2015-10-21
October 21 is the thirty-first meeting for Systems Thinking Ontario. The registration is on Eventbrite.
Systems Thinking and Industrial Ecology
Industrial Ecology is:
... the study of flows of materials and energy in industrial consumer activities, of the effects of these flows on the environment, and of the influences of economic, political, regulatory and social factors on the flow, use and transformation of resources (White 1994); or
... a systems-based, multidisciplinary discourse that seeks to understand emergent behaviour of complex integrated human/natural systems (Allenby, 2006)
At the July 2015 meeting of the International Society for Industrial Ecology in Surrey, UK, plenary sessions reflected with reviews and prospects on the field. The talks highlighted chapters in a forthcoming open access book, Taking Stock of Industrial Ecology.
This month, we're fortunate to have Chris Kennedy, president of the ISIE, guide us through some of the basics of Industrial Ecology, and enlighten us on the linkages with systems thinking. He is a professor in the Environmental Engineering Research Section at the University of Toronto. Chris Kennedy's recent research include the study of urban metabolism and applications in urban planning and design.
Venue:
Suggested pre-reading:
The discussion will use a 2015 publication as a center:
The ISIE has has recently released an informational booklet Rising to Global Challenges: 25 Years of Industrial Ecology that outlines the field.
Videos have been now posted of the plenary talks from the ISIE Conference 2015 "Taking Stock of Industrial Ecology".
Diligent readers may also refer to:
The Wikipedia entry on Industrial Ecology doesn't do too much damage.
"A Note from the Presidents" of the ISIE outlines some perspectives from its leaders.
A blog post on "Industrial Ecology in 2015" points to digests of the ISIE 2015 Surrey meeting
Browse the titles of articles in the Journal of Industrial Ecology.
Participants should not feel limited to this suggested pre-reading, but should recognize that other attendees may have not read, or are reading differently, that content.
Agenda
Post-meeting artifacts
Bloggers are encouraged to write about their learning and experiences at the meeting. Links will be added to this page.
OCADU: Systems Thinking Ontario with Chris Kennedy describing Industrial Ecology, in a role as president of ISIE. Systems thinkers also asking questions about relations between IE and other fields and organisations. Interdisciplinary researchers working across interdisciplinary organisations means lots of overlaps. (Lambert Lounge, OCADU, Toronto) 20151021