David Oates will once again be going us at for the MRCSE Summer Conference and this year will be bringing with him his latest thinking on the Resurrection Bio concept -  Biology+spirituality+practical hopefulness and gittin-to-work! 

David has created a 2 day workshop "Daylighting the Invisible:  Revealing what connects us"  that he is excited to sharing with the MRCSE membership.  The MRCSE planning team still exploring ways to provide this whole experience at that workshop - but David is also willing to offer the workshop directly in your communities.  Below is more information about workshop.  MRCSE has applied for fund to help underwrite the cost of bringing David (and other Wise Elder and Story Teller programs) to your community.  If you are interested in hosting David please contact Christine Kelly at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Daylighting the Invisible: Revealing What Connects Us

A workshop in nature and imagination

for teachers, writers, and environmentalists

Heart, Nature, World

Nature shows us an unstoppable renewing creativity. We need to recognize it, love it, and use it. It can empower our creative life as writers, teachers, activists, etc. Resurrection Biology is the joyous, determined environmentalism that will respond to the damaged world of the coming century.  This will require we…

Daylight Invisible connectedness: an ecological principal that is also a spiritual one.

Most environmental advocacy boils down to: "everything is connected to  everything else" "throw it away? There is no 'away'" etc.  Most spiritual traditions boil down to something remarkably similar: "Who is my neighbor? Who is my self?" (answers are troubling – everyone is your neighbor, and everyone is to be treated as yourself – the golden rule). The law of karma; as ye sow, so shall ye reap. On the spiritual plane, all actions are connected.  Our job is to "daylight" these hidden connections. Once seen, they profoundly alter behavior.  "Teaching" or "preaching" or "advocacy" comes down to asserting that, beneath the surface, seemingly disconnected actions are really linked together intimately. This asks for an imaginative leap: seeing what's not on the surface. Very real, but hidden, connectedness.

Rediscover natural process is creative process: letting pattern emerge.

Nature doesn't plan a critter or a landscape. It allows one to arise. Pattern emerges, self-organizes, and becomes very complex – patterns of patterns – ultimately including living beings with minds and, perhaps, spirits. Here's a mystery we'll never finish exploring. Creative process for humans often draws on the same principle: Patterning not planning. There's a place for outlines and left-brain control, but most writers, artists, and people working creatively in other fields report that the really good stuff  is discovered, not planned – it arises of its own accord when the moment is right. A bit of magic we learn to partner with, not control.  How can we capture the loose attentiveness that prepares for creative surprise and then lets it happen? What models can we learn from nature... and from each other?

Tell the tale of Resurrection Biology: an Environmentalism for the next hundred years.

Nature is always coming back. It is a creative force greater than any imaginable destruction (given enough time). In the instant that destructive forces abate, restoration and recreation begins. Asteroids, ice ages, volcanos, floods etc – nature patiently rebuilds after all of them. And what comes next is just as wonderful. As global warming destroys and overturns much natural organization, the situation will be quite ugly – many species lost; many suffering and displaced human beings. This will be a burden to the spirit and a human challenge perhaps greater than we can imagine. We will need heart. We will need to tell the tale of Resurrection Biology. This deep reality can be our source of profound hope. It's what will give us heart in the coming dark time. It will give us strength to do the hard practical work of salvaging and restoring.

Ed Lemar received MRCSE seed funds to help give birth to his Renewsical  - an musical about Renewable Energy.  He has been hard at work and is already scheduled to début the show at the MREA’s Energy Fair this summer.   He will also be bringing the show (with the full crew and band if we are able to raise a few more dolloars) to the MRCSE conference and is looking forward to once again having other MRCSE members join in the production.  (Any sound and light production people out there??) 

Ed’s RENEWSICAL is an interactive stage performance that teaches the technology of energy efficiency, sustainability & renewable energy in order to inspire action toward a healthy economy, cleaner environment, and a brighter future.  The performance uses dancing, music, poetry, and puppetry to convey topics like solar and wind power, solar domestic hot water, alternative transportation, healthy natural systems, biomass, geo-thermal heating and cooling, and healthy local food.   If you know of anyone else that might enjoy this show – please contact Ed directly at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  He is excited to have a few more show dates on the calendar.  Be sure to visit the RENEWSICAl website for lots more information

My recovery from heart surgery this summer is going well. I have to admit I had it pretty rough for a few weeks, not so much from the surgery but from various related complications. Since then, I have been doing great. That said, I have told everyone who would listen; this was my last major medical procedure. At some point we just have to accept the fact that the human body wasn't made to last forever and gratefully accept whatever time we have left. I am at that point.

I have taken my cardiac rehabilitation program seriously and it has paid off. I was sufficiently recovered to make a week-long trip to Scotland in early November to fulfill a speaking commitment. It was a great experience. Rural Scotland has not yet been devastated by industrial agriculture, although the threat is growing. I encouraged them not to give in to economic globalization, instead to take advantage of the heritage they have preserved and become a global leader in creating a sustainable, local food system.

I have just finished co-teaching a four-week block course on The Economics of Sustainability with Lonnie Gamble at Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield.  Twenty one students completed the course and none had had more than one or two courses in basic economics and the vast majority had no formal economic education or experience. We used my book, “Sustainable Capitalism,” as a required text, but used an educational approach called “just in time learning” to make the basic principles more interesting and relevant.

We first exposed the students to several prominent people from the Fairfield community who had chosen a more sustainable approach to their work and their life -- balancing economic, social, and ecological dimensions of well-being. We taught the relevant principles, linking concepts of sustainability and economics, as questions were raised by our students and issues were raised by our guest speakers. We also engaged the students in projects related to the local community – linking economics, community, and ecology. In lieu of a final exam, we asked the students to tell us the three most important things they had learned, why these things were important to them, and what they plan to do differently as a result of their class experience. Their responses are posted on the class website http://sites.google.com/site/economicsofsustainability/home. 

John Ikerd

John and Lonnie are planning to attend 2010 conference and are hoping to present a workshop explaining the basic concepts of economics as they relate to questions of sustainability.  John says the workshop would avoid the tables, charts, and jargon that characterize most economic discussions. The workshop would also provide a forum for discussion of how these concepts can best be taught by people without an academic background in economics to students without a background in economics.

John and Lonnie are also discussing the possibility of developing a summer institute – probably two to four weeks in length – to prepare those who want to include basic economics concepts in their sustainability education programs. They are very interested in be affiliating and working closely with the MRCSE in assessing the needs of sustainability educators, recruiting participant for the institute, and evaluating and evolving the work of the institute to better meet the needs of sustainability educators. 

Would you be interested in a extended pre-MRCSE conference workshop on Economics of Sustainability for the Non-Economic Minded??  If so please respond the this poll.

Open Space Technology (OST) &

Midwest Regional Collaboration on Sustainability Education (MCRSE)

June, 2009

Submitted by Sheila T. Isakson

The Midwest Regional Collaborative for Sustainability Education is a newly emerging community of practice exploring holistic systems-based sustainability education practices, which are expressed both formally and informally. A diverse group of participants gathered at Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin from June 22-26 in order to enable the emergence of a new cultural and ecological narrative that upholds our personal integrity, clarifies our common ground, and provides an opportunity to develop our skills to help others do the same.  Said another way, the aim of this conference was to learn to learn to see the world differently by venturing onto unknown paths that draw upon our ability to imagine new futures from within and beyond ourselves.   The hope of the organizers was to transform our way of being and living in the world through creation of a learning community  that begins with a compelling vision of a sustainable global environment, continues with shared narratives and stories, and results in actions based on collaboration and mutual support..   Therefore everyday during the conference, we committed time to:

• reflective journaling and critical friends circles
• Active communion with nature
• Sharing of our emerging story as told by invited “story tellers” – including musicians, artists, photographers, and poets.
• Exploring and applying transformative learning techniques facilitated by invited “wise elders”

I was one of the invited “wise elders” and, in this role, I was an active participant for three days prior to facilitating a full, one-day meeting using Open Space Technology. You are invited to visit my profile as a wise-elder and to visit the Open Space World Community to learn more about my work.

As a participant during the first three days, I observed the usual passive confusion characterized by complaining and griping about what was and what was not working.  Because I knew that the transformative learning techniques that guided these days were setting the stage for Open Space, I knew that some fascinating possibilities were bubbling underneath the surface and were self-organizing already and would emerge in the Open Space on Thursday. As the days continued, another “wise elder” (Frank Montano) contributed stories, flute and guitar music and his wisdom from time-to-time.  I realized that the flute music could really add to the quality of the Open Space that I was to facilitate on Thursday.  Open Space is a place where self-organization based on deep listening and deep learning happens.  Open Space Technology (OST) includes the tools that enable a powerful alignment of personal passion, prior experiences, like-minded colleagues, and sometimes even resources needed to collaborate and complete the work.  When I stepped into the circle on Thursday morning and said: “Welcome to Open Space!,” I understood that this Open Space was going to be very special.

I briefly described how Open Space Technology was first introduced in 1985 by Harrison Owen and had been used around the world in more than 100 countries.   The actual process that I introduced was a simple invitation to accept responsibility for having a conversation about something the participants believed was a worthy topic for discussion.  I explained that we were not asking for lectures on the topic, only that the individual was willing to convene the conversation and afterwards, to post a written summary of the main points from the discussion. After describing the four principles and one law by which we would behave together, each individual was invited to write their name and topic on a piece of paper.  Then each individual was asked to speak into the microphone and announce their name and the topic. After each announcement, the “topic convenor” was asked to grab a post-it-note from a poster on the "marketplace" section of the wall.   I believe that I may have said at least ten times, “You are responsible for your own learning.  If there is something you still need, please post a topic.” It was obvious when no more topics were going to be posted…Did this mean that there would be no more complaining and griping?  We self-organized for the day and the conversations in open space began. As I visited various break-out spaces, it was clear that the conversations were vibrant and certainly relevant to the aim and purpose of this conference. Summaries of each session were posted on the bulletin board.  (Read the 2009 proceedings.)

In preparation for the closing circle, I asked fellow wise elder, Frank Montano, to play either his flute or guitar.  As the circle filled, it was clear that Frank’s music was a wonderful component of our “sustainability learning community.”   When I believed that the circle was filled, I rang the bells and we began the process of closing this open space.  Some of the stories that people shared were very moving, others were unable to speak and tears flowed from some.  One important statement came from another wise elder, John Ikerd, who said: “Perhaps we are taking notice that this is what a sustainability learning community is like.”  What a compliment to all of us!  We closed the Open Space by first looking around the circle and acknowledging individuals who helped us learn and then turned to face the world we were about to re-enter.  I invited everyone to take the inner peace that had been tapped out into the world and invite others into emerging open spaces.

When I reflect about this day, I remember how much chaos there was in the beginning of the conference.  I believe that many individuals came from conflicts and frustrating situations.  I believe that everyone who needed to heal, found what was needed.  The organizers can be very satisfied that most of us do see the world differently, really care and are beginning to believe in each other as the way to support a sustainable global environment.   I am honored to have been invited to participate and to give from my experiences in the role of wise elder.   (You can also read the proceedings from the MRCSE Open Space here.)

Jim's Reflections-- Take 2

Yesterday I found this spot but i guess I was typing in the wrong place, uder meta-data (I am not sure what that is but I guess it isn't my words, because now the're gone.  So, here I go again.

In reflecting on my MRCSE workshop experience, what wells up within me most strongly was the sense of the possibility for fellowship and community-building among us. I recall experiencing  a strong, visible, shared hope; a genuine, deep sense of unleashed restorative, creative power .

Looking back on it, I believe these feelings grew out of being part of a welcoming, diverse group of people who share common values and are committed to bringing about positive, transformative change, be it local, regional, or planetary in scope.

I recall introducing mself to the big group on our first day as "a recovering academic." At the time I was already feeling the energy of being with artists, business people, educators of all levels, even pre-K!

We seemed, over time, more and more, to embody a dynamic living model of a sustainable community, all of us together in that room, at meals, on the boat, and most especially, in our small "critical friends" groups. I have attended many, many professional conferences, meetings, workshops, and symposia over my 27-year academic career. I can honestly say that none of them could be described in these terms. Here we were, ages 19 to 80, women and men, from many places and with many diverse sets of talents and gifts, knowledge, experiences; instead of 4,000 academic political scientists descending on Chicago for 3 days of hyper-specialized, marginally interesting and possibly totally insignificant presentations and discussions, our collaborative-- for that is what were were and did-- seemed to portend the best of what I have come to know the liberal arts to be.

Sustainability education is as big as the whole wide world. Groups like ours are the ones who can envision and do it.

The most exciting thing of all?  We have only just begun.