Nurturing Empathic Perception
EcoLabs nurtures ecological literacy, empathy and agency in response to social and environmental challenges.
About You
About You
About Your Organization
Organization Name
EcoLabs
Organization Website
Organization Country
United Kingdom, London
Country where this project is creating social impact
United Kingdom
Is your organization a
Non‐profit / NGO / Citizen sector organization
Your role in Education
Other.
The type of school(s) your solution is affiliated with
Other
How long has your organization been operating?
More than 5 years
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Innovation
Select the stage that best applies to your solution
Growth (your pilot is up and running, and starting to expand)
How long has your solution been in operation?
Operating for 1‐5 years
The Need: What problem are you trying to solve?
Ecological theorists link alienation as arising from a lack of identification or empathic relationship with nature. This lack of empathy enables humankind to disregard the consequences of our actions resulting in serious problems across earth systems sciences and conservation biology. Empathy is also connected to social injustice and cruelty. Ultimately humankind will need to expand the boundaries of concern, or ‘empathetic consciousness’, to the entire natural world to make ecological and social sustainability possible. The target audience for this project is vast as the current error in epistemological premises has created the wide spread illusion of independence from each other and the natural world.
The Solution: What is your solution? Be specific!
Empathic consciousness arises as we become capable of making connections. Empathy has been linked to aesthetics since the word was coined by Edward Titchener in 1909 as the translation of the German word 'Einfühlung'; literally ‘feeling into’. The aesthetic experience is a means of provoking moments of insights where an observer feels a connection to the subject and the stark dualism of the traditional scientific method and the western epistemological tradition is interrupted. This momentary experience provokes self-reflective consciousness where an individual has a lived experience of connection and empathic awareness (of ‘the other’). Within this space, emphatic perception of relations becomes possible as a basis for a relational mode of understanding. EcoLabs has developed learning processes and resources to provoke this experiential learning by working with aesthetics to nurture ecological literacy. Presently these processes have been developed and a pilot project has been run.
The Model: Walk us through a specific example of how your solution makes a difference; include your primary activities
EcoLabs creates learning processes for ecological literacy, i.e. the cognitive and social capacities for relational and empathetic understanding as well as the agency to act in response to new knowledge and values. EcoLabs provides resources on our website and also creates learning situations wherein ecological ideas are explored with visuals in transformative, social and experiential learning processes. For example, in 2009 EcoLabs created a ‘Teach-in for Ecological Literacy in Design Education’ with 275 students participating at the V&A (and many hundred more participating on-line). The Teach-in launched a participatory community of practice focused on embedding ecological literacy in design education. This and other projects have long term goals. Ecological literacy and empathic consciousness will require sustained attempts at transforming education. Seeds have been sown for explorations and transformations. It is imperative to scale up these efforts to address problematic frames of reference perpetuated by the (delusionary) illusion of radical isolated and ecologically dis-embedded individualism. Our primary activities in response to these threats are: 1) the creation of visual resources for use within critical pedagogy and transformative learning to provoke critical consciousness; 2) the creation of learning spaces and activities for ecological literacy and empathetic awareness of relations; 3) the creation of learning processes to nurture agency.
The Marketplace: Who are your peers and competitors? Identify others also working to address the needs you are and what differentiates you from them. What challenges could these players pose to your success or growth?
Often mainstream education is narrowly focused on skills and thereby perpetuates problematic frames of reference including perspectives wherein the needs of the natural world and ‘others’ are made invisible. Many sustainability educators have been influenced over the past twenty years by David Orr and Fritjof Capra’s ideas on ecological literacy. The Center for Ecological Literacy in San Francisco does pioneering work with young children. EcoLabs focuses on older children and young adults. EcoLabs also pursues a more critically engaged approach to ecological literacy influenced by the tradition of critical pedagogy and Paulo Freire. Our growth is threatened by the deliberate marginalisation of ecologically rigorous communication and education by entrenched corporate interests.
Now that you have thought out your entry, help us pitch it.
Define your company, program, service, or product in 1-2 short sentences [136 characters]
EcoLabs nurtures ecological literacy, empathy and agency in response to social and environmental challenges.
Identify what is innovative about your solution in 1-2 short sentences [136 characters]
We harness the power of visuals to foster ecological literacy: i.e. empathetic, relational and contextual ways of understanding.
Social Impact
This Entry is about (Issues)
What has been the impact of your solution to date?
Over the past six years EcoLabs has provided educational and communication resources and projects that have been accessed and experienced by tens of thousands of people. Our most popular web resource (EcoMag No.2 - Future Scenarios) has been downloaded over 18,000+ times. EcoLabs produced a Teach-in in 2009 attended by 300 students. The resources published with the Teach-in were downloaded over 5,000+ times. We have nurtured a debate within higher education on the need for ecological literacy and participated in various communities of practice including the International Environmental Communications Association, the Design Research Society and the Design History Society. We have supported other environmental organisations and social movements with visual resources and projects. We have supported the development of relational and empathetic consciousness within formal and informal education.
What is your projected impact over the next 1-3 years?
Over the next three years EcoLabs could help educational institutions develop learning projects that would build new social capacities to respond to social and environmental challenges. Jody Boehnert's recent PhD proposes an approach to education and communication for sustainability and ecological literacy that will foster empathetic and relational understanding. Over the next 3 years EcoLabs will make an impact by not only running new projects and making new resources, but working to influence pedagogic practices in education for in secondary and higher education. I also hope to make at least one large scale exhibition or Teach-in to catalyse learning for ecological literacy informed by critical pedagogy and transformative learning processes.
Winning entries present a strong plan for how they will achieve and track growth. Identify your six-month milestone for growing your impact
Develop new Teach-in (or public exhibition)
Identify three major tasks you will have to complete to reach your six-month milestone
Task 1
Fundraise $10,000
Task 2
Start work on new Teach-in or public exhibition
Task 3
Re-establish a community of practice
Now think bigger! Identify your 12-month impact milestone
Deliver new Teach-in (or public exhibition)
Identify three major tasks you will have to complete to reach your 12-month milestone
Task 1
Fundraise $150,000
Task 2
Deliver new Teach-in or public exhibition
Task 3
Develop sustainable funding strategy
Founding Story: We want to hear about your "Aha!" moment. Share the story of where and when the founder(s) saw this solution's potential to change the world [125 words]
There have been hundreds of 'Aha' moments. 'Aha' = when I slowly discovered that my illness was caused by the food I eat. 'Aha' = when I heard the devastating stories of communities impacted by environmental disasters. 'Aha' = when saw the garbage on the beaches in Ireland and realized the oceans were being treated as a garbage dump. 'Aha' = when I read key texts in history, critical social theory, environmental studies, ecological literacy and ecofeminism. 'Aha' when I realised that most charitable organisations do not consider the environment to be a threat to their missions and thus will not fund environmental projects. 'Aha' when I realised that environmental problems are invisible for most people because certain industries deliberately keep this information invisible. 'Aha' when I discovered that the Royal Opera House in the UK has twice as much income as WWF-UK.
Sustainability
Tell us about your partnerships
EcoLabs works with educational establishments, environmental organisations, cultural institutions, professional networks, cultural institutions and other designers in various capacities.
What type of team (staff, volunteers, etc.) will ensure that you achieve the growth milestones identified in the Social Impact section? [75 words]
EcoLabs founder Jody Boehnert has recently finished an Arts and Humanities Research Council funded three year PhD at the University of Brighton. Presently there is no paid staff at EcoLabs as Jody is in the process of re-establishing EcoLabs after a period of dormancy (as Jody finished her research). Meeting milestone will be dependent project funding.
Please elaborate on any needs or offers you have mentioned above and/or suggest categories of support that aren't specified within the list
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| fiveds-disengaged.jpg | 39.42 KB |
 | 59 weeks ago Jody Joanna Boehnert updated this Competition Entry. |
| 59 weeks ago Jody Joanna Boehnert updated this Competition Entry. |
| 60 weeks ago Jody Joanna Boehnert updated this Competition Entry. |
| 64 weeks ago Jody Joanna Boehnert updated this Competition Entry. |
| 64 weeks ago Jody Joanna Boehnert submitted this idea. |
