Blog posts by Bill Dennison
Ruma Chakraborty

Jai Ho!: A song for the Gulf of Kachchh report card workshop

Bill Dennison ·
17 September 2013
Environmental Report Cards |     1 comments

We stopped in Mumbai in route to Jamnajar workshop, which is the home of the Indian film industry, known as Bollywood. The Oscar winning film Slumdog Millionaire was filmed there and the grand finale song and dance number 'Jai Ho' was a highlight of the film. Jai Ho was written by A.R. Rahman who won an Oscar for this song. I adapted Jai Ho for the conclusion of the report card workshop. Ruma Chakraborty kindly agreed to sing a few stanzas of this report card version of Jai Ho!

Read more

Banner advertising the workshop.

Gulf of Kachchh report card workshop

Bill Dennison ·
10 September 2013
Environmental Report Cards | 

An IAN contingent traveled to Jamnagar, India to conduct a two day workshop to develop an environmental report card for the Gulf of Kachchh (rhymes with touch). Bill Dennison, Heath Kelsey and Jane Hawkey made the trip, and although Simon Costanzo was scheduled to come, his Indian visa didn't arrive in time.

Read more

Fig 1. Types of education

Converting from passive to active learning

Bill Dennison ·
5 September 2013
Learning Science | 

There are many different forms of education and just as many different ways to categorize different forms of education. We have chosen a fairly simplistic three category scheme; formal education, self-guided education and public education. What we mean by formal education is the education provided through schools and universities. This form of education has historically been with students and teachers in classrooms.

Read more

Integration of heart, hands and head to make social and ecological change from Dancing with Dugongs.

The integration of heart, hands and head

Bill Dennison ·
3 September 2013
Science Communication | Learning Science |     1 comments

There are three things that the community needs to be able to say collectively in order to successfully confront an environmental challenge. The community needs to be able to say "We care" about a specific environmental issue, which comes from the heart. The community also needs to be able to "We know" what the right thing to do would be, which comes from the head. Finally, the community needs to be able to say "We can", referring to their ability to institute the appropriate actions.

Read more

Nous described by the four fundamental elements of earth, water, fire and air/wind.

It’s all Greek to me: The terms ‘praxis’ and ‘phronesis’ in environmental philosophy

Bill Dennison ·
29 August 2013
Applying Science | Learning Science |     3 comments

Two of Peter Oliver’s favorite words were ‘ praxis ’ and ‘ phronesis ’. These Greek terms were part of the vocabulary of the ancient Greek philosophers and used by Aristotle to describe practical wisdom (phronesis) and thoughtful, practical doing (praxis). They were used within a broader vocabulary to describe various elements of learning and knowledge.

Read more

Healthy Waterways Healthy Catchments: Making the connection in South East Queensland, Australia

Healthy Waterways Healthy Catchments: Making the connection in South East Queensland, Australia

Bill Dennison ·
27 August 2013
Environmental Report Cards | Science Communication | Australian cities and waterways | 

Healthy Waterways Healthy Catchments is now available for free in PDF format from IAN press. Healthy Waterways Healthy Catchments: Making the connection in South East Queensland, Australia … This 238 pp. book was the fourth in a series of four books produced as part of the Healthy Waterways campaign in Southeast Queensland. It was published in 2005 and summarized the scientific findings from a variety of different projects that were conducted as part of Phase 3 of the Healthy Waterways program.

Read more

Discover the Waterways of South-East Queensland

Discover the Waterways of South-East Queensland

Bill Dennison ·
22 August 2013
Environmental Report Cards | Science Communication | Australian cities and waterways | 

Discover the Waterways is now available for free in PDF format from IAN Press. Discover the Waterways of South-East Queensland … This book was the third of a series of four books produced as part of the Healthy Waterways campaign in Southeast Queensland. It was published in 2001 and was intended to provide citizens with enough context to view key ecosystem features from different vantage points around Southeast Queensland.

Read more

Moreton Bay Study: A Scientific Basis for the Healthy Waterways Campaign

Moreton Bay Study: A Scientific Basis for the Healthy Waterways Campaign

Bill Dennison ·
20 August 2013
Environmental Report Cards | Science Communication | Australian cities and waterways | 

Moreton Bay Study is now available for free in PDF format from IAN Press. Moreton Bay Study: A Scientific Basis for the Healthy Waterways Campaign … This book was the second of a series of four books produced as part of the Healthy Waterways campaign in Southeast Queensland. It was published in 1999 and was the first summary of the scientific findings of Healthy Waterways.

Read more

The crew member's guide to the health of our waterways

The crew member's guide to the health of our waterways

Bill Dennison ·
15 August 2013
Environmental Report Cards | Science Communication | Australian cities and waterways | 

The crew member's guide to the health of our waterways is now available for free in PDF format from IAN Press. The crew member's guide to the health of our waterways … This short book (~100 pp.) was the first of a series of four books produced as part of the Healthy Waterways campaign in Southeast Queensland. It was published in 1998 and was a key component of the campaign in a variety of ways. First, the book was inexpensively priced to encourage wide dissemination.

Read more

Maryland's greenhouse gas reduction plan: Executive summary

Top ten science communication booklets

Bill Dennison ·
13 August 2013
Science Communication |     1 comments

Maryland's greenhouse gas reduction plan: Executive summary … This 20 page booklet was produced in 2013 for the Maryland Department of Environment to summarize a long (300+ pp.) and detailed Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan. The short, bold statements that are highlighted at the beginning of the booklet are very powerful: "Climate change is real. Scientists agree. It's happening now. It's harmful and human caused.

Read more