Designers to be the ‘angels’ for the world’s poor

‘People, Profit, Planet’, or 3Ps, are the yardsticks by which modern designers draw on their sketchbooks if they design products, services or systems for the sake of sustainable development in which everybody in the (derelict) community shares the benefits of their innovation. In the interest of global well-being, this is arguably the course for the design industry in the new era because its potential to contribute to the UN’s Millennium Development Goals is immense. Be it, regrettably, yet to become a norm for the entire industry because leading voices on sustainable design are lacking, as Seymourpowell’s Chris Sherwin indicates in his recent article. Indeed are such voices really lacking or simply not penetrating enough?

‘Community Energy’ under a siege by London and Brussels

In a seminar on community energy held in Westminster last week, many agreed that the potential for ‘community energy’ in the UK is massive. Some speakers shared their experience in the rigorous battle with finance and planning regulations at the start-up stage of their community-owned energy schemes. Following on from such discussions, we could also ask to what extent ‘community energy’ can be financed in the existing framework set by the commission in Brussels, which has been leading our ‘greenest ever’ government in London by the nose. 

Financing ‘Community Energy’: Why do legal structures and a green bank matter?

Amid the threats of soaring energy prices and global climate change, it gives us every reason to go ahead with ‘Energy Localism’ – community sustainable energy projects – which can stimulate local green growth and motivate a ‘Big Society’. Unless you are lucky enough to have a hidden goldmine in your community, it is often the financiers, not any business angels, who can give an energy project the green light. A legal structure or company model often carries too many implications.

Recast company models to take ‘popular capitalism’ off the ground

Against the ‘predatory capitalism’ that anguishes lots of working people today, co-operatives are a viable business model that puts money back into the people’s pockets. Announced in the Queen’s Speech, the new Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill, which aims to remove barriers to British companies and boost economic growth, would be the first step towards realising this. Alongside the introduction of the bill, I would expect a lot from the reviews of tax and regulatory treatment for employee-owned businesses that HM Treasury and BIS will conclude later this year.

In my last blog article, I mentioned ‘social franchising’ can make this happen much sooner. But before it does, we need something that can plug into the ‘normal’ system to gain co-ops a solid footing. The Government in the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill could go further with a recast or hybrid company model for easing incorporation and seeking finance.

Driving Britain to ‘popular capitalism’ with social franchising co-operative model

Capitalism has for centuries been our economic doctrine as the ‘best’ system to reward individual efforts and distribute wealth. With now over 90 percent of Britain’s productive assets owned by two square miles in the City and exercerbating income inequality, it is the time to fix the system if we want a fair society for all. This is also the ‘responsible capitalism’ which the Occupy LSX campaigners ask for. Seemingly far away, the panacea for today’s predicament is, in fact, close at hand – the ‘co-operative’ model, or Rochdale Rules dating back to 1840s.

Sustainability & Innovation

In this inaugural edition of the Seymourpowell TV series, Seymourpowell's Head of Sustainability, Chris Sherwin, answers the question: "How will sustainability change our approaches to design and innovation in the future?"

I would welcome everybody who has watched this video to contribute to the online discussions in the Seymourpowell Design and Innovation Network by clicking here.

Email me at winstonkm.mark@googlemail.com

Can localised food systems be a silver bullet for some globalised humanitarian problems?

Cornucopia with which people in developed countries are endowed since mid-twentieth century results in collective complacency about food security. Along with irresistible commercial advertisements and health consultations, we have been ‘brainwashed’ to believe in the credendum of a globalised, trade-dependent food system and industrial agriculture as the solution to food demands worldwide while derogating local agricultural productions. Our global food system[1]  today is characterised by an unprecedented scale of centralisation, intensification and concentration. Its record-high food yield is supposed to suffice the mouths of six billion and, thus, make optimistic progress towards the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDG) of halving the proportion of undernourished people by 2015.[2] Nonetheless, we are even very far from the World Food Summit (WFS) target aiming to halve the number of hungry people.[3]

Financing ‘energy localism’, how does legal structure matter?

The message from the energy prices summit last October was only “check, switch and insulate”. Why not “generate”? Amid the threats of soaring energy prices and global climate change, it gives us every reason to go ahead with ‘energy localism’ – community sustainable energy projects – which can fuel local green growth. Unless you are lucky enough to have a hidden goldmine in your community, it is often the financiers, not the business angels, who can give an energy project green light.  

Decoding Durban: Deal or no Deal? Deal, for a Deal Later (Part 4)

The road to Qatar and beyond

We are now on a ‘climate mortgage’ to borrow from our future generations. The Kyoto Protocol adopted in 1990s was just the ‘deposit’. Kyoto II is an ‘instalment’ long overdue and the Durban deal is only part of it. The lack of quantitative emissions reduction targets year after year means that our ‘mortgage’ now is subject to ‘penalty’ or a higher ‘interest rate’ equivalent to 1-2% of the world’s GDP this year rising to 19% in 2030 (according to the EU’s report – “The Economics of Climate Change Adaptation in EU Coastal Areas”). The Durban deal this year left a lot of questions, including the extent of emissions reductions in the Kyoto Protocol’s extension period as well as the specific amounts and operation management of the Green Climate Fund, unanswered. There are, hence, numerous uncertainties looming over the carbon market and forest protection financing that are the world’s main drivers to a low-carbon economy.