Ecosa Institute NewsJoin the Design Revolution 2012
Empower Tomorrow's Creative Leaders Dear Alumni, Supporters and Friends, LET'S MAKE A DIFFERENCE WITH DESIGN. We hope that in a time when we are continually bombarded by dire economic, environmental, and social news, you are not only surviving but thriving. We are thrilled to announce that with your help and support we are making great progress as a catalyst of change. First, we want to thank you for your support last year. Thanks to you we have been able to provide over $10,500 in donor supported scholarships this year. This has helped us attract more students, develop our diversity, and build a more viable income stream. We are especially excited to report that with your help we initiated our Masters in Regenerative Ecological Design program this fall and have seven outstanding students who will be with us for two years. As an indication of the enthusiasm generated by this new program, after just a few weeks we have two additional certificate students transferring into the Masters Program. During their two-year course of study, the Masters students will focus on design and implementation of projects that coincide with their passion. We believe that by having our students make a difference not only through design, but also by implementing these projects, we can achieve our goal of mentoring creative people while also developing creative entrepreneurs. We plan for our Masters students to graduate with real experience in making change, not just the theory. While the current times are uncertain and difficult, we believe that we are in an exciting period where massive societal restructuring is not only possible, but also essential. We are doing our best to take advantage of this opportunity and use design to create real change. As a part of our continued commitment to making change we are bringing a new focus on community projects to our curriculum. One way we are achieving change locally is by partnering with other non-profit organizations who are working to regenerate our ecosystems and are themselves promoting projects that have a focus on increasing equity in our community. This fall we are partnered with the Prescott Watershed Improvement Council to complete a study that identifies best management practices for restoration in the Lower Miller Creek watershed. This is a highly impacted watershed, which includes one of the busiest commercial retail areas in Prescott. Through careful analysis and design we intend to mitigate the impacts of the pollutant loading caused by run-off and inappropriate land uses. One goal is to develop a riparian buffer ordinance that will transform our watershed arteries to make them regenerative rather than degenerative. Another project partner this semester is Prescott's One Street, an international bike advocacy group focusing on empowering disadvantaged people to take control of their own transit needs through affordable access to bicycles. Particularly in the US, bicycles have become increasingly high tech, difficult to repair and expensive, which puts them out of reach of disadvantaged people in need of affordable transportation. The long-term goal of this project is to develop a manufacturing base here in Prescott. We are starting with the design of a simple, cheap and easily manufactured gear shifter that can be repaired by anyone with simple everyday tools. We believe that both of these projects can have an impact far beyond our local community, which is why we want to not only design, but also help implement these projects to demonstrate their viability. Given the current jobs climate, especially for recent graduates, students need the kind of education that allows them to forge their own way and create opportunities for themselves and others. We believe that this is the new work paradigm for the 21st century. The days of lifetime employment at one occupation are over and we need creative leaders, able to make their livelihood by tackling the difficult challenges of our time. These graduates will be in increasing demand in the coming years. Today ECOSA is at an important turning point. We have always strived to stay at the forefront of design education and now the Masters Program gives us the opportunity to push the envelope even further. We want you to be our partner of this exciting new development. We have a wide range of potential projects for our Masters group, such as implementing solutions to homelessness in Prescott, serving as consultants to the Prescott Area Habitat for Humanity design development and construction team, and actualizing part of the Ghana School for Severely Handicapped Children that our Certificate students designed this past spring. Masters projects will not only give our students a rigorous learning experience, but will address many pressing social, economic and environmental issues locally and potentially far beyond. As you can imagine, it is a major undertaking to gather the resources, knowledge and skills to offer students the opportunity to transform their ideas into reality. We need your help to realize the full potential of this exciting new program. With your help we will be able to: • Continue offering affordable tuition, scholarships and financial aid, Our goal is to raise $15,000 by the end of this year. We realize that this is an ambitious goal, but given our success last year we are calling on you, as progressive individuals who understand the importance of new ideas in education and society, to donate what you can. The real reward is that your support will change the lives of engaged, active, enthusiastic students who will make positive change in the world. Your donation is an important part of bringing about this change.
Throughout our programs we emphasize two important principles: the importance of community, and the potential to influence change by voting with our dollars. We know that together we can achieve far more than any of us alone and that when we use money for a cause or product we are making a statement saying "this is what I support". We believe that you understand the value of our programs, and are willing to continue to be part of our growing Ecosa community. We are asking each of you to pledge your support for the ECOSA programs by voting with your dollars. By helping us you can help re-imagine a better future. We understand that the current economic climate is difficult for everyone, but we are asking you to make an investment in changing the future direction of our society. We know there are many emergencies around the world that are worthy of your help, and that educating students committed to regenerative ecological design may seem less urgent. However, we suggest that Ecosa is one of the few organizations working to change the underlying causes of hunger, floods, pollution and many other challenges. It is vital that we educate creative leaders who can rise to these future challenges. All of your gifts are tax deductable and will help us keep our programs affordable while expanding the impact of our work. Please take a moment to return the enclosed card with your generous support and demonstrate your commitment to our transformative educational programs. Thank you for your interest and continued support, Antony Brown
Listening to Place
Listening to Place - A Practical Guide for Regenerative Designers by Megan Dixon When was the last time you said hello to the Earth? To your favorite mountain? To the tree in your back yard? What does it mean to live with nature and how do we do it?When I first came to the Ecosa Institute as a student in 2009 I was inspired by the notion of “listening to the site”, a Permaculture principle that Ecosa challenges students to apply to designing the built environment. Yet each time I visited our project site I found myself feeling discouraged and wondering what I was missing. Sure, I’d make a sector compass and jot down observations, but it seemed like there had to be more. I had a deep feeling that the site had more to say, if only I could listen. I began asking my mentors and fellow students, how do you listen to the site? I got answers like, “look for patterns,” or “notice how the sun, wind and water interact with the land.” These are of course valuable tools and vital components to regenerative design, but they weren’t the answers I was seeking. So I began my own investigation. What I discovered is that the listening I was seeking was not a new phenomenon, but a nearly forgotten one. Our ancestors and many of the indigenous peoples of today remember it quite well. They know what it means to be in conversation with the grand consciousness of our existence. Our native brothers and sisters still talk to the wind, listen to the songs of the forest and work in service to the Earth.
Leading from the Edge With the start of our new Master's program this Fall we mark a new phase in the history of the Ecosa Institute. We have managed to stay on the cutting edge of sustainability with our Regenerative Ecological Design programs and we intend to stay there because as Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. says, "Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can't see from the center." It has become very clear that as we grow we need to embrace new ways of thinking, not just in regenerative design, but in the way we organize ourselves. Having watched once innovative organizations grow and become more and more like the mainstream, I believe we need to have an approach based on the latest knowledge of change and evolution.
Design Students Suggest 'Regenerative' Uses for Prescott Rodeo Grounds  by since the 2007 city/county land trade that turned the historic Prescott Rodeo Grounds over to the City of Prescott.And as City Councilwoman Lora Lopas sees it, little has changed at the rodeo grounds since the trade. "It has been a pet peeve of mine that the city acquired this land and hasn't done anything with it," Lopas said this past week. So she was pleased when a group of design students at the Ecosa Institute in downtown Prescott took on the rodeo grounds as a months-long project for their regenerative-design program. Several dozen students, local officials and rodeo representatives gathered at the institute on Montezuma Street last week to hear an evening presentation on the final product: a master plan that builds on the historic aspects of the rodeo grounds for a host of future uses. "I think it's brilliant," Lopas said afterward of the plans that included the addition of more rodeo-stadium seating, an enclosed practice arena, a hotel and restaurant, an outdoor stage, trails, and a walkable main thoroughfare. KindVines will issue limited selection of wines to benefit ecological design school
At first blush, there doesn't appear to be much in common between Ecosa Institute in Prescott and KindVines in Flagstaff. It's Up To Us
With the results of the mid-term elections fresh, it has become more apparent than ever that our most pressing problems are not even going to be addressed, much less solved. To have a goal of ensuring the failure of our President is certainly not going to address the issues of dependence on foreign oil or deficit reduction, which, apparently, can be solved by giving tax breaks to the richest among us. What is also clear is that the make up of Congress does not represent us. Congress's new members reported a median net worth of $1.8 million. We the People are not a majority of very wealthy white men and women with an average median income of $815,000, an average age of over 58... More Articles...Page 1 of 2 << Start < Prev 1 2 Next > End >> |
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by Antony Brown, Ecosa Program Director
