![]() GDP specifically assumes that there's no cost in putting waste products back into the world, and it doesn’t give any credit to secondhand goods. Most of our environmental issues are designed into the current economic system. We live in a hyper-consumerist society that creates a hyper-disposable society. Why is our current economic model so bad for the environment? A healthy dose of realism is good and needed, but we must also be realistic about the fact that the future is undefined and we can all contribute to addressing these challenges. ![]() When has anyone ever wanted to go to the ‘everything is terrible’ party? Nobody. This paternalistic approach is not helpful. Historically, sustainability and environmental issues have been framed around negativity: ‘climate change will destroy the planet’, or ‘you are a bad person for not recycling properly’. However, these barriers are easily reframed. It is exhausting to maintain hope in a system that does not seem to be getting more hopeful. This plays out within organisations that have tried and failed. It limits creativity and thinking differently, and ultimately it stops people from doing things. Fear is a disabling force in the mind, like the fight-or-flight response. I have three ‘Fs’ to explain why companies are holding back. How can we provoke the private sector into acting against climate change?Ī recent report looked at Fortune 500 companies and only 38% of them had any tangible commitments on climate change.(1) What are the other 62% doing? How on earth are these companies not having discussions about sustainability at a senior level? Systems thinking is a secret way to solve any problem and understand the way the world works and our relationship to the world. This way, we will have more changemakers and people who are super-motivated and equipped to take action. My goal has been to create a structured framework that people can use that gets them to deeply love the problem, understand the systems and then design solutions within their sphere of influence. ![]() But it really is a problem-solving method that can be used for multiple challenges. But I also learned about systems thinking, which I think is a secret way to solve any problem and understand the way the world works and our relationship to the world.įor me, the Disruptive Design Method is heavily focused on social and environmental issues. And creativity is one of them, of course. So I went on my own self-discovery and through my PhD and other work was able to experiment with some of the tactical tools that we can all use. In my own journey of discovery, I felt very ill equipped to take action: I learned a lot about problems, but not necessarily the practical ways to take action and build solutions that would make a difference. The UnSchool is where we teach my Disruptive Design Method to individuals and organisations. To continue prospering on this incredible planet, we need to reframe sustainability as an innovation opportunity… ![]() Since then, a lot of amazing work has been done by a lot of very smart and committed people, and the conversation is much more sophisticated, but there is still so much work to be done. When I started out some 20 years ago, as a young person passionate about this, I felt overwhelmed by the challenges and underwhelmed by the number of people participating. We need more people provoked to think about this great challenge as a significant opportunity. ![]() To continue prospering on this incredible planet, we need to reframe sustainability as an innovation opportunity that needs the same level of investment, commitment, intellectual capacity and ultimately R&D as any other challenge we face as a species. These are all very old tropes that are irrelevant to the challenges we face today. I used to do talks where I would ask people for the first thing that comes to mind with the word sustainability, and most people say eco, green or recycling. When I first came up with that tongue-in-cheek title a decade ago, it was because I was frustrated by how old-school the idea of sustainability was. We all need to be prodded a bit to think differently about the world and our role within it. People need to be provoked to think differently about the challenges we face, and what tools and techniques we can use to redesign the unsustainable situation we’re in. Do people really need to be provoked into acting on sustainability? You describe yourself as a sustainability provocateur. ![]()
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