The event will also showcase different ICT solutions and practices that are enhancing sustainable lifestyles today. These practices will serve as steppingstones for strategic planning towards bridging the envisioned future and current actions, ultimately supporting consumers in finding ICT solutions that enable them to live more sustainably as well as giving stakeholders a better understanding of the role of ICT in facilitating sustainable development.

Through its innovative format of interactive discussions, presentations and workshops, the workstudio will allow participants to:

• Increase their knowledge of ICT solutions and business models that impact lifestyles in areas such as health, mobility and housing;
• Build a common understanding of current trends and opportunities for enhancing the capacity of the ICT sector and its impact on lifestyles;
• Explore potential collaboration areas, examine future directions and co-create a vision of how stakeholders can support sustainable living through ICT in the future;
• Network with experts from the sustainability field, ICT sector and beyond, creating synergies for future business development and encouraging lifestyle pattern shifts.

The workstudio will take place Berlin, Germany, on May the 8^th, 2012.
Please download program here.

The outputs of the mutli-stakeholder workstudio 'Innovation towards sustainable entrepreneurship, sustainable consumption and production on the ICT sector' are now available.

Please download here

According to the report Sustainable Lifestyles: Today’s Facts & Tomorrow’s Trends, many initiatives, policies, businesses and social movements have accumulated in Europe in the last decade which have motivated citizens to change their lives to higher quality, less impact on the environment, and less costs. The report prepared by the CSCP coordinated EU project SPREAD Sustainable Lifestyles 2050 presents a synthesis of research, leading policy and practice, and stakeholder views on potential pathways toward a further spreading of sustainable lifestyles.

Examples of changing lifestyles are showing across Europe: Car and bike-sharing initiatives across the EU, local food chains, urban farming, eco-villages, and travel agencies offering stay-cations. More and more people live in ‘passive’ energy efficient houses, or install solar water heaters (to 75% on Malta). Dynamic buildings are a new trend. Such buildings respond to changing weather and adapt indoor conditions. Smart meters not only make energy conservation but also energy production at home easier. Neighbourhoods emerge around the principles of sustainable living. Cities adopt urban planning policies to decrease the need for cars and transport. The emergence of an experience economy is demonstrated by the growing interest in gifts such as massage treatments, instead of goods. Consumption appears to be partially moving towards products of increased quality and endurance which are serviced instead of being discarded.

Many examples are marginal rather than mainstream but reveal future trends. Current lifestyles are still largely unsustainable and based on overproduction and overconsumption. More meat and dairy is consumed, people live in larger homes with fewer inhabitants. Increasing numbers of people are confronted with obesity and heart disease.

Saving the environment and saving money
The future potential and the challenges for sustainable lifestyles are huge. Misperceptions like “a sustainable lifestyle is costly” or “a sustainable lifestyle decreases the quality of life” are still widely spread. Benefits of sustainable lifestyles are not broadly recognized. Many initiatives towards sustainable ways of living, however, can bring multiple benefits: not only energy and/or resource saving, but also improved social relationships, enhanced comfort and safety, saving on parking space and costs and so on. They exemplify and point towards changes in lifestyles which are not just about ‘saving the environment’: people are saving money, they are healthier, happier, more socially engaged and using new technologies to make their lives more efficient.

To read the final report “Sustainable Lifestyles: Today’s Facts and Tomorrow’s Trends” please click here. If you have less time, than read and print only the Executive Summary of “Sustainable Lifestyles: Today’s Facts and Tomorrow’s Trends”. This short version is available here.

For more information about the SPREAD Sustainable Lifestyles 2050 European Social Platform Project click here

The CSCP workshop that is taking place on the 16^th May in Berlin, is designed as an interactive and practice-oriented module that focuses on implementing successful sustainability strategies and CSR in companies. Some of the key topics that will be explored, include among others:

• How to establish sustainability in your company in the long term and boost its business venture success by means of CSR?
• How to effectively communicate sustainability in your own and to other departments using creative tools like e.g. visualization?
• How to engage important stakeholders and ‘sell’ the concept to different types of entrepreneurs?
• How to empower yourself, your colleagues and other departments to embrace the topic of sustainability and strengthen your company’s capacity for sustainability-driven innovation and corporate intrapreneurship?

Participants that will successfully pass the test on the penultimate day of the seminar will be awarded a certificate of a ‘CSR- and Sustainability Manager’ by Euroforum.

Registration & further Information
In order to register please download the registration form available here .
Participants are asked to register through this form only.

For further information please contact:
Dr. Nadine Pratt
Team Leader of Sustainable Business and Entrepreneurship (CSCP)

+49 (202) 459 58 22
E-mail: nadine.pratt@scp-centre.org

Experts in their field will be leading workshops on Sustainable Tourism’, The Aesthetics of Simple Living, Rediscovering Happiness, Sustainable Transition and Resource Efficient and Sustainable Product Service Systems (PSS). These workshops aim to give an insight into the main themes, questions and developments in this area, through a mixture of theory, creativity and team work.

In previous years we have focused on Managing Sustainable Design, Societies Systems and Swarms and Value through less, which have all been meet with great enthusiasm and interest.

The Summer School was initiated by Brigitte Wolf, from the University of Wuppertal, and Christa Liedtke, from the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy in 2008. A strong support network has since been established with active partners such as the Folkwang University of the Arts, ecosign, the University of Lucerne, Switzerland and the UNEP/Wuppertal Institute Collaborating Centre on Sustainable Consumption and Production (CSCP).

The organizers are looking forward to welcoming all students wishing to attend the fourth Sustainable Summer School in Helsinki, Finland.

For more information and registration visit:

The 4^th and previous summer school programmes can be found here: http://www.designwalks.org/251.0.html?&L=1

Registration:  http://www.designwalks.org/registration.0.html?&L=1

Part of the ‘Towards Sustainable Product Design’ series of conferences 17th International Conference
 29th-30th October 2012 
Alanus University
 Bonn
 Germany

BACKGROUND
Rio +20 in June 2012 will focus on the ‘green economy’ with resource consumption, innovation and behavioural change being central to discussions. Resource productivity and efficiency in production and consumption are moving up the global agenda as increasing raw material costs and emerging concern associated with security of supply of critical metals essential for the production of eco-innovative technologies has increased. Discussions in Europe have shifted towards the practicalities of transitioning to low carbon and resource efficient economies and societies. Materials and water alongside energy and food are now being positioned at the heart of the resource productivity debate. The need to radically change consumption patterns has gained increased visibility and enabling higher levels of demand and supply side innovation will be the linchpin in moving forward. The ‘Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe’ published by the European Commission in September 2011 consistently highlighted the need for accelerated innovation in materials, products, services and technologies as key to enabling smart, sustainable growth. Developing an improved framework to accelerate the flow of good ideas for products, services and technologies through R&D to the market is essential to enable resource efficient, low carbon innovation. New business models will be required that catalyse innovation across and beyond the life cycle. Developing systems to ensure ‘closed (materials) loops’ are receiving increasing attention and various approaches are being developed e.g. ‘cradle to cradle’, Product Service Systems (PSS), re-use and sharing models. ‘Designing out’ waste and designing for ‘closed loops’ will be of growing importance as waste gets more expensive and resources get scarcer. Therefore developing products, services and technologies to enable recycling, remanufacturing, reconditioning, product extension and dematerialisation will become an essential element of innovation.

CONCEPT
Sustainable Innovation 12 will provide a platform to discuss the opportunities and challenges related to resource productivity, innovation and lifestyles related to products, services, technologies, infrastructures and business models. Sustainable Innovation 12 will include invited and refereed papers from academics, consultants, entrepreneurs, investors, technology providers, designers, innovation, sustainability managers as well as other business functions. The event will create a unique space for learning, networking and thinking. Delegates will come globally from large companies, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), as well as academia, government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The conference is supported by an international Advisory Board.

CONFERENCE TOPICS
Sustainable Innovation 12 welcomes conceptual and research-based papers focused on sustainable innovation related to resource productivity and lifestyles. Papers should cover sustainability, product, service and technology design, development and commercialisation issues related to the following topics:

        - Radical change- Open innovation
        - Disruptive innovation- Product Service Systems (PSS)
        - Market transformation- Technologies
        - Consumption & production- Supply chain management
        - Green growth & economy- Innovation processes
        - Product policy- Organisational dimensions
        - Business models- Tools & methodologies
        - Collaborative consumption- User centred design
        - Collaborations & partnerships- Case studies

SUBMISSION DETAILS
Conference papers: please email, fax or post 500 words describing your proposed paper by 30th April 2012. The paper will then be sent to the Advisory Board for evaluation and authors will be given feedback by 30th June 2012.  The highest rated papers will be invited to present at the conference.  Please only submit abstracts if you have budgets to attend the conference.  Email your abstract to Ros via rcarruthers.t1@ucreative.ac.uk

For further information please see: http://cfsd.org.uk/events/sustainable-innovation-2012/

In this interactive and creative workshop, participants had the opportunity to develop their personal visions for a sustainable lifestyle in 2032, the year in which Rio+40 would be approaching. In working groups, the participants discussed what life in 2032 could be like in the areas of consumption, mobility, society, living and communication, in order to accomplish a significant reduction of our current ecological footprint. In engaging and inspiring discussions, participants collaboratively developed plans and possible measures to be acknowledged and incorporated into political structure, the economy, civil society as well as individuals. Policy recommendations developed during the session raised awareness of how to tackle challenges of sustainable lifestyles and provided concrete ideas for how to reduce personal ecological footprints.

The „Rio + 20 - How sustainable is the Green Economy?“ conference was organised by the Eine-Welt-Netzwerk NRW, the Evangelische Academie Villigst / Institute for Church and Society, the Amt für Mission, Ökumene und Weltverantwortung (MÖWe), NABU NRW, the Bund NRW, the Youth Network Open Globe, the LAG 21 NRW and the CSCP (UNEP / Wuppertal Institute Collaborating Centre on Sustainable Consumption and Production).

The family YOU is a fictional family, developed by the CSCP in collaboration with Collective Invention. Its members, different in age, habits and beliefs embody various lifestyles that could belong to people in 2050. Their different attitudes towards sustainable consumption are used in visioning sessions in order to inspire participants about possible alternatives for the future and make them reflect on our current lifestyles.

Back to: News

In order to learn more about the positions and wishes of civil society actors in the region, the CSCP interviewed 32 representatives of NGOs and scientific institutions in NRW to learn about their opinion and activities related to the Rio+20 process and topics. Preliminary results of this qualitative survey have been subject of a workshop organized in Düsseldorf at the Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Agriculture, Nature Conservation and Consumer Protection of North Rhine-Westphalia on February 10^th. At this occasion, 40 participants, mainly civil society representatives and politicians, discussed the findings and developed new ideas concerning the Rio+20 process and implementation at local level. Additionally, possibilities for developing common activities on Rio+20 issues and establishing further partnerships were in the focus.

Concrete key messages from actors in NRW included:

More details to these and other key messages gathered by the project "Global denken - Lokal handeln in NRW" have been summarized in a report. The project was financially supported by the Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Agriculture, Nature Conservation and Consumer Protection of the German State of North Rhine-Westphalia.

To read the full project report (in German), click here.

The central focal point of this business conference will be the same core issues to be discussed at the UN Earth Summit in Brazil, i.e. the development of a “greener” economy. SusCon 2012 will deal with the outcomes of Agenda 21 and will provide the opportunity to discuss practical approaches to achieving solutions. Collective action among all levels and groups of society is essential; companies are neither entirely responsible for the global crises, nor are they able to create a more sustainable global economy on their own.

Green Economy – from intention to action
How can the economy and consumer demand be redesigned in light of increasing scarcity of resources and a world population predicted to hit 1 billion in 2025? The predominant model of a free market economy provides no answer to this question and the market alone cannot solve such global threats. National governments and international organizations have shown themselves too weak and too slow to adapt or implement the necessary measures to cope with the scarcity of raw materials. Although technological advances have helped, their influence is far outweighed by the increasing use of resources (rebound effect).

Nonetheless, a growing number of consumers are increasingly reaching for “green” or “fair trade products”. The concept of “responsible consumption”, however, has until now, only reached a minority of consumers. How can a sustainable model be similarly spurred into action, and how can consumers be persuaded to demand for this model. Consumer Social Responsibility must be an accepted concept as the entrepreneurial Corporate Social Responsibility has become. One thing is clear, growth and prosperity – as has been experienced in the Western world since the industrial revolution – can no longer be granted to all people in the same way. The world economy is facing radical change and many areas of tension must now be considered.

Business, but differently: “Change Business & Change Agents”
The central theme of SusCon is the role of business within the model of sustainable development. To achieve this, not only must businesses be fashioned differently; they must also adopt a decisive role as “the agent for change”. At this international conference the question of how a future “green economy” might look will be discussed. Examples of various value chains especially associated with water, food, textiles, wood and paper products will be considered, viewing the entire life cycle of the chosen products. In collaboration with partners such as FSC (Forest Stewardship Council), IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agricultures Movements), UNEP/Wuppertal Institute Collaborating Center On Sustainable Consumption and Production, and UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme), Best Practices and concrete models for problem-solving will be presented at SusCon 2012.

In addition to business representatives, several experts will be speaking and participating in the discussions. These include Dr Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker (Factor Five: Transforming the Global Economy through 80% Improvements in Resource Productivity), high-ranking UNEP (United Nations Environmental Programme) representatives, DrVandana Shiva, the winner of the Right Livelihood Award, and HelmyAbouleish, the Managing Director of the Egyptian-based organic company Sekem.

Newest Press Release: here

For more information, please visit www.suscon.net.

All those being interested in discussing the topic of “Green Economy” in preparation to the upcoming UN Sustainable Development Conference 2012 in Rio de Janeiro are invited to participate. In the focus will be questions such as: Does "green economy" automatically support poverty reduction and equitable development? What are the sustainable economic models of beyond growth?And do/can we consume more of the same, if everything is "green"? These and other issues will be discussed with guests from home and abroad. Confirmed speakers are for example NRW Minister for the Environment Johannes Remmel, Dirk Messner, director of the German Development Institute (DIE), the Indonesian human rights activist Saurlin P Siagian and Marita Wiggerthale from Oxfam.

This event is organised by the Eine-Welt-Netzwerk NRW, the Evangelische Academie Villigst / Institute for Church and Society, the Amt für Mission, Ökumene und Weltverantwortung (MÖWe), NABU NRW, the Bund NRW, the Youth Network Open Globe, the LAG 21 NRW and the CSCP (UNEP / Wuppertal Institute Collaborating Centre on Sustainable Consumption and Production). Participation fees arise to € 60, - / reduced 45, - € incl. night (double room) and meals. Registration at the Ev. AcademyVilligst under 02304/755-325 or www.kircheundgesellschaft.de / events ..

After its successful kick-off, in November 2011, the innovative workshop series ”Sustainable Business Models 2030“ will move into the second phase.

In 2012, the CSCP in cooperation with GS1 is going to deliver two additional strategic workshops, which aim to inspire current business practitioners on how to advantageously innovate their business strategies by experiencing a virtual future world in the year 2030. Participants will learn and discuss future trends, changes in consumption patterns and lifestyles and how businesses can successfully respond by adapting their business models.

The Workshop Series will be conducted and based on an innovative and interactive “experiential learning methodology” designed for creatively engaging participants to think about ground-breaking future business strategies. Participants will stem from large multinational companies, SMEs and business intermediaries.

The innovative workshop format has been successfully implemented during the World Economic Forum in Davos as well as on several events hosted by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).

Links

Seminar Juni
Seminar September
Flyer GS1

Programme topics include amongst others:

• Social networking
• Social profit
• Sustainable design
• The role of multimedia journalism for sustainability
• Sustainable education

The GreenCamp is characterised by an open, bottom-up process where participants themselves will help determine contents covered.

The GreenCamp will be held on the 1^st June. The KarmaKonsum Conference will be held at IHK Frankfurt from 1-2 June.

For further information and registration please visit: http://www.karmakonsum.de/konferenz/greencamp/

For information regarding the KarmaKonsum Conference in general please visit: www.karmakonsum.de/konferenz/

For further information also please contact: Nadine.pratt@scp-centre.org

The 2-days workstudio will enable peer–to–peer collaboration to gain deeper market share and develop interactive channels - for example involvement of social media - for community participation and the role different societal actors may play. Each of the workshops organized within the workstudio has the objective to support stakeholders on their efforts to enable means towards a green economy and, for this matter; the outcomes will be presented as a standpoint for Rio +20 commitments.

The line-up of 21 high-level speakers and 60 participants comprise a mix of stakeholders such as ICT peers, policy makers, business organizations, consumers’ organizations, academia and members of the civil society involved on issues of sustainable entrepreneurship and sustainable consumption and production and interested in discussing the means to enable practices towards leading sustainable lifestyles.

The program is divided in two sections: visualization and engagement,with vision 2050 activities and pathways for action plan development, including the CSCP’s session for visioning and future planning having the perspective of different lifestyles, and hands-on towards a green economy with workshops addressing the role of ICT in the green economy, sustainable consumption in procurement and collaboration towards creation of new business models. Practitioners of sustainable entrepreneurship in various fields will present their ongoing projects as well as new models, such as the ones developed by SMART Start-up Brazil participants, to support the discussions in a realistic, practical way.

The workstudio will take place in Sao Paulo, Brazil during the 7-8^th of March, 2012.
Workshop Agenda (English, 495 Kb)

The outputs of the mutli-stakeholder workstudio 'innovation towards sustainable entrepreneurship, sustainable consumption and production on the ICT sector' are now available.
Please download here

Various of the existing sustainability-driven initiatives contributing to healthier and more sustainable lifestyles for citizens in Brazil have been already integrated into the program. Thus, the training will provide space for an exchange between the participants and the existing sustainable entrepreneurs, who will be visiting us on each day. The innovators are going to share their experiences and explore together with the participants the means with which regular constraints can be converted into innovative opportunities, and how their sustainable business models can be scaled up for global impact. A multidisciplinary group of talented and motivated Brazilian students, young professionals and entrepreneurs are already preparing themselves for this unique experience. 

Besides the training, SMART Start-up participants will interact with the guests and speakers of the Workstudio: The Future of Sustainable Lifestyles and Sustainable Entrepreneurship: "Innovation towards Sustainable Entrepreneurship, Sustainable Consumption and Production on the ICT Sector" taking place on March the 8^th, 2012. The event will open an interdisciplinary dialogue to a broad range of sustainable business and entrepreneurship stakeholders from Brazil, including entrepreneurs, policy makers, NGOs, academia, companies and investors, as well as the next generation of Brazilian sustainable entrepreneurs. The later will present and pitch their business ideas that are to be developed during the SMART Start-up Training. Over 80 participants will join this event.

The SMART Start-up Training on Sustainable Entrepreneurship in the Mediterranean will take place between 14–17 February, 2012 at the notable venue of Bogazici University, in its historical building from 1890´s. The training is designed as an interactive discovery aiming to inspire the participants to explore the role of Sustainable Entrepreneurship in the Mediterranean and the means of activating resource efficient businesses practices that can contribute to the Green Economy. The training also seeks to provide innovative mechanisms and tools for enhancing the capacity of sustainable entrepreneurs and sustainable business in the Mediterranean region.

Various of the existing sustainability-driven initiatives contributing to healthier and more sustainable lifestyles for citizens in the Mediterranean region have been already integrated into the Programme. Thus, the training will provide space for an exchange between the participants and the existing sustainable entrepreneurs, who will be visiting us on each day. The young innovators are going to share their experiences and explore together with the participants the means with which regular constraints can be converted into innovative opportunities, and how their sustainable business models can be scaled up for  global impact. A multidisciplinary group of talented and motivated Turkish students, young professionals and entrepreneurs from the Mediterranean regionare already preparing themselves for this unique experience.

For more information please contact:

During the 3 hour event from 14:00 to 17:00 there will be live music, a supporting entertainment programme and also prizes to be won (e.g. for the most exchanges).

It is possible to register for Netcycler and the Tauschmob via http://www.netcycler.de/tauschmob/ and put up items for offer and wishes.

Reflecting on the global impact of social media and its role as a catalyst in driving cultural, political, economic and social change, the Social Media Week’s in February 2012 will focus on Empowering Change through Collaboration. This theme is designed as a call to action, allowing individuals and organizations around the world to explore how social media empowers citizens, increases mobility, enables mass collaboration, develops hyperlocalism, maximizes interconnectedness, fosters knowledge creation & sharing, bolsters leadership, and encourages global empathy.

Against this background, the CSCP will present the SPREAD Sustainable Lifestyles 2050 project  and organise an expert round and a workshop to showcase current contributions of social media (e.g. swapping platforms, …) to sustainable livings models, the potential to strengthen that role in the present and to discuss and question the potential role in the future.

For more information on the Social Media Week see:
http://socialmediaweek.org/event/?event_id=1244

For more information on the SPREAD Sustainable Lifestyles 2050 project visit:
www.sustainable-lifestyles.eu

Organised by:

Strategic partner:

Background

Concept

Conference topics

• Radical change
• Open innovation
• Disruptive innovation 
• Product Service Systems (PSS)
• Market transformation Technologies
• Consumption & production 
• Supply chain management
• Green growth & economy 
• Innovation processes
• Product policy 
• Organisational dimensions
• Business models 
• Tools & methodologies
• Collaborative consumption
• User centred design
• Collaborations & partnerships

Benefits

• Unique: Forum for new thinking, ideas and concepts
• Leading-edge: Presentations from key international researchers, practitioners and policy-makers
• Content: New research, results and thinking
• Networking: Opportunities to meet business, government and academia
• Track-record: Over 2000 delegates from over 50 countries have attended previous events

Submission details

Contact

What happened in Shanghai?

A multidisciplinary group of young Chinese entrepreneurs from Shanghai, and talented students from Fudan, Jiatong and Tongji Universities was selected to join this unique entrepreneurial experience. The training aimed at inspiring the participants to realize the Sustainable Entrepreneurship’s potential to create a ripple effect on their lifestyles, their communities and to innovate the ICT industry. Apart from participation in an interactive training program, the trainees were also given a unique opportunity SMART Start-up ICT Multi-Stakeholder Meeting on the Future of Sustainable Business and Entrepreneurship which took place on the 21st of October 2011 at T-Systems.

The Stakeholders Meeting

The Stakeholder Meeting opened an interdisciplinary dialogue to a broad range of international Sustainable Business and Entrepreneurship stakeholders, from entrepreneurs to policy makers, academicians, grant makers, companies and investors. Altogether over thirty participants joined this event. Furthermore, the stakeholders were given an opportunity to meet the next generation of Chinese sustainable entrepreneurs derived from the training program. They presented and pitched their innovative business models developed during the SMART Start-up ICT Training in order to collect hands-on recommendations and support for their business models.

The collected feedback

All in all, the SMART Start-up ICT Training in Shanghai proved to have a very positive impact on the participating individuals and the educational approach of the program received an excellent feedback from the trainees as well as the stakeholders, who were introduced to the program. Just to quote some of the many excited participants, who provided their opinions regarding:

IMPACT OF THE TRAINING

- “This training is literally changing my life!”
- “It opens my mind for a new way of thinking! I am also learning a lot about myself. It is such an empowering experience!”
- “This training gives us lots of inspiration and knowledge on how to start up our ‘own journeys’, how to make a company sustainable.”

THE METHOD

- “It is the most interactive and most interesting class I have ever had”
- “This training course applies a method, which is an entirely new way of teaching and learning for me! I really get involved into it and I am very happy about this experience! I have already learnt so much!” 
- “The method applied is simply great! It makes the understanding of sustainability easier and more enjoyable!”

Plans for the follow up

Building on the positive feedback and the learning derived from the application of the SMART Start-up ICT Program in Shanghai, the CSCP is currently discussing with partners involved in the Program and other relevant stakeholders the possible follow up scenarios intending to drivesustainable innovation and promote sustainable practices in the ICT sector via sustainable entrepreneurship measures.The experiences from Shanghai are also being analyzed in the preparation for the forthcoming SMART Start-up ICT Training, which is going to take place between 5 – 8 March, 2012 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.