Common Earth: Reframing Climate Change
Join us on a journey of exploration and reflection to gain insight into the complexity of factors contributing to the climate crisis.
By applying universal principles gleaned from both the natural world and from a Systems Thinking lens we develop a more fulsome understanding of the issues of our time and how to most effectively respond.
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Common Earth offers a comprehensive and unique learning program looking for ways to combat climate change, offering a profound and strategic understanding of how to create successful environmental interventions moving us all toward a post-carbon, caring society.
About This Course
Reframing Climate Change is an abbreviated version of our more in-depth course. This classic course remains our hallmark and will always be where people are encouraged to enroll to benefit from the deep insights that can only result from significant time spent engaged with the material and with one another. Nevertheless, we recognize the need for a program with a smaller course load, offering similar core themes and values to that of our classic course. This is where our Reframing Climate Change course comes in.
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The facilitators offer participants support in navigating the concepts presented and provide an inclusive environment for interactive and exploratory conversation. Participants are encouraged to make meaningful connections between ideas and emerge with a new understanding of the crises we are facing while building caring communities around the globe.
Learning Outcomes
The Reframing Climate Change course extends participants’ understanding of sustainability and the systemic changes required to justly live within our planetary boundaries. Topics are approached from an intersectional environmental justice perspective clarifying the interconnectedness of concerns across the social justice spectrum.
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Raised awareness of interconnectedness of seemingly disconnected issues
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New perspectives on how we experience the world
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Transferrable skills developed through applying systems thinking to understand and connect our immediate and broader systems
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Thinking critically about current and alternative societal narratives
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Building resilience and self-efficacy through a co-learning, caring community
Duration: 3 months with 1 sessions per week
Session length: 2 hours
Format: Online - Live & Interactive sessions
Capacity: 20 participants
Time Commitment: 3 hours per week (live sessions plus 1 hour of prework for each session).
Investment: This program is fully sponsored by Common Earth. A donation to support the continuation of the program is optional and appreciated at the end of the course.
Course Themes
The overarching themes of the program include systems thinking, the journey of the universe, the human experience and the wisdom of nature, all through the lens of the causes and effects of the climate crisis and how we can most effectively respond.
The Climate Crisis
How did we get here and how do we move forward?
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The effects of human systems, (economic, political, or social) and their impact on the current state of the planet
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Climate justice
Systems Thinking
How does the structure of a given system generate its behaviour?
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the complexity and interconnectivity of diverse systems
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making our assumptions and paradigms visible
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avoiding unintentional consequences
The Journey of the Universe
How are we all connected?
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from the big bang to present day, how has the world evolved following certain universal principles
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the human story reframed in this larger context
The Human Experience
How are our views of the world formed?
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the role of mind, consciousness and thought in the human experience
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ways to counteract climate anxiety
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exploring Indigenous worldviews
The Wisdom of Nature
What solutions already exist within natural processes?
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carbon sequestration through regenerative agriculture
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strategies for biomimetic design
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What planetary and scientific constraints can inform our thinking about restoring natural equilibrium
Course Sessions
This course is comprised of sessions that are interactive welcoming to foster open discussion and a safe space conducive to learning and questioning. All facilitators are alumni of the Common Earth classic course and bring a variety of perspectives and experience to the table.
Sessions will include a variety of:
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Conversations
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Small group activities
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Exploring and applying systems thinking tools
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Presentations and Videos
For each session, we ask participants to complete prework to enhance our discussions. This will include approximately one hour of some combination of reading, watching short videos, or reflecting on a specific topic we have covered.
Who is this course for?
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Anyone interested in deepening their understanding of climate change and correlated issues
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People who don’t have the time required to take the more comprehensive course Common Earth Insights.
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People who are curious about expanding and shifting the way they see the world.
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Participants who are open to learning from others and being in a multicultural and intergenerational group. Diversity in the group, just like in nature, is valued and celebrated.
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People who are available to be present for at least 80% of the sessions.
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People who can commit to come prepared to each of the sessions having done the assigned prework.
"I joined this program hoping to help make positive change in the world and it went way beyond that, starting with a deep personal change. This program is life-changing and a force for good! Every single human should go through this experience!"
- Felipe, Netherlands
Course Requirements
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The course is fully delivered in English and requires fluency for acitve participation.
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Reliable and consistent internet access to join interactive Zoom sessions, including the use of participant's audio and video.
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Commitment to attend sessions and complete prework.
Once your spot has been confirmed, we ask that you honour the commitment to maximize both your own experience and that of the group.
Registration Steps
01.
Complete the registration form.
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A team member will contact you to share the status of your application.
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If you are approved, provide us with a short bio before the deadline given to you.
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Send us your short biography.
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You place is confirmed.
Upcoming Course Offerings
September 7th to December 21st, 2024
Saturdays
9am to 11am*
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All times in Eastern Time
*If connecting from a country that does not have daylight savings, please consider that the time you take the course may change slightly after November 3rd when daylight savings time ends.