Rachel's Precaution Reporter #25
February 15, 2006
THE PRECAUTION ACADEMY: PRACTICAL TRAINING FOR PRECAUTIONARY ACTION
Rachel's summary: The Precautionary Principle doesn't always seem easy
to apply. To make the shift to this new way of thinking, you could
attend an intensive weekend of training -- a learning laboratory for
prevention, foresight and forecaring.
Trainings are now scheduled for Mar. 31-Apr.2 in New Brunswick, N.J.;
May 19-21 near Chicago; June 23-25 in Seattle; and Sept. 8-10 in
Minneapolis. Some scholarships are available. Read on...
The Precaution Academy is intended to serve the needs of citizen
activists, government officials, public health specialists, small
business owners, journalists, educators, and the engaged public.
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. Presenters and discussion leaders include Carolyn
Raffensperger, Nancy Myers, Ted Schettler, Katie Silberman and Peter
Montague.*
The cost of the Precaution Academy is $350, which includes hotel for 2
nights, plus six meals, and all instructional materials. If you don't
need overnight accommodations, the cost is $200.
Participation is limited to 15 people on a first-come, first-served
basis. 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
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Scholarships Available
We have three full scholarships available for each session. 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 from 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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What You Can Expect
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 the articles and the first two sections of the book
before the session begins on Friday evening.
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.
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The Mechanics
Participants should arrive at the Academy site on Friday afternoon.
Your travel to the hotel from the nearest airport and or train station
will be arranged ahead of time. 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 over 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."
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* 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.