22-506: The Balaton Group (The International Network of Resource Information Centers) is a global network of researchers and practitioners in fields related to systems and sustainability. The name "Balaton Group" refers to the Lake Balaton region of Hungary, where the Group was first constituted, and where most of the Group's annual meetings have taken place. The Balaton Group aims to accelerate and deepen
44-590: Is a 1972 book modeling the consequences of a rapidly growing world population and finite resource supplies, commissioned by the Club of Rome. Meadows coauthored the book with his wife Donella H. Meadows , Jørgen Randers , and William W. Behrens III. The book used the World3 model to simulate the consequence of interactions between the Earth's and human systems. Meadows led the team that developed this model. The book echoes some of
66-539: Is a global network of researchers and practitioners in fields related to systems and sustainability. The name "Balaton Group" refers to the Lake Balaton region of Hungary, where the Group was first constituted, and where most of the Group's annual meetings have taken place. The Balaton Group aims to accelerate and deepen the world's general understanding of systems, long-term perspective and commitment to achieving positive change. The Group believes that these factors are fundamental to sustainable development. The Balaton Group
88-415: Is by invitation only and limited to those who have been invited to attend at least one annual meeting. That annual meeting, in turn, is limited to about 50 people. Funding comes from the members themselves, individual donations and grants from foundations and government agencies. The Balaton group has no full-time staff or office space, and the organization of the group is mainly done by volunteers. The group
110-664: Is incorporated in the US, but most of its members and work are in Europe and Asia. A number of sustainability ideas and projects emerged from the Balaton Group meeting processes, including for example energy efficiency and wind power policy programs in Denmark in the 1980s; the development and spread of the emerging field of sustainability indicators in the 1990s; and the establishment or expansion of several NGOs and training centers for sustainability in
132-424: Is limited to about 50 people. Funding comes from the members themselves, individual donations and grants from foundations and government agencies. The Balaton group has no full-time staff or office space, and the organization of the group is mainly done by volunteers. The group is incorporated in the US, but most of its members and work are in Europe and Asia. A number of sustainability ideas and projects emerged from
154-630: The Club of Rome ). The first meeting of the Balaton Group was held by Lake Balaton in Hungary in 1982. It brought together 30 scientists and managers from international organizations and institutions, such as The United Nations University , UNESCO , the International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis, and the International Federation of Institutes for Advance Study, to review the state of
176-558: The Japan Prize in April 2009. The Club of Rome is a global think tank that deals with a variety of international political issues. It was founded in April 1968 and raised considerable public attention in 1972 with its report The Limits to Growth . From 1970 to 1972 at MIT Meadows was director of the "Club of Rome Project on Predicament of mankind at MIT" which constructed the world model underlying that publication. The Limits to Growth
198-448: The Balaton Group meeting processes, including for example energy efficiency and wind power policy programs in Denmark in the 1980s; the development and spread of the emerging field of sustainability indicators in the 1990s; and the establishment or expansion of several NGOs and training centers for sustainability in the 1990s and 2000s. Members of the Balaton Group have produced a number of publications that have been identified as "Reports to
220-515: The Balaton Group". One of these reports is Donella H. Meadows Indicators and Information Systems for Sustainable Development from 1998. Dennis Meadows Dennis Lynn Meadows (born June 7, 1942) is an American scientist and Emeritus Professor of Systems Management, and former director of the Institute for Policy and Social Science Research at the University of New Hampshire . He is President of
242-872: The Director of three university research institutes: at MIT, Dartmouth College and the University of New Hampshire. He is the Past President of the International System Dynamics Society and the International Simulation and Games Association. In 1986, Dr. Meadows along with Thomas Adler and Colin High co-founded RSG (originally Resource Systems Group, Inc.) as a spin-off of Dartmouth's Resource Policy Center. RSG sought to combine academic rigor with high-impact government and business projects. Their vision
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#1732869538235264-412: The International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis, and the International Federation of Institutes for Advance Study, to review the state of the art of natural resource modeling and to identify ways to advance the theory and the practice of regional resource management. Since its first meeting, nearly 400 participants from over 40 countries have participated in the Group. Membership in the Balaton Group
286-838: The Japan Prize for his "contributions in the area of "Transformation towards a sustainable society in harmony with nature. In 2008 he was inducted as a laureate into the Earth Hall of Fame in Kyoto, Japan for his contributions to the preservation of the environment with pioneering academic research into sustainable resource use. In 2019 he received the award for nature of the Foundation for Cultural Promotion in Munich, Germany Interviews with Dennis Meadows: Balaton Group The Balaton Group (The International Network of Resource Information Centers)
308-644: The Laboratory for Interactive Learning and widely known as a coauthor of The Limits to Growth . Dennis Meadows was born on June 7, 1942. He received a BA from Carleton College , a PhD in Management from the MIT Sloan School of Management , and holds four honorary doctorates. He started working at the faculty of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the late 1960s. From 1970 to 1972 at MIT he
330-399: The art of natural resource modeling and to identify ways to advance the theory and the practice of regional resource management. Since its first meeting, nearly 400 participants from over 40 countries have participated in the Group. Membership in the Balaton Group is by invitation only and limited to those who have been invited to attend at least one annual meeting. That annual meeting, in turn,
352-585: The concerns and predictions of the Reverend Thomas Robert Malthus in An Essay on the Principle of Population (1798). The eventual purpose of The Limits to Growth was not to make specific predictions, but to explore how exponential growth interacts with finite resources. Because the size of resources is not known, only the general behavior can be explored. There has been a major cultural shift in
374-487: The limits of the earth's resources." In 2014, research at the University of Melbourne confirmed that the predictions from the book Limits to Growth were largely correct. Presently we are very close to tracking the "business-as-usual" scenario from the book. He has written or co-authored 10 books on systems, futures, and educational games, which have been translated into more than 30 languages. A selection: Among his many honors and awards have been: In 2009 he received
396-422: The thinking about global processes in the last three decades of the 20th century. In a 2004 interview, Meadows explained: In their 1972 publication Limits to Growth , their recommendations were focused on "how to slow growth". In the 2004 Limits to Growth: The 30-Year Update , the message has changed. Meadows explained: "Now we must tell people how to manage an orderly reduction of their activities back down below
418-424: The world's general understanding of systems, long-term perspective and commitment to achieving positive change. The Group believes that these factors are fundamental to sustainable development. The Balaton Group was founded in 1982 by Dennis Meadows and Donella Meadows , who are most widely known as co-authors with Jørgen Randers, and William W. Behrens III of the 1972 book The Limits to Growth (commissioned by
440-521: Was director of the "Club of Rome Project on the Predicament of Mankind". Further on Meadows has been a tenured professor in faculties of management, engineering, and social sciences. For many years he was the director of a graduate program based in business and engineering. He has facilitated workshops and developed innovative and complex strategic games all over the world for decades. In addition, Dr. Meadows has lectured in over 50 countries. He has been
462-466: Was founded in 1982 by Dennis Meadows and Donella Meadows , who are most widely known as co-authors with Jørgen Randers, and William W. Behrens III of the 1972 book The Limits to Growth (commissioned by the Club of Rome ). The first meeting of the Balaton Group was held by Lake Balaton in Hungary in 1982. It brought together 30 scientists and managers from international organizations and institutions, such as The United Nations University , UNESCO ,
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#1732869538235484-605: Was to foster sound decision-making rooted in serious data analysis to address “resource” constraints with complex “systems” (hence, Resource Systems Group). He has been a corporate board member and a consultant for government, industry and non-profit groups in the U.S. and many countries abroad. He co-founded the Balaton Group , an international network of over 300 professionals in over 30 nations involved in systems science, public policy and sustainable development. He has received numerous international awards for his work, including
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