Radical Tactical Shifts or common sense?
I watched this TED video about Lewis Pugh’s ‘radical tactical shift’ – my first thought was – “this guy is nuts!”
While I do think you need to be a bit crazy to do the sorts of things he’s done (choosing repeatedly to swim in sub-zero temperature water), he had clearly come across a degree of understanding about himself and his place in the world that which was valued enough by the TED Directors to give him the forum to speak at these inspiring, insightful and eye-opening events.
To be fair, I have done my fair share of less than intelligent things. If we are honest with ourselves, this is true for most people. For me it was testing my physical limits through outdoor adventure, finding out the hard way that I’m not indestructible as many young men (and some women) do as a self imposed right of passage. I contend that this stage of development was very necessary for me, as it is for many others, to understand my own limits in real terms – physically, emotionally and spiritually. Through this journey, which continues, I continue to gain a greater depth of understanding of my rightful place in the ecological world.
The implications of this sort of understanding for education for sustainable practice are far reaching. David Orr, professor at Oberlin College in a paper entitled Environmental Literacy: Education as if the Earth Mattered unpacks the difference between intelligence and cleverness with humility and grace, pointing at a radically different way of being in the world:
From an ecological perspective it is clear that we have often confused cleverness and intelligence. Cleverness, as I understand it, tends to fragment things and to focus on the short term. The epitome of cleverness is the specialist whose intellect and person have been shaped by the demands of a single function. Ecological intelligence, on the other hand, requires a broader view of the world and a long-term perspective… In time, I think we will come to see that true intelligence tends to be integrative and often works slowly while mulling things over.
I sense this was the epiphanic experience Lewis Pugh had, a radical tactical shift in tackling a seemingly insurmountable problem. Lewis Pugh’s team (he’s lucky to have such a good team) made the following suggestion after he almost died on the first attempt:
Take some time to rest and think about things. We want you to walk up the mountain in two days time, and instead of swimming fast, swim as slowly as possible. Instead of swimming crawl, swim breaststroke. And remember, never ever swim with aggression. This is the time to swim with real humility.
By experiencing complete failure in his initial approach (one more akin to cleverness) to approaching it the second time with more grace and humility (accepting limits that reflect a deeper ecological intelligence by tuning into his surroundings) – he succeeded. Our fast-paced western culture so often implicitly and explicity asks us to be clever; to rush, to not think carefully about the long view. In doing so, we often miss the point, make poor decisions and have to live with the consequences.
In David Orr’s words, if I took anything from this TED talk it is that -
…the consequences of our actions are a measure of our intelligence, and the plea of ignorance is no good defense. Because some consequences cannot be predicted, the exercise of intelligence requires forbearance and a sense of limits. Ecological intelligence, in contrast to mere cleverness, does not presume to act beyond a certain scale at which effects can be known and unpredictable consequences would not be catastrophic.
Sustainable practice at its best, demands we take the long ecological view. In doing so, we accept the ecological limits we integrally rely on for our survival as a species. Paradoxically, and counter to conventional wisdom, by choosing to recognise and accept these limits, we unleash an enormous creative force that not only redefines how we make decisions, it increases our efficiency, effectiveness and productivity along with tuning us into potential solutions to problems and challenges that previously seemed insurmountable.
Circles of Circles floating - Lake Wanaka. Martin Hill Design
Earthbag building at Awhi Farm with Bomun Bock-Chung
Another taster of the sort of sustainable practice workshops being undertaken at Awhi Farm – here Bomun talks about Earthbag construction technique.
This construction dovetails in with James Bellamy’s Timbrel dome workshop as the dome built during the 15-17th Oct workshop will form the top of the dome in this earth bag building
Here’s a photo of the finished result:
The whole structure is then be covered with lime plaster. The finished result comes out looking something like this – http://www.ecoshow.co.nz/Courses/Earthbag+construction/Earth+bag+building+photos.html
What I found most impressive was that this sort of building can be made at ~1/10 the cost of a traditional build.
Earth bag building at Awhi Farm with Bomun Bock-Chung
This low-cost building project is being built at Awhi Farm. Co-ordinated with its construction is the Timbrel Dome workshop run (more…)
The bright light of sustainable practice
On the home stretch through Canterbury we came across this canola field – it summed up a lot about this Sustainable Practice roadshow – many rich, golden experiences. It brought back into to focus the importance of a deep connection to the land and the importance of a sustainable land ethic as the baseline for sound, strategic decision-making for the long view – a sustainable future for our grandchildren.
Our choice to use biodiesel to fuel this roadtrip was brought into sharp focus while driving through these fields, highlighting that to transition from ‘business as usual’ is a matter of choice. Travelling with Steve Henry, nothing short of a high energy particle in the field of sustainable practice, has shown me that overcoming the barriers is A MATTER OF WILL. With the right vision, planning, preparation and collaboration around ideas that provide genuine win-win-win outcomes, we all benefit, the land included.
By shining a spotlight on all the great examples of sustainable practice in different pockets of the country we gain new ideas, fresh insights, inspiration and the knowledge that a sustainable future is a reality for all of us – we just need to choose it!
The depth of the connections along the way has been astounding, the communities we been fortunate enough to have continued real engaged dialogue have told us they are ready to embed sustainable practice.
This is, in no small way, testament to the vision, hard work and tireless efforts of Steve Henry and the team at the Centre for Sustainable Practice.
The message of this ancient Maori whakatauki speaks the language of sustainability in a way we can all understand.
Manaaki whenua, manaaki tangata, haere whakamua.
Care for the land. Care for people. Go forward.
What strikes me is that it’s message is even more relevant today.
The lighter side of the Sustainable Practice roadshow…
As with any journey there’s time to get down to business and there’s time to laugh, have some fun, be touched by places, experiences and the people in them that make traveling so special.
Here’s a few images from the journey…
Thanks to all the great people who hosted us – you know who you are! 2011 is shaping up as very important year for Sustainable Practice in NZ – Otago Polytechnic’s Centre for Sustainable Practice will be leading by example and working to shine a spotlight on all those committed to transforming the way they do business.
An exciting place to be working! Please help us spread the word.
Thanks Tom
