Rachel's Precaution Reporter #20  [Printer-friendly version]
January 11, 2006

THE PRECAUTION ACADEMY: PRACTICAL TRAINING FOR PRECAUTIONARY ACTION

First Precaution Academy Mar. 31-Apr. 2 in New Brunswick, New Jersey
Practical Training for Precautionary Action

[Rachel's introduction: If a precautionary approach is worth thinking
about for your community, why not attend The Precaution Academy in
New Brunswick, N.J. Mar. 31-Apr. 2? Three other sessions of the
Academy are set for other locations in the U.S. later this year, too.]

The Science and Environmental Health Network (www.sehn.org) and
Environmental Research Foundation (www.rachel.org and
www.precaution.org) have created The Precaution Academy to offer an
intensive weekend of training to prepare participants to apply
precautionary thinking to a wide range of issues in their communities
and workplaces. The Academy is intended to serve the needs of citizen
activists, government officials, public health specialists, small
business owners, journalists, educators, and the engaged public.

Presenters and discussion leaders include Carolyn Raffensperger, Nancy
Myers, Ted Schettler, Katie Silberman and Peter Montague.*

The cost of the Precaution Academy in New Brunswick, N.J. is $350,
which includes hotel for 2 nights, plus six meals, and all
instructional materials.

Participation is limited to 15 people. You may want to check with
Sherri Seidmon (sherri@sehn.org) to learn whether space is available.
Send your check to Science and Environmental Health Network, P.O. Box
50733, Eugene, OR 97405

======================================================

Scholarships Available

We have three full scholarships available for the New Jersey session
Mar. 31-Apr. 2. To apply for a scholarship, please tell us what
organization you are affiliated with, what constituencies you
represent, what you hope to get out of the experience, and your
organization's total budget. Preference will be given to people who
represent groups with financial need. Please also estimate your travel
costs if you will be applying for a travel stipend as part of your
scholarship. Send your scholarship request to:

Science and Environmental Health Network
Sherri Seidmon (sherri@sehn.org)
P.O. Box 50733
Eugene, OR 97405

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At least two weeks prior to the date of the Academy, participants will
receive a copy of the new book, Precautionary Tools for Reshaping
Environmental Policy (MIT Press, 2006; ISBN 0-262-63323-X),
supplemented by a short workbook of articles. Academy participants are
urged to read selected portions of these materials before the session
begins on Friday evening.

All day Saturday and half a day Sunday, presenters will lead
discussions of the precautionary approach to problem-solving (and
problem prevention), with emphasis on real-world applications of
precautionary thinking.

The purpose of the Precaution Academy is

** to prepare participants to apply precautionary thinking and action
to problems in their home communities and workplaces;

** to familiarize participants with the history of the regulatory
system, quantitative risk assessment, and the development of
precautionary thinking. What is different about the world today that
makes a precautionary approach necessary and appropriate?

** to clarify the different kinds of uncertainty involved in
contemporary problems and the role of precaution in addressing
uncertainty;

** to prepare participants to respond to criticisms of the
precautionary approach;

** to help participants recast and rethink familiar problems and
issues within a precautionary framework, and to explore how a
prevention philosophy differs from a problem-management philosophy;

** to familiarize participants with some of the many ways that
precaution is being applied in the U.S., Canada and abroad so that you
can considering trying these approaches at home.

======================================================

Other Precaution Academy Sessions planned for 2006 (Prices for these
sessions will vary according to costs.)

May 19-21 in Chicago
June 23-25 location to be announced
Sept 8-10 location to be announced

======================================================

The Mechanics

Participants will arrive at the Academy site on Friday afternoon. New
Brunswick, N.J. is readily accessible by train and automobile from the
New York and Philadelphia metropolitan areas. A train connects New
Brunswick with Newark Airport. After an evening meal, we will meet for
two hours to begin discussing the need for precautionary thinking in
the contemporary world, and how the precautionary principle developed
during the past 30 years.

Saturday

We will meet from 9:00 to noon, take a 90-minute break for lunch, then
meet from 1:30 to 5:30. At 7:00 we will have dinner together. After
dinner, we will meet informally for a free-ranging discussion.

Goals for Saturday

** to prepare participants to put the precautionary principle to work
in their own areas of interest;

** to prepare participants to respond to criticisms of the
precautionary approach;

** to clarify the different kinds of uncertainty involved in
contemporary problems and the role of precaution in the face of
uncertainty;

** to familiarize participants with a variety of ways that precaution
is being applied in the U.S. and elsewhere;

During this session we will discuss in detail the five elements of a
precautionary approach.

Sunday

Goals for Sunday:

** to give participants experience recasting typical issues into a
precautionary framework;

** to make sure participants take home an understanding of the many
ways that precaution is being used in communities all across the U.S.,
Canada, and abroad.

We will meet from 9:00 to noon, gaining experience in reframing issues
from a precautionary perspective.

We will have lunch together, then go our separate ways so we can "try
this at home."

======================================================

* Carolyn Raffensperger is executive director of the Science and
Environmental Health Network (SEHN) in Ames, Iowa. Nancy Myers is
communications director of SEHN; Ted Schettler is SEHN's science
director and Katie Silberman is SEHN's administrative director. Peter
Montague is director of Environmental Research Foundation in New
Brunswick, N.J., and an editor of Rachel's Precaution Reporter and of
Rachel's Democracy & Health News.