#ecopreneurs

Can the iconoclastic company that advertised "Don't buy this jacket" convince consumers and other companies to change the economy for good?

If we talk about climate change these days, we talk about reducing greenhouse gas emission through new technology such as CCS, carbon pricing mechanisms and of course renewable energies. But what is the actual reason for more and more emissions and can we innovate in all sectors as fast as we increase emissions to reduce emissions in a substantial way?

Closed loop systems and entire industries that interact with their environment (nature and society!)  are supposed to be a way out of our current environmental crisis. This article goes a step beyond and argues that it is not the solution because of our ever growing economy.

With an efficiency of 97%, bicycle technology is nearly perfect. So why do we use it only for transportation?

http://www.sustainable.unimelb.edu.au/content/pages/first-prize-winner-imagine-2033-competition As a part the Festival of Ideas, recently held at the University of Melbourne, we submitted and presented our entry for the 'Imagine 2033' competition titled 'Ecollaboration', see the link above.

After a full day brainstorming session we came up with our pitch, the future will include a lot more direct citizen involvement in decision making, aided by mobile devices. That's how we reach carbon neutrality and have a more just world. Simple. Believable. Well that's not all of course, we explored the ideas of more collaborative and flexible work environments, eco-centric business models (perfect for ecopreneurs) and a shift in societal values, better understanding the importance of community. But can Direct Digital Democracy really help deliver all this?

Sure, regular referendums on key policies have the advantage of being able to safeguard strategies from changes in government, but what if the public gets it wrong? Take for example the Carbon "Tax" which was to transition into an emissions trading scheme halfway through 2014. This market-based mechanism is widely regarded to be the most effective way to reduce emissions, however if the polls are to be believed, the public is predominantly against it in Australia. Many ecopreneurial businesses have been made profitable because of carbon pricing around the world, from the renewable energy sector to carbon offset companies. This is opposed to the current government's 'Direct Action Plan', which will supposedly pay big business directly for reducing emissions rather than encouraging a new wave of environmentally focused business to be established.