From the Times Higher Education Book Review. No one paying attention needs reminding that universities are “in crisis”. We are beset by critiques of their complicity with neoliberal and extractive capitalism, dispossession of First Nations, top-heavy administrative regimes, and pedagogical shifts away from critical thinking toward so-called job-ready, marketable skill sets. When we turn aContinue reading “TRANSFORMING UNIVERSITIES IN THE MIDST OF GLOBAL CRISIS:A UNIVERSITY FOR THE COMMON GOOD”
Author Archives: Steve Martin
HISTORY NOW
I encourage anyone reading this on New Year’s day to watch Simon Schama’s BBC TV series called “History Now” Schama is always a compelling presenter but in this series, he is more than a messenger, offering something of a call to arms as he emotionally recounted memories of watching Václav Havel address crowds of CzechContinue reading “HISTORY NOW”
Some Positive Actions for the New Year 2023-Wishing you a Happy New Year.
Five options for restoring global biodiversity after the UN agreement
From the Conversation December 20th 2022 To slow and reverse the fastest loss of Earth’s living things since the dinosaurs, almost 200 countries have signed an agreement in Montreal, Canada, promising to live in harmony with nature by 2050. The Kunming-Montreal agreement is not legally binding but it will require signatories to report their progress towards meeting targets suchContinue reading “Five options for restoring global biodiversity after the UN agreement”
12 Renewables days of Christmas
Here’s a renewables Christmas quiz for you: 12 questions. Getting 4 right or nearly right will be pretty good and show a better understanding of the problems our electricity grid faces than most people.Reposted from Bill Scott’s Blog ……….. 1 – The proportion of our electricity generated by coal in 2011 was 29.5%. What wasContinue reading “12 Renewables days of Christmas”
NEW ECONOMY based on NEW SYSTEMS
The role of human agency is an essential element of the authors of this new books analyses, evaluations, and prescriptions. If humanity is to live in harmony with itself, with other creatures, and in balance with the planet’s ecological systems, then we must be clear about what we can and cannot do, and what weContinue reading “NEW ECONOMY based on NEW SYSTEMS”
What can Sustainable Development do for World Heritage Sites like Cromford Mills?
‘Why bother?’ – if you have never thought about sustainability in terms of heritage and education, or have only touched on it, there are several reasons to engage, or engage further: – Public interest: Society is in a state of rapid change not least about rising energy costs and more generally the cost ofContinue reading “What can Sustainable Development do for World Heritage Sites like Cromford Mills?“
CULTURAL HERITAGE in a CHANGING CLIMATE
March 21, 2022 | by Adam Markham Climate change is the fastest growing threat to heritage sites across the world, and as such it was chosen as one of the themes for the 2022 Watch. As a member of the independent panel that gathered (remotely) over three days to make the final recommendation of sites for inclusion, IContinue reading “CULTURAL HERITAGE in a CHANGING CLIMATE”
NO MORE FAIRY TALES
Research by Dr Denise Baden shows that stories which introduce climate change solutions in the context of an otherwise mainstream story are more likely to inspire greener behaviours than catastrophic tales of climate change. In her guest blog she introduces the latest Green Stories anthology No More Fairy Tales—Stories to Save Our Planet. Blog by DeniseContinue reading “NO MORE FAIRY TALES“
IS UNESCO STILL THE CONSCIENCE OF HUMANITY ?
According to a recent and challenging publication there are growing concerns that UNESCO might be being influenced by the prevailing neoliberal ideology( as neuroliberal) to the extent that its distinctive role as the conscience of humanity is being compromised : (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03057925.2022.2129956) As the paper argues UNESCO came into existence at a particularly prescient utopian momentContinue reading “IS UNESCO STILL THE CONSCIENCE OF HUMANITY ?“