Educating Leaders in Sustainability using History

Book excerpt: History is not typically the discipline of choice for teaching leadership thought for tackling complex environmental problem-solving. This book argues for its inclusion in programs for all ages. It argues that learning how to think in non-linear, non-binary ways - or systems thinking - leads to the successful resolution of such problems. It argues this through the use of historical case studies of the innovation of forest management in Australia and the United States of America. It argues that such problem-solving approaches can be taught from an early age, but can also be learned by leaders of any age. The particular historical context of such problems obviously changes over time, but this book argues that the principles of tackling them do not.