New Literacy is a project promoting an education of the essentials of life – food and energy (F&E). I look at F&E as the new skills. Roll these out to create a better today. NL covers the human and physical environments, migration, literacy and illiteracy, education (how we learn), literature, poverty, building, housing, the law, economy, and communication.
If we want to start afresh from somewhere and start differently we must start with F&E, and this for a good reason: the F&E cycle better illustrates all other cycles, including the learning cycle. There is no substitute for it for only F&E can provide a unique and indeed exclusive matrix to living. Literacy as proposed is universal.
The way we learn is exemplified below:
> WE GROW our food and we create our community at the same time
> WE BUILD our homes and we build our community at the same time
> WE GENERATE our energy and we shape our community at the same time
We have just this one word, ‘culture’, that applies to both the cultivation of the land (agriculture, viticulture) and the cultivation of the mind – how foolish to forsake one for the other.
My work is available online http://www.newliteracy.co.uk/files/nl-divided.pdf and has now been published ISBN 978-1-906791-27-8. This publication is briefly described next.
TITLE - Divided by Words – Making a case for a New Literacy
SYNOPSIS - As the title suggests, Divided by Words clearly points in the direction of a divided society. The way we communicate, or fail to, features strongly in this work. Which of the following is more tractable or intractable than the other? Family matters, industrial disputes, global insecurities, climate fears, ethnic tensions, poverty, GM? What’s there in education that creates divided loyalties? Or in the economy? Agreeing to disagree seems to be our most enduring achievement.
New Literacy (NL), on the other hand, is fostering an appreciation of the world around us. Illiteracy is failing to do so. Three types of illiteracy are explored: the 3Rs, functional and that of food, soil and water, climate and energy. I regard the latter as foundation subjects (henceforth food and energy or F&E), subjects however that are not part of our education. Given their importance can there be Knowledge without F&E knowledge? Literacy without F&E literacy?
NL is to education what F&E is to the economy. F&E is the perfect fit for economies ‘built to last’ (David Cameron). Feeding us is the ground we stand on, a ground called earth, soil, rocks, nature. And the ground more than feeds us. It’s the source of energy, minerals, materials and medicinal products. F&E make great local, regional and national economies. F&E as the fons et origo of all human knowledge, of our culture and traditions, of trade, ecology and science.
Phase in NL to secure a place for a better today in people’s hearts and minds.
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Connecting people and the land is a priority. Otherwise, what future for humankind?
Would this be of some interest? Please do not hesitate to contact me if you can see the potential for cooperation.
Mario Molinari
