Dear Friends,
In many places around the world, September is a time of transitions. Seasons are changing from summer to fall, from winter to spring, or from rainy to dry. With the arrival of a new season we are given another opportunity to learn from the earth about life, systems change and renewal. Last month we considered what possibilities might emerge when we shift our mindset from one of scarcity to one of abundance.
This month, we take this idea one step further. At one point, not so long ago, people simply threw their “trash” onto the ground where it was reabsorbed into the earth. The idea of waste as we know it today was a completely foreign concept. It is estimated worldwide human beings generate 1.2 billion metric tons (that’s 2.6 trillion pounds) of municipal solid waste every year. Modern attitudes around waste and our general lack of awareness about the amount and types of trash we produce indicate the desperate need for an innovative new approach to this issue. When we consider the enormity of this problem often our first thought is: “What a mess!” But after this initial reaction, what if we began thinking of waste as our most abundant resource? What then?
Introducing the New Berkana.org!
After months of anticipation, we are excited to announce the launch of a new and improved Berkana.org! The project was a collaboration between Berkana’s Sharing Our Learning team and the web designers behind WalkoutWalkOn.net. The new site prominently features Pathfinding Initiatives, Berkana media and toolkits, Art of Hosting updates, learning services, and a new Berkana blog. It’s now easier than ever to share the stories that capture your attention via social media networks. We hope you’ll visit us often, spread the word about activities and initiatives you find interesting and help us co-create and support our emerging online community. Check it out!
Walk Out Walk On Learning from the Field
“Fitting A Square Peg Into a Round Hole”
On the Walk Out Walk On blog, Deborah Frieze reflects on the relationship between resilience and jugaad, a Hindi term for ingenuity, an invitation to the imagination to play and invent new solutions using whatever is right in front of you. She considers this idea in relationship to the consumer waste–paper, plastic, etc.–that we all produce on a near daily basis in the United States. “We all know there will come a time when the cost of creating waste will be too high to bear. For some of us, that time is already here, and it is far wiser to claim waste as an asset than it is to toss it out the door.” Read more.
Experiments in the Berkana Web and Beyond
Building an Oasis in Southern Africa
Last month young people from Southern Africa and beyond came together in Rusape, Zimbabwe to play together at changing the world. The Oasis Game is a two-day event created by Elos Institute (Brazil) that invites a community to collectively plan and construct something physical in response to a need identified by community members. The Oasis Game Zimbabwe was supported by Kufunda Learning Village in Ruwa, Zimbabwe and The GreenHouse Project in Johannesburg. It was catalyzed by young people who participated in Elos Institute’s Warriors Without Weapons program in 2009 and 2011. One principle of the Oasis Game is “use materials you have on hand.” It’s an incredible experiment in working creatively to transform waste into a resource. In Zimbabwe, the team repaired and beautified structures with paint and earth and constructed a football field and playground using discarded tires and local timber. View photos from Zimbabwe. Read the group harvest poem from the closing circle at Kufunda.
Working Locally to Support Upcycling as a New System of Influence
In coordination with the new website, we’re happy to announce the new Berkana blog. In one of our first posts, Aerin Dunford shares her passion for trash and her dream of co-creating a space dedicated to the practice of upcycling (making things of greater value from what was formerly considered garbage). For the past three years Berkana has illuminated the work of innovative practitioners in this field on the Upcycling Portal. The time has come for this initiative to put down roots and form a collaborative hub for the interchange of knowledge and skills in the field of upcycling. Plans are underway in Southern Mexico. Keep an eye on the blog in the coming weeks for new reflections by our friends and partners around the world. Read more.
Resources
The Untold Story of Planned Obsolescence: The Light Bulb Conspiracy
by Cosima Dannoritzer
Planned Obsolescence is the deliberate shortening of product life spans to guarantee consumer demand. One advertising magazine said: “The article that refuses to wear out is a tragedy of business”– and a tragedy for the modern growth society which relies on an ever-accelerating cycle of production, consumption and throwing away. The Light Bulb Conspiracy (also known as Pyramids of Waste) combines investigative research and rare archive footage to trace the untold story of Planned Obsolescence. The film also offers thought-provoking analysis by cutting edge economists and environmentalists and presents hands-on stories showing entrepreneurs putting new business models into practice. View The Light Bulb Conspiracy here. Other trash related films we recommend include Garbage Dreams, Waste Land and Garbage Warrior.
1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse by Garth Johnson
Artists and crafters have always been recyclers, but for many, it has become more than a thrifty choice, it has become a moral imperative. 1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse contains a cutting edge collection of the most inventive work being made with re-used, upcycled and already existing materials. The work in this book ranges from clever and humble personal accessories to large-scale works of art, including paper art, fashion, jewelry, housewares, interiors and installations. Learn more on Berkana’s Upcycling Portal or buy the book.
Community Events
Walk Out Walk On Deep Dive Workshops and Book Events
Meg Wheatley and Deborah Frieze continue to host conversations about their book, Walk Out Walk On: A Learning Journey into Communities Daring to Live the Future Now. Events are scheduled for Washington, DC (Oct. 18), Columbus, OH (Oct. 25), New York City (Oct. 27). Deborah and Tuesday Ryan-Hart will host two-day “deep dives” into the ideas and challenges offered by the book in Columbus, OH (Oct. 25-26) and New York City (Oct. 27-28) (new prices now listed online). Looking ahead to November, there are book events and workshops in Amsterdam (Nov. 15-16) and Ireland (Nov. 18-20). Visit walkoutwalkon.net/events for more information.
Creating A Mindful Society | September 30 – October | New York City
Learn how mindfulness impacts and benefits institutions, industries, society and individuals. Participants are invited to make meaningful connections, sharpen their understanding of mindfulness practice, and learn how to communicate to others about mindfulness as it applies to their lives and livelihoods. Keynote speakers include Jon Kabat-Zinn, Richard Davidson, Janice Marturano of the Institute for Mindful Leadership, and Congressman Tim Ryan (D), Ohio. Breakout sessions and field reports will be led by Saki Santorelli, Patricia (Tish) Jennings, Barry Boyce, Daniel Barbezat, Rhonda V. Magee, Elizabeth A. Stanley, Ali and Atman Smith, and Andres Gonzales. Register here. Learn more at the Creating a Mindful Society mini-site.
Pegasus Communications Systems Thinking in Action Conference | October 31-November 2 | Seattle, Washington
Hosted by Pegasus Communications, the annual Systems Thinking in Action Conference brings together systems thinkers and organizational learning practitioners from all over the world. Now in its 21st year, it emphasizes peer-to-peer sharing and cross-sector perspectives, and offers ample time for shared learning and reflection. This year’s conference, titled “Because Sustainable Success Doesn’t Just Happen,” invites participants to learn how they can help turn the tide of change in their favor, launch timely new initiatives or overhaul existing ones and avoid the kinds of outcomes that sink any endeavor. Charlotte Roberts, Katie Salen, Peter Senge, and David Sibbet will keynote. Learn more or register.
Perseverance: Igniting the Heart in the Midst of Hardship with Meg Wheatley October 7-9 | Shambhala Mountain Center, Red Feather Lakes, Colorado
Perseverance is the capacity to keep going long after the passion for our work has dissipated; a continuous and conscious choice not to give up. This workshop draws on the wisdom of the spiritual warrior tradition, exploring means of confronting dominant energies of our time–aggression, anxiety, fear–in a way that allows us to do good work, serve others, and care for ourselves, even when exhausted or overwhelmed. To register or learn more, call 888.788.7221 or visit Shambhala Mountain Center.
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