Workshop | 29/03/2026 | Speakers: Raul Pinto and Colin Sage
Workshop with Colin Sage (Independent Research Scholar) and Raul Pinto (teacher and trainer)
ABSTRACT
This workshop will introduce the principles of systems thinking and classroom methods to build students’ competence and confidence in addressing sustainability issues. Participants will engage hands-on with a contemporary environmental challenge, working in small groups to identify key issues, map interconnections, and explore intervention points for a more sustainable system. Each group will present their findings, followed by a discussion on the value of applying a systems approach in the classroom.
Colin Sage is an independent research scholar and former Senior Lecturer in Geography at University College Cork and the University of London. He is Affiliated Professor at the University of Porto and Visiting Professor at the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, where he has taught since 2005. He authored Environment and Food (2012), edited A Research Agenda for Food Systems (2022), and co-edited five other volumes. A co-founder of the Cork Food Policy Council, he served as chair from 2013 to 2019.
Born and raised in Lisbon, Portugal, Raul Pinto holds a degree in Biology and Geology Education from the University of Lisbon. He has been a teacher for 23 years, with the last several years spent at Fernão Mendes Pinto Secondary School in Almada. For the past eight years, he has also served as Eco-Schools Coordinator. Outside the classroom, Raul is passionate about music, photography, and poetry.
