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Sustainability Ambassadors
Development of the echo model
Development of the echo model
"Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly." - Wenger-Trayner & Wenger-Trayner, 2015
By 2100, up to 40% of our planet’s population could exist outside of a liveable climate zone, while our demands for food & water will double. The challenge lies in advancing our current methods for scoping, scaling, & implementing new knowledge & technologies to meet the needs of this changing demographic in a sustainable manner. Current STEMM leaders are neither trained nor equipped with models to quickly transform science & technology across different societies & sectors so that solutions are properly contextualized in communities when they are needed.
For the past three years, the echo network has developed a global model for involving communities, academia, industry, NGOs & governments in the scientific process to ensure better scoping, scaling, & translation of new knowledge & technologies to enhance sustainable development in emerging economies. The echo model builds on a pilot executed over the past two years consisting of:
A proprietary semantic network analysis technique with our 162 awareness activities reaching 100k individuals to identify focus areas incorporating multiple viewpoints
Planning & research with experts representing academia, industry, NGOs, & governments through three phases with 655 individuals and over 5500 minutes of workshops including:
2020-2021 Changemakers Table: 77 changemakers, 49 organizations, 5 countries used value mapping, problem definition and evidence planning along with theory of change to define our Concept Notes. An additional 87 consultants refined objectives and outcomes.
2022 Expert Dialogues: 123 thought leaders refined the concept notes into initial Pilot Projects to be executed in the SAGE program
2023 Network Summit: 130 participants from over 90 organizations revisited the theory of change to refine the concepts with outputs from our SAGE Senior Ambassadors to develop knowledge gap-filling projects for SAGE Fellows, a PhD program to start in 2024.
SAGE Impact Leaders and consortium members will engage in proof-of-concept testing with communities, adaption & scaling of outputs through network members. Junior and Senior SAGE Ambassadors will with directly with communities and network member organizations to build knowledge and capacity.
Implementation of the echo model comprises a three-year Phase 1 full program in India to train Impact leaders from Indian, & International universities.
Our Impact Leaders exist at three levels: Undergraduate Junior Ambassadors will reach out to our communities, Masters Senior Ambassadors will complete background research, and PhD SAGE Fellows will lead specific components of the consortium projects. To learn more about the Junior and Senior Ambassadors, please click HERE
The activities over the past three years have developed a deliberate collaborative approach that considers the viewpoints of each stakeholder in the system, identifies common interests and points of inflection and establishes communities of practice that work iteratively together across the system to fill current knowledge gaps. These communities of practice learn from each other, co-create standard solutions, and iteratively enhance solutions through regular interaction and reevaluation of the process.
Watch and Read about the echo model here:
Concept Note.pdfPhase One.pdfOur Focus Areas
Our Focus Areas
One
Health
Where human, animal, and environmental health are considered equal and interdependent for our well being
Regenerative Agriculture
Where the security and prosperity of our lands and communities also ensures the prosperity of our ecosystems
Ecosystems
Valuation
Where the economic, societal, and environmental value of our ecosystems are considered in everything we do
Circular
Bioeconomy
Where inputs meet outputs for our natural resources as the foundation for growth and development
Our Process
Our Process
2022
Produced our pilot Projects leading to key ecosystem developing, knowledge generating, and tool building ideas
2023
Formed our Program Development with capacity building, innovation, research, and digitization components
Program Overview
Program Overview
Through our iterative process, the concept notes, preliminary projects, and working group sessions have been consolidated into three interlinked consortia projects combining our focus areas into three consortia with four basic components:
Capacity Building for relevant stakeholders
Innovation of new technologies, products, or processes for industrial collaboration and business opportunities
Knowledge generation for all sectors
Digitization for public use
Outputs from each of these components serve as inputs for other components within and between projects, linking the entire program together through three major projects described below.
Ecosystem Stewardship
Ecosystem Stewardship
Summary
This project aims to design models for incentivizing bioresource conservation and ecosystem restoration in rural communities through localized opportunities for financially viable ecosystem stewardship. The specific objectives are to build capacity for decision-makers from local to national levels, identify institutional barriers to ecosystem stewardship, perform research on ecosystem services and the valuation of these services, and develop a stewardship toolkit for financial incentivization of ecosystem restoration and bioresource conservation. The project will culminate with a publicly accessible digital platform that provides data and incentivization strategies for all stakeholders.
Implementation Partner: Biodiversity Collaborative
Convener: The Biodiversity Collaborative
Host: Ashoka Trust in Research on Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) and The University of Trans-disciplinary Health Sciences and Technology
Locations: West Sikkim (Northeast India between Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh), BR Hills and Raichur (North Karnataka State).
Main partners in India: Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies, Rainmatter Foundation, The National Biodiversity Authority, and The National Mission on Biodiversity and Human Wellbeing (Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change).
CLICK (+) buttons for component descriptions and links to Fellow projects
Overall Outcomes for Ecosystem Stewardship
Capacity Building
Stakeholder consultations with decision-makers
Ecosystem valuation curriculum
Mulitlingual platform for ecologically-conscious implementation of current policies
Feedback mechanisms to continuously refine the approaches based on real-world experiences and challenges
Innovation
Institutional assessment for incentivizing ecosystem stewardship in rural communities
Stakeholder mapping for establishing a financially viable institutional ecosystem with industry and financial stakeholders
Digital toolkit with localized opportunities supporting ecosystem stewardship
Knowledge
Analysis of localized ecosystem services, particularly understudied regulating and cultural services
Quantitative and qualitative criteria for the valuation of provisioning, regulating, supporting, and cultural services
Valuation model to aid in localized decision-making
Digitization
Database of ecosystem services with implementation of valuation model to aid decision-making
Digital curriculum resources including success stories and case studies of outputs from target communities including simplified explanatory resources.
Linkage of valuation to financial incentivization and livelihood opportunities that support stewardship
Rural Livelihoods
Rural Livelihoods
Summary
Through stakeholder interactions, research, and data collection, this project aims to promote ecosystem-based regenerative agriculture and localized food systems. It will develop a toolkit for sustainable materials from agricultural residuals, identify institutional barriers to ecologically friendly agricultural practices, and create a roadmap for localized circular food systems. A publicly accessible digital platform will provide information and strategies for all stakeholders involved. The ultimate goal is to create sustainable agrifood practices that balance biocultural diversity and economic development while providing livelihood opportunities to rural communities.
Implementation Partner: ECOsystem-Based Adaptation for Resilient Incomes
Convener: Ecosystem-Based Adaptation for Resilient Incomes (ECOBARI)
Host: Watershed Organization Trust (WOTR)
Locations: Maharashtra (Southwest India, capital: Mumbai) and eight other Indian states that WOTR works in.
Main partners in India: Government of Maharashtra, local village councils (Gram Panchayats) and Farmer-producer organizations.
CLICK (+) buttons for component descriptions and links to Fellow projects
Overall Outcomes for Rural Livelihoods
Capacity Building
Stakeholder consultations with decision-makers
Curriculum for sustainable and ecological rural livelihood opportunities
Multilingual platform for adaptive governance and transition to agro-business models of ecosystem-based sustainable agriculture
Feedback mechanisms to continuously refine the approaches based on real-world experiences and challenges
Innovation
Assessment of candidate feedstocks for integrating new or novel sidestream concepts into existing chains.
Stakeholder mapping for establishing a financially viable business model for selected sidestreams and biopackaging
Life-cycle assessment for evaluating safety, environmental and socio-economic performances of sidestream end-products
Digital sidestreams toolkit for sustainable materials for industry stakeholders
Knowledge
Analysis of critical institutional barriers hampering localized nutritive and ecologically-based agriculture and development of agribusiness opportunities.
Mapping a circular approach linking sustainable food production to nutrition and One Health
A digital “Food System Roadmap” offering opportunities for transitioning to and upscaling to economically and environmentally viable and nutrition-positive ecosystem-based agriculture in local communities.
Digitization
Database of sidestream opportunities with incentives for supporting the food system roadmap
Curriculum resources including success stories and case studies of outputs from target communities with simplified explanatory resources.
Linkage to financial incentivization and livelihood opportunities that support sustainable development
Clean Healthy Cities
Clean Healthy Cities
Summary
This project aims to develop sustainable and innovative solutions for urban challenges that will enhance One Health systems and infrastructure. By collaborating with local government agencies and partners, the project will establish a citizens' forum, employ citizen science for knowledge inputs, and assess efficient water circularity systems and waste management solutions. The project culminates in a publicly accessible digital resource called the Surveillance Dashboard, which provides real-time data and capacity-building tools for relevant stakeholders. This project seeks to create a democratic, just, and resilient governance system for better health outcomes and environmental sustainability in urban areas.
Implementation Partner: One Health Bengaluru City & Innovation Centre DK
Convener: The Bengaluru Science & Technology Cluster (BeST)
Host: The Initiative for Climate Action (ICA).
Location: Marappanpalya Ward (North Central Bengaluru, population app. 50.000).
Main partners in India: Bengaluru Municipal Government, Innovation Center Denmark, India National One Health Mission.
CLICK (+) buttons for component descriptions and links to Fellow projects
Overall Outcomes for Clean Healthy Cities
Capacity Building
Stakeholder consultations with OneHealth stakeholders
Curriculum for Onehealth to understand current approaches and impacts of flood, waste, and disease in the ward, and involve citizens in research and monitoring
A comprehensive communications strategy to enhance OneHealth systems and infrastructure in our test ward
A citizens' forum to gather viewpoints, ensure resilient governance, and employ citizen science to provide feedback mechanisms to continuously refine the approaches based on real-world experiences and challenges
Innovation
Stakeholder mapping for a financially viable business model incentivizing circular water systems in urban environments
A chemical assessment and pilot in test locations
A digital model offering industrial opportunities for applying selected circular technologies to existing systems in urban contexts
Knowledge
Assessment of current models of solid waste management, human, animal and environmental health burdens of waste, and effective interventions
Capacity building, citizen advocacy, and incentivizing citizen science for data and monitoring of waste management
Solutions for solid waste management that generate just livelihood opportunities throughout the waste management supply chain
Digitization
A publically accessible multilingual digital resource embedded into the current BeST Dashboard
Information mapping of data flow, sources, verification, and data analysis related to OneHealth forum, water circularity, waste management, food systems, and ecosystem services research
Success stories and case studies of outputs from target communities including simplified explanatory resources.
A real-time data source and capacity-building tool for members of the health system, community, and other relevant OneHealth stakeholders.
Graphical Overview of Program Interactions
Graphical Overview of Program Interactions
*If diagram is illegible, please click on "Open in Lucidchart" for full screen viewing.
Click on menu symbols to navigate Consortia, Output Types, or Fellow Projects
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