INVENTING FOR THE SUSTAINABLE PLANET
THE NOVEL: Max Wahlter, a journalist specializing in science and technology, decides to leave his failing career to make money from sustainable technology. He comes across an innovation technique called Imagestreaming that unlocks the innovative power of the mind to make almost anyone a Leonardo daVinci. Max proceeds to create a vision of the sustainable society, publishing the results on his blog.
The novel follows his blog posts from first steps into the world of sustainability. Max takes us on an inner and outer journey from the annoyingly obvious though the impossibly simple via the inevitable awkward decisions to a deeper understanding of what we all need to do to secure this Earth for coming generations.
You get the opportunity to learnImagestreaming with Max, and to explore what sustainability might actually look like. You will also experience, through his eyes, how to overcome the barriers that most people see as stopping us living sustainably.
MEETING THE PHOSPHORUS CHALLENGE
This updated version of the earlier briefing paper explains the challenge of using phosphorus sustainably and the possibility of putting an import fee on phosphorus from mined sources. It explains the Höglund flexible fee mechanism and looks at how to apply it in practice. This paper was the object of a recent study by the Nordic Council of Ministers into comparing practical approaches to applying financial incentives to pollutants.
A new section explains how flexible fees can drive the introduction of sustainable technology and points to a new exciting development in dredging to reclaim phosphorus from sediments.
COMPLEMENTARY CURRENCY
Lessons from complementary currency workshops published online 26th march 2014. ITK_report2 Report from the Institute of Swedish Safety and Security, ISSS, sums up recent experiences with running workshops on local economic development and voluntary currency. Results reveal insights into the sustainability predicament we find ourselves in today.
Download the report here. ITK_report2
Stephen Hinton
Anders Höglund
Published online 17 June 2013
How Flexible Emissions Fees Can Drive Transition to Fossil-free and Sustainable Living
June 2013 Version 4.02
The latest version of the white paper connects the need to exert control of the economy’s handling of carbon, phosphorus and nitrogen as well as ecological maturity with price. Updated from previous versions, this version now connects emissions fees with the transition to the circular economy and offers more in-depth coverage of ecological maturity and the process of introducing the fee mechanism.
This e-book will explain the five major reasons I see why you need to start re-thinking your business and your way of life. You might be thinking: “ Why haven’t I heard of this before?” Well, you have. It’s just that it has been a long time coming and you are probably like most people, bound up in daily life, with your own causes and issues and distractions. And the situation is complicated.
You might be thinking: “Why now?” Well, it’s been coming a long time. In 2005 the peak of easy oil production was reached, but it takes a long time for the effects to work themselves through.
Understanding these five simple things, you will have a basis to start rearranging and rethinking the way you do things in your work, in your business and in your daily life.
Whatever you do, don’t just believe me, think about it and find out for yourself. Download here.5_guide
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
The Center of Well-being is a concept for a cluster of tourism, local food, crafts, and other businesses to jointly market and develop. This white paper explains the strategies to turn a place of natural beauty into a magnet for people to want to come back time and time again and even invest.
Centers like this offer a way to develop green business. The concept includes walking maps which have been thoroughly tested in the Swedish municipality of Huddinge.
What organizations need to know about the impact of liquid fuels on communities as oil prices hike and availability wanes. For officers in the public and private sector alike, this paper describes 16 main aspects of the coming energy situation. Organisations need to consider these 16 in order to begin to craft energy depletion management strategies matched to likely risk scenarios and external environment scenarios. Download here.
WHAT COULD IT TAKE TO MAKE THE ECONOMY GO GREEN?
This white paper discusses the challenge of replacing fossil-fueled supply chains with less energy-intense renewable solutions whilst rapidly reducing the carbon in the atmosphere. It suggests that a complimentary currency, backed by carbon fees and pledges from landowners to sequester carbon using soil and biochar, could be the answer.
Read the paper here. A complementary currency R4
CENTRES OF WELL-BEING: creating opportunities for jobs and economic development in areas of
natural beauty.
For a region about 30 X 30 kms. Developing the “brand” and services, focusing on well-being services to promote sustainable development
Asset-based financing supporting local economy development
Shows the possibility of using asset based finance to provide capital for consumers to invest in local, sustainable businesses to drive sustainable development. See also the YOUTUBE video on Units of Trust.
Produced for the Swedish Sustainable Economy Foundation, the paper describes a mechanism to change the economic rules for unwanted emissions. The mechanism, also called Höglunds mechanism after the inventor, calls for emission fees to be flexible, the higher the deviation from the reduction target, the higher the fee. The mechanism drives the market to respond and gradually removes the subsidy nations give to polluters. This gradual, controlled removal ensures sufficient business stability.
Stephen Hinton Consulting 