The Ashridge Sustainable Innovation Award in association with the European Academy of Business in Society and supported by HP and WWF

The Ashridge Sustainable Innovation Award that was launched today is something I really look forward to. It is another sign that leading companies and organizations shift towards an opportunity approach when it comes to climate change.

The jury is interesting as I think I’m the only one representing an organization that traditionally have focused on environmental issues, that is exactly what I believe is right. Ensuring that the leaders of tomorrow think about reduced CO2 emissions as a business opportunity is a must if we are serious about reducing CO2 emissions.

Let’s hope that there are MBA students that are willing to pick up the challenge and submit proposals that will change the future.

Later this fall I will visit a few MBA courses in EU, the Middle East and Africa. If all goes well I might put together a short paper based on that tour: “the state of the MBA world and innovative climate solutions”.

Below is the pressrelease:

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11 September 2008


Ashridge launches Sustainable Innovation Award

Ashridge Business School, in partnership with the European Academy of Business in Society (EABIS) and supported by HP and WWF, has launched the Ashridge Sustainable Innovation Award 2008/2009.

The award is designed to generate the best ideas from MBA and other post-graduate students on how organisations can create value from the shift to a low carbon economy.

The winning entrant will receive a cash prize of €7,000, a six month mentorship with HP and career advice from Spencer Stuart, the executive search firm. The second and third prizes are €5,000 and €3,000 respectively, also including career advice.

The award is open to full or part-time students studying on any MBA programme being taught in Europe, the Middle East or Africa (EMEA) during the 2008/2009 academic year. Additionally, the award is open to full or part-time MBA students at one of EABIS’ non-EMEA member schools and students on MBA or Masters level postgraduate programmes at HP linked universities.

“We are exited to bring our existing work with WWF on climate change to the academic world,” said Gabriele Zedlmayer, vice president Corporate Marketing and Global Citizenship, HP EMEA. “To transition to a climate-smart economy, a shift in management thinking and decision-making is required. By supporting this award, we want to help tomorrow’s talent become successful players in a changing economy.”

The award will be judged by a distinguished panel including:
- Sir Paul Judge, Benefactor of the Judge Institute, Cambridge University
- Eric Cornuel, Director General, EFMD
- Jeanette Purcell, Chief Executive, Association of MBAs
- Gabriele Zedlmayer, Vice President Corporate Marketing and Global Citizenship, HP EMEA
- Dennis Pamlin, Global Policy Advisor, WWF
- Kai Peters, CEO, Ashridge
- Della Bradshaw, Executive Education Editor, Financial Times
- Tom Dodd, CSR Policy Advisor, DG Enterprise and Industry, European Commission
- Anthony J Vardy, Senior Director, Spencer Stuart & Associates
- Rachel Jackson, Head of Social and Environmental Issues, Association of Chartered Certified Accountants
- Viscount Etienne Davignon, Chair, European Academy of Business in Society and Vice-Chair, Suez-Tractebel

The closing date for entries is 2 March 2009. The award will be accompanied by presentations from WWF at select universities over the next few months. For further information, please visit: http://www.ashridge.org.uk/sustainableinnovation

Information on the award can also be found on Facebook at
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ashridge-Sustainable-Innovation-Award/23715149027

World Economic Forum Innovation 100 meeting in Palo Alto

Two inspiring days in Stanford at the World Economic Forum meeting about innovations left me with a few questions.

1. Is it possible to find a way to differentiate between innovations that need to happen to ensure a sustainable future and those that are “just fun”. I have to admit that I feel a little tired when people use the iPhone as an example of an innovation. With as planet on the brink of a climate catastrophe and about three billion people under a dollar a day is seems as if it could be other things that we focus on.

2. Is it different drivers for people that deliver innovations like the iPhone and those delivering not only real technology solutions like new solar panels, but social and economic innovations that make a difference?

3. Where in the chain from ideas to implementation is it best to implement incentives that can accelerate sustainable innovations and the implementations of these?

4. Is it possible to measure the degree of sustainable innovation in companies in some way and learn from companies that are pushing for sustainable innovations?

5. How can we move away from a western based focus in key fora and ensure that people that think more than they talk is also provided space?

As always at events with a lot of brain power there are quite a few interesting facts that are presented. One detail about a favorite issue of mine, demographics, became quite personal as I was told that 2050 there will be 380 million people older than 80 years. That is more than the whole population of US today so I will probably not feel alone. I also got some new ideas regarding innovation clusters and hope to be able to use that to support places like Baoding (where I think real innovation is taking place, and where they want more innovation that can help save the planet).

World Economic Forum Innovation 100 meeting in Palo Alto

Two inspiring days in Stanford at the World Economic Forum meeting about innovations left me with a few questions.

1. Is it possible to find a way to differentiate between innovations that need to happen to ensure a sustainable future and those that are “just fun”. I have to admit that I feel a little tired when people use the iPhone as an example of an innovation. With as planet on the brink of a climate catastrophe and about three billion people under a dollar a day is seems as if it could be other things that we focus on.

2. Is it different drivers for people that deliver innovations like the iPhone and those delivering not only real technology solutions like new solar panels, but social and economic innovations that make a difference?

3. Where in the chain from ideas to implementation is it best to implement incentives that can accelerate sustainable innovations and the implementations of these?

4. Is it possible to measure the degree of sustainable innovation in companies in some way and learn from companies that are pushing for sustainable innovations?

5. How can we move away from a western based focus in key fora and ensure that people that think more than they talk is also provided space?

As always at events with a lot of brain power there are quite a few interesting facts that are presented. One detail about a favorite issue of mine, demographics, became quite personal as I was told that 2050 there will be 380 million people older than 80 years. That is more than the whole population of US today so I will probably not feel alone. I also got some new ideas regarding innovation clusters and hope to be able to use that to support places like Baoding (where I think real innovation is taking place, and where they want more innovation that can help save the planet).

Zeros are for zeros

“ZfZ” was just a thought that I got in a conversation about companies and consultants supporting carbon neutral. We need transformative action and the hunt for zero as we see among most proponents for “carbon neutral” is a combination of two ideas.

First the reactive discourse longing for a golden age that never existed and that see change as something dangerous. For these companies are a threat and innovation dangerous. Second the consulting approach that tries to give companies a way to feel good without doing very much. They often tap into people who usually want to do something good, but give them a dead end that defuse a will to do something by using a very old idea in a new shape. In a state of crises the idea of carbon neutral is best described as providing green letters of indulgence.

So maybe the people defusing energy for change and turning this into profit while providing a dead end are not zeros, they are the modern Loke. "contriver of all fraud". As Zero is such a sophisticated concept it feels as if these people don’t really deserve it.

Beside the ideas provided in Buddhism and other philosophies there is a very good book that I can recommend. A book that will make you feel that there is hope for humanity: Brian Rotman’s Signifying Nothing The Semiotics of Zero

Zeros are for zeros

“ZfZ” was just a thought that I got in a conversation about companies and consultants supporting carbon neutral. We need transformative action and the hunt for zero as we see among most proponents for “carbon neutral” is a combination of two ideas.

First the reactive discourse longing for a golden age that never existed and that see change as something dangerous. For these companies are a threat and innovation dangerous. Second the consulting approach that tries to give companies a way to feel good without doing very much. They often tap into people who usually want to do something good, but give them a dead end that defuse a will to do something by using a very old idea in a new shape. In a state of crises the idea of carbon neutral is best described as providing green letters of indulgence.

So maybe the people defusing energy for change and turning this into profit while providing a dead end are not zeros, they are the modern Loke. "contriver of all fraud". As Zero is such a sophisticated concept it feels as if these people don’t really deserve it.

Beside the ideas provided in Buddhism and other philosophies there is a very good book that I can recommend. A book that will make you feel that there is hope for humanity: Brian Rotman’s Signifying Nothing The Semiotics of Zero