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Wednesday, 21 April 2010
Waitrose's bags of milk flop
It was no surprise to me that Waitrose's "eco-friendly" bags of milk have not sold and, ironically, led to lots of wasted milk. Simple question for Waitrose "Who on earth would buy milk in a bag?". How do you open them without spurting milk over your kitchen floor? Why would someone put up with this to go a tiny bit greener? Just "why"?
Back to the drawing board...
Labels: eco-product, packaging, waitrose
# posted by Gareth Kane : 05:03
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Friday, 5 February 2010
USBCell Bunny Viral
Simon Daniel of Moixa Energy, an old college compatriot of mine, has invented these cool USB rechargeable batteries. Moixa's viral video gives you a flavour...
Labels: eco-product, fun, innovation, low carbon economy
# posted by Gareth Kane : 07:00
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Friday, 9 January 2009
Book Review: Sustainability By Design
Warning: don't be fooled by the cute sunflower on the cover, or the modest page count, John Ehrenfeld's Sustainability by Design
is the most intellectually rigorous treatment of sustainability that I have ever come across.Ehrenfeld's diagnosis of the earth's problems is that we have become addicted to Having. The addiction analogy is a great one - we want more and more stuff even though we know that getting any of it will not satisfy us for long and only make us crave more. He then uses systems theory to argue that eco-efficiency, corporate social responsibility and (the standard view* of) sustainable development won't get us out of this addiction.
Instead he proffers and deconstructs a new definition of sustainability as "the possibility that humans and other life will flourish on the Earth forever". In particular the word 'flourish' is included to force home the idea that sustainability is not just a lack of unsustainability, but much more ambitious and positive than that. Drawing on the work of thinkers such as Heidegger, Fromm and Maturana, he argues we must move from our addiction to Having to a state of Being. To this we need to disrupt our current patterns of behaviour and he gives a range of examples of how that might be achieved.
The simplest of these is the two button toilet flush. By providing a decision point (high volume or low volume flush?) this product makes us stop and question why would we want to use more or less water and therefore links us (however briefly) to the natural world and the pressures upon it. He calls this disruption of our habits and routine by products 'presencing'. The disruption principle is also applied to the design of organisations and governance structures. Of course Ehrenfeld cannot provide all the answers within a 215 page book, but this work provides a context and springboard for the next generation of sustainable solutions.
Despite the approachable and open writing style, this a challenging read as it covers a lot of ground very quickly and the philosophical and linguistic concepts behind the arguments can be hard to grasp if you are coming to them for the first time as I was. It certainly disrupted my thinking on sustainability and has given me a deeper understanding of the principles - particularly on the consumption side of the coin.
In short: quite brilliant, but be prepared for an intensive intellectual workout!
* I define sustainable development as the process of achieving sustainability (so this work would be part of that process), but Ehrenfeld uses the standard definitions (eg meeting today's needs without compromising the needs of future generations).
Labels: books, eco-product, ehrenfeld, sustainability, sustainable production and consumption
# posted by Gareth Kane : 08:00
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Friday, 10 October 2008
Update: Low Carbon Products & Services Seminar - 22 October 2008
There are still places left on my Low Carbon Products & Services Seminar, Harrogate UK, 22 October 2008. Click on the link to see the fantastic deal we are offering in conjunction with the Low Carbon Innovation Network.Labels: eco-product, low carbon innovation network
# posted by Gareth Kane : 05:40
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Friday, 1 February 2008
Come on 'Boro!
I'm on the road again, this time at the Renew Tees Valley Energy & Environment Fair in Middlesbrough. Before setting up Terra Infirma, I was Centre Manager of the Clean Environment Management Centre (CLEMANCE) at the University of Teesside and it was great to catch up with the old team and see so many of the businesses we/they have supported get recognised in the awards at the gala dinner last night.I was particularly glad to see Walltransform get recognition - a family run business who have developed a render impregnated with insulating material from 'waste' sources - polystyrene packaging and tyres amongst others. This can be applied to the outside of solid wall properties and is particularly aimed at people in fuel poverty. Sustainable in so many ways: reducing heating fuel consumption, using recovered materials and with a social benefit too (improved health and well being). It is also a great sound insulator. Congratulations to Glenn and Rosalind!
Labels: clemance, eco-product, walltransform
# posted by Gareth Kane : 06:28
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A highly accessible, practical guide to those who want to introduce sustainability into their business or organization quickly and effectively.
