A significant e-step forward in Visby

A significant e-step forward in Visby, but it is time to get concrete with targets and resources (here is a link to the conclusions)...

"The EU must rapidly respond to environmental targets by establishing measurable action plans for greener solutions in the field of ICT as well as in non-ICT areas, supported by ICT policy institutions where relevant. Such measures could include contributions from ICT to develop greener solutions for energy, transports, industry production and process, housing etc."

The next step is Malmö and the Ministerial Declaration on eGovernment. Let's hope that this will include a focus on key clusters (such as those presented here): and with six concrete and measurable targets/goals for low carbon/resource efficient ICT solutions, also included in the same paper.

If the Malmö Declaration manage to include that kind of targets EU will move to the forefront of innovation and smart solutions.

UNI as a force for transformative change that deliver sustainability

Participated in UNI Europa ICT Forum “Promoting Green ICT to stimulate investment and create jobs” in Helsingör, Denmark.

During my presentation I suggested that UNI should explore the possibilities that three key clusters for transformative change will enable (see paper for RSA for more about these clusters):
1.Connectivity: ensuring a 21st century communication infrastructure
2.Miniaturisation: enabling ubiquitous computing (ubicomp)
3.Integration: facilitating the emergence of augmented reality (AR)

Analyzing these areas would allow UNI to become an agenda-setter instead of an organization that reacts to these clusters as they grow more important.

Three reports could be produced to see how employees can benefit from key sustainability trends:
1.1 Telework (blurry line between work and leisure time)
1.2 Smart buildings (how can EU create new companies)
1.3 Service shift (what will happen in the 21st Century economy)

Three projects could be initiated to explore how sustainable growth of job could be supported in key areas:
2.1 Concrete cases of start-ups (such as Sigarden and Optiguard in Poland)
2.2 The role of new construction companies/collaborations (where are they and what can they do?)
2.3 Service companies (how will they work and what can they deliver)

Keeping my fingers crossed that UNI will take on at least one of the ideas…

Sustainable Innovation in Gdansk during Globe Forum

It was fantastic to see a new generation of entrepreneurs in Gdansk with an energy and quality of work in world class. Two companies where particularly interesting:

1. Optiguard, as they focus on what might be the most important issue today, how to make buildings smart.
2. SiGarden as they provide smart ICT equipment that can be used to deliver important low carbon solutions, including those provided by Optiguard. They target almost all sectors that are important, such as transport and buildings and also target the health care sector where a lot needs to happen.

What I lacked when they (and everyone else) presented their solutions where three things. There three things would have demonstrated the strength of the two companies):
1. How many tonnes of CO2 could be reduced by the solutions in 1, 5 and 10 years under different scenarios (or other quantified positive impacts) in the markets they target?
2. How big is the market and what share could be the company’s in 1, 3 and 10 years?
3. What other positive impact could happen if the solution was implanted, and what potential negative impacts. (e.g. smart IT solutions from SiGarden will help reduce the emissions from IT itself, but that is most certainly the smaller part of the contribution as the smarter houses and transport systems will result in significant reductions. In the same way solutions for waste might lock society in a dependence on waste that is encourage a general wasteful society. Especially in a situation where companies must move beyond a situation where waste is created and move towards closed loop system with a cradle to cradle perspective).

It would be really interesting to use these entrepreneurs as indicators for how Europe is dealing with the kind of solutions that are needed and that has been identified as important.

Picture of the team from SiGarden and their stand in Gdansk.

Article with a low carbon innovation government policy for ICT: The Day Technology Saved the Planet -Transformative Solutions in a Time of Crisis

As a part of RSA’s project “Technology in a Cold Climate: Sustainable Technology” (their blog) I wrote a paper “The Day Technology Saved the Planet - Transformative Solutions in a Time of Crisis” (download here). The article helped me develop a few thoughts and hopefully can trigger a discussion about the structure of a transformative agenda for sustainable ICT.

Will be interesting to see if UK is willing to take the lead or if another government is ready to take the next step?

I want to thank Jamie Young at RSA for helpful feedback as well as editing. Garry Miller from BT and Emma Fryer from Intellect also provided feedback that was very helpful.

The discussion during the conference was moderated by Richard Miller from the Technology Strategy Board and gave me quite a few new ideas.

Climate Positive is moving forward at BSR

Just back from a small workshop during BSR about Climate Positive one year after the first one in New York. It was interesting, if nothing else just to reflect over what has happened in the last 12 months. Things are really moving fast in many directions. The discussion at the Climate Positive event was really interesting and covered many of the challenges and opportunities today in supporting a proactive agenda.

The document I used to discuss the issue with key stakeholders here at BSR. can be downloaded.

I have to say that the Climate Positive event was quite different from many of the other sessions at BSR, where it actually felt like moving back in time. If policy makers are doing a poor job in the climate negotiations most of this years sessions ay BSR was a clear indication that there is not much of a leadership in business (or they got the wrong people leading the sessions). B4E provided some really good leadership early this year, then the World Business summit on Climate change moved slightly backwards and with BSR here in San Francisco it really feels as if (at least parts of) business is moving quite fast backwards when they should be moving forward. Is that because those doing interesting things are getting tired of classical conferences, let’s hope so as this would mean that we could expect some surprises quite soon.