What's Bubbling?

Earth+

admin — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 10:28:36 +0000

This guy is v. funny, and makes a good point. If we mess this up, planet earth will still be here (incorporating mega tonnes of plastic, a new climate, fewer species, etc. into its evolution) its just that we’ll be gone!

Shop till you Drop

admin — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 19:04:25 +0000

We’ve been living in serious debt: not just financial but ecological too. Essentially we’ve been subsidising the American Dream lifestyle and consumption patterns that are far beyond our actual means. That’s why the Green New Deal suggesting joined-up policies to address the ‘triple crunch’ of 1)credit, 2)climate change and 3)oil prices is such an important contribution to the debates right now. Their first report is full of specific recommendations including financing new efficient energy infrastructure (which is also what Clinton was saying on the The Daily Show today), increasing tax on profits of oil and gas companies, and supporting free transfer of energy technologies to developing countries. Definitely worth reading.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve gone through a head-hurting process of stressing, listening, reading, trying make sense of what is happening, and taking responsibility for my part in it too. What always disappoints me about ’surprises’ is how easy it would have been to anticipate and prepare for it. Some have been shouting about it for years. But despite so many people now discussing and explaining the complex drivers and implications of this crisis much more clearly, and everywhere (all the time?), I still feel there is a big risk of becoming disengaged by the drama and oh so much noise! This could make us victims to quick-fixes that won’t solve the underlying problems.

So I guess it’s up to each of us to stay engaged, go beyond the loudest media headlines, scan for the wisdom in all the information and narratives, and gain those deeper insights and clarity. Then we’ll be able to know where to put our energy, what changes to support, and perhaps how to use this recession to re-organise the world. Jamie, the wonderful man behind Loco2 the low carbon travel company, has thankfully just started a blog he calls Dealing with the Global Crisis to aid us all in making this collective shift in awareness and action.

Common Sense

admin — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 12:59:47 +0000

A guide to the present situation

By Paul Williams (author of Das Energi)
Copyright 1982

Our purpose here
is to take action
and have an effect on the world.

We have been born
into a moment
of unprecedented danger and opportunity.

Our failure to act
is itself a choice.

There is nowhere to hide
from this awareness.

It is time.

It is time for each one of us
to commit our energy, time, money, attention
to a vision of enduring peace and abundance
to a vision of humanity as a sound mind
in the healthy body of the biosphere
to a vision of a world that works

to a vision of our children’s children
growing up in a world without war
a world committed to the freedom and dignity
of every individual
regardless of race, sex belief or nation
a world committed to clean air, clean food, clean water
for all
a world united in the awareness
that in diversity lies strength
a world more full of love than hatred

It is time for each of us
to vote with our lives
–our daily lives–
for or against
the vision of a more hopeful future.

Our purpose here
is to build a bridge.

The purpose of the bridge
is to span the distance
between our present situation
and our vision of a better world.

The beauty of a bridge is that,
once it is in place,
anyone can walk on it.

A few people can build a bridge
that can be walked on by many.

contd…

Throwaway Remarks

admin — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 21:36:41 +0000

In a world with soooo many ideas, there’s no doubt that its only the ones that spread that win. The question is what drives idea diffusion? All of us have too many choices, and too little time. Seth Godin argues that we only notice the remarkable (worth making a remark about). We like new, we like fresh, and so every consumer industry is in the fashion business! The global sustainability challenge that strikes me, is how do we continue to re-invent what’s sexy, stand-out and make our fortunes, without producing and selling more transient ‘in season’ things with tiny life spans?

PS saw a great response to this at the beautiful new Hub in Kings Cross in London, where the black chairs are made of old playstations!

Outperformers Making Bolder Plays

admin — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 23:56:39 +0000

In their latest study of more than a thousand CEOs, IBM finds that high-performing companies are hungry for change, wildly imaginative, wired globally, disruptive in nature, and socially aware. Here is how they describe the ‘enterprise of the future’:

Hungry for Change

The enterprise of the future is capable of changing quickly and successfully. Instead of merely responding to trends, it shapes and leads them. Market and industry shifts are a chance to move ahead of the competition.

Innovative beyond Customer Imagination

The enterprise of the future surpasses the expectations of increasingly demanding customers. Deep collaborative relationships allow it to surprise customers with innovations that make both its customers and its own business more successful.

Globally Integrated

The enterprise of the future is integrating to take advantage of today’s global economy. Its business is strategically designed to access the best capabilities, knowledge and assets from wherever they reside in the world and apply them wherever required in the world.

Disruptive by Nature

The enterprise of the future radically challenges its business model, disrupting the basis of competition. It shifts the value proposition, overturns traditional delivery approaches and, as soon as opportunities arise, reinvents itself and its entire industry.

Genuine, not just Generous

The enterprise of the future goes beyond philanthropy and compliance and reflects genuine concern for society in all actions and decisions.

I think the full study is definitely worth checking out. Looking at these trends optimistically I read that ‘doing well and doing good’ is only going to get easier as companies are required to work more intimately with social and global complexity, and make bigger, bolder plays in the marketplace.

Brave New Collaboration

admin — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 17:55:41 +0000

Admittedly collaboration is no new thing! BUT it is easier today than ever before for us to collaborate towards common goals, and benefit from common knowledge. Pioneers have proven that using the internet and associated tools and tricks we can work together, with unprecedented scale, open-ness and global distribution, to achieve great things… such as Wikipedia, Linux, the decoding of the human genome.

The question for me is: “Can we actually harness the apparent potential of these new approaches, to address any of the pressing social and environmental challenges we now face?”

To try to get my head around this, I’ve teamed up with a very cool innovation design student from the RCA, Ed Murfitt, and connected with NESTA. This summer we embarked on a learning journey, interviewing some of the boundary-pushers of this rapidly evolving field. We’ll be reporting into what we hope will become a resource site for us, and others like us.

We Are What We Share

menka — Mon, 12 May 2008 00:17:03 +0000

Most innovation stems from conversations between people with different ideas. Web 2.0 has made it so easy for people to have their say that today people everywhere are not just consuming information but producing it, and getting together to create! We see software (Linux), games (World of Warcraft), worlds (Second Life), knowledge (Wikipedia), products and services (School of Everything - who presented at the last Disruptors session). Charles Leadbeater’s research on this subject, culminating in his book ‘We Think‘ published a few months back, and distilled in this little animation here, eloquently describes the 21st century as one of mass innovation by communities having conversations. We used to be what we own, now we are what we share. But, as he says, there is a still lot to work out. For starters:

- How do we protect what is private?
- Are we always safe sharing?
- What if Wikipedia is crap?
- How do we earn a living when everyone is freely sharing their ideas?

To learn more from Charles, I’ll be co-hosting a breakfast session on mass innovation next week: Mon 19th May, 8.30am, The Hub London. Charles will tell us about his current research that focuses on how mass, user-driven innovation is reshaping organisations, after which members will be invited to join an informal conversation about the future of mass innovation for the world. Hub members free, Non-Members £10. Let me know if you’re coming!

Our Generational Mission

menka — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 22:12:08 +0000

More evidence presented Al-Gore style. We have serious work to do. I’m watching this from a hotel room in Geneva - a symbol of civilised society - and truly saddened by what we’re doing, or rather not doing. I’m here for the next two days exploring a Jewish-Muslim dialogue programme, and what it would look like to bring together social entrepreneurs from both cultures to work together on sustainable ventures. If there’s anything in the world right now that warrants our putting aside our differences and working together, surely it’s the climate crisis.

The Disruptors

menka — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:33:08 +0000

Every social innovation project I have been involved in has, at some point, managed to make me feel like I might just be crazy to think that this new product/service I believe in could truly work. It’s tough to do things differently. So a few months back I got together with Nick Jankel-Elliott of Elemental to set up ‘The Disruptors’, a group exploring how to create and maintain systemic social change - what we hope will become the place for the biggest ideas and bravest people, creating a community of empathy and inspiration.

To get started, we decided to organise a monthly knowledge and networking session at The Hub on the first Tuesday of every month. We put our heads together to map different social, environmental or consumer system, look at existing and potential disruption points within it, and hear from disruptors who are doing it. We will also begin to share state-of-the-art disruption and innovation tools from some of the most pioneering thinkers on the planet.

So far we’ve explored retail packaging and distribution channels with Cath of Unpackaged and the film world with Pawel of ‘What the Bleep do we Know?!‘. We looked at how rule-breaking can be done systematically to overcome barriers. Next in line is the education system with Mary and Paul of School for Everything, and the energy grid with Joe of Dynamic Demand.

Our aim is to collate and publish the systems, their social disruptions and the disruption tools and techniques - for everyone to benefit, on and off line. In the meantime, the best way to get involved is to join our rapidly growing Facebook group, and come along to our next episode which (breaking from our First Tuesday rule) will be held at Shine on Saturday 10th May.

You can read more about what we’re up to from some of the amazing people I’ve met through the group already: Meriam of Smarta and Riz of Urban Survival.

Pedal-powered Solutions

menka — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 17:16:17 +0000

A lot can be done with the simple mechanics of a bike! Interactive cinemas, bread making machines, and ’spin art’ can all be powered by users. The most impressive concept I’ve come across recently is the winner of the Innovate or Die (a new contest for earth-cooling pedal powered inventions), The Aquaduct, a simple solution for transporting and filtering water for a whole family.