Living Lab for sustainable development

&

Centro de Diálogo y Transformación: Humanity - Environment - Economy

Borderlands México-USAFranja fronteriza México-Estados Unidos

Research for the Future Today!¡Innovación para el futuro hoy!

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ACC Incorporation number: 2101940-4

Living Lab/Centro de Diálogo y Transformación

provides community service, research and policy studies in the area of sustainable development.

We are currently under evaluation by the United Nations as

Candidate Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development

Borderlands México-USA

Living Lab/Centro de Diálogo y Transfomación Inc. 2

Are you a…•Teacher? A School District Representative?

° Bring your students to Living Lab/Centro de Diálogo y Transformación for fun hands-on activities where we learn about sustainability science and renewable energy.

° Or we can visit your school using our Mobile Living Lab!

•University Student?° Would you like to innovate new technologies and implement best practices for a sustainable future? Let us support you

with infrastructure, guidance and world-class expertise to help you give your very best on the path to sustainable development. ° Come and do your Social Service, or simply volunteer with us to gain experience

and to contribute for the good of the community and the natural environment.

•Business person?Allow us to help you:

° Design, implement and evaluate Corporate Social Responsibility projects.° Develop truly sustainable corporate policies using the Sustainability Approximation Model.

•Researcher?° Send us your proposal and, once it’s accepted, we will help you procure project funding

and support you with infrastructure, guidance and world-class expertise in your subject area. ° If you produce outstanding work, we will assist in the publication and dissemination of your research findings.

•Policymaker?° Let us assist you by conducting feasibility studies, evaluating project implementation, and providing ongoing feedback on policy implications in order to ensure maximum effectiveness of policy outcomes.

•An Elected Official?

Allow us to help you understand your constituents’ interests and concerns in the areas of human development, environmental policy & sustainable usage, and sustainable economic opportunities.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT US THROUGH THE FACEBOOK MESSENGER AT: “Living Lab/Centro de Diálogo y Transformación: Borderlands México-USA”. 3

The areas we work with include

Human Development ,

Environmental Restoration & Sustainable Usage

and

Sustainable Economic Development

Kindly have a look at the slides below, to see what areas might be of interest to you!

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offerscommunity service, research & policy

studies on

Environmental Restoration & Sustainable Usage

If you would like to participate, please contact us through the Facebook Messenger.5

What types of research and activities may be carried out through the Living Lab?Any environment-related project which has been designed in accordance with the requirements listed below can be proposed as a Living Lab Project.Requirements:All projects should be applicable toward the sustainability, the enhancement and/or the restoration of one or more aspects of the natural environment. Where possible, the researcher should try to contribute to the creation of sustainable economic opportunities, capacity building and/or other benefits for the local community.Below are some sample areas in which you may wish to conduct research or other activities through the Living Lab:

* All aspects of water as a resource* Soil restoration* Renewable energy * Habitat restoration* Wildlife conservation* Sustainable forestry

* Bio-intensive organic agriculture* Agroecology* Permaculture* Sustainable food systems* Sustainable livestock husbandry* Sustainable resource management

Do you have expertise in these or other areas which can help the community face current environmental challenges?

If so, please consider collaborating with us!6

Balancing human need and the natural environment

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offers

community service, training, research & policy studies

on

Human Development, Education & Sustainable Economic Development

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Centro de Diálogo y Transformación is working to create a sustainable symbiosis between the human community, the natural environment and human

economic activities.Upon request from organizations requiring our services, workshops, conferences, courses, lectures and other activities are specifically designed

to meet the needs and the objectives of each group of participants.

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The Centre for Dialogue & Transformation offers services in the following areas:

* Sustainable economic development research and application* Training and development for sustainable small-scale businesses* Community education, peace education, literacy education * Conflict transformation; mediation, dialogue sessions; local, national and international negotiation* Community psychosocial healing and reconstruction, healing individual and collective trauma, de-normativizing violence* Education, teacher training in student-centered instructional methods, integrated curricular design, place-based curriculum development* Policy formation, policy implementation and policy evaluation studies 

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We provide hands on experiences in the sustainability sciences for children of all ages.

They begin with in-the-field observation and activities.

Upon returning to the Lab, participants conduct simple hydrological, soils and Biochemistry tests, as well as studying specimens of flora and fauna at the microscopic level, similar to those observed during the field work activity. * Pictures are taken of every child carrying out experiments, and we ask accompanying adults to display the photos in prominent places upon returning to the school, home, etc. so that the children may see themselves dressed and working as scientists. This is done in the hopes that they will be able to conceptualize themselves as studying for a higher education degree in the future.

Mobile Living Lab

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Working with the Community

Although we are located at the University, the Mobile Living Lab allows us to offer extension services in local communities through selected schools, community centers and government offices with the aim of:1) Ensuring that the fruits of development reach all communities.2) Capturing traditional local knowledge in order to disseminate it nationally and internationally, and to conserve it for future generations.

LL/CDT Extension Services include Education for Sustainability, Human Development and Adult Literacy, among others. Each intervention is designed and offered according to the needs and the desires of the local community.

Mobile Living Lab

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RESEARCH APPROACH

Research Approach-- When a problem or a concern has been identified for intervention, researchers begin by conducting a Preliminary Analysis which provides a broad understanding of the history and the particulars surrounding the topic of study. The second step is to carry out a needs analysis in order to understand people’s concerns, desires, goals and fears pertaining to the issue. Objectives are then developed in conjunction with community members and authorities. A Research Proposal is presented, which includes a section specifying what perceived benefits the project will provide for the locality. The Intervention is applied, and data analyzed in light of the stated objectives. In order to improve implementation, adaptations may be made as indicated by the green feedback arrows depicted in the graph above. Based on the findings, policy recommendations are presented to appropriate legislative bodies; and resulting manuscripts are submitted for publication in refereed journals, books, or other sources of knowledge dissemination.

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THE POLICY COMPONENT: ENCOURAGING LASTING STRUCTURAL CHANGES

Joining in to the Policy Cycle-- Research carried out at the Living Lab/Centro de Diálogo y Transformación is conducted in collaboration with relevant actors, including ordinary people, local authorities and the private sector. The Centers’ researchers join in to the Policy Cycle by providing recommendations based on research findings. They then approach administrative bodies and offer to conduct ongoing evaluation of the implementation process with the aim of providing feedback designed to help reach the policy objectives as enshrined in the law, or legislation. Outcomes are systematically assessed for their effectiveness, further recommendations are given, and on goes the policy process. 15

USES OF THE SUSTAINABILITY APPROXIMATION MODEL

(SAM):

• As a Policy Instrument• For Developing Sustainable Corporate Strategies• As a Framework for Corporate Social Responsibility

Decision Making• As a Tool for Integrated Problem-Solving Education 16

THE SAM WORKSHEET AND ITS APPLICATIONSA Sample SAM Worksheet– The Sustainability Approximation Model allows decision makers to quickly notice how the impact of a proposed policy is distributed through the three variables, taking into consideration the interrelation that exists between humanity, economy and environment, while seeking to achieve and maintain a sustainable balance among them.

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COMPUTER-GENERATED QUANTITATIVE USES OF THE SUSTAINABILITY APPROXIMATION MODEL

Computer-generated summary of the impacts of a new business-- ‘The English Tea House and Rose Garden’ on the community where it recently began operations, i.e. employment and skill development; the environment, i.e. land cleared, rubbish generated, effluent and run off; and the economy, i.e. revenue generated through consumption at the tea house, admission to the Rose Garden, visitor outlay for lodging in the township, etc.

Data can be assessed at any moment during the ongoing process of monitoring and evaluation. This allows policy makers, implementers and private sector actors to make adjustments on-the-spot in order to ensure the ongoing balance between community, environment and economy. 18

Contact us today for service and collaboration toward a sustainable future!

KINDLY LEAVE A MESSAGE ON THE FACEBOOK MESSENGER AT: “Living Lab/Centro de Diálogo y Transformación: Borderlands México-USA” 19

Thank you for your kind attention!

Living Lab: For sustainable development &

Centro de Diálogo y Transformación: Humanity- Environment- Economy

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