4 – Getting Real

In this activity, you will choose a particular problem in your local community or environment.  

Some problems you might want to choose are:  

  • Social – Some people are experiencing bullying in school 
  • Economic – Not everyone can afford school lunches  
  • Environmental – Grass lawns use massive amounts of water and fuel for mowers 

Now that you have identified the problem, you will draw a map of the system affected by this problem. 

Some systems that might be affected are: 

  • Your school 
  • A park, bush or river in or near your school 
  • The neighborhood your school is in 

Now, you will draw a system map. 

  • Write down ONE or TWO sentences about how this system is affect by the problem 
  • Write down which sustainability goals your problem relates to. 
  • identify at least TEN system nodes and draw them 
  • identify relationships, and draw lines between nodes to represent them 
  • identify feedback loops between two or more nodes 
  • Think about the problem you chose. Predict THREE emergent behaviours you think come from this system and the problem affecting it