Finally, Some Practical Advice!
Recycling should be easier. How do we better recover the value still inherent in so many used goods, like those rubber kitchen mats often used in restaurants? Posed with this question recently, here are 3 steps applicable to a range of items: Continue reading »
Leveraging Fulcrum Points
Business matters. If we are going to realize a more vibrant and resilient future, we can’t ignore perhaps the most influential sector of society. In order to shift our economy from one that accounts for solely economic factors, to one that takes into consideration environmental and social impacts as well, we need new structures. The State of Continue reading »
Toward Amazing Feats of Daring
Inspiration can originate in unusual places. Last weekend, I attended a Cirque du Soleil show, the high concept reinvention of the traditional 3-ring circus. The experience was highly entertaining and unexpectedly motivating. The combination of physical prowess, technological sophistication, and aesthetic impact are elements from which those of us striving to foster greater sustainability could learn. For instance, being able to do a great trick once is one thing, but to do it multiple times with incredibly consistent results is accomplishment built on years of disciplined practiced. In contrast, sustainable innovation is in its infancy. Whether it will grow into a more mature field with a body of professionals skilled in the intricate maneuvers that such transformation requires, depends on many Continue reading »
Innovating The Illusion Of Progress
It’s an issue of perspective. Invested in developing holistic and resilient solutions, I am increasingly convinced that there are two primary sectors of influence in this regard: policy and economics. Both of them can be difficult to shift. Any sustainability initiative not keeping these two areas in mind is merely projecting the illusion of progress. An evolution of vision is fundamental to influencing either. Lasting change, whether with a company, city or country, begins with altering mindsets. Initiating such a profound evolution can require a multitude of Continue reading »
Charting (Sustainable) Innovation
Success breeds stasis. Ten years ago, I had nothing to lose. With no reputation to fortify, and only a modicum of sustainability-related activity in Chicago compared to now, everything was possible. Foresight operated at the intersection of impulse and opportunity and, for the first few years, shifted as they did. Continue reading »
Transcending Single Stream Answers
Design will not save us. At one time I thought it would. I’ve faced sustainability-related challenges long enough to learn that most solutions require a multitude of tools and strategies, as well as the experience to know when to employ what. I have found it too easy on many occasions to be bound by my training, comfort zone and ego. Invested in “being a designer,” I’ve championed the power of this practice to provide transformational solutions, which it can, but rarely alone. Communications, technology, business and political diplomacy, among Continue reading »
One Street At a Time (The Challenges of Civic Innovation)
They are defining us. The initial flashy appeal of designing the next cool gadget quickly evaporated for me during the first weeks of graduate school. While I enjoyed the creative process, I needed to find a more meaningful subject if I was going to secure any fulfillment from being a designer. Cities are amazing conglomerations of interconnected systems possessing hundreds of potential nodes of innovation. Infrastructure, transportation, governance, utilities, media, waste and all forms of commerce create a dynamic tapestry that shapes our daily experience, forges our identity, defines our future. The urban landscape is a remarkable, complex if not daunting canvas on which to work, full of opportunities and barriers. I’ve learned to love the process as much as the outcome, if not more. It is one thing to develop an exciting idea, quite another to implement it; failures far outnumber successes. For this innovator, however, there are few challenges more compelling to positively impact the future, our view of ourselves, and our place on this wondrous planet.
April’s Green Drinks kicks off a 6-month series on sustainable civic innovation. From transportation to food, we’ll explore the forces shaping our urban experience with this curious designer’s wry, and hopefully also insightful, commentary guiding the way.
Observations of a Native Son
The Necessity of Cross Fertilization
I didn’t plan it this way. You could say I’m “well networked.” My LinkedIn profile is connected to more than 800 people. My contact database contains more than 1700 entries. Foresight’s various educational programs, especially Green Drinks have brought me into contact with a broad diversity of people from whom I’m constantly learning. Many view networking with a negative bias. Continue reading »
Innovation By Education
Teaching is an amazing experience. It forces you to reflect upon and codify what you know and, through the process, learn as well. Effectively conveying knowledge is a dynamic challenge involving constant doing and refining as subject matter and audiences evolve. To create a more robust sustainable civic innovation eco system, we must be propagating, as well as generating insight. Continue reading »