The next generation of conferences - inspired by Globe Forum

Participated in parts of Globe Forum 2008 with the theme: "Business Innovation for Sustainable Growth", Wednesday and Thursday. Like most conferences with a focus on global challenges there were quite a few people there with good ideas. The question I have if we will see a new generation of gatherings where people identify opportunities and challenges already before the conferences, pledge to work on certain areas before. Use the conference to explore synergies and revise the pledges. The conference would then become a launching platform for real action.

This would obviously require conferences to always have follow-up meetings where the results are presented, new pledges are made if necessary, etc. Instead of a single event, that is a break from the everyday life, this could create a process where processes are created that help people to deliver results they never could deliver on their own.

Will look for an opportunity to try to implement this.

The world is changing - or is it our perspective

What country is the most "green"? One of the more interesting was just published by National Geographic. The way the study was structured might make it an indicator of the world of tomorrow.

From the webpage "Greendex":

"Unlike other measures that rank countries according to the environmental performance of their governments, companies and other factors, the Greendex is the first to rank the performance of individual consumers, rather than countries as a whole.

Consumption as measured by the Greendex is determined both by the choices consumers actively make—such as repairing rather than replacing items, using cold water to wash laundry, choosing green products rather than environmentally unfriendly ones—and choices that are controlled more by their circumstances, such as the climate they live in or the availability of green products or public transport. The initiative considered both these factors, with 60 percent of the 65-variable index based on choice or discretionary behavior."

The ranking

1. Brazil and India
2. China
3. Mexico
4. Hungary
5. Russia
6. United Kingdom
7. Australia and Germany
8. Spain
9. Japan
10. France
11. Canada
12. United States

The world is changing - or is it our perspective

What country is the most "green"? One of the more interesting was just published by National Geographic. The way the study was structured might make it an indicator of the world of tomorrow.

From the webpage "Greendex":

"Unlike other measures that rank countries according to the environmental performance of their governments, companies and other factors, the Greendex is the first to rank the performance of individual consumers, rather than countries as a whole.

Consumption as measured by the Greendex is determined both by the choices consumers actively make—such as repairing rather than replacing items, using cold water to wash laundry, choosing green products rather than environmentally unfriendly ones—and choices that are controlled more by their circumstances, such as the climate they live in or the availability of green products or public transport. The initiative considered both these factors, with 60 percent of the 65-variable index based on choice or discretionary behavior."

The ranking

1. Brazil and India
2. China
3. Mexico
4. Hungary
5. Russia
6. United Kingdom
7. Australia and Germany
8. Spain
9. Japan
10. France
11. Canada
12. United States

Where the future is born – the 12th five year plan/program for China

Poor Li Nan had to fight red tape and spend half of the morning to get a visa to Switzerland , but after that adventure we visited NDRC (Institute of Economic Research and Institute of Social Development) to discuss with the experts that will work on the report we are doing to support our project that focus on the 12^th five year plan. For the world to better understand the opportunities and make sure we support targets that are crucial for a peaceful development requires us to think ahead, in this case only a few years ahead. Still maybe one of the most crucial times of our time when it comes to economic development of the world and global resource consumption.

Will post our folder about the project as soon as it is ready, probably in June.

Where the future is born – the 12th five year plan/program for China

Poor Li Nan had to fight red tape and spend half of the morning to get a visa to Switzerland , but after that adventure we visited NDRC (Institute of Economic Research and Institute of Social Development) to discuss with the experts that will work on the report we are doing to support our project that focus on the 12^th five year plan. For the world to better understand the opportunities and make sure we support targets that are crucial for a peaceful development requires us to think ahead, in this case only a few years ahead. Still maybe one of the most crucial times of our time when it comes to economic development of the world and global resource consumption.

Will post our folder about the project as soon as it is ready, probably in June.