A new Al Jazeera documentary follows reporter Juliana Ruhfud and producer Orlando von Einsiedel as they investigate Sierra Leone's multi-million dollar illegal fishing trade:

More reading on The Ecologist Website.

Attention students, please find the presentation here for download in PDF format.  Please contact us if you have questions or feedback.

Attention students, please find the presentation here for download in PDF format.  Please contact us if you have questions or feedback.

Low Technology

Technology has brought us many modern conveniences that we often take for granted. Everyday appliances like refrigerators, water heaters, and stoves are so prevalent that it is quite hard for most people to picture a life without them. How about the estimated 20% of the world population without access to electricity (link: “Access to Electricity”)? We are going to briefly discuss how some of these modern conveniences can be brought to rural regions at a low-cost: both environmentally and economically.

Zeer Pot

Introducing the pot-in-pot refrigerator, also known as the Zeer pot, keeps the inner chamber of the device cool by the means of evaporative cooling (water absorbs relatively large amount of energy when transitioning from liquid to vapour). The device is constructed using easily obtainable items: two clay pots; a piece of cloth; some sand; water (which need not be potable as it is kept separated from the food storage), and requires no electricity. Below is a video on how you can make your own:

Food can be stored fresh for a longer period of time with refrigeration, this is important in places where there is a food shortage, extending the shelf life of food is a matter of survival. Farmers can also benefit from the increased profit from food sales as food can be stored for a longer period of time giving economic and social benefits to the community.

A modern lecturer Mohammed Bah Abba has modernized the evaporative cooling principle and commercialised it for modern Nigeria, distributing it under his company Mobah Rural Horizon. A Zeer pot only cost around £1 to manufacture and Bah Abba reportedly sells 30000 such pots a year in rural Nigeria (link: “The Shell Award for Sustainable Development”). In addition, an inventor Emily Cummins came up with the Sustainable Refrigerator that gave the pot-in-pot cooler a contemporary design.

Solar Cooker

Solar power can be harvested by solar panels, but often they require proper maintenance and may release toxic chemicals (e.g. lead and cadmium) in case of damages or improper disposal.Solar concentrators may serve as an alternative method to tap into solar energy and have already been use in solar power plants. The solar concentrators can also be used to cook food, it works by reflecting sunlight into a smaller area and therefore heating any object within that point.

Solar cookers come in a few different varieties and can provide an alternative to firewood in the absence of electricity and liquid petroleum gas. About 2 billion people still use firewood; introducing solar cookers will reduce the rate of deforestation and carbon dioxide emission. In addition, the cooker also allows people in rural area to pasteurize their drinking water, reducing instances of ingesting water borne pathogens. See how you can build one easily in the video above.

Solar cookers in various forms have been applied in other places like Africa, China, India and Gaza. Solar Cookers International is one of the non profit organisations that distributes and provides education to rural African regions regarding solar cooking. They have also commercialised their products and sell solar cooker merchandise on their website for other outdoor cooking purposes.

But I have refrigerators and kitchen stoves!

You most likely have access to powered refrigeration and cooking facilities and I doubt anyone is preparing to go without them any time soon. However it has been shown by people like Bah Abba and Solar Cookers International that low-tech solutions could commercialised to various degrees of success in niche market, partly due to the low cost of implementation and high availability of their building materials within the local market. While they could have easily been dismissed as mere life-hacks, innovations have turned them into profitable (financially and/or socially) businesses.

Having spent a good part of my life in the island state of Singapore, I recently had the opportunity to spend two weeks living in the city of Cologne, Germany. I was pleasantly surprised at the involvement of residents’ everyday life in their local sustainability efforts, most of which are bringing more convenience. It is not my intention to paint a completely rosy picture of the city, but I think the positives are worth mentioning.

Reusable

On my first evening in Cologne, I was offered a drink by a friend when I noticed that the glass and plastic bottles looked like they have been used for a long time. My worries were alleviated when I found out that the bottles were sent back to the manufacturers (via local shops) to be cleaned and reused. So whenever you run out of drinks, the shops send new bottles and take in your empty bottles, bypassing the need to manufacture new bottles or recycle any materials. Plus you get drinks delivered to the doorstep, brilliant.

It was also Women’s World Cup season in Germany and I was fortunate enough to catch one of the matches. Being thirsty post match, I bought a cup of water and they came in thick plastic cups. “How wasteful it must be to dispose the cups!” Until I realised that I was suppose to return the cups for a dollar back. No more disposable plastic or paper cups. Less consumption, less waste, we are going reusable!

Recycling

For used products that were not sent back to manufacturers for reuse, they are disposed into trash bins – sorted properly of course. All post consumer wastes are separated into colour coded bins, papers, plastics, biological stuff and others are separated at consumer level. Glasses are separated by their colour (clear, brown and green). A quick internet search revealed that separation of coloured glass from clear glass is important because only clear recycled glass can be used to manufacturer new clear containers (link: “How Glass is Recycled”) . Efforts were not spared even on used cell batteries, I walked past some electronics store and saw containers inviting consumers to dispose batteries properly.

The city’s recycling efforts are no doubt assisted by convenient and ready placements of compartmentalized waste bins, which can be found on streets as well. But perhaps the most encouraging thing I saw was the compliance by the residents, they took effort to sort out their waste at household level, which is less convenient than simply dumping their wastes collectively. More information about their system of recycling can be found here: “All About Recycling”

Plastic bags

 I’d also made a few trips to the supermarket to purchase daily foodstuff. Being spoilt by the conveniences in my home country, I was half expecting the staff at the checkout counter to place my purchases promptly into plastic bags so I can bring them home and line my trashcans with those bags. I learnt quickly that I would need to fork out money for each plastic bag to be taken, which makes sense, because the bags are treated as any other items for sale. Most people in the supermarket brought along reusable shopping bags to haul their groceries, consumer behaviour changes when plastic bags are no longer available for free. While scientists are trying to make biodegradable plastic bags, people are working collectively to reduce the number of plastic bags consumed in their daily lives. I had my backpack on.

Transportations

A while back, I wrote a blog post regarding the potential of smaller vehicles in the future (link: “Downsizing vehicles to upsize productivity”) and I was extremely excited to see the sizable number of smaller vehicles scooting on the streets in the city. These microcars appear in a few different makes, from the Japanese manufacturers to more commonly, German manufacturer Smart. Often these cars are very practical to operate in the confines of a densely populated city. It’s common to see microcars wedged comfortably between larger cars in parking spaces, score! I would suspect that higher pump prices due to government taxes (link: “Gas prices around the world”) are encouraging more car owners to favour smaller; more efficient vehicles. Some opt to take the public transport system, or bicycles.

A bicycle is a wonderful mode of intra-city transport: no emission; less traffic congestions; independent of feeder buses and all the health benefits that come along. However I have few concerns and the chief of which is safety, both the safety of pedestrians when sharing footpaths and the increased probability of being a roadkill when cyclist and motorist share the road.

Observing a sizable population of cyclists, I rented a bicycle to explore the city on two wheels. The cyclist lanes made the trip safer and I found it encouraging that bicycles are allowed on board trains and trams. I could explore places further away from the city centre on my bicycle. With proper infrastructure in place, cycling has become a viable mode of transport within the city, from the lady going to buy groceries to the man in suits and ties; it has become just part of everyday life.

Wrapping up

Nothing new has been brought to table: no cutting-edge technologies or radical ideas. While scientists and engineers are working to bring us greener technologies; harnessing new energy sources and drilling deeper to get more oil, environmental awareness are driving groups of people to alter their behaviours collectively towards a sustainable existence. With proper policies and infrastructure in place, environmentally responsible behaviours can become a social norm, bridging the gap between humans and technology

One of the issues challenging aspiring farmers dwelling in cities is space (or the lack thereof), people do not always have the luxury of having vacant lots and large lawns. However it is entirely possible to start a small farm for personal consumption and as the videos have shown, for commercial purposes.

In the videos, there are two examples of commercial rooftop farms: one in New York City and another Chicago, both farms are able to supply their produce for consumption in some local restaurants. These examples offer up a look at two different techniques that can be applied to start a rooftop farm: layering water drainage system with a layer of topsoil; using troughs to contain the soils.

If you cannot start a rooftop farm, it is still possible to grow food inside a city apartment. Using hydroponics, people have started window farms, using easily available materials to build their set up. Even though it is not a commercial operation like the rooftop farm, nonetheless it is certainly a proof-of-concept that even city dwellers are capable of growing some food.

The idea of green rooftops isn’t a radically new idea, people have recognised the benefits of having plants on rooftops. For example a green rooftop can insulate the building and lower the interior temperature; it can also act as water storage to prevent huge amount of runoff during a rain event, which could potentially challenge the water drainage system. However from the perspective of improving food safety and security and from the standpoint of sustainability, it just may be worthwhile to start looking at the concept of farming in the city

Some rather sharp people in Malta created a carbon lottery especially designed to lure people to fighting climate change.  Simple concept too: buy verified offsets for voluntary carbon offset projects, choose numbers as you would on any ordinary lotto ticket, and get entered into the draw for a £4m prize.  Each entry only costs £2.  There is a footprinting tool built into the process, and information on each of the projects worldwide that the funds go towards enabling.  While we personally don't like the idea of lottery, we realise others have a different view.  Seems like a good approach to harness existing behaviour and channel the money towards something useful.  Why try and fight existing behaviours, when a slight tweak could enable them to positive outcomes?

... as it turns out, Jane McGonigal isn't the only one using gaming to explore how to motivate people to solve real world problems.  Learn more about how to engage people and harness their energy/interest:

PSFK CONFERENCE NYC 2011: Aaron Dignan from Piers Fawkes on Vimeo.

Modern agricultural model have given the human population more food supply with high efficiency, however there are issues surrounding it. The environmental damages from the use of pesticides and fertilizers; resource intensiveness of farming operations (e.g. machineries and transports); the lack of food security in heavy reliance on imported food, are just a few of the examples on why it may be time to take a serious look at alternative farming models. These two videos take a look at how some people are taking agriculture into urbanized areas and explore the intentions, technologies and the benefits behind urban agriculture.

The first video takes a look at some of the technologies behind Science Barge, a floating platform on Hudson River in New York City; it is a sustainable urban farm project. Science Barge grows plants using hydroponics and generates energy from renewable sources; uses water from the river and rainwater collection and discharges no harmful wastes by a clever nutrient recycling system. Did I mention that they are able to grow fish as well?

The second video documents the growing urban agriculture community in Atlanta. Unlike the Science Barge, the community gardens grow their produce on soil. They have come up with an alternative business model call the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) where consumers have to pay farmers upfront and can collect the food periodically, therefore the risk of crop failure is spread across consumers and the farmers.

Growing food locally in an urban setting not only allows consumers to feel safer, knowing the origins of their food, it also gave the opportunity of connecting people in the community and provides a platform to discuss about sustainability. Maybe the next farm plot could just be within our neighbourhoods.

“Sustainability is important for every decision that you make and that decision that you do make is dependent on where you are and what is available to you”

Working alongside our local Tiong Bahru community, together with the Seng Poh Residents Council, Tanjong Pagar Town Council, and NParks, we're happy to announce that the Seng Poh Community Garden is now officially launched. 

It is a work in progress and still a lot of things need to get done, but off to a good start with some very good momentum from the local community.  If you're in the area, please feel free to join us.  Planting days are every Sunday from 8:30 a.m. outside Block 21.

Interesting video that talks about the state-of-play for many shifts and trends, and what will affect consumer behaviour in the years ahead.

PSFK CONFERENCE NYC 2011: What's Next? A Panel On The Future from Piers Fawkes on Vimeo.

This video takes a brief look at some of the issues surrounding a world built on fossil fuels, like environmental destruction and economic instability. Alternative energy sources have not been able to replace fossil fuel due to technology and existing infrastructures that were purposed to support fossil fuel consumption. It asked an important question regarding the sustainability of the current model of economic growth.

Here are a four points that were suggested:

-Learn to live without fossil fuel
-Relook at our current economic model of growth
-Stabilise human population to 7 billion
-Mitigating the negative human impact on the environment

Even with the technological advancements in the field of alternative energy, humans will still have to find a way to live within nature’s budget of renewable resources and at the rate at of natural replenishment for a more resilient future.

“Resilience – the ability to absorb shocks and keep going”

Check out other interesting videos on Post Carbon Instiute's YouTube channel too.

Water scarcity is like the lesser known cousin of the other environmental issues that are more prominent in the media, for example global warming and decreasing oil supplies. In part, the lack of attention may also be due to clean, safe water being readily available to residents in modern cities at low cost (relative to oil). This documentary tells the story of three different places facing two kinds of water management problem.

In the Everglades, Florida, urban developments are hindering flow and supply of water into the Everglades, resulting in record low-level in water level. Furthermore increasing water demands from nearby region contributes to the decreasing water supply. One of the possible environmental consequences is salt water infiltration into the aquifers, which will alter the eco-system of the Everglades and decrease freshwater availability.

Lake Mead in Nevada faces a similar issue with low precipitation and over consumption because of increasing population and water demand downstream. The water level in the lake has decreased drastically and 25 million people depend on the lake as fresh water supply.

Hebei in Northern China is facing droughts from over consumption by nearby cities such as Beijing. In addition it also faces the problem of pollution from untreated sewage and careless disposal of toxic chemical waste which is quickly making its remaining water sources unusable.

However ordinary citizens are beginning to realise the importance of water conservation and they are coming up with initiatives in attempts to mitigate the problem. In Florida, an environmental group tries to slow down the rate of development and in Hebei, citizens are taking it upon themselves to analyse and monitor their local water resources. In addition to that, local Non-governmental Organisations in Hebei set up a publically available database which monitors the water quality of freshwater sources. Water treatment technologies for both domestic and industrial waste are already available. If environmental laws were to be put in place and duly enforces, further degradation to the water resources is possible.

Water is an integral part of life, making up an approximate 70% of a human body weight. But the social and environmental impacts of freshwater extend far beyond, biodiversity; agricultural activities; industrial operations all hinge on the availability of water. The society as we know it depends greatly on this resource.

“When we were young the environment was beautiful, but we damaged it. So we have to do something about it now for the sake of the future generations"

Mondragón Worker-Cooperatives Decide How to Ride Out a Downturn

If the economy is any indication, it should have prompted us to rethink the economy as it is currently. From its stubbornness to recover from a slump to the increasing polarization of wealth distribution between the rich and the poor (source: Key Household Income Trends, 2010), it should have provided good motivations to look at alternative economical models to the usual top-down management.

In comes the Mondragón Cooperative Corporation (MCC). It is a consortium of worker-owned companies that is worker-centric. The business is driven by egalitarianism: workers are each given equal voting powers on issues; all workers are subjected to distribution of profit and loss because success is a result of collective efforts.

MCC’s innovation in doing business ensured that workers were safe unemployment during the global economical downturn, furthermore generating revenue of $24 billion in 2007. Their success should give even the toughest of sceptics enough reasons to take a long hard look at MCC’s business model.

“Mondragón is proof that a commitment to the common good is not an obstacle to commercial success. Instead, a dedication to innovation and training at all levels can bring forward the best of the community. That quality of life continues outside the workplace, multiplying the benefits for those who choose a cooperative path.”

Now we can all discuss the possibility of social equality without the tough sell of forgoing commercial success. 

Further reading: The Old Economy's Not Coming Back. So What's Next?

This video documents how manufacturers shift from the making quality products that were designed to have a long service life to deliberately shortening life of products to drive consumption and economy. Product engineers were made to adopt different values and objectives in their designs while consumers had to accept this newfound disposability as a norm. In a modern context, new products are made available to consumers at a rapid rate, enabling consumers to retire and replace their products unnecessarily.

The documentary also explored one of the potential environmental and social impacts of careless electronic consumption. As computers and electronic devices are disposed, a significant portion of the waste is shipped off to developing regions such as Africa. The electronic waste contains toxic components such as lead and cadmium and they are liberated when locals try to obtain scrap metals using primitive methods. Therefore causing health problems and polluting the environment surrounding the electronic waste dump.

While the manufacturers have created the consumer’s society as we know now, there is an increasing awareness of the finiteness of earth’s resources and the need for sustainable development. Some people are taking a step towards improving the sustainability of the consumer’s society. From consumers working to help other consumers bypass predetermined time for failure in an electronic device, to filing lawsuits against corporations that have unsustainable policies, to manufacturers taking a different approach to production design.

Perhaps we could all then take a moment before retiring our phone for the spanking new one that we have been coveting.

“It’s not like there is a green world and a business world, I think business and sustainability go hand in hand is actually the best basis to build a business on. And the only real way to do that is to factor in the true cost of the resources that have been used and also look at the energy consumption and also the indirect energy consumption of transportation. If you factor all that in to all the product that you manufacture, then there will be huge incentives for manufacturers to entrepreneurs all over the planet to make products that last forever” – Warner Philips (Lemnis Lighting)

Here's an intriguing case study of an environmental lawyer helping villagers fight a lawsuit against an ore mine owned by the provincial government in the Yang Chow village, China. Villagers in nearby areas are affected by the lack of treatment of mine effluent; the villagers crop's yield and quality have been affected, as well as their health.

It was reported that the river water contaminated by the mine effluent is high in some heavy metals (i.e. lead and cadmium), however existing technologies are capable of removing them from the effluent wastewater. One of the common methods of heavy metal removal is chemical precipitation, in which precipitants are added to raise the pH of water decreasing the soluble portion of heavy metals, then the precipitated heavy metals can be removed by conventional solids removal techniques. This illustrates that the corporations are negligent to not provide appropriate treatments even though they are available and that authorities are not taking enough actions to enforce existing environmental laws. The corporation stands to damage its own reputation in addition to setting itself up for potential liabilities in the future.

The villagers and their environment are paying the bills accrued by rapid economic development while reaping none of its benefits.  How much monetary value can be assigned to the human health and environmental damages caused by careless economic exploits?

 As the world attempts to transit slowly towards renewable energy to satisfy global energy demand, the true environmental and energy cost are often not considered. Perhaps more effort could be done to contemplate ways to reduce global energy demand.

"The holocaust of extinction we are causing is due primarily to the taking of so much habitat by humans. We should be returning very large areas to natural state, not contemplating the taking of more."

John Thackara briefly highlights the potential cost of implementing existing renewable energy solutions.

Energy: A Sense of Loss

This video discusses the solution to traffic congestions on a global scale: smaller vehicles.

The number of vehicles globally will double between 1990 and 2025 while the length of commonly used road in cities remains largely the same. Traffic congestions increases the unpredictability of traffic conditions and travel time, increasing the amount of non-productive time. Taking a cue from the maneuverability from motorcycles but with safety in mind, smaller and safer vehicles may address the problem of limited infrastructure falling behind growth of vehicles.

However, even though smaller vehicles can bring a partial relief to congested roads, some questions remain to be answered before deciding if it can be a long term solution. For example the energy efficiency of the vehicles compared to other modes of transport (i.e. public transports) should be considered. If the vehicles are inherently the less energy efficient mode of transport, can developing intracity infrastructures to support such form of transportation still be a sustainable long term solution?

Times are shifting with economic dramas and a raft of natural disasters.  Governments and businesses are trying to keep up, and one of the trouble areas is the education system.  Worldwide, there will be a battle for talent in the years ahead to help meet urgent economic needs and global challenges like climate change.  This website showcases many new initiatives that train young people, using technology as an enabler, with many amazing real-world outcomes.  It also discusses mega-trends like social networking, virtual offices, and training, and how businesses can innovate to meet impending shifts.  Buckle up, it's a cool read.

"Right now, in the Arab world, it has been suggested that hikes in food prices have encouraged populations to challenge their regimes, to date leading to two changes of governments and widespread unrest in other countries. If it is true that food price hikes provided the spark for the demonstrations, and if changes in the climate have had a role in those food price rises, wouldn’t that make recent events the Middle East a case of “good” climate change destabilisation?"

Rachel Godfrey Wood via The Guardian

An alternative to oil palm, sugar palm has huge potential in terms of a valuable commodity that can be grown without the need for large scale plantations, providing a livelihood for people across Southeast Asia without distruction of native forests.  Willie Smits explains more at Qi:

The Amazing Power of Sugar Palms by Dr. Willie Smits from Qi GLOBAL on Vimeo.

Amazing connections and some brilliant work here by Jane McGonigal.

This month we're pleased to be featured in Singapore's Good Paper where we go further into the notion of thrivability.  Check it out.  Hard copy hits shelves around the island at the end of the month.

Forward's Chris Tobias discusses "The Next Step in Human Evolution" at TEDxNTU:

TedxNTU from Chris Tobias on Vimeo.

Why should we be "less bad" when we could be doing more good?  Targeting a university audience using momentum and large doses of humour, Chris explores global challenges like climate change and resource security, and questions the notion of sustainability in this TEDx talk.  Find out where humanity is headed in the future, and why the TEDx audience rated this talk the best of the event.  Download available: PDF of presentation can be found here.

Keen to engage your crowd?  From TEDx to Green Drinks, educational institutions to conferences--  we've helped raise awareness and motivate action.  If you'd like us to inspire people at your event, please contact us.  

Watch the full episode. See more Journey to Planet Earth.

This award-winning documentary explores one of our most important resources: water.  It traces how supplies in many places are dwindling, and in many cases, the driving factor behind the scarcity is greed.  Explore the politics, pollution, human rights, and the emergence of a domineering world water cartel in this stellar film.  (thanks to The Natural Eye for your entry)

Thanks to everyone who came out to the talk.  It was really enlightening discussion.  Please find a copy of the presentation here for reference.

Ever wanted a big picture snapshot of the world’s state-of-play? We got access to a spirited discussion between KS Jomo, the Asst. Secretary General for Economic Development at UNDESA, and Ambassador Burhan Gafoor, the Chief Negotiator of Singapore for Climate Change. You’re about to get the top level points on what’s afoot, how the issues relate, and where we need to move for the future: businesses, governments, and people. [Editor’s note: assume most snippets are attributed to KS Jomo, with some reformatted from Burhan Gafoor, and our commentary alongside.]

• economic meltdown following sub-prime mortgages that were sold on globally,
• food price spikes due to geographic and climate issues, and speculation,
• increased inequality in the global South brought on by decades of deregulation, trade imbalances and liberalization, and so-called “immeasurizing growth”
• onset of global climate change in the form of severe and erratic weather that is severely affecting conditions around the world (and will continue to do so)

The 1990’s saw immeasurizing growth in many of these same countries, showing that more did not necessarily equate to better opportunities. There was a loss of tariff revenues, and shifts in production and export capacities. Many countries couldn’t afford the high costs of building competitive/new industries in this environment, and a backslide ensued. 

So, against this economic backdrop, many countries—both developed and especially developing—are not in good shape. With the global economy royally rooted by the turn of events, investors turn to “safe havens” like certain currencies and commodities including food stocks. Now food security comes into play, with speculation driving price spikes that reach all time highs in early 2011. Food stocks like grain go sky high for the average guy on the street. 

And what are we doing about it? While UN COP 16 in Cancun at the end of 2010 made some traction on consensus, there’s still a lot that needs sorting, and with an ever shortening time horizon.    Even if consensus can be reached among the United Nations countries, the best result will be stabilizing greenhouse gasses like carbon around 450ppm—still not low enough to stem off a temperature shift of 3-6 degrees Celsius or so (read: major detrimental effects on environmental stability worldwide will still ensue)—and that’s if we’re lucky.

(this article originally appeared on Ecopoint)

From Olympics to World Cups, COP15 to Coachella-- events worldwide are re-examining the role they can play in creating thriving economies, vibrant communities, and healthy environments. The notion of “sustainability” is a newer one in this space, but is gaining traction, especially with larger events. 

In 2009, driven by the UN and Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, COP15 climate talks in Copenhagen were mammoth in scale.   Bringing together some 34,000 participants from around the globe, there were 2500 official meetings to discuss how to deal with climate change. The Danish Government set out to run the proceedings as sustainably as possible. 

Organizers for London Olympics 2012 are calling it the “first sustainable Games”.   Preparation by UK government agencies in concert with the IOC is aligned to the BS8901 standard. With a view to creating a “One Planet Olympics”, the London Olympics 2012 sustainability policy covers five major themes: climate change, waste, biodiversity, inclusion, and healthy living. Updates to the plan are due for release in 2011/2012, and some criteria for inclusion are carbon footprint and reduction strategy, remediation and construction waste targets, waste management strategy, biodiversity strategy and key projects, and sustainable food strategy. 

From the Center for the Advancement of Steady State Economies, check out some thought provoking reads on how to move away from endless growth economies while enhancing people's lives.  Very thought provoking material!

Thanks to everyone who came out today and joined in our interesting discussion.  Feedback welcome, and presentation available here.  See you again later in the semester!

A brief intro on China vs. US emissions here, but note that the tool found here can be used to compare any nations on the list at the right hand side.  Great way to visualize how development has increased emissions over the decades.

Some great facts from Lester Brown at Earth Policy Institute that can really help shape understanding of many global issues:

We are facing issues of near-overwhelming complexity and unprecedented urgency. Can we think systemically and fashion policies accordingly? Can we change direction before we go over the edge? Here are a few of the many facts from the book to consider:

- There will be 219,000 people at the dinner table tonight who were not there last
night—-many of them with empty plates.

- If the 2010 heat wave centered in Moscow had instead been centered in Chicago, it
could easily have reduced the U.S. grain harvest of 400 million tons by 40 percent
and food prices would have soared.

- Winter temperatures in the Arctic, including Alaska, western Canada, and eastern
Russia, have climbed by 4–7 degrees Fahrenheit over the last half-century. This
record rise in temperature in the Arctic region could lead to changes in climate
patterns that will affect the entire planet.

- Half the world’s people live in countries where water tables are falling as
aquifers are being depleted. Since 70 percent of world water use is for irrigation,
water shortages translate into food shortages.

- In Sana’a, the capital of Yemen—-home to 2 million people-—water tables are
falling fast. Tap water is available only once every 4 days; in Taiz, a smaller city
to the south, it is once every 20 days.

- Virtually all of the top 20 countries considered to be “failing states” are
depleting their natural assets—-forests, grasslands, soils, and aquifers—-to sustain
their rapidly growing populations.

- The indirect costs of gasoline, including climate change, treatment of respiratory
illnesses, and military protection, add up to $12 per gallon. Adding this to the
U.S. average of $3 per gallon brings the true market price closer to $15 per gallon.

- Between 2007 and 2010, U.S. coal use dropped 8 percent. During the same period,
300 new wind farms came online, adding 21,000 megawatts of U.S. wind-generating
capacity.

- Algeria has enough harnessable solar energy in its vast desert to power the entire
world economy.

- One of the quickest ways to cut carbon emissions is to change light bulbs.
Switching to more-efficient lighting around the globe could save enough energy to
close more than 700 of the world’s 2,800 coal-fired power plants.

“We can get rid of hunger, illiteracy, disease, and poverty, and we can restore the
earth’s soils, forests, and fisheries. We can build a global community where the
basic needs of all people are satisfied—-a world that will allow us to think of
ourselves as civilized.” –Lester R. Brown

Fantastic article on varying models of microcredit: how some alleviate poverty and how others exploit poor people.  A must read for those wanting to understand the topic.

In this week's Resource Roundup, big news and global developments:

• Food Security: With droughts and heatwaves affecting areas like wheat producing Russia, as well as floods engulfing large amounts of agricultural land in Australia, issues of food security are high on the radar for 2011.  Food prices to increase dramatically, and in some areas they already are.  With a surging world population, there's less arable land to work with, impacts of severe weather are taking a huge toll, and nations competing for commodities will drive up prices and create scarcities.  The year ahead is tipped for some big challenges.  Read the full article here for a bird's-eye view.  According to Lester Brown:

"As the new year begins, the price of wheat is setting an all-time high in the United
Kingdom. Food riots are spreading across Algeria. Russia is importing grain to
sustain its cattle herds until spring grazing begins. India is wrestling with an
18-percent annual food inflation rate, sparking protests. China is looking abroad
for potentially massive quantities of wheat and corn. The Mexican government is
buying corn futures to avoid unmanageable tortilla price rises. And on January 5,
the U.N. Food and Agricultural organization announced that its food price index for
December hit an all-time high." 

• Climate Change: With weather disasters playing such a big part in interrupting food production, you'd think that legislators in various parts of the world might be taking climate change a bit more seriously. 
  
  Well, it appears they're still not-- and in part, its because of some flawed economics being cited to predict the impacts climate change will have on the economy, when weighed against the perceived cost of taking action.  The outcome?  Little serious action, when some bold steps are needed-- at least in some places.  What are the true costs of climate change to our way of life?
  
  [Side note: Seattle seems to be doing some interesting things in anticipating how climate change may affect the city in the years ahead.  Worth keeping tabs on how this develops.]
   
• Sustainable Farming: "An amazing thing is happening within the EU...A few years ago everyone said these farms were irrelevant and policy favoured competitive farms. Now small-scale farms are seen as valuable for food and landscape, with massive benefits for flood and fire control, biodiversity and mitigation against climate change. They are increasingly appreciated as vital for Europe's future."... says Nat Page of ADEPT, an organisation devoted to sustainable farming practices.  They're doing some amazing work and learning from one of the most unlikely of places-- Transylvania-- where farming practices largely haven't changed in centuries, provide people a sustainable living, and protect local biodiversity at the same time.  How does this work?  Find out. 
• Mobility: According to a study by Lee Schipper and Adam Millard-Ball, automotive transport may be reaching its limits due to a number of factors, and it seems people might in fact be travelling less in some developed nations.  Among the interesting snippets, Schipper says:

"My basic thesis is, 'There ain't room on the road,'" he said. "You can't move in Jakarta or Bangkok or any large city in Latin America or in any city in the wealthy part of China. I think Manila takes the prize. Yes, fuel economy is really important, and yes, hybrid cars will help. But even a car that generates no CO2 still generates a traffic problem.

"Sadly, what is going to restrain car use the most is that you can't move."

In other mobility news: to encourage people to drive less (and hence burn less fossil fuel, create less carbon), California has approved  "Pay as You Drive" car insurance, and Massachussetts is considering introduction as part of it's Clean Energy and Climate Plan, along with numerous other programmes. 

• Biodiversity:  Recent mass animal deaths are highly unsettling.  From crabs in the UK to birds in the US to fish in Brazil, what's the cause?  An interesting article explores potential common threads and possibilities.  [Side note: someone recently chimed in quite aptly on the matter: "Seems to me the event is th canary in the coalmine for humanity."]
  
  In other (slightly more optimistic) news in biodiversity is that whaling is pretty close to not breaking even.  But if it is a loser from a business point of view, will the practice still continue with nations like Japan and others willing to throw government subsidies at continuing such an industry?
• Alternative Energy:  India claims Asia's first tidal power plant-- a 50MW facility to be constructed in the Gulf of Kutch by Atlantis Resources and Gujarat Power. Pretty brilliant stuff. 

We've been toying around (again!) with drivers for consumerism, and delving (again!) into the subject of happiness.  What we're starting to see the outline of-- in a very rough theoretical way-- is that at the crux of it, people seek happy experiences.  Buying something can deliver that, perhaps in a short-term way.  But it isn't necessarily the object bought that makes the person happy.  The experience of buying something new, perhaps the packaging, or who the person went shopping with all have an impact.  

What we're driving towards was neatly described on the Bobulate blog by designer and educator Liz Danzico:  "Investing in experiences over objects amplifies happiness. Money, as it turns out, can’t buy happiness."

She gives mention of Walmart actively offering "staycation" products as a complete package in their stores after the onset of the economic downturn.  Clever idea to sell more stuff, but we're wondering if the same idea can be applied with product-as-service models that are starting to emerge.

Take a big company like Interface for example.  In many parts of the world, their products are more of a service: the company still "owns" the carpet tiles, they merely lease them to the user for a set period of time, at the end of which the worn tile can be reclaimed and recycled, and the user gets a new tile for a new set period.  Big generalization of a complex process, but you get the idea.  

Well, what if every product were viewed as not just a service (which we think is a good step), but also an experience, aimed at providing maximum happiness?  What if the whole experience of this service were carefully managed and delivered to provide an end user not only a good feeling, but also take into account product life-cycle and supply chain issues, maximizing the business' positive impact on the communities it operates in, etc.?  Could the whole value-chain be maximised for a positive "happy" experience?  How could brands create and capitalise on this feel-good factor as a key point of differentiation?  

Especially if you go to market with such a strategy at a time when many consumers are depressed and looking to improve their disposition, wouldn't such an approach make some great business sense-- in addition to making the world a better place if the right considerations were met (e.g. social outputs, sustainable supply chain, good company governance, etc.)?

More from Jem Bendell: 

... and other interesting trends/musings on a similar thread here.

"Most companies try to be innovative, but the enemy of innovation is the mandate to “prove it.” You cannot prove a new idea in advance…" - Roger Martin, Dean of Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto

A very true quote indeed.  You might find the rest of this (slightly older, yet very relevant) article useful.  Written by Jem Bendell and Ian Doyle, it explores Design Thinking and how it might be applied to CSR and responsible business.  Useful in definining not only the trend and how it can be applied, but also some of the typical pitfalls an organisation can face when embracing a creative process like Design Thinking. 

This is a pretty amazing story of a family that's taken enormous strides towards self-sufficiency.  They call their project Path to Freedom.  We've come across other success stories out there, but these people do an amazing job of documenting each improvement they've made-- from growing 6000 lbs of produce on their 1/10 acre of land, to installing solar panels, and numerous other projects.  Incredibly inspiring to see what can be done with a bit of quiet persistence and elbow grease. 

Not sure I entirely agree with the following article/study, but it poses interesting food for thought.  The "Happy Planet Index" reveals the ecological efficiency that delivers human happiness [research report found here].  A nice and tidy breakdown of the research can be found here.  The basic premise: the amorpheous concept of "happiness" has been mapped worldwide.  Based on the research/mapping technique, colour codes are assigned to countries that rate their happiness-- appears as green.  High correlation here between material "stuff" prosperity and being "happy" -- note many Western countries fitting this profile.  

Right, so then the research goes on to explore life expectancy which correlates somewhat similarly to GDP.  Similar picture emerges.

Then we move on to ecological destruction-- the process by which the local environment is destroyed to create material prosperity, and calculate each nation's footprint accordingly.  Red is bad.

 Western countries coming in with big big footprints.  No surprise here.  Then demographers smush all these three data sets (happiness + life expectancy/GDP + environmental footprint) to reveal how each country is really doing.  In this case, green is good, red is bad:

The whole picture looks pretty bleak once you combine these factors.  Can't say that outcome is particularly surprising. 

What's worth further questioning is their underlying definition of happiness having such a strong correlation with materialism.  People can be happy without stuff, and many would comment that travels in developing countries reveals people who are, perhaps sometimes surprisingly, very happy-- even if they have a minimum of material wealth.  What they do have is community, family, cultural identity, traditions, etc.-- intangible things that we often forget can make us quite happy.

So, first off the bat, why define happiness for this study's sake in such close terms with material wealth?

Second, why is it that Western countries that have astounding rates of depression, anxiety, use of medications/substances to tackle those problems, suicides, etc. are seen as "more happy"?

Whether you're talking UK, US, Japan, or NZ-- each of these developed nations (and plenty of others) is gripped with many ills that are characteristic of a severely unhappy population.

While this study is interesting in what it proposes, a redefinition of happiness from step one might be in order to get a more accurate sense of what it actually means to be happy from a non-materialistic approach.  It would also be interesting to weigh those socially negative pressures in Western countries in a more realistic and accurate way. 

Still, ambitious project, interesting findings, and we'd like to see this tweaked and updated in the future.

... busy Q1 ahead with guest lectures planned.... stay tuned for more info.

Climate Change: a quick recap on Cancun Climate Talks:

Check out the debrief on SustainableBusiness.com.  A few minor points were agreed on, including a target of stopping climate change at (an admittedly severe and totally inadequate) 2 degrees Celsius (bad news as runaway climate change could easily cut much higher and action on greenhouse gas emissions is slow to come).  Also, a Green Climate Fund of US$100bn is to be established to help poor nations save forests and develop cleantech.  Where's the bling coming from?  Good question... to be decided.  At least they got that far.  No replacement for/extension to Kyoto seems to be in the cards as big polluting countries are still in deadlock.

Forest Stewardship: At least not all the news out of Mexico was bad-- local forest management programmes handled at a community level are turning some very positive results on economic, environmental, and social fronts.  Model worth repeating elsewhere perhaps? 

Peak Fertiliser: As with other commodities in deminishing supply, fertiliser is likely going up which will have knock-on effects for conventional food production.  Natural gas is getting in tighter supply, and it is a major ingredient in making ammonia in fertilisers.  Phosophorous is also getting harder to come by.  Perhaps it's time for some organic alternatives...

BioChar: ... which segues nicely to BioChar (check out this article on the pros and cons of the stuff) as a potential alternative for enriching soil quality and locking up carbon at the same time.  Does take energy to produce, as well as organic matter which could come from numerous sources-- not all of them necessarily good.  Worth exploring though.

-In other more light-hearted news-

• Interesting read on social entrepreneurship, and balancing business and marriage from the cohorts behind Stonyfield Farm organic yogurt/milk products.  Very insightful. 
• New app aims to help smoother driving, fuel savings by... get this... making sure you don't spill water.  Strange idea, or pure genius?

Put out by the WWF, a new document format renders electronic information unprintable to save trees.  Brilliant idea.  Currently only for Mac, but Windows version coming soon. 

(This article appears courtesy of Newsweek.  Thanks to our colleagues at ABC Carbon for highlighting these amazing findings)

The world's largest concentration of ice, Antartica, has begun melting in earnest.  With massive ice shelves weakening and breaking off in recent years, what happens on this frosty continent will have enormous knock-on effects elsewhere in the world.  From sea-level rises to shifts in ocean currents that ultimately affect weather patterns-- what happens in Antarctica will change life for us all. 

Anyone planning large festivals in Singapore or beyond, please feel free to reference iLight Marina Bay Festival's Final Sustainability Report as a useful case study.  The InStep Environmental Footprint Report is also available at the above link.

Great documentary on a variety of community focused solutions to stabilising the economy, connecting people, living/working greener (finally some GOOD news out of the US!):

Watch the full episode. See more NOW on PBS.