Spot the difference

What's the difference between CSR and sustainability?

Grandchildren

Why? Read the article by Warren Levy here

Global Business of Biodiversity

There's a useful event coming up in July at Excel in London, looking at the ways that businesses can more effectively engage with the business of making biodiversity happen. I'm chairing a session that EcoSapiens people might find interesting:

New Models for Business – Biomimicry, Innovation and Inspiration  

Chair:  Andy Middleton, Chairman of the TYF Group

Nature can and has inspired a huge number of innovations within business.  At the same time, increasing scarcity of resources and the need to manage them carefully is encouraging changes in business models and practices that can offer business opportunities.  This session explores a number of new business models that are emerging in response to the natural resource crisis with which we are faced.  In it business transformation and biomimicry experts explain, using examples from companies such as AkzoNobel, Nike and InterfaceFlor, how learning from nature can help future proof your business model during these turbulent times.

Lessons from nature, business innovation and future proofing
Giles Hutchins, Global Director, Head of Sustainability Solutions, Atos Origin

Biomimicry and inspirations for business
Denise de Luca, Project Lead, Swedish Biomimetics 3000 and Outreach Representative, the Biomimicry Institute

Infrastructure, architecture and the natural world
Michael Pawlyn, Director, Exploration

Product Innovation and the natural world
Nigel Stansfield, Director Product Design and Innovation, InterfaceFLOR

The employee challenge: inspiration and commitment through connecting with nature
Dave Hillyard, Director of International Partnerships, Earthwatch

Click here to find out more or register for the event

getting started

The article from Seth Godin has a lot of excellent 'bootstrap' start points for folk looking for different ways to get their ideas listened to by more people. My own experience is that it works.

It takes time to build followers on a blog, and it works providing your content is wanted; 600 more people read 3000 more pages last month than would have done without a blog.

The Do Lectures - a platform for change, like TED, were watched over 500,000 times in their first year.

We're building our library of pod casts and MP3s as we go, for free to share LifeCraft skills.

Read and enjoy

When you have a big idea, the question is, how to spread it?

You can go through a traditional publisher and have it printed in the tried and true way, like Clay Shirky. I had a chance to read Clay's new book a few months ago. No surprise: it's pure gold, unalloyed insight about the state of media and the world.

If you're looking for big ideas and are prepared to lose a little sleep, there's no better book to buy right now.

You can have someone take a short speech based on your book and have them turn it into a animated video. Dan Pink's video has been seen about 20 times as often as his book has been purchased. Video spreads.

You can turn your idea (like a focus on entrepreneurs) into cool trading cards, like Evan did.

You can skip the printing altogether and start your own video university, like Kahn Academy.

Perhaps write a short manifesto and watch it spread as a free ebook. Like Changethis, a free service that has reached millions with the work of top authors from around the world.

Don't forget podcasts or mp3s, which can be very funny or motivational.

Consider starting a conference with a unique platform and worldwide reach, like TED.

Or you can blog your idea for several years in a row, slowly building up trust and making an impact over time.

Of course, there's no right answer. But there's probably a best answer that matches your time frame, budget, audience and idea.



getting started

The article from Seth Godin has a lot of excellent 'bootstrap' start points for folk looking for different ways to get their ideas listened to by more people. My own experience is that it works.

It takes time to build followers on a blog, and it works providing your content is wanted; 600 more people read 3000 more pages last month than would have done without a blog.

The Do Lectures - a platform for change, like TED, were watched over 500,000 times in their first year.

We're building our library of pod casts and MP3s as we go, for free to share LifeCraft skills.

Re

getting heard

Do-star Em Metcalf is now working with social change agency Sidekick Studios before heading off to Stockholm in the autumn to start a 2 year MA in design. She sent this through the other day as an example of one of their recent projects; I like their creativity.

Voicebot from sidekick studios on Vimeo.