How Society Shapes Systems: Evolving Systems and New Ways to Meet Needs

Something about people and society (needs, values, laws, safety concerns, population changes, cost, environmental awareness, culture) that influences how systems are designed and change.

Any two: the need for transit everyone can use, accessibility laws such as the AODA, an aging population, advocacy by people with disabilities.

Corn supports the climbing beans; beans add nitrogen to the soil; squash leaves shade the soil, keeping it moist and blocking weeds.

A shared freezer where country food (such as caribou, seal and fish) is stored so it can be shared with community members. It supports food security and the tradition of sharing.

Any: a community garden, farmers' market, growing food at home, a food co-op, buying directly from local farms, harvesting and sharing traditional foods.

A system that helps one group may leave others out or harm them. Looking from many points of view helps find a solution that works for more people and the environment.

Environmental awareness (food waste in landfills produces methane), landfills filling up, and the cost of opening new landfills.

To change gradually over time.

Another way of meeting the same need.

Corn, beans and squash.

Wild rice, harvested by Anishinaabe people by canoe.

A person or group affected by a decision.

As people learned how badly children could be hurt in crashes, laws began to require car seats and booster seats sized for children's age and weight, and car makers added anchor points to install them. Information programs teach parents to install seats correctly.

Family: saves money on electricity, but takes more time and is harder in cold or rainy weather. Environment: uses no electricity, so less energy is used. Apartment resident: may not have space or may not be allowed to hang laundry outside; an indoor drying rack is an option.

Many stores expanded online ordering, curbside pickup and home delivery because people wanted to avoid crowds for health reasons. Some of these services continued afterward because people found them convenient.

Harvesters knock only ripe grains into the canoe and leave plenty in the water, which reseeds the beds so the rice grows back for future harvests. The harvest is planned around keeping the system healthy.

Example: public transit may use more electric buses because of environmental concerns and government climate goals; or health care may offer more home visits and online appointments because of an aging population. Any reasonable change linked to a social factor is correct.

Large family: may run out of garbage space; must sort more carefully. Person with limited mobility: fewer trips to the curb could help, but heavier bins could be harder; the town could offer help. Council: saves money on trucks, fuel and workers. Environment: encourages more recycling and composting, so less goes to landfill, and fewer truck trips burn less fuel. Overall: likely positive for the environment and budget if the town supports households that need help.

Supermarket: strength: a wide variety of foods all year; challenge: in northern communities food is flown or shipped in, so it is often very expensive and less fresh. Country food system: strengths: nutritious, culturally important foods, strengthens sharing and connection to the land; challenge: depends on healthy animal populations and safe ice and weather conditions, and hunting equipment and fuel cost money. Many communities use both systems.

Example: electric buses. The technology (better batteries) made them possible, but social factors, such as public concern about climate change, government funding and people wanting cleaner air and quieter streets, are why cities choose to buy them. Technology makes change possible; social factors decide whether and how it happens.