5 Key Design Principles for a New Normal from the Work of Donella Meadows

5 Key Design Principles for a New Normal from the Work of Donella Meadows

At a time so deeply painful for many, what design principles might we draw from to shape a positive new normal?

We partnered with our friends at CoCreative for a webinar focusing on the work and teachings of Donella Meadows. The webinar explored some of the practical ideas that made Donella (Dana) Meadows so beloved by people interested in making a world that works for all.

If you are interested in Dana’s work and looking for a place to start, we recommend the following resources; each one is full of the deep thinking and deep caring that made Dana the exceptional leader and communicator that she was.

  1. Envisioning a Sustainable World—a powerful video of Dana’s speech on the crucial role that visioning plays in bringing about the world we want
  2. Tools for the Transition to Sustainability—in this chapter, Dana discusses the importance of visioning, networking, truth-telling, learning, and loving in the quest for sustainability
  3. Leverage Points: Places to Intervene in a System—probably Dana’s most famous article, this piece illuminates Dana’s deep wisdom about how systems work and how we can manipulate them to create the most change
  4. Dancing with Systems—another powerful piece about how people can work with systems once they lose the illusion of control over them
  5. The Limits to Growth—the groundbreaking 1972 study that launched Donella Meadows onto the global stage as a leading climate thinker and writer

 

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