changes in the values of society and in the behaviour of the people, starting from the practitioners of the education process. The teacher’s mind-set is a key to the education of SD. With our society and our world within sight of a major breakdown from resource scarcity and subsequent political conflict, it has become crucial that we face up to the need for a radical shift, beginning with a change of perception inside each one of us. Our survival depends on learning the very lessons of empathy, responsibility, self-control, and humility. Innovative Practices Compendium 94 The acceptance of whole food, plant-based diet model for all programmes taught at universities seems to be one of the more important innovations in the teaching of SD within life sciences. Today’s students will be tomorrow’s leaders, intellectuals, and they will handle the authority and power, so the mission of HEIs must be to give them not only the know-how but also and above all the VCEN (values/culture/ethics/norms). Precisely because of this power that it is very important to speak out regarding spiritual topics with students and educate them to be specialists who are skilled in handling power and influence in their professional activities. HEIs teachers must grasp the significant importance of allowing the younger generation to stay open-minded and to use this open mind-set to research their environment and just to tutor them into acquiring their own requisitely holistic points of view. It seems to be a reasonable way to teach this younger generation how to also acquire useful knowledge about things that we, their teachers, don’t understand. Recommendations: Open space principles, opinions “pro” and “contra”, problem-based learning, tutoring (tutor as mediator), knowledge sharing, VCEN (values/culture/ethics/norms) exposing honesty and reliability, interdependence and requisite holism. It is time that teachers allow students, as young as they are, to also teach them - the teachers. This seems to be the most important recommendation - innovation in teaching of SD, especially within life sciences. Teaching is needed which provides the participants with knowledge that changes their lives. We need green, generative, and researching higher education institutions for the makeover of economy and society. Useful knowledge of SD is going to improve our existence, that’s why it is so important to attain this knowledge. Nowadays it is obvious that the path to prosperity travels through the wisdom and VCEN of respecting and realising all pillars of SD. The students may become protagonists of the learning process and of the interaction between HEIs and civil society. Relationships that can be realized between HEIs and civil society, with particular regard to local communities, are very important. Partnerships amongst different institutions are created for better achieving the goals on ESD, networks are created to share knowledge and experiences within universities, links between universities and business are achieved for better defining the field of application of ESD and to spread innovation amongst enterprises. Increasing the role of HEIs within society contributes not only to their fundamental tasks of research and education, but also for the activities of local people’s involvement, dissemination, diffusion of new approaches to social and environmental issues, and social innovation. The Innovative Practices Compendium presents several types of innovations: in the topics (globalisation, healthier lifestyles, energy production and consumption, green procurement, social inclusion), in the methods (multi-stakeholders and participatory approaches, usages of new technologies, new learning methods, inter-disciplinary and trans-disciplinary approaches) and in the capacity of building an institutional and cultural framework favourable to SD education. Education is a key instrument for bringing about changes in values and attitudes, skills, behaviours and lifestyles consistent with sustainable development (UNESCO Associated Schools, 2011). The conditions for success of the presented initiatives are not only linked to the capacity of providing students with new knowledge, practical skills and competencies, but Innovative Practices Compendium 95 above all they are linked to the widespread adoption of new values, attitudes and behaviour aimed at contributing to sustainable development for current and future generations. We need to develop a conceptual framework that integrates the biological, cognitive, and social dimensions of life; a framework that enables us to adopt a systemic approach to some of the critical issues of our time. In times of crises, society needs a university capable of providing innovative solutions and opening up new horizons. As Einstein put it, “problems cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them”. Therefore, effective solutions must be sought at a higher level. 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Innovative Practices Compendium 99 Innovative practices compendium The Innovative Practices Compendium was the final product of Work Package 6 entitled “Innovative Practices” which was carried out within the framework of the ISLE Erasmus Thematic Network (Innovation in the teaching of the Sustainable Development of Life Sciences in Europe) which was co-financed by the European Community within the framework of the Lifelong Learning Programme. ISLE was a 36-month project that started in October 2010. Its consortium consisted of 38 partners from 32 European countries representing Higher Education Institutions, Research Institutes, and Enterprises that focus on life sciences. The project's objective was to implement the concept of Sustainable Development within Higher Education (HESD). The project approached the topic in a compre- hensive way, analysing the different aspects concerning the implementation of SD in higher education and developing both research activities and specific tools and devices that could be utilised by the wider sector for facilitating HESD. The objective of Innovative Practice Compendium is the extraction of existing and other ideas for possible innovative practices in the area of HESD. 18 Innovative Practices are discussed and presented in form of indicators and descriptors. The Innovative Practices were mostly selected from a Compendium of Good Practices emerging from the previous Work Package 3 analysis, carried out within the ISLE project, and from the research of the project partners. The (requisitely) holistic and interdisciplinary approaches to HESD, the attention to achieving tangible results, the involvement of local communities and the bottom-up approaches, the importance of partnerships and networking, the capacity building, the innovation of the initiatives, the attention given to building a framework favourable to SD, tutoring and VCEN (values/culture/ethics/norms) was the common thread during the formation of an Innovative Practices Compendium. The biggest problems nowadays started with our education; thus learning is not only individual, but is also a social phenomenon. It is the right time for the development of systemic, i.e. requisitely holistic, innovations. Academic society today has the privilege of lauding and showing the sustainable path. Searching solutions for tomorrow: Sustainable and socially responsible universities – welcome! ISBN: 978-961-6704-34-2 Innovative Practices Compendium 100