Can Apples Fly?

Gunter Pauli

Mar 2007 · Editorial San Pablo

About this ebook

Can Apples Fly? is a beautifully illustrated, bilingual Spanish/English children's book that uses Gunter Pauli's ZERI* Education model to teach children science. In this story, an owl and a bird have a disagreement about the speed of an object falling to the earth, as well as the limitations of science and human knowledge. The book includes a teachers and parents guide and hands on activities that help children apply what they have learned.

Gunter Pauli's ZERI* Education model proposes that children, adolescents, and young adults learn science in a way that gives them a more profound academic understanding at the same time that it helps develop their emotional intelligence, eco-literacy, and artistic/creative capacities. In this book, an owl and a bird have a disagreement about the speed of an object falling to the earth, as well as the limitations of science and human knowledge.

If children are to learn how to think, design, create, and dream in systems, then they must be exposed to systems thinking at an early age. Critical concepts become part of the child's long-term memory and the student gains an intuitive grasp of the big picture. Then the learning of the specific tools, concepts, and principles involved become far more appealing. When students start with a story that integrates ethics, economics, biology, and mathematics, they will be drawn to studying those disciplines later on.

Pauli's work in sustainable manufacturing and agricultural became the catalyst for a major educational reform in Colombia. The strife and violence that exists in this country spawned an urgent desire on the part of college students to rebuild their society. The professors and engineering students at University EAFIT in Medellin, Colombia, eagerly embraced an integrated educational approach, including a compulsory course in biology for engineering majors. As the concept spread to other universities, the need to mold the earlier educational tracks in this new direction became apparent; first in a High School in Manizales where ZERI’s coffee and bamboo projects have taken off, and then in elementary schools which asked for a version of this program adapted to their level, comparable to the Garden School projects of the Center for Ecoliteracy.

About the author

Gunter Pauli, formerly the President of Ecover, was responsible for the construction of Europe's first ecological factory. In 1994, he founded and now directs the Zero Emissions Research Initiative (ZERI). He lectures regularly to business executives and governments on competitive strategies. He has written a number of books and is published in twelve languages. Pamela Salazar Ocampo graduated as an industrial designer in her home city of Manizales, Colombia. She was in charge of all illustrations and product design at the ZERI Pavilion at the Year 2000 World's Fair in Germany. She illustrated the first ZERI children's story, The Strongest Tree, which has been published in 27 languages with more than a million copies in print.