YAC Free Online Course on Sustainable Development

We heartily invite you to apply for the Online Course on Sustainable Development. If you want to make an active contribution in your life to regaining the balance between humankind and Mother Earth, you are the right person for this course. The topics that will be treated in the course are: 1. Introduction to Sustainable Development or "Mother Earth and how to live on our planet" 2. Ecology or "What a sustainable system looks like" 3. Water or "How to connect to the cycle of the life-giving element" 4. Climate Change or "The planetary challenges ahead" 5. Energy or "How to achieve an intelligent system" 6. Organization or "How to reach a sustainable society" 7. Lifestyles or "How to transform our habits" 8. Future or "Where are we going and where am I going" Besides there is room for sharing your expertise in other fields that connect with the general topic. For each topic there will be an overview by an expert with a case study and references to current developments, good practices and resources for further reading plus questions for discussion. In addition to your own questions that you are able to post beforehand, those questions will be discussed in an online-forum. A chatroom is available for socializing throughout the course. The online course on Sustainable Development requires quite some dedication from its participants. You must be willing to dedicate about 5 hours per week to the course. You have to: 1. read some texts, 2. watch videos, 3. participate in a forum, 4. do internet research, 5. explore your own community/city/region, 6. read a book of your choice, 7. share your knowledge with the other participants and 8. at last: do a small practical project. All of these are necessary ingredients for completing the course and getting a certificate. Another requirement is a capacity to communicate in English. You are invited to apply until March 31st 2007. The course is limited to a number of 30 participants. Timeline --------------------- 1.3.-31.3. Application 1.4.-30.4. Selection - Welcome to the course creating a profile posting questions for upcoming topics choosing book reading forum introduction starting forum discussion 1.5.-30.6. Course reading texts watching videos participating forum reading book community research internet research preparing presentation molding and discussing practical project ideas 1.7.-30.9. Practical Project sending report/documentation getting the certificate Application Form (to be sent directly to the teacher, Kjell, at kjell@hospitalityclub.org) --------------------- Full name: Date and place of Birth: Current Address: Telephone: E-mail: 1. Formulate three questions that you have asked yourself or others (or would like to ask) that have some relation with the topic. 2. In what areas that relate to sustainable development do you have some first-hand experience? Are you or have you been active in any project or organization that has some relation (explicit or implicit) with the topic? 3. Why do you want to take part in the course? Where does the motivation come from? Some point in the past or in the future? (This section will be shared with the other participants of the course.) 4. What do you hope to learn in this course? Which topics are most interesting for you? 5. How much time can you dedicate to the course? 6. Do you have regular internet access? If not, how often and with what kind of connection are you able to go online? 7. Could this course be relevant for your personal professional future? If yes, how? 8. Do you always throw your garbage in the wastebin? 9. Anything else you would like to share with us? Session Topics --------------------- Introduction (mother nature and how to live on our planet, "three pillars"-bs) Ecology (basic needs, zero emissions, waste, ecobackpack, lifecycle, industry) Water (sanitation, pollution) Climate change (Kyoto, CDM, Gold Standard) Energy (renewable, dams, decentralization) Organization (participation, politics, WTO, World Bank, FSC, Fishbanks) Lifestyles (consume, "activism", market) Future (global, regional, national, community, personal) OPTIONALS: biodiversity (nature and agriculture) biopiracy GMOs greenwashing environmental services and market logic systemic thinking Fixed Ingredients --------------------- fill profile read texts choose and research specialty, read book, share content do community research (projects, NGOs, institutions) participate forum do small practical project Optional Ingredients --------------------- chat specialty presentation mindmap wiki wikipedia articles presentation case studies