Training in Organic Farming – Online + On-farm!
September 2, 2009
The Organic Farming Institute of British Columbia (ofibc.org) offers first-rate training in organic farming. Unique in Canada, OFIBC training is designed to meet the needs of farmers. Courses are a combination of rich and varied online learning built around in-depth training on working organic farms. The Similkameen Valley is the perfect place for an organic farming training centre. It has the highest concentration of organic farms in Canada.
I am currently the lead designer on OFIBC’s initial courses on Organic Soil Management and Nutrient Cycles, working closely with Lee McFadyen, long-time organic farmer in the Similkameen Valley and key contributor to provincial and national organic certification standards. These courses are a huge challenge to develop, as soil management is the foundation of organic farming and involves a veritable web of biological, chemical, physical and practical knowledge. Our mission is to make this knowledge available to farmers in the most efficient and dynamic way possible, and I think we’re doing a pretty damn good job!
The online parts of the courses include varied interactive activities, knowledge and practical assignments, collaboration with other students, wikis, databases of additional resources, video demonstrations, and online support from an expert instructor. For a small sample of an interactive activity, click HERE.
In collaboration with colleagues at 7th Floor Media and also with Lee McFadyen, Graham Gore (first chair of the OFIBC board) and Michael McLaughlin (former EDO in the Similkameen Valley), I also worked some years ago on the creation and launch of OFIBC. We organized and co-facilitated the kick-off focus group where 35 community leaders selected an Organic Farming Institute as a winning strategy for using rural broadband capacity for education and sustainable economic development in the Similkameen Valley, co-authored the OFIBC strategic plan and Business Plan, and toiled in fundraising to get the OFIBC off the ground.
Jacques LeCavalier & Associates Inc.
Sustainability Learning that Sticks!
Kelowna, BC
250-764-1166
http://www.jacqueslecavalier.com/
Yoshi Goes for a Ride – Environmental Awareness Training
August 6, 2009
Sustainability education for Nissan Japan plant employees (in partnership with TM NewMedia Inc.)
This interactive 20-minute course, awarded the Industry Minister’s Prize at Japan’s e-Learning World 2007, uses an entertaining story-based approach to introduce Nissan Japan’s 30,000 production employees to the serious sustainability issues facing auto makers, and to the varied measures being taken by Nissan to address these issues.
Produced in both English and Japanese, the course takes learners on a test drive with Pivo, a NISSAN electric concept car, and highlights the innovative technologies and programs deployed by the company to curb CO2 emissions, reduce the use of chemicals, and achieve one of the highest recycling rates in the industry.
This is the first time that an e-learning course actually got me ENGAGED! (Nissan Japan employee.)
Jacques LeCavalier & Associates Inc.
Sustainability Learning that Sticks!
Kelowna, BC
250-764-1166
http://www.jacqueslecavalier.com/
Blended Learning for Sustainability Change Agents
June 25, 2008
A unique approach to sustainability education for the European chemical industry
J. LeCavalier & Associates played an active role in the design and launch of this ground-breaking eight-month distance learning course that trains professionals in the European chemical industry to become “sustainability change agents” within their respective companies. Hosted by Sweden’s Blekinge Institute of Technology and the Natural Step – and financially supported by Hydro Polymers and Rohm and Haas – the course is a rich blend of e-learning, expert-led webinars, on-site workshops and collaborative project work. In its first year, the course attracted participants from 14 companies in the UK, Austria, France, Sweden, Norway and Germany.
This is an excellent start to our endeavour of creating cross-sectoral cooperation for sustainability. (Karl-Henrik Robèrt, Founder, The Natural Step)
Jacques LeCavalier & Associates Inc.
Sustainability Learning that Sticks!
Kelowna, BC
250-764-1166
http://www.jacqueslecavalier.com/
Sustainability Step by Natural Step
November 11, 2007
Created for The Natural Step Canada, this 4-hour award-winning eLearning course provides a rich, interactive overview of sustainability and of The Natural Step Framework. The highly interactive course has become a key part of sustainability training in communities such as Whistler, BC and Canmore, AB and in organizations like the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association.
“Sustainability 101″, a one-hour condensed version of the course, was also developed and customized for a number of leading organizations such as the Cooperators, Alcoa, Bell Aliant and Hydro-Québec. The course is now available in English, French, Italian and Swedish (other languages to come) and is used by tens of thousands of people around the world.
For a sample interaction from Sustainability 101 highlighting The Natural Step’s powerful “funnel” metaphor, click HERE.
Jacques LeCavalier & Associates Inc.
Sustainability Learning that Sticks!
Kelowna, BC
250-764-1166
http://www.jacqueslecavalier.com/
Helping GreenLearning.ca Be Even Better
July 2, 2007
Jacques Lecavalier was selected as external evaluator for the Pembina Institute’s GreenLearning.ca initiative, a sustainability education web site serving Canadian school teachers and students. In this role, he completed a web site usability analysis (with 7th Floor Media), carried out interviews and focus group testing with Alberta and BC teachers, benchmarked leading North American environmental education web sites, and provided design advice on curriculum materials provided through the site. Many recommendations were implemented in GreenLearning’s improved web site, launched in the fall of 2007.
Jacques LeCavalier & Associates Inc.
Sustainability Learning that Sticks!
Kelowna, BC
250-764-1166
http://www.jacqueslecavalier.com/