The Prosperous Way Down site, invoking and building on Howard Odum’s work, takes a look at education here.
Conservation of information, both genetic and learned, through teaching and archiving, is the first mission of universities. Included are the biodiversity of nature and the long range memory of society, which is the library. Scarce library money should not be diverted to short range needs. The internet appears to be the short range memory of society. As in the analogous processes of the human brain, short range information has to be sifted and selected for preservation, a university function. Planning for descent should take priority in universities, not only for itself, but for its role as the long range information storehouse for society. . . Not all the great quantity of information in our current climax pulse can be sustained in the down cycle. How do we organize and save what is most important? Perhaps this is a priority for long range greening committees . . .
Emphasis and promotion should be for:
Long term concepts and ideas (not short term projects to get money)
Global sharing of information and ethics (not patents, copyrights and profits)
Giving long term security to knowledge emphasizing principles
Plan present initiatives consistent with downsizing ahead
Accelerate the mission to consolidate knowledge–the long term memory of civilization
Restore pre-1950 educational efficiency patterns such as Saturday classes and high school graduation after 11 grades
Projects are needed on international organization for fostering peace through shared respect of differences, and arranging equitable exchange treaties using emergy evaluation
Show how to limit the global climate impact from the excess CO2 of civilization without violating the maximum empower principle (developed countries can limit private auto horsepower, while poor countries can reforest their lands)
Universities can develop and justify concepts and policies for environmental management [within their states
Universities can maximize the economy within its local region by greening with systems concepts, helping the information of the University foster the center of the local economy
Integrate county, city, and university as one system, plan according to natural hierarchy, and develop policy for environmental biodiversity
Possible initiatives include environmental departments and centers, innovating environmental art and environmental ethics, and establishing degrees in Ecological Engineering
Establish an introductory environment course required of all students with some common core content (defined by committee), but adapted by and for teaching in each college with relevant examples
Odum, H.T., 1999. Environmental Policy for the University of Florida. In Greening UF. Gainsville, FL.