Malcolm Gladwell on how to create happiness

Based on a story on spaghetti saus... Nice story with a good point!

Rethinking the way we make houses: Mitchell Joachim on the ultimate treehouse

The great vision and architecture of Mitchell Joachim on 'growing houses'.
Innovation starts with people who dare to swim upstream, and Mitchell Joachim is definately one of them.
Here he argues that 'sustainability' (as a word) is not ambitious enough. He prefers talking about social ecology. Makes sense. Check the video and find out why.


Check here one of his first talks to be found on the web on his 'ultimate three-house: 'leaving the heat-beat-and treat-logic, and transfer to 'growing a house'.

Find here his 10 minutes TED-talk where he also introduces the meat-house:

If BP survives the Oil Spill, what would their best future be?

During the Milk the Green Cow conference in Maastricht, we asked ourselves an interesting question:

If BP survives the Oil Spill as a company, what would their best future be?

On of the participants of the afternoon workshop Bastien Wauthoz (geologist and paléontologist) took the challenge, and used the golden circle canvas of Simon Sinek to structure his thoughts and vision. As a good imagineer, his story included many things and came with a good quantity (as always ; - ).

Last week, he did send me his notes by email that are really worth sharing:

belief (the why question)

After the massive spill, we finally started to understand that we should work radically hard developing alternative energy solutions and limit petroleum uses to high value products. Thus our new philosophy is much more congruent with our name "Beyond Petroleum"

Strategy (the how question)

We want now petroleum to be used mainly for its high quality/value uses such as precision oils and chemistry. In order to achieve this we will develop a 5 axis strategy.

1/ Engage into and promote a Fair Trade Petroleum Act for petroleum industries to be more concerned with political, social and environmental issues;

2/ Invest less into prospecting new oil fields and use that saved money to invest into buying top industries and promising patents in renewable energy and in fields consistant with our new R&D philosophy (see 3);

3/ Redirect our R&D into developping high quality/high value uses for petroleum and into developing renewable energy;

4/ Promote hard the high quality/high value uses for petroleum ("Petroleum is too valuable a natural ressource to be burnt in cars")

5/ Lobby renewable energy powered cars to car industries, politicians and related stakeholders.

Measures (the what question)

We provide:

- a true commitment to the Fair Trade Petroleum Act;

- top of the art renewable energy solutions for all applications;

- only high quality uses for petroleum with a real benefit for people and our planet;

- top of the art CO2 capture and transforming solutions

Behind this is a strategy I outlined with cynical reflexions during the presentation (since it was destined to "BP top managers"). Here it is.

The strategy behind this comes from BP realising that as a multinational company it has a role to play into preserving the environment (and thus its market). Today consumption rate of fossil fuel will not permit petroleum industries to last much longer moreoverso if public pressure prevents extraction from oil fields in deep sea and/or protected zones.

A first consequence is that humanity needs new and renewable energies and that these provide a great business opportunity. This is already the case but efforts in that direction must be strengthened. A second consequence is that BP has to value all its tremendous efforts in prospecting and valuing oil fields into new and longer lasting ways.

Thus by promoting renewable energy cars with all its lobbying power while investing to be a leader into these new technologies, BP will ensure its future. By promoting high quality/high value uses of petroleum and investing into transforming most petroleum components into these, BP will value its remaining fields over a longer period of time without losing too much money (smaller market but higher return).

Moreover, lowering extracting rate from oil fields will allow an increase environemental security of the process.

Pecha Kucha Maastricht in Hasselt was great!

Already some weeks ago, the 20th of May, I was the first to provide a talk on my work in the Pecha Kucha line-up at Hasselt. I chose to be the first so I could enjoy the rest of the show in a relaxed way. And I was really surprised by the quality of the talks. Moste were fresh, very passionate innovative and powerful. Not arty-farty or fluffy.

The most charming talk of the evening was without any doubt Astrid Vyt (the youngest participant) who talks about her own ecodesign brand Bombasj, and how she keeps big memories on big moments like festivals alive.

Then there was Nik of Pantopicon inviting the audience trough a stroll in his hometown Hasselt, igniting people's imagination on how particular things would be in the future.

I also appreciated the talk of Jan Keymis on why to 'go down' instead of going up in architecture. It provided the audience with some amazing images and ideas on how to rethink the way we live.

Next interesting talk was Evert-Jan De Kort on his passion for chocolate and his invitation to rediscover Chocolate as it was initially intended.

I also did like Rob Van Ackers view on Africa as a continent with people that are surpisingly resilient towards unplanned events. He argues that the best survival kit is not a set of tools, but the right mentality between your ears.

When it comes to mine, I talked about how to fool the brain for sustainability. The Captain Spock versus Homer Simpson-thing. As you can see, the strickt timing and fast tempo of the format is really killing me again.

Many more interesting talks are to be found on the website. Thanks again to Nik Decrock of Creative Class for the excellent organisation of this event.

How to become a change agent? (2) The Country clean-up project "Let's do it 2008"

1) Watch this movie

2) Watch it again

3) Take a notebook

4) Write down the different steps in this project

5) Write down the key success components of the project

6) Now apply to your own

Igniting Marvel

Three great books - spotted at Fnac - that help you discover a field of interest in a smart and pleasant way

People will be careful with the things they love, understand and appreciate. Good insight.

Not that we should be careful with 'weather', 'stars', or 'pollen', but I really appreciate the sort of books that succeed to ignite marvel. What are the key elements to provide access to a new field of interest and create marvel among audience?

Interesting question.

A lot of answers are to be found in the BBC documentary series 'Life' that I really appreciate.

David Attenborough is really a skillful storyteller. He masters Marvel as no other.

S let's take a notebook. Let's watch the entire DVD set and take notes every-time everytime you are amazed. Ask yourselve what's the trick here? How is the marvel delivered? What are the narrative techniques? Lots to learn here

12 Events that will change everything

Entertaining, Freaky, American, but interesting. From Scienticif American.

French farmers create momentum at Champs Elysées

It is true. We're living a cosmopolitan life. A lot of people live disconnected from the countryside, hardly knowing where our food is coming from. Right now, a mass of people in France is heading down to Paris to see how the most mundane of all boulevards, Les Champs-Elysées are transformed into green.

More then 150.000 threes, plants and flowers and 8000 parcels of ground, 300 kilograms each are brought to Paris tonight to build a green, agricultural boulevard. it is the initiative of les Jeunes Agriculteurs (a member based organisation with more then 55000 young farmers) Their objective is to show the world what efforts are needed tot produce the food we eat. Their aim is to establish a dialogue with the public: They both want to express what they do, reconnect with citizens and ask what the general public expects from agriculture in the future.

To my point of view, a positive attitude, experience and conversation starter leading to a positive image. French Farmers go trough difficult times these days, and this big momentum is at least more remarkable and will generate more societal backup then just another strike.

On top of that, (smart again) they connect with the chauvinistic nature of the French, as it is also seen as a 'live exposition' of what rich and broad series of agricultural products France has to offer.

People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it

This is a very powerful Ted-talk on how to build succes that I'm very happy to share with those who work in sustainability.

All great, successful and inspiring leaders and organizations communicate in the same pattern. And it is exactly the opposite as everyone else. In this TED-talk, Simon Sinek explains you exactly the basic idea of reversing the order in how we communicate.
He supports his view with examples like Apple, the Wright brothers and Martin Luther King.

Some smashing quotations:

- People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it
- The goal is not to do business with everyone who needs what you have, the goal is to do business with people who believe what you believe
- If we communicate from the inside out, we talk directly to the part of the brain that controls behavior, and we allow people to rationalize with the tangible things we say and do
- People who believe what you believe will take your cause for their own and share your believe with others
- We follow those who lead, not for them, but for ourselves

When we match this with cradle-to-cradle for instance, as an example of a very successful philosophy, it makes sense.

It corresponds perfectly with 'not addressing the Captain Spock of our brain (the reflective system of the brain, the homo economicus), but addressing the Homer Simpson of our brain (the automatic system, the homo sapiens). It is the part that is responsible for behavior, routine and decision as discussed in the green box, during the Recentre 'Milk the green cow sessions'.
To much time, green marketing addresses the reflective system, powered with rational arguments. Powered with facts and figures, while a why-driven value proposition shares a believe.

And we all know that the market for something to believe in, is endless

Geo-engineering to slow climate change

Inspiring and thought-provoking talk about the power of geo-engineering. Its potential, its speed, the risk, the moral dilemma, the geo-political difficulty,and the urgency to think about it.

Natures Operating Systems

Natures Operating Systems

View more presentations from StefaanVandist.

This presentation is bout bioneering, biomimicry and all other kinds looking to Nature in a different way.
It was first shown at the "What makes you Horney seminar", organized by Boondoggle Amsterdam.

Creating Hero brands

Hero Brand Summary

View more OpenOffice presentations from Guillaume Van der stighelen.

My previous boss, Guillaume Van der Stighelen, co-founder of Duval Guillaume wrote a book called Hero Brand. In this book he explains how the process of becoming a brand is similar to the process of becoming a hero.

On his blog "heldenmerk" he answers questions about the book. In this 30+ conversations so far, you find smart thoughts and angle points on how to market "urban biking", "social services", "fundraising", non-profits, even the reputation and self-esteem of a country, and many other cause related subjects.

Interesting reads, fresh views on branding, always in relation to the broader societal and empathy driven context.

You can buy his book here, and the English version will be available soon.

Let's cheer you all up

Playing For Change | Song Around The World "Stand By Me" from Concord Music Group on Vimeo.

This is love-and-piece, hippie and flowerpower-stuff version 2.0 from the "playingforchange-project"

Shai Agassi's big plan for personal transport on TED

A nice talk requesting technology to make our lives more human, not less

The Creative Sustainable Opportunity

The Creative Sustainable Opportunity

View more presentations from StefaanVandist.

Tomorrow, I'll have a talk at the Salon Entreprendre 2009 at Tour et Taxis in Brussels.

I'll use my 20 seconds-a-slide talk (Pecha Kucha-format indeed) to show entrepreneurs how to benefit the creative sustainable opportunity. Powered with some inspiring examples, i'll do my best to demonstrate it as an opportunity for disruptive innovation, differentiation and positive growth. Feel free to have a preview above

producing energy with every child's favorite plaything

In the keynote above, Saul Griffith takes us trough the history of kites, and shows us how large-scale wind powered wings on stratospheric hight can produce more energy than wind mills.

Beyond Engineering

It happens once a year (maybe twice) that you see a campaign that makes you feel: "damn, I wished I had the chance to come up with this."

I had this experience last week, when I discovered the "Beyond Engineering Campaign" of Group T,
promoting Engineering as a bright future career for young students.
What is flattering me is that the campaign challenges the preconception that Engineering is boring, technical and old fashioned.
It positions Engineering as smart and creative problem solving.
To demonstrate this, they come up with surprising and smart solutions for big civil problems.
On top of that, the four examples are found in EV, biomimicry, resources management... relevant in the face of the big challenges of our time!

Brilliant stories, and excellentl art direction
Enjoy the campaign at the campaign site here.
And find the print execution on the Belgian portal of Media & Marketing, here

Regrowing the Natural Support System

After a sad story and some miserable images of poached Urang-Utangs, Willie Smits shares his experience on how to restore the natural Support System in Borneo in an integral way with the help of science, information technology, local people, new sustainable farming, etc...

This way he provides the local communities with a sustainable way to earn a living (palm sugar plantations), restores rainforests and Urang-Utang habitats and many more.

Worth viewing as a good example on how to restore the people's economy with the animal world and the ecosystem.

I, I wish you could swim...

Beautiful example of biomimicry:
SWIM FIN INSPIRED BY DOLPHINS: Lunocet users have already hit about eight miles (13 kilometers) per hour, nearly twice as fast as Olympic Gold Medal swimmer Michael Phelps at his speediest.

Read more here, at the website of Scientific American