Today I had the good fortune of spending the afternoon with a class of students enrolled in the Royal Roads Masters in Environmental Management program. I was asked by Derek Thompson, the instructor of the Sustainable Development and Governance course, to talk about my work and experiences in the fields of agriculture and food system planning and design. Rather than taking the tried and true approach of a formal presentation, supported by a slew of clarifying powerpoint slides, we chose the option of convening a series of lively discussions, using the World Cafe approach, focused on the University’s approach to food including how and if the University could become more involved in food and agriculture issues. I’m not sure how the students found the whole session. I thoroughly enjoyed it, even though it was a wee bit too short (after 2 hours we just seemed to be getting started). I especially enjoyed listening to the students discuss and grapple with the issue of how food is or might be considered and dealt with by the academy.
Another aspect that I enjoyed was becoming reacquainted with the work of Donella Meadows. Donella, or Dana as she was better known, was a remarkable woman, academic and scientist who had a gift for explaining complex ideas and theories in a way that was both engaging and accessible. She is probably best known for her work on the seminal book Limits to Growth which was published in 1972. But her essay, Leverage Points: Places to Intervene in a System stands out as a classic – one that has greatly influenced my work and life over the past 10 years since I first read it . (I took opportunity to introduce the students to it as I think it will be helpful to them as they grapple with issues of governance, control and their desire for change.)
I’ll conclude this post with a quote from the concluding chapter to the book, Beyond the Limits, which Dennis Meadows, her former husband and co-author, attributes to her. It speaks directly to the challenge that we face as practitioners and as human beings,
It is difficult to speak of or to practice love, friendship, generosity, understanding, or solidarity within a system whose rules, goals, and information streams are geared for lesser human qualities. But we try, and we urge you to try. Be patient with yourself and others as you and they confront the difficulty of a changing world. Understand and empathize with inevitable resistance; there is some resistance, some clinging to the ways of unsustainability, within each of us. Include everyone in the new world. Everyone will be needed. Seek out and trust the best human instincts in yourself and in everyone. Listen to the cynicism around you and pity those who believe it, but don’t believe it yourself.
