WELCOME to the Gaia Education's Designing for Sustainability: Introducing the Big Picture of Co-Creating a Thriving Future. Global experts advise in order to stir humanity towards sustainability we need to re-design everything, from our homes to our food, energy, transport and economic systems. This transformation needs to occur on a grand scale and take into consideration people, planet, and livelihoods to arrive at a holistic balance as we humbly endeavor to redesign human presence on Earth. So, what does it mean to re-design everything? Rooted in Gaia Education’s over 10 years of international experience in community design education and sustainable systems thinking, we offer you this short course that highlights what is possible, what is being done, and what remains to be done to transform society while addressing the most pressing issues of our times. Designing for Sustainability invites a cross-generational process of critical thinking, the exploration of innovative solutions and social entrepreneurship, and is inspired by what Thich Nhat Hanh has called “interbeing” - the connection we all share with all living things. Using examples from ecovillages and sustainable communities from around the world, this course will introduce you to people who are creating communities that tread more lightly on the planet and do so in a way that recognizes the power of collaboration, the promise of regenerative systems, and the value of diversity. You will learn from the pioneers and visionaries who have dared to innovate and bring sustainability resilience, and systemic thinking to urban, rural, and traditional... [-]

“Sustainable energy — energy that is accessible, cleaner and more efficient—powers opportunity. It grows economies. It lights up homes, schools and hospitals. It empowers women and local communities. And it paves a path out of poverty to greater prosperity for all.” UN Sustainable Energy for All

Energy is the golden thread that connects economic growth, increased social equity, and an environment that allows the world to thrive. Development is not possible without energy, and sustainable development is not possible without sustainable energy.

This online programme will give a comprehensive overview of renewable energy as a means to enable sustainable development at a global scale. It will present the case on how renewable energies represent at the same time an environmental necessity and an economic opportunity.... [-]

"Problems cannot be solved with the same mindset that created them." Albert Einstein “The heart that breaks open can contain the whole universe.” Joanna Macy Einstein warned us that we cannot expect to solve the converging crises we are facing within the same mindset and way of thinking that caused these problems in the first place. We need to learn to question our basic assumptions and learn to ask deeper questions that help us to transcend and include multiple perspectives if we hope to steer humanity into an uncertain future with wisdom, foresight, and precaution. The Worldview Dimension of this course invites you to become more conscious about how your worldview and value system affects your perceived needs and how it informs the way you might propose and design solution in any given situation. By identifying a series of valid perspectives, worldviews and value systems and putting them into context with each other, rather than seeing them as mutually exclusive or contradictory, we are taking the important first step to being able to facilitate the complex multi-stakeholder dialogues upon which the local, regional and global transition to sustainability and regenerative cultures will depend.... [-]

Never has there been a better time and a more urgent need to create a more resilient and participatory future by turning our attention to alternative economic paradigms. If you feel stuck or uncertain about what you can do and yearn to open the door to these new possibilities then our e-learning programme is for you. Many know that our current economic system is no longer sustainable, yet few are aware of the alternatives? Our aim is to give you a better understanding of those alternatives and the true meaning of economy and wealth. Participants will learn about existing systems and tools that are useful, and redesign those that have proven dysfunctional based on already tested alternatives. To do nothing is to accept that but a handful of economists and political leaders still believe the answer to our problems is more economic growth – more production, more consumption, more highways, more buildings, more logging, more fishing, etc., ad infinitum. By continuing to collectively pay for this dysfunctional system through our taxes, we are all becoming accomplices in an environmental despoliation and ever-increasing debt serfdom as we remain addicted to growth and the way money is created. "The Third Industrial Revolution will also bring with it a more democratic economy. The distributed nature of renewable energies necessitates collaborative rather than hierarchical command and control mechanisms. This new lateral energy regime establishes the organizational model for the countless economic activities that multiply from it. A more distributed and collaborative industrial revolution, in... [-]

We are all designers since our actions and inactions are responsible for shaping the world around us. If you are ready to become a conscious designer to create a better world for yourself and your community, then our unique Sky Programme is what you have been waiting for.

Ecological designers ensure that life-supporting natural functions are not only preserved but regenerated whenever possible. They work with Nature rather than against her. They understand that sustainable settlement design is the creation of self-reliant, self-maintaining, self-regenerating ‘living systems’ that can support thriving community life for all their inhabitants. They know that Ecological concerns are fundamental to the design and development of ecovillages and sustainable intentional communities as a whole. Learn to become an active change agent to design better homes for yourself and others.... [-]

Are you looking to consciously reinvent cooperative and harmonious ways of living and working together?

If so, how do we design for group development, leadership, conflict resolution, decision-making, creativity, social justice, and communication?

Join Gaia Education’s Social Design for Sustainability course and learn practical effective ways to create the change we all seek. Our distinct programme is your chance to learn about the different ways to participate in this (r)evolutionary shift in paradigms.

Our aim is to give you a better understanding of the true meaning of social equity and participatory action and to enable participants to apply transformative tools that align us with more resilient social systems. Our relationship with others is too dear to let it default on old domineering paradigms.... [-]

Energy is often said to be the lifeblood of modern society. Multiple sea changes are currently afoot in the global economy, at the heart of which lies energy.

The goal of this free online course is to examine the numerous critical energy challenges we are facing, and the complex interaction between the economics and politics of global energy markets.

Over six weeks, we will explore: the causes and implications of low oil prices for global energy markets and geopolitics; the success of North American shale gas and the desire of other countries, particularly China, to replicate it in future; the state of US natural gas and oil production; and the impact of the shale revolution and low oil prices on OPEC and Russia.... [-]

As extreme weather events continue to hit the headlines, it is clear that environmental issues are on the rise across the globe.

Get an introduction to sustainable development, and find out what we can do to help our environment, with this online course from Deakin University.

You’ll explore the different ways in which sustainable development can be understood, and examine the true impact of human activity on our planet.

You’ll find out about recent actions that have been taken to achieve sustainable development and the solutions that we may need to implement in the future.

Is your social enterprise sustainable? Is it scalable? This course helps you evaluate your model and develop a plan to take it to the next level. Where could this course take me? This course is a must for anyone who wants to understand how to scale and sustain a social enterprise. You will learn how to evaluate and diagnose your current business model, identify your challenges, and develop strategies to grow your social enterprise, and evaluate its impact. What and how will I learn? Social Enterprise: Growing a Sustainable Business includes a mix of theory, practical information, and case studies from around the world. You will learn how to map your stakeholders, consider partnership opportunities, and manage change. You will also consider different marketing and communications strategies, how to find talent and different sources of funding and investment. By the end of the course, you will be prepared to take your social enterprise to the next level. Learn more with the Social Enterprise program This course is one of three in the Social Enterprise program prepared by Middlesex University Business School, in collaboration with researchers at the Jindal Centre for Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship and the social enterprise Living in Minca, and with funding by the British Council. The program will enable you to understand what it takes to launch and run a sustainable social enterprise. When you complete all three courses and buy a Certificate of Achievement for each, you will earn a FutureLearn Award as proof of completing... [-]

Sustainability is an embedded practice in many businesses. It recognizes the long-term benefits of acknowledging the social and environmental impacts of production and consumption. While governments encourage responsible social and environmental action, implementation is often left to individual organizations and many of these are under pressure from shareholders driven by a profit-centered return on investment (ROI) model. And so, environmental and sustainable practices often become an HR matter - it’s people that must make the difference.

This course will explore what constitutes sustainability from both ecological and business perspectives. We will investigate the emergence of sustainable approaches to human resources, known as ‘Green HR’, and identify various types of sustainability models.... [-]

Every product that we use today is the result of a supply chain - a complex series of steps that turn raw materials into the final products we use and everything related to this. Managing these supply chains have become more and more a challenge, especially with all modern technologies and today's trends. The 24-hour economy, fast delivery of goods to your home, wanting to have customized products and of course, the focus on sustainability is a few of these trends. In this course, you will learn why managing supply chains are important and challenging. It is a key activity for both large multi-national companies as well as for small businesses. We’ll find out how to design supply chains that meet future economic, environmental and social requirements, asking questions such as:... [-]

Sustainability is the ability of an organization to transparently manage its responsibilities for long-term care of the environment, social welfare and economic prosperity; while it is accountable to its stakeholders. As collaborators of an organization, we must know that our activities and functions also help to generate a sustainable culture.

Develop a sustainable vision through the construction of ideas that pursue the saving of resources and the maximization of benefits in each of its organizational areas.

Professionals from all areas, with an interest in the application of sustainability in the daily activities of your organization. Managerial, managerial, administrative and operational personnel of the main organizational areas of the company or organization.... [-]

Learn skills and tools needed to analyze 'deep' uncertainties, to anticipate change and to design adaptation pathways for large-scale and long-term interventions in infrastructure and water management systems.

Recent events show the vulnerability of infrastructure to unexpected or difficult-to-predict events. Flood security is frequently threatened and returns on investment in infrastructure are vulnerable to shifts in climate change, to financial crises, to disruptive innovations or to trend-breaks.

A system-based approach

In support of this new and systematic approach to long-term planning, researchers from TU Delft and the Deltares Institute in the Netherlands, have developed tools with which to:... [-]

Learn the principles, process design, and troubleshooting techniques for anaerobic wastewater treatment and get the full potentials of your anaerobic high-rate reactor.

Anaerobic wastewater treatment is the most energy-efficient technology for treating wastewater. With minimal energy requirement and the conversion of organic pollutants into energy-rich biogas, there's a double energy gain! This course addresses the fundamental principles, the microbial and physicochemical aspects, reactor technology and current and future applications.

The course presents state-of-the-art technology, focusing on sludge bed reactor systems. It also introduces the diagnostic tools used to determine the reasons for any sub-optimal performance. Sometimes anaerobic reactors suffer from sudden failures. In this course, you will learn how to perform a diagnosis on the anaerobic reactor and evaluate why failures are experienced and decide what remedial action is required to restore the full potential benefit of the anaerobic system.... [-]