permaculture

["Darla Schoenrock" <darlaschoenrock@hotmail.com>]

FYI - MCAD offers a Sustainable Design Online Certificate 
Program...interesting courses taught by interesting instructors!


MCAD's Sustainable Design Online program offers a great way to gain 
in-depth, actionable knowledge that helps  individuals and organization 
embrace sustainable design practices. The courses are applicable for 
everyone, all aspects of and all types of businesses (not exclusive to 
designers).

"its good for the environment and good for business"...From enterprising 
start-ups to Fortune 500 stalwarts, businesses have discovered how critical 
sustainability practices are to be competitive in today's global economy. 
Sustainability is an exploding field and it is good for the environment. 
Courses cover all aspects of sustainable design - theory, tools and 
techniques...And, it is FUN!

All Courses in the certificate are all entirely online....can be done at 
your convenience and completed anywhere on the planet!

for more information go to /www.mcad.edu


SUMMER ONLINE CLASSES:


FRAMING THE BIG PICTURE: SYSTEMS THINKING & LIFE CYCLE ANALYSIS (3 credits) 
June 5 - Aug. 11

"We are transitioning from the age of design for the part to the age of 
design for the whole. This class gives you the tools required to succeed in 
this dynamic market. Systems thinking, languages of design and product 
lifecycles are all tied together to form the foundation for innovative 
products. Actionable theory is absorbed through market-specific projects. 
Required hardware: Flatbed scanner (24-bit minimum) and/or a digital camera 
properly configured to work with your computer and Adobe Photoshop. Required 
textbooks: The Timeless Way of Building by Christopher Alexander, The Web Of 
Life by Fritjof Capra and Wild Solutions by Beattie and Ehrlich."

Instructor: Curt McNamara, P.E., is a practicing designer with 20 years of 
experience in commercial and industrial markets. He is a scholar of R. 
Buckminster Fuller and authored the entry on Fuller in the UNESCO 
Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems. An active member of the Institute of 
Electrical and Electronic Engineers, Curt received the IEEE Millennium Medal 
in 2000 for his ongoing work in education.



EVERYDAY CHOICES: OPPORTUNITIES IN THE STUFF OF LIFE (1 Credit) June 5 - 
July 11

COURSE DESCRIPTION/ABSTRACT: "It seems overwhelming - doing everything 
perfectly so the world is not destroyed! Where do you start? Sustainable 
decisions are the stuff of everyday life. Paper or plastic? Diaper service 
or disposables? Hybrid car or bike? People everywhere are trying to do the 
right thing, but there is no single rating scheme to help you judge. This 
class will teach you how to find information and empower yourself to make 
sound choices."

INSTRUCTOR: Terry Gips (M.P.M./Yale University, M.S./University of 
California-Davis) is a widely published ecologist, agricultural economist, 
sustainability business consultant, speaker and author with more than 30 
years of experience in global environmental leadership, government policy, 
sustainable development, business management and consulting. Currently he is 
president of Sustainability Associates, working with organizations to reduce 
costs, improve performance and strategic position and achieve ecological 
soundness and social responsibility. Previously, he served as Aveda 
Corporation's director of ecological affairs and sustainability, playing a 
leading role in creating Aveda's corporate culture. He also helped develop 
the CERES Principles for corporate environmental responsibility, which have 
been signed by 80 companies. He was a White House aide to President Carter, 
an assistant to U.S. Congressman John Krebs, an economic analyst and grain 
merchant for Cargill and co-founder and director of the Cooperative 
Extension Service's Sacramento Community Garden Program. He was also 
co-founder and president of the International Alliance for Sustainable 
Agriculture (now the Alliance for Sustainability) and volunteers today as 
its president.


ELEMENTS OF SUSTAINABILITY (1 credit):  June 5 - July 7, 2006 (five weeks)

COURSE DESCRIPTION/ABSTRACT:"Imagine a world where living systems matter, 
where people live in harmony with the planet and where economy and ecology 
go hand in hand. The challenge facing us: How do we meet the needs and wants 
of today without jeopardizing our future and the health of the planet? How 
is design the key to sustainability? This foundation course will introduce 
the various facets of sustainability and prepare students, from 
decision-makers to stakeholders, to apply sustainable thinking and pragmatic 
action to any future endeavor."

INSTRUCTOR: Garth T. Hickle is the product stewardship team leader with the 
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). He has been with the MPCA since 
1996 working on product stewardship for various products including 
packaging, electronics and carpet. Prior to that he worked for the Minnesota 
Public Interest Research Group (MPIRG) and at the Minnesota State Senate. He 
was named a Bush Foundation Leadership Fellow in 2001 to pursue research in 
international product stewardship policy. He has published articles in 
Corporate Environmental Strategy, Pollution Prevention Review, Environmental 
Quality Management, Resource Recycling and The Environmental Forum. He holds 
a B.A. from the College of Wooster, an M.S.E.L. from Vermont Law School and 
an M.A. from Hamline University.