Habits of Mind for Resilient Communities

Tom WojciechowskiCommunity, Natural Resource and Economic Development

October 9-12, 2011Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Eco-Municipality Resolutions Adopted In Wisconsin

City of Washburn ~ 2005

City of Ashland ~ 2005

City of Bayfield ~ 2006

Town of Bayfield ~ 2006

Town of La Pointe ~ 2008

Chequamegon Bay Region

Ashland

Washburn

Bayfield La

Pointe

Community Resilience

Resilience refers to the ability of a system, from individual people to whole economies, to hold together and maintain their abilityto function in the face of change and shocks from the outside. (Hopkins, 2008)

Key Habits of Mind: A. Costa and B. Kallick

*Persisting

*Listening to Others – With Understanding and Integrity

*Thinking about our Thinking

*Questioning and Posing Problems

*Applying Past Knowledge to New Situations

*Thinking and Communicating with Clarity and Precision

*Managing Impulsivity

*Thinking Flexibly

Key Habits of Mind (cont.): A. Costa and B. Kallick

*Gathering Data through All Senses

*Thinking Interdependently

*Finding Humor

*Creating, Imagining, and Innovating

*Responding with Wonderment and Awe

*Striving for Accuracy & Precision

*Learning Continuously

*Taking Responsible Risks

Key Habits of Mind: C. Kelly

Sense of Self

Sense of Regeneratio

n

Sense of Transcenden

ce

Sense of Paradoxical

Curiosity

Sense of Connectedne

ss

Sense of Diversity

Sense of Design

Sense of Creativit

y

Sense of Hope and Renewal

Sense of Gift and Assets

Sense of Systems

Sense of Common

s

Sense of Place

AWE

Four Key Habits of Mind for Community Resilience

• Systems Thinking

• Relationships and Collaboration

• Practical Optimism

• Place Based Consciousness

Systems ThinkingSystems Thinking

The Web of Life: Capra

Systems Thinking

Places to Intervene in a SystemDonella Meadows captured the following leverage points (in increasing order of effectiveness)

Changes in Form9. Numbers (subsidies, taxes, standards).8. Material stocks and flows.

Changes in Energy Flow7. Regulating negative feedback loops.6. Driving positive feedback loops.

Places to Intervene in a System – (cont.)

Donella Meadows captured the following leverage points (in increasing order of effectiveness)

Changes in Consciousness5. Information flows. 4. The rules of the system (incentives, punishment, constraints). 3. The power of self-organization. 2. The goals of the system. 1. The mindset or paradigm out of which the goals,

rules, feedback structure arise.

Systems Thinking & Sustainable Systems Thinking & Sustainable Community DevelopmentCommunity Development

Also see the Community Capitals Model developed by Flora & Flora

Systems View of Sustainable Development: from “Toward a Sustainable Community: A Toolkit for Local

Government”

EnvironmentSociety

Economy

Founding the Green Team Network

Sustainable Sweden Conference

Relationships & Collaboration

MRCSE 2009 Summer Workshop

Practical Optimism• Grounded in Sustainability & Systems Thinking

• Identify a task or target

• Expand the conversation – adjust to clarify target

• With broad support, move forward reflectively and

passionately, with patience and timely advances.• Continue to broaden

engagement/support.

• Move to next level – next

vision/opportunity

Washburn Elementary School garden

Place Based Consciousness

Discussion Questions

1. What other “habits of mind” do you see as essential to creating sustainable, resilient communities?

2. How can you foster community learning about habits of the mind for resilient communities?

3. What habits of the mind get in the way of people in higher education working with local communities?

Presenter: Tom Wojciechowski

tom.wojciechowski@ces.uwex.eduhttp://ashland.uwex.edu/Community, Natural Resource and Economic Development Educator , University of Wisconsin-Extension Ashland County

_______________________________________________________

Collaborators:Clare Hintzelsewherefarmherbster@gmail.comMidwest Regional Collaborative for Sustainability Education Steering Committee,Agriculture and Energy Resource Center Board

Ted Mayted.may@witc.eduAcademic Dean, Renewable Energy and Sustainability, Math & Science at Wisconsin Indianhead Technical Collegewww.witc.edu

Draft Model with Examples from Chequamegon Bay

 Our Habits Form Leverage

Energy Flow Leverage Consciousness Leverage

Systems/ Complexity Thinking

Manufacturing clusters: waste to resource

Hubs for informal community learning: Stage North, Big Top, Deepwater Grill

 Energy Independence

Practical Optimism

Numbers of “green” businesses

Partnerships between formal education institutions and community partners

Eco-municipality Resolutions; Integrate w/Strategic Plans

Draft Model (cont.) with Examples from Chequamegon Bay

 Our Habits Form Leverage

Energy Flow Leverage Consciousness Leverage

Respectful Relationships & Collaboration

  People wear multiple hats, so feedback loops are small

Green Team network, Transition towns

Place-Based Consciousness

Public access to nature

Educational Institutions turn out people who stay committed to the area who then feed back into partnerships of formal/non-formal education

“Do it ourselves” attitude

Manoomin as sacred