Dear eco-loggers, isn't it amazing how we pile up more and more knowledge, and still, change is so slow that it becomes less and less likely that we will manage to turn in time before major tipping points in the earth's system have been transgressed? As the German Advisory Council on Global Change points out, we need a Great Transition towards a sustainable society (http://www.wbgu.de/en/flagship-reports/fr-2011-a-social-contract/ ).
But it is incredibly hard to motivate people to change, especially older people that are used to a certain way of life. Therefore, I believe one of the most effective areas where change is possible are young people who are not yet stuck in a certain way of life and who are open and curious for change. To help move this change forward I have started my own little enterprise (www.fakt-wissen.de) to develop programs that help students and teachers truly understand the methods and results of ornithology, ecology and climate science. Of course, that idea is nothing new; but there are still way too few of us out there to help people truly understand the issues at hand, and those of us out there are not well connected with each other. Because there ARE people out there trying to do the same thing, I'd love to connect with YOU. Please become part of the facebook group FAKT and share your ideas about science communication, develop new programs, establish a collaborative transcontinental research project on science communication, find ways to truly engage people, and become even more part of making this world a better place. See you there, and thanks for your interest, Maiken "In the end, we conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught."
