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Summary
of Activities (1992-2002)
Nature
and Society Forum (NSF) has incorporated as an association in ACT since
early in 1992. There are currently around 120 members, mostly in the
Australian Capital Territory, but including some in other Australian
States and Territories and several overseas.
The
main activities of the Forum since its inception are summarised below.
Courses
and Study Groups
The
Forum has organised a number of courses and study groups on important
nature-society themes. The approach has been integrative and cross-disciplinary.
They included the following:
- Energy
from the sun (Convener: Gosta Lynga)
This 10 week course was attended by 12 persons. The course led to
the Good Energy Management Project (see below)
- Ecological
economics (Convener: Michael Common)
This 10 week course was at tended by about 20 people from a wide variety
of occupations.
- People
and Nature (PAN) Study Group (Convener: Stephen Boyden)
In this project a study group met for 12 sessions to discuss the processes
of life, the human place in nature, and the implications of this knowledge
for the future of our society. The project has given rise to the PAN
Program which is an on-going activity of NSF (see below)
- Sustainability
at the individual level (Convener: Bryan Furnass) - see publications
below.
- What
is global sustainability? (Convener: John Schooneveldt) - see
publications below
- Preconditions
for the achievement of a healthy, equitable, ecologically sustainable
society
(Convener: Stephen Boyden) - see publications below.
Monthly
discussion meetings (Convener: Jenny
Wanless)
Regular
meetings have been held to which speakers from different areas of specialisation
in academia, government etc. have been invited to lead discussions on
a wide range of nature-society issues. Reports of these meetings appear
in the Journal, Nature & Society.
Public
Meetings
Over
the years NSF has initiated and organised a number of public meetings
in association with ANU, the National Science and Technology Centre
(NSTC), the Australian Academy of Science and Sustainable Population Australia (SPA). These have included
the following:
- Professor
Tony McMichael: Sustainable health and the global environment (jointly
with ANU and the Academy of Science).
- Father
Paul Collins: Religion as if it really mattered (jointly with
AESP and NSTC).
- Robert
Theobald: Reworking Tomorrow (jointly with a number of community
groups).
- Mary
White: Listen - our land is crying (jointly with ANU).
- Brian
Fleay: The decline of the age of oil (jointly with the National
Science and Technology Centre, Pedal Power and Smogbusters).
- Brendan
Mackey: The Earth Charter.
- Michael
Rowbotham:
People, Planet and Debt
(jointly with ANU Public Lecture Series and Economic Reform Australia).
Major
conferences
- Survival,
health and well-being into the 21st Century.
(Convener: Bryan Furnass)
A public symposium on this theme was held at this theme held at ANU
in November 1995. The Proceedings were published in 1996 (see publications)
This symposium marked the beginning of an ongoing program on this
theme. It resulted in the formation of a number of working groups
considering issues arising out of the symposium. These groups reported
the outcome of their deliberations at a further smaller symposium
held at the University of Canberra at the end of 1996 (see publications
below).
- Infectious
disease in humans (Convener: Stephen Boyden)
This public symposium was held at the Academy of Science in March
1998. It was part of was part of the Forum's PAN Program (see below).
Scientists from appropriate areas of specialisation presented essential
information from their fields of activity in plain English, followed
by discussion and debate on the implications of the this information
for individuals, families and society as a whole. The proceedings
of the Symposium were published in association with the Public Health
Association of Australia. They were also used as a basis for the preparation
of the first Panperspectives Booklet Bad bugs: people and
infectious diseases.
- Food for healthy people on a healthy planet (Convener: Bryan
Furnass)
This interdisciplinary Internet conference was held in September 2001
(as part of the PAN Program). The aim was to construct an integrative
perspective on the impacts of food consumption on human health and
the impacts of food production on the health of the natural environment.
Specialists in the fields of medicine, public health, agriculture
and environmental sciences, presented papers which were posted on
a special conference website and discussed on-line. The conference
papers, including edited discussion points and a synopsis of each
of the six sections, are available here.
Other
projects
- The
Good Energy Management (GEM) Project
(Convenor John Schooneveldt)
This project was organised by the members of the Forum who had attended
the Energy from the Sun course, with the aid of a grant from the Department
of Primary Industry and Energy. It involved the preparation of an
Energy Kit, and members of the study group visited a range of community
organisations (e.g. service clubs, residents' associations, school
groups) to discuss energy issues.
- The
People and Nature (PAN) Program (Convenor Stephen Boyden)
The Program consists of three phases:
1. Collecting, distilling and packaging information on important environmental
and health issues. This part of the Program involves putting together
information kits and a series of Panperspectives booklets on various
health and environmental themes. The first of these booklets, Bad
Bugs, is now available. Work is almost completed on two others
Human biohistory and Humans and energy. The PAN program also includes
the organisation of public symposia on important health or environmental
topics (see Major conferences above).
2. Communicating this information to interested groups (including
NSF study groups, community groups, school groups, businesses) and
promoting discussion and debate about its practical meaning for these
groups and for society as a whole.
3. Encouraging follow-up activities by participants (for example,
communicating the outcome of the workshops to the wider community
through the website, mounting displays etc).
- Youth
Convention on the Environment (NSF Convenors: Moss Cass, John
Schooneveldt,
Derek Wrigley)
NSF, in association with the Youth Parliament and the Natural Step,
contributed to the organisation of a major program in 1998 and 1999,
involving all secondary schools in Australia, which concluded with
a two week Youth Convention on the Environment
- The
Australian National Biocentre proposal
NSF
is developing a new kind of public facility in ACT called the Australian
National Biocentre (ANB). Its aims are to:
1. promote understanding of the processes of life, the human place
in nature and the health needs of humans and the natural environment,
2. demonstrate practical steps that can be taken towards the achievement
of ecological sustainability and optimum health,
3. encourage the development of new, ecologically sustainable and
health-promoting businesses and industries,
4.
provide a framework for open and informed discussion and debate about
ecological and health issues.
Detailed planning and feasibility work are in progress.
- The
Link Group
A group of young members of NSF has formed to actively contribute
to NSF activities, especially the ANB proposal. At present it is involved
in collecting information on community attitudes to the ANB concept.
- Metabolism
of Canberra and region
In
1997 NSF proposed to the ACT Government that a research study be undertaken
on the urban metabolism of Canberra. This proposal arose from the
report of one of the community working groups that met following the
Conference on Survival, health and well-being into the 21st Century
held in 1995. Urban metabolic studies examine the inflows, outflows
and internal dynamics of materials and energy in urban systems. The
approach, which can also be applied to regions and nations, is sometimes
referred to as Material Flow Analysis (MFA) or Sustainability Auditing.
NSF has entered into an arrangement with the University of Canberra
that has led to two small grants to enable work to get started. A
steering committee of NSF members and people with expertise in the
area has been established, and three PhD students are currently engaged
in the work.
The group has also won a contract with the ACT Government's Planning
and Land Management (PALM) to undertake a MFA of the urban areas of
Canberra. A report recommending the adoption of a new type of sustainability
criteria and performance indicators was submitted at the end of 2001.
During 2001 the group also received a research grant from Land and
Water Australia (LWA) to look at the application of MFA techniques
to the Australian Capital Region. A report proposing an appropriate
set of criteria/indicators for rural development is in preparation.
These extend the criteria/indicators for urban development (as proposed
for PALM).
Central to the approach being developed is the idea that humand designed
the unsustainable processes, systems and practices that are now damaging
human health and the environment. We now need to redesign these to
achieve a high quality of life in ecologically sustainable ways.
Further funds are being sought to expand this project, which promises
to make a useful contribution to policies aimed at increasing the
sustainability of the National Capital, and to provide a model that
can be applied to other areas.
Publications
- Journal
- Nature and Society
Before 1996 the Forum published both a regular Newsletter and a Magazine
(Nature and Society). Four issues of the latter were produced
(The main themes of these four issues were: Visions for the future;
The greenhouse effect; Human health in an ecologically sustainable
society; Ecologically sustainable cities).
In 1996 it was decided to merge these two publications and to produce
a single 'Journal', also called Nature and Society which appears
regularly every two months (Editor, Jenny Wanless). It contains
articles on nature-society themes, accounts of Forum meetings and
projects, news items and information about meetings, other organisations
etc.
- Occasional
Papers (written by members of NSF)
No.1 The Human situation in the biosphere by Stephen Boyden
No.2 Cultural change by John Schooneveldt
No.3 Can lemmings change their course? by Gosta Lynga
No.4 Maladaptation or creativity? A challenge for ecologists and
designers by John Harris
No.5 The ethics of peace: why sustainabilty must be the basis
by John Ward
No.6 History of conflict resolution by John Burton
No.7 Inequality, sustainability and revolution by Colin Butler
No.8 Salt and vinegar: education for sustainability in the Murray-Darling
Basin, 1983-1998 by David Eastburn
- Health
and Well-being into the 21st Century (1997)
Proceedings of Symposium (Editors: Bryan Furnass, Judy White, John
Harris, Alison Baker)
- Infectious
Disease in Humans (1998)
Proceedings of Howard Florey Centenary Symposium (Editor: Bryan Furnass)
- Papers
from working groups (produced jointly by NSF and the Mulanggarri Foundation:
-Sustainability at the individual level P.Hazell, J Luksczyk,
R.Metcalf, B.Furnass,
C. Shannon
- Global sustainability? I Buckley. A.Furnass, B.Furnass, G.Lynga,
J.Schooneveldt,
D.Wintle
- Reflections: On and beyond the Conference on the Survival, health
and wellbeing into the 21st century Malcolm Whyte
-Preconditions for the achievement of a healthy, equitable, ecologically
sustainable society Stephen Boyden and the PAN Study Group
-Think globally, talk plainly, act personally: dilemmas and dreams
for sustainable lifestyles Judy Whyte
-Sustainability at institutional and regional levels B. Odgers,
D. Marsden-Ballard, D.von Behrens, R. Clements
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Other
publications
Good energy management - the GEM Kit (1995) The GEM study group.
People and nature - the PAN Study Group
- Bad Bugs: people and infectious diseases (eds Bryan Furnass
and Stephanie Haygarth)
Community
displays
The Forum has arranged a number of displays on
various nature-society themes at local fairs, field days etc. The themes
have included: Why we shop; Rubbish; Paper-making; Consumption and the
quality of life.
Library
The Forum maintains a small library for the use
of members.
Website
NSF has a Website which includes selected publications,
information about activities etc.
Associated
organisations
The
Earth Charter is a global network
of people and organisations that support the Earth Charter movement.
Nature and Society Forum provided a home for the Australian section
of the network early in its life.
The
Australian
Environmental Labelling Association
(AELA) is an independent, national standards-setting body that seeks
to promote environmentally sound products and services. Nature and Society
Forum shares office space with this group.
Page corrected 15 May 2006. Further updating to come.
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