I definitely wasn't expecting to find PowerPoint in the Peruvian jungle. But when I arrived at a community meeting in the village of Pucallpillo a few weeks ago, everyone was busy agreeing which photos to include and who would present the official slides to any visitors. Pucallpillo wants to tell the world its story, starting with anyone who cares to stop by there.
It's just one of many places along the Alto Huayabamba river that emerged relatively recently from intensive illegal coca production, and whose inhabitants now grow organic cocoa instead. Earning enough from that to keep coca out for good, repairing damaged soils and protecting their cocoa trees from climate change are all big concerns for the residents.
If I am honest, I have to admit that even I am quite surprised that Bristol’s BIG Green Week 2012 this June has turned out to be… well simply huge.
When I first suggested to Forum’s CEO Peter Madden and Founder Director Jonathon Porritt nearly two years ago that we create the UK’s annual festival for sustainability, I don’t think we imagined we would end up with over 100 events in nine days in our first full year.
You can see the massive festival programme for yourself, with the tickets and the details for all the events between 9th and 17th June now online at www.biggreenweek.com.
It is a spectacular line-up of internationally renowned speakers and celebrities. Their mission inspire the next generation of great green ideas through a fun-filled nine days.
‘Human Capital consists of people's health, knowledge, skills and motivation,’
personality and creativity etc.
Social Capital usually ‘concerns the institutions that help us maintain and develop human capital
in partnership with others,’ like families, communities, businesses, groups etc.
I was sitting on the bus one morning this week, wearing my headphones, studiously avoiding eye contact with strangers and still waking up for the day ahead. Adhering to the unspoken rules of commuting in a major city, in other words. It was 8.15 in the morning, and I hadn’t had any coffee yet. Mulling over human and social capital – ie the value that humans possess and how it can be tapped into - was not high on my agenda.
At a recent high level UN meeting Bhutan’s Prime Minister Jigmi Y. Thinley said that if mankind is to avoid its current unsustainable and self-destructive course it needs to replace GDP with Gross Domestic Happiness. A tough challenge. But one we think we’re up to at Forum for the Future, so we’re trying it in our own little corner of the cosmos – the Forum offices.
Our very own James Goodman published a book of poetry...
We’re just wrapping up our final reports and accounts for 2011. Not particularly exciting news you say? Well, what is exciting is reflecting on the success we’ve had and what that means for our staff.
Last week, the 16 members of the Sustainable Shipping Initiative gathered at the historic (and very hot) Fort Canning, Singapore. We were at Singapore Maritime Week to announce the practical actions we’re taking to make our Vision for a sustainable industry reality.
Photo: Simon Bennett, General Manager - Sustainable Development, China Navigation Company: Swire Shipping, speaking at the SSI work stream launch during Singapore Maritime Week on April 26th 2012
It’s a beautiful sunny day in Seoul, and members of the Sustainable Shipping Initiative are meeting at the offices of Korean shipyard DSME to finalise plans to develop a Closed Loop Materials Management system for shipping.
In short, we’re developing a system for tracking all of the materials that go into building and maintaining a ship, to enable them to be recovered for recycling at the end of the ship's life. The concept is based on systems used by the European car industry, where extraordinary levels of recycling have been achieved. With some commentators predicting severe shortages of high quality steel in Europe by 2050, this is as much a commercial imperative as an environmental initiative.
I saw a credit card-sized prototype of this a while back but now the clever chaps have managed to get a funcational computer down to the size of a thumb drive and costing only £15. You can programme and play HD video on it and it runs a linux operating system. You can connect up a usb keyboard and a screen.
The news in recent days of a standoff between a Chinese fishing vessel and the Philipene navy is gaining more and more attention. Two important weak signals have come out of this conflict.
First, China’s response. China intervened in the conflict, not with navy ships, but by using civilian vessels to block the Philippine naval ship. Perhaps this allowed the conflict to stay under control and avoid violence.
Second, and perhaps more importantly, it is one of the first in what will most likely be a number of incidents as a result of the continued territorial disputes in the valuable South China Sea. Energy security is at risk for both China and the Philippines and their western allies, and the area is highly valued for the shipping lanes that run through it. This month the US and Philippines will stage a naval exercise that involves retaking a hijacked oil rig.
An important space to watch in terms of a weak signal that could quickly become a trend.
Defying the digital, real-time news deluge we're experiencing, the quarterly magazine 'Delayed Gratification' applies the principles of the 'slow' movement to journalism. Their magazine sums up the previous three months' news into one edition.
In their own words - they go back to important stories 'once the dust has settled...and make a virtue of being the last to breaking news.'
Find out more:http://www.dgquarterly.com/
Leaves me wondering what other areas we'll see the slow movement take off in...
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