Dr Tia Kansara Hon Friba: "Replenish, The New Economy" | Talks at Google

How. Might we live. In harmony with nature and. If you go one step further and I think I'll put this into context, of all the different things I've been doing whether it is for example the advisory, on like making a physical, environment zero waste you, know like not having an impact on on the environment, or looking. At the sort of the data that we can collect from smart cities and sensors, and things like that to understand, how, best we can make those decisions for future. Designs. Buildings, etc, one. Thing that I'm super interested in at the moment is the, use of new, technologies like fourth Industrial Revolution type, technologies, and understanding. How people, like. Us are actually, using, dialogue to understand, how best we can understand, that, technology in the context, of the lives that we want to live with the philosophy, that we have so. It's as if that philosophy, was the basis, and the foundation and. Then you were gonna build everything on top of it another. Thing that I'm looking at and a much more practical level is really looking at how businesses. Procure. Their products, and their services and, going, into the state supply chains and understanding. At that supply, chain where do you get your products from where are the resources coming from and is there an alternative, that we can have say, shared, economy, or whether it is that when you're going to be designing your startup, the material, that you're using for your products, is actually having a beneficial, environmental. Impact, it's. Also about understanding, where our conduct construction, industry which is where 40 percent of our climate, you. Know carbon related, emissions, are coming from can, actually be reduced so, a lot of the physical environment that we either live in work in is still going to be here 50 years time right. I mean, can, you imagine Aleppo. A thousand, year old city is still alive, today it's been bashed about you know they've been multiple Wars and this is just another one to add to its history but it's a thousand. Year old city like Damascus, is right. And so it's a really interesting relationship that we have with the, the the. Consequences. That were almost, like Italo Calvino the urbanist, would say that humans, have left. A scar, on the city right. Your relationship. With the city has has remained, it's, like whatever you did in that city creates. The legacy of that city and so, that's that's sort of some of the thoughts that I'm sharing with you through the presentation but also the, things that that I get up to research, is really interesting for me because it's a it's an opportunity to put a lot of the theoretical. Models, together with the practical, right, there's no point in running a business unless you know the theory behind it a lot of people go to university, to learn the theory but then don't know how to put it into practice and that is the big challenge how, do you put what you've learnt like economics, into, practice when you actually go and leave University and, then, finally, when it comes to the, relationship that we have with. Information. It's. Like you can I can talk to you until you're blue in the face about certain. Issues but I haven't, really learnt your, form of communication, if, you. Want to learn something there. Are many ways that you learn but. The way that you learn it is in the context that you know right. If I, give you an immersive experience, that's, going to teach you way more than, something, that you would have to theorize, before you went into the practice of so, a big thing for me is how do you engage people in. The longer, mission with, giving them these sort of immersive, experiences. So. The big question is considering, we now live. In ecosystems, and systems and cities and an, economic. Systems that are so interconnected, how. Do we develop ohhohh might we develop, an, ecosystem. That replenishes, planet, Earth so. What do I mean by replenishing, right. Replenishing. Is really being carbon negative like the prime minister of Bhutan talk sponsoring, top gain is incredible. TED talk he, talks about this idea that he's having a positive his country's having a positive impact on the environment that. Means that you're not zeroing, out it's, not like a zero, carbon I've spent the carbon I've now sequestered, it it's going beyond that so, that you've got some sort of regenerative, capacity that, you're providing, planet Earth it, means that you're giving something back in the form that earth can actually compose, like, compost it and that, it has a positive. Environment. Environmental. Impact, so, really. It's. Like sustaining. The. Status quo is the. Way in which a lot of us for. About a good 20 years have been exploring. Markets. And products. It's like we're going to match.

That We're gonna sustain the status quo but how can we go beyond that it's like you, know if we, don't from, now on we, make a pledge everything. That we buy is a hundred percent compostable, we don't and everything, is recyclable nothing. Goes to landfill sites right. But what's then going to happen about the great Pacific Gyre who's, gonna clean that up if, every country and every citizen in the world everyone in the world decides, that we're not going to create any more waste but. Who's gonna take responsibility for our global Commons our urban. Commons our communal. Impact that is a legacy that we've inherited and I think this is what I'm trying to get to how. Can you how can we get. To a point where we create systems. Naturally. Whether, it's two tech platforms. Of physical platforms, that can actually give more than we're taking, so. I started, to explore I mentioned, in. 2015. Around. About then what replenish actually meant and since. Then I've been on this huge exploration. And I. Realized, to, bring back that economics, right looking at GDP which, is you know you can spend money and it would look brilliant on the accounts, of a, cut of a country like GDP, looks brilliant oh it's rising we're, spending a lot of money but, these expenditures. Where are they going what's the impact of them I could. Be spending money on cigarettes. That have, a negative impact on my health which. Then somebody else is going to be paying for whether it's through the National Health Service or me right, it's, the fact that I've spent money on something and there's, no judgement here you, know but is the fact that I spent money on something, then. Going to relate to a longer, term impact, on expenditure. Whether it is a lung. Replacement. For all I care that. Is actually going to have a negative impact on the health of a person but it looks great on GDP because. I've spent so much money on cigarettes. Or whatever else so there's no actual. Ethical. Or moral or. Environmental. Consciousness, about that expenditure so. How do we adjust GDP. To also include in the expenditure, that it has a positive impact or a negative impact or neutral impact and so I wanted to explore that through something called the World replenish, Index, imagine. If GDP. Globally. Was, adjusted, by every product and service, to, the environmental, impact that it had would. Instead of GDP, would you have flight to replenish count just, like you know I'm gonna pick up your bottle assuming, that it has like a calorie count at the back of it which it does and, then all of a sudden I'm looking at this plastic bottle I can have like a replenish count right. This, product, is level, five let's say it's, not there yet but it's at level five a replenish, meaning, that, your diet for, replenish, like your diet would be for something that you consumed was.

Related, To the. Association. You have with replenishing. Planet Earth and that's, what I want to get to there's. A lot of information that I need before I get there there's a lot of research they need to do before I get there but that's my mission to try and find a way that we can develop some, kind of metric that. We could measure how people were positively, impacting. Planet. Planet, Earth and I do this through universities, at the moment I've worked, I've been working with a number of Indian universities, I feel as if if there's one place that I can go to but. Could I could have a big impact I feel that it's India and the, reason for that is, 450. Million people moving, from villages. Migrating, to cities only, to find there's no way that they can go and they go and live in slums and mostly work in a landfill site and I want to stop them from going there so how do I give. Them the resources that they need in, a way that at the beginning, they're living there replenish lifestyle, which is a positive impact on planet, Earth from, some get-go but, how do I connect them up in their, rural sort. Of super. Remote areas, and give. Them the resources that they need to. Be able to live a lifestyle, that is appropriate, for the, environment, a while. Ago you might have heard of the one planet, living lifestyle right and that's, very, similar to the way that I'm trying to explore this I took some students, around, the world through, a university that I found in 2015. And I, started to explore India's, 100. Smart cities is, this huge, project, that the Indian government has undertaken but. With the hundred smart cities it doesn't mean that you've got smart citizens so. When the university asked me would you explore, what. A smart city years I said no I don't, want to I don't. Believe that you can design a smart city with without, designing, smart citizens it's, like the the building is smart but we're not. The city is smart but. We're not so, the emphasis is on the technology, not. Us it's, not the fact that my consciousness, has improved and now I'm you know really aware of what my building is doing I have no intuitive, capacity, with the building I have, no relationship, with a building I am a node, inside. The building or the city I have, nothing to do with the city the, city corrects. Itself the city manages, itself the, city is designed, so that it makes its decisions without me but, I'm the one who's an a member of the city and society, and community and this company let's say so. What do I have to give as an. Individual, citizen, and how. Is my data being used to. Then make those decisions, and do I have ownership over that I mean these are big questions I think we can't really answer in one session, but one, of the questions I really wanted to ask was what is smart. Citizenship. If you, had an opportunity to design a city how, would you design it if, you had an opportunity to live in a particular place where would you live why. Why. Would you live there if. You had an opportunity to go further into where, your data was going to be used picked up and then analyzed and sold shouldn't. You get a dividend on that, um these, are sort of broader questions that I've been asking through these courses but I really, wanted to get students, to take, them out of the. University, experience and put them into physical. Spaces where, the, physical space was teaching them the lesson that I wanted to teach them right instead, of giving them a you, know a lecture of something, so, one of the things that I ended up doing was taking my students to Bhutan at. First they were like ma'am you're, gonna take us to Bhutan, and, I was like yeah I'd like to take you to pretend there, were like but it's next to our country why do we have to go there why can't you take us to London and, I said let, me take you there and then, we'll explore what Bhutan really is and.

They Were complaining till, we got to Bhutan and in, the end even though I took them to Masdar City so they can explore, Masdar. City I took them to Dubai I brought them here in, the, end in that one trip I asked them what was your best experience and they said Bhutan was and I said why you didn't, want to go there and now all of a sudden that's like one of your favorite places how come they. Said you know when we first arrived there the, one thing that we explored, was the fact that they had such beautiful clean water, some. Of these students had never seen such clean natural water in rivers because. A lot of that is diluted many. Of them had never seen in a place that sequestered, more carbon than they made because, they live next door to it but it's just this second. Unbelievable. They, ran out as soon as I arrived and we all arrived into Bhutan, where at paro airport were, in a bus were, going along to like Tim poo the bus stops for some, reason, I'm like snoozing off all the kids run off and I'm, like what. Happened and I come outside and they're taking selfies with the clear water and I'm thinking why are you taking a selfie with a river and that's, the point it was the fact that they had lived such clean air that when I go back to M de Budd which is one of the top two polluted, cities in India, they, realized that other things, were possible right. I took, them equally to Japan and in Japan they realized that were 32, different types of recycling and you've. Got like clear streets, I mean who clears them up with, the community, does the. Community clears up the streets man and I'm like yeah it's, go rent I second it every month everyone comes out with a broomstick and they will clean it up and you, go to like a Japanese school the kids come out once you know a half an hour one hour during the day and then will come and clean up the whole school either, pay to do that I said no you. Know that they, don't have maids and and someone to clean it up. So. Then, I really wanted I sort of explored the. Research angle. Of it but, another, thing I really wanted to do was to take some of these students on a longer journey so I took about six different, research, projects, all related, to recycling because. I strongly sense that our relationship, not just of the physical, environment affecting. Our brain, and changing, our chemistry, but, also if, we, got them to study, the the, way that in it I don't know if you've been to India if you have you'll you'll understand, and, agree. With me is that you walk down the street you just got piles of rubbish everywhere and they're. Informal, and I won't cling to them up and if, they do get cleaned up that they're put in a informal. Landfill site and you look at that you think well you, know what kind of normal. Is this, what. Kind of normal is this this is the norm meaning. Every, time I walk out, spot that doesn't exist what you're talking about I can't, see it anymore because that's become my normal and it's, interesting because if you were to clean it up for about 30 days let's say you'd make an imprint of a clean spot and now if there was any rubbish like someone's put some rubbish there and it's, really interesting how, habits are formed through, the visual. Relationship. That we have with cities so. I wanted to explore that with some of my students, and I did that and the, informal cetera of ways and how where it goes there was a whole black market of waste which we picked up on and documented, but, then what I wanted to do is give them an opportunity and also a lot of the people that lived in Ahmedabad. An, opportunity, to explore. What. It meant to be inspired, by a fellow Indian no not a foreigner, no not someone that you could say well they went to Harvard University. But. Somebody that could have been a. Neighbor. Down. The street, and. It, was like wow how do I find people that could inspire them and that they could explore, what it meant to be an, Indian living, in today's, India but, those who were actually challenging, the same things that they were living through but ignoring and that was a blind spot so, I picked some incredible, people I don't know if you remember there was a documentary recently with, the edible spoons. You. Know like National Geographic did, like the edible spoons and you know I mean II like the single-use plastics that we use but, this guy came along said forget, throwing them all away let's make, them edible and so he created these lentil, based, you. Know spoons and things that people could actually eat with and so I you, know we invited him over to be one of the speakers and I kind of wanted a TED style you, know inspirational. Twenty minutes that you can explore what have I done with some of the biggest challenges of India and that was the first, talk. Series that we created in January. Followed, by maker, fest so, you, know we really wanted to go into the.

Grassroots, Innovation and bring that out so. Really, one. Of my, inspirations. From childhood has been Sir David Attenborough I don't if you remember if you make from England you might remember his voice and, it, was the you know he's documenting the, way that people live planet. Earth, you know you'll, talk about like the story and the narrative behind the, way that this animal, is doing this and look at the way that is and the reason, he's doing it and and it was this beautiful, narrative. Sanim earth but. I really, I completely. Get what is saying here and that is that no, one will protect what they don't care about and no one, will care about what they have never experienced. So how do we create those physical, experiences. Because I think an education. And an experience is not just in the head, right. If, it were then I just give you you, know some kind of augmented, reality or, a virtual reality and you live there and I'm, sure you'll get some physical. Repercussions. Of that relationship, too so, one of the things that we ended up doing in Goa. This year was, to question. Where. Can you hide waste where. Is it it on earth you, can put it I'm gonna put it on your desk and the, lady says no huh. Can, I put it in your room I mean you're the one who bought it you keep it not my responsibility waking, giving it to me no. I'm not gonna keep it in my room why not it's yours so. If you were to live with your waste for one week in your. Room in your bedroom like, turn around, where, would you go for how long could you live with your own waste, right. And it's, interesting because if I were to put all of my waist and a mountain right, I don't know how big that mountain would be and I I've started to realize oh, my god where, is that going so, where are we hiding our waste and so, dad has a question we, then put a whole installation together, and, the Indian government was really impressed with it they asked us can we make it a permanent installation, so, they gave us a shipping.

Container And then, we painted. It all black we, put these incredible, UV. Sort of using. Black light sort of paints in there and then, we took them on a mini journey around this, installation and the point of it was what, is a seahorse, doing, holding. A straw it's. Like why are there plastics in the ocean who. Does he belong to and then. As you go through there's like a very kitties you know kitty friendly, and. Adult, friendly sort of dialogue, that we create with people as they're going through the installation, got, to a point at the back where they had all these beautiful. You, know jellyfish. And they're. Just jellyfish, right and you're looking at the back wow the kids, are like they're jellyfish, and like are you sure the jellyfish yes the jellyfish and then. I'm like wrong. And like, you this turtle has no idea, that, that is not a jellyfish it's a plastic bag and so, it's really this opportunity, that I had to question the plastics but through the lifestyles, that we're living and I think, just on the right, hand side of this picture you'll get to see like this the shrine. That I put together for all, of the different kinds of plastics that anyone, could have had so then turned to them and said oh is, this your plastic bag I don't know could it be could. It be mine you. Know is that your straw and then, to sort of explore this dialogue with plastics and plastic diet it's, like a plastic footprint and then, the other thing that I really wanted to explore through this installation, was micro plastics we talked about you, know plastics being in the ecosystem, but, I'll be consuming, that plastic too and there. Is research in so many different countries now India. As well. That's. Shocking and scares me, so. What he said was that scientists, cannot find a single sample. Of water around the world that doesn't have plastic, inside it now what's really interesting in, most, of our water bodies are completely connected in most, of our water bodies a lot, of that plastic comes. Together that's why we've got these big like Ellen, MacArthur errs traveled, around the world and found, out that there's huge garbage patches which are the size of you, know countries, like there's one the size of France floating. About them there's no Sun that goes through to photosynthesize. You. Know the algae. But what's really fascinating for me is that micro, plastics that break down are, found, and right the you know underwater but they're also found in the, animals they're.

Also Found in, us what's. That stage where the, plastic that we're putting out in the world comes back and hits, us into our stomach so I wonder, if there is a way that now we can actually start analyzing, how many plastics exist in us there's, a bit of a grim story I suppose and, The Times of India picked up on it and said that you know there's some things that we should be able to sort of communicate through. An installation, the Hindustan waste plant has put that insulation on their ground if any of you are ever going to Goa you are welcome to go and visit it but the point of the insulation wasn't, oh my god plastics, are taking over the world it. Was what, are the three things that you can do now that you walk out of here that can have a huge impact on planet earth one, of them so, no two plastic bags, like single-use plastic bags or straws right get. It get your own straw and just like when you're about to order your food and I've got preferences I don't like onions let's say then, you said you tell people don't you you say order, that pizza without onions please in, the same way order my drink without a plastic straw and now, that I've started doing that I remember there was a cafe down the street from the installation, people. Would look at me and say you know on a straw I said you know what do me a favor don't, give anyone this week of straw but, keep them there, keep. The straws there but, don't give it to them if they ask for it they know where to find it so that's like one step that you could take that reduces. The amount of plastic but, also instead of having multiple. Plastic, bottles for water how. About if you had one. Refillable. Water bottle, right, and one of those big containers that you can actually just refill instead of having plastic bottles and every single day I don't know how much how many of these plastic bottles we think time consuming so at the point of it wasn't how, awful, are we guilt-tripping. Them but actually getting them to a point of saying well what can I do now that I can can't elite tangibly. Take that away so. Now. Moving into this whole idea of dialogue, a. Lot. Of the communication, that we've been given is. I. Find. Traumatizing, makes. Me feel awful I just. Want to like climb underneath the blanket. And cry but. What, do we do to have its conversation, how. Do we get there this, is like imagine if every every single person on planet. Earth could. Have a replenished, lifestyle. Could. Actually benefit, planet, Earth in some. Way so. It's like do you all think number. One is, how. Do we have that dialogue, I don't, know if any of you have been recipients. Of trolling online but I have and it, feels horrible, do. You know it's like why are you doing this and you know we've, never met me and you've, got an opinion on Who I am as a person but. That kind of dialogue, and the the relationship that we have we've want to know who I think is really important. It's imagine if like we're sitting at dinner and three of you have got your phones out and your. Mom sitting man saying well put your phones away what's. There a conversation, we should have had at the beginning to. Then get to a point where at, dinner, agreed. Over, here we're compromising, on this table we're not going to have thanks. Oh. Do. It before do after but. Not at the dinner table now. That you've had this conversation that. Is like the foundation of the process that you're going to use for that dialogue, that is important, for a lot of the technology, that is coming into our lives so. In the same way a lot of like 4.0. So. Many different kinds of technologies are actually on market but. Is there. A point where we need to learn how to best, dialogue, with each other to. Form some social, parameters. Some. Kind of you, know conversations. Nonviolent. Communication that. Can actually get us on par, with where, we need to go next and how do we have that conversation so. I'd. Like to say the beginning of this year I came together with DX Labs based in San Francisco they work with singularity, as well and one. Of the things that I really wanted to do was, write an article a story about, what would happen if you lived with. A neuro-link if you, if you let's say were, completely. Online. With. The brain I mean. A lot of that technology as as has come into some, sort of research laboratories and and I I kind of imagine what it would feel like to have a brain machine interface. But, instead of getting to the point where having opinions for. Some reason stories. Like. Really cool stories like, cite fly stories, and videos and and movies, can allow, us to ask those questions in, a safe space, so.

I Started to, write and on. Medium. I wrote this post replenish, the convergence, of AI and ecology and there's two parts and, I'd love to know what you thought about it but what, was for me really intriguing, is that there. Comes a point where technology, and nature merge its, imagine you know you might, know meow meow who's got like a biometric. Scanner in his arm and then he sort of uploads a data so, we're, coming to that point, I'm quantified. Self I've got a Fitbit, on me you know we're, getting to that point where we're. Merging with tech and at, that point at what, point at yeah. Where. Do we become the, technology, that were also introducing. Into our lives and it's, a really interesting question for me because. Imagine if the whole of our brain was uploaded, onto the Internet and that, brain could then be analyzed, and your, thoughts analyzed, and whatever kind of interesting, behaviors, we had could. In some way even be controlled, or manipulated but if we had an opportunity to actually enhance that, and put that forward we can have a dialogue about it where would we where would that dialogue go but. Also about the sort of the automation, I think of life the, automation, of Ellora the challenges, that we've got where. Do we get to a point where that automation. Becomes. With, or without the. Direction that we're giving it. Here's. A some. Of the research that we did on the the whole brain but also like where would we put that technology and having conversations, about it and it's been really interesting to explore this. Technology, through the lens of an individual, who would say I would never have something like that done but, to explore it through a story is much easier, and so to have that conversation even, though it's not real it's, almost easier, for people to sort of interact with so. We talked about you, know industry. 4.0, and entering, the market but and also when, it comes to the sustainable, development goals that the United Nations had launched was, how. Much is this industry, worth, should. We really bother about it and the. Wife was actually put a son 2.5. Trillion on it I think. The. Next step is really to understand where, we can go with that if. You, had 2.5, trillion dollars, of a budget towards this where, would we direct our research what kind of businesses would we create what kind of city would, we design so. Some of the work that I've been doing. Here. Has been in. I mentioned. Like the Gulf, benchmark, on energy, what. That then led to was, an. Article I think in the Gulf with the National that, was too cold for comfort, actual. Physical buildings being way too cold and people are getting ill from them and that was where the National Bank of Abu Dhabi some of the work that I've done and trying. To explore whether it should be a top-down, or a bottom-up approach, where. Are these smart cities taking us and where, do we have an opportunity to be part of that there, was a project that I did with the premier of South. Australia, Jay. Weatherill and it, was really about understanding what. Does carbon negative me. Or carbon neutral mean and where can we push the boundaries of that so. It's interesting because. Whoever. We are are based, on the experiences that we've had but. When we start to combine our knowledge and experiences, we, almost. Actualize. A community, of knowledge like a collaboration, but. It's like going beyond that that's really interesting to understand. Like how do we get to a point where we can really explore all of our learnings together through.

This And and with that our fears and. This. Really goes back to a very, interesting project in the UK which a friend of mine has got his name is Simon Gosling, and. He's exploring. What smart means so he brings people into this future home and explores. The dialogue that is having with them so if you're ever in London I'd love to introduce, you to him and, this is a very. Small project that I've got with about, 300, villages surrounding. Syrup, which, is one of the fastest growing cities in India but, as you can see one, of the big projects of India is others. Gum which, is about that kind of ideal village and exploring, what that means even though you, know you walk down the street and you've got these piles and piles of rubbish so how do we take this, whole replenished philosophy, and plug it into the rural, sector and actually, help people to transition, to that kind of a lifestyle, another. Thing that I did recently was in Brazil where we had we celebrated a whole week of zero. Waste and one of the most exciting things that I saw was, an active, market that, is 96. Percent and. It's a massive supermarket, a supermarket, that. Is ninety-six percent zero waste and you. Know we developed. And designed some. Ideas for Lisbon being 0, a city but I think we're at that almost at that point where a lot of cities and a lot of companies are actually taking, on much more practical, levels. Of, appreciating. And translating, this, kind of philosophy so. You can find out more about me on our, newsletter I normally kind of post any new, bits or new pieces of information that I collect. The. Next steps for me really are. Consolidating. About. 10 years worth of travel. And, understanding. What what. Is next. Like if we were to introduce this whole economic. Paradigm like the world replenish index and you had at the back of your bottles and everything that you consumed, a replenish, indicator would you live, a replenished. Diet like. And and how much of that would be your lifestyle you, know how. Let's. Say I'm vegan right, but I'm vegan in my diet not my lifestyle how. Would I translate, the vegan to, the lifestyle, as well how. Do I translate this, lifestyle. Into, something that is appropriate for planet Earth some. Exploring, these things I was really grateful to have shared some of my work. With you but. Also some of the challenges and the questions that are leading me in the vision that I've got for it I really, hope that in, maybe. 10 to 20 years time we, can look back and say that the planet, that we live on is an. Ecosystem that we're part of but. It's an ecosystem that we're together with, that. We can work together on, creating. Replenish. Earth or replenishing, lifestyle from I think. There's this, these ideas, almost of like you, know moving away from the challenges, of living in a lie a lifestyle, like this but and maybe it's going backwards you know going to live in a village in India, is not necessary, the challenge but, exploring those things in the cities in the buildings and the the, companies that we live, and work in. Thank. You very much for your time. The floor is yours any questions, please. Yes. My. Question, is. Around this I want this is a fascinating challenge, because. From, one side our actions, as individuals. Individually. Impact, negatively. Planet. Earth but, we don't reap the benefits unless we act collectively, either. At, the local level, or at the country level or, even at the North level, which. Leaves our action, remote, or the impact removed from the action that we know as individually and bringing. This visual this vicious cycle. Of us. Doing good actions, and seeing the benefit, is, very critical, now, there are a lot of government, action from a regulation, point of view which has been around effective. Or not subject, to politics, and. Economics. And technology. Clearly, has some. Efficiency. Promise for companies. But I love what you mentioned about bringing, it to an individual, level and having. The index on. Every, button or an every roller, so.

My Question for you is that when. We see a calorie or an organic, label. We. Relate the power cell for individual. Health but, once when we see a replenish. Labor. We. Cannot relate it to our individual. Well-being unless, everyone, has sign up for it how. Do you think are. The most interesting ideas. And the most effective one in, relating, more this index, or similar, Labor's to. Individual. That's. Such a it's, such an interesting way, of seeing it and I'm really grateful that you brought this to our attention because I think that, individual, almost like a you. Know per-capita income who cares about per capita income apart. From the fact that I'm part of this economy right, per. Capita income has got nothing to do with me personally it's, what the government is actually assigning to the well being financially. Of this, member who lives in this country so, this is a very interesting concept because now it identifies. Who, I am as an individual, right. The fact that I'm a vegan it's got nothing to do with anybody else in this if we're going to go and, tell everybody if they should stop eating meat because it has a negative, impact on the. Environment but, I could have a lifestyle that is completely, wrong and that's, really interesting because now with data just, like you would do with, your smartphone. Data and what you're consuming on an individual, level imagine. If that data backed, up who you were as a person, China's introducing, already this social. Indexing, right imagine. If each, person had. Some. Kind of even account that. Could bring. Them credit for, doing certain things and, it. Maybe that turned into to money like a monetary. Taxation. Right that you didn't have to pay because hey I you. Don't need to collect my rubbish I don't, have any, so. Now like it turns this whole idea of civic. Right, this, whole community communal. If if. I let's. Say in China for example that the. Hospital, that is all about preventative. Health right, it's, not about how. Many chemicals, and you know medicines can I have now that I've got ill but, it's how do I stop you from getting ill in the first place I think that's the kind of approach that we need to take for planet Earth how, do we stop her getting ill in the first place and how, in on an individual, scale can we incentivize, individuals. That. We are part of that global ecosystem, this is the biggest challenge because, if you can crack that you, cracked it all because. On that individual, level you need to know how. Much you've, done I'm, selfish. You. Know if I if I spent more money on creating. Maybe a LEED Platinum building or, whatever rating, system Perl 5. I want. To get some benefit from that and that might be an ego thing right, but it depends on the consciousness, of the individual, perhaps I don't need you to tell me that I've done well so. It depends on the person and the community, at the time of how, that incentivisation. Scheme could, work but, I could cook totally, see that some, kind of economic. Benefits. Tariffs, quotas that, you could meet that, could actually reduce not, just the global sort, of parameters, but a local parameter, imagine. In the UK we've got like the Bristol pound you, know we've got currency, in a, certain, locale now, that I've got the British power at the Bristol pound and the British Pound are equal they. They're equally, used. In Bristol, but, the fact that I've now got a local currency means that my currency remains within Bristol because it can't be used in London so.

It's Like a localization. Of a. Global, issue I. Don't. Know if that really answered your question I wasn't meaning to answer the question but add a few, more thoughts to it because I don't think anyone's got the answer. Yes. I. Am. NOT at the moment I'm trying, so, for example I don't eat meat I don't eat fish that's one thing that I'm trying to do the, second thing is I don't buy anything anymore I borrow things instead, so, instead of buying more things like if you go into my home I've got all these books I don't know what to do with them and so, what I'm doing is like giving those books away trying, to understand like okay if I want to acquire knowledge how best do I do that, so I'm picking different, aspects, of my lifestyle, and exploring. What I can do so for example with replenishing, I'm finding. Ways that I can sequester where, can I perhaps, not have a straw so through, my behavior, I'm trying to figure out how, I can live a much more negative carbon, negative lifestyle, but also what are the metrics like if you look at some of the carbon you know sequestration, metrics. It's, like oh if, we put if we plant another five trees and we're gonna get there no we're not because a tree, five trees that you've taken down or at full fledglings. Like that they're completely grown. And, the sequestering, capacity, is not the same as like a sapling and these, are some of the kind of questions that I'm asking not only myself but exploring, through new products are on the market and exploring, hey these. Are the alternatives, so. Through my own learnings, I'm posting, a lot of that through, our Facebook group so, that when I'm learning something I'm like wow that's really cool I don't expect to be carbon neutral, or negative, today. I expect, to be there. Transitioning. To it with a mindful, step-by-step. Process it's, like you know from now from one step to the other you probably not going to become a nonsmoker but, you're probably going to take measures to sort of reduce the amount of impact of certain, chemicals. That you might have or you might go you, know towards a natural tobacco let's, say that, there. Are different measures that you can take for, it. And I think your your Claus is probably one of the noblest answers. To the why of single scenic area thanks for sharing.

Elon. Musk and his, work he does two things I, think they're completing, one, is trying to make. Sort. Of a safety net I. Find. It really interesting so. He, was in Adelaide, at the same time that I was there but it was promoting, this whole you know because we, had a huge blackout, in South Australian, because of that through a little Twitter sort of understanding, there was this huge project that came about in being and I think that these, I'm gonna call them hairy ambitious, goals right a going, carbon negative or neutral is a hairy ambitious, goal and we got it all pig like you know plug in different bits of knowledge and information to. Understand what the whole elephant looks like it's like I'm blind but I can feel like the eyelashes of the of the elephant so it's brick coming together and knowing that is what the elephant is that's one on his, mission, to Mars I think you, know I. Can. Take it like are you trying to run away you know like the you, know that movie, what's. The name of that movie with that robot that lives on planet Earth and is like packaging, up like the waste and put the wall-e wall-e imagine. It's, like wall-e within, 50, years time we're getting to a point where you, know we are living, the wall-e lifestyle, getting, fat on some sort of hovering, device and just like pinging, each other on the whatever Facebook, you, know device. We're going to be using and I think we can either take it that way or. We could look at it as a hairy. Goal, are. We gonna get somewhere, if we, were to redirect, our attention to something that we could actually do, and if, we could actually do that what. Then can we actually do here and, I think there is maybe. A a. Small. Number of crazy, people I think, is one of them but. Crazy in a good way it's, like saying that is a challenge, that I don't think we can do or, can we and I. Think more than anything I take that as a learning that, my god if you can get to Mars what can't we do here. And, perhaps this whole Mars mission is like. I'm gonna put the money towards it because I can afford it he says but, it's not to do that to bring our attention to the fact that if we were to spend time and money on making earth better we, probably wouldn't want to go there or maybe. We would, want to go and explore it just like you know going to the going, to the moon was, like we're gonna go to the moon in ten years time we want to get to the moon as the fact that we had ten years time it was a confined, time, period, it was a huge, task and that many people had to come together to achieve that it's like Steve Jobs ten years ago brings, out this platform called the iPhone no one's ever heard of a smartphone before it's like what but. He didn't do it alone he, created something, that. Came from an ecosystem of all of his military and academic, research that had gone into making. The iPhone possible, and I think this is where someone, like Elon Musk is who. Liked me travels around the world and doesn't really have a home because, planet Earth is home and it's, like how do you create some kind of association.

To, These kinds of challenges that we globally, need to be aware of and, I remember this conversation I'm kind of taking a bit of a tangent but I hope you will appreciate it, i sat, next to this girl in London we were having a cup of tea and she, says Tia I didn't. Really care what happens in China what, sustainability, and. I said you don't care about what happens in China I want you to go home, turn. Everything around have. A look at the Maidan and tell. Me how what percentage of your things come from where she. Said I did that 60, percent I said, do you or do you not have even, if it's just economic do you or do you not have a relationship with China then. Does. Your demand for these things whether you like it or not and there are no alternatives, perhaps have. Something to do with what happens in China, and. I think this is what it is how could we make it visible but. Not make, people feel guilty from, it and that's the challenge how do we positively. Reinforce. With. Alternatives. And fun innovations. And cool ways of doing it and I think maybe he's. A bit bonkers Who. Am I to judge. Ooh. The. Selfish Gene by Richard, Dawkins here, we go. Say. One thing definitely, who. Ceded that idea in your head. Could. Be personal experience but could be anyone right at any stage, somebody, in society, or through. Subconscious. Messaging has. Got us me, included, to. Believe something that is the case there is no status, quo therefore. Everything. Can be questioned. The. Way that we live for example I learnt this when I was in Japan I remember, coming, from England 22, years old just finished my university degree arriving, to Japan they say this is wrong in, England, okay I'm taking one example in, England when you're sitting next to somebody that you don't know at the bus stop you start talking about the weather but, you'd normally talk about how is you're. Like oh the weather's really bad isn't it and somebody, turns rounds like yeah god it's been raining all day but could be good as well good what is really good today oh it's, lovely but, second excuse to have a chat with somebody. Why. Went to Japan, and I started to use the negative to open, up dialogue and it didn't work I was. Like fuller I'm. Not being negative it's, just some, guy and then I realized the. Way that I do things isn't necessarily right in another culture another place.

Of The world and another conversation doesn't just. Because one way is right doesn't mean another way is wrong too and, I. Think that's a very interesting psychological. Waiting. Or anchoring, that. We've all been exposed to if you go back to, I, think, it was in nineteen fifties and sixties Edward, Bernays was one of the most incredible. PR agents, at the time, what. He did Marlboro, smoking. Company went. To him and said we don't have any women smokers, what do we do about it he, went and did some research he. Found out that women felt a certain way about smoking. And putting this stick, into the mouth was something that they didn't, want to do. So. Then he explored. How, the. Relationship, and the and their sort of branding, behind, it right but explored, what did it mean for them explored. The meaning and how it could shift that meaning and made. An, incredible. Difference, he. Hired ten beautiful, women the. Beginning of a March for female, freedom gave, them all cigarettes lit them up called the press took some photographs and boom did. That one event have, a huge impact on the sales that females, were smoking, cigarettes for it's. Really interesting, for me but, the way that we influence. People and the psychological, messaging, that we give them whether it's commercials, whether. It's data that we analyze and and show I, think. A lot. Of that intention, has been set by someone or something. Mostly, for, reasons of their own causes right I'm, gonna try and sell you a coca-cola can no matter what I can do, even if I'm stepping on a Pepsi can. In. An ad advert, but. I know and you know that it's got like huge amounts of sugar and a chemical that stops my mouth. Exploring. That there is too much sugar in my mouth is, that. Fair not fair well it's not it's, FDA approved okay fine so. It's really interesting how a lot of that research now all, of our experimentation, has allowed to us may be becoming more conscious about certain, things and not and I don't think anything is written I think, we have an opportunity to, explore everything like teacher, that I used to have in one of my classes when I was younger she we used to say well that's just the way that it is and I'm. Saying well I don't think so what something inside me tells me it's not that, way but. She would often say well that's just the way that it is so, it's, it's interesting if you were to explore another, way of being, another. Language another, narrative another, identity and you. Had no, holds barred. Who. Would you be. So. Really good question so Putin this. Year launched, the GNH business. Bhutan. Introduced. The gross national happiness index, in the 1970s. And wanted, to understand, what, if the economy wasn't about money but it was about well-being, and so, they started to explore this whole well-being and in 19, I think it was, 1970s. Onwards, is when every. Three years all of this data was collected to, show what. Was the state of well-being in their country and then. What they did was to explore a happiness, report and I think you may be aware that many, other countries around the world have been looking at well-being, British. Government being one of them the UAE has been talking about well-being as well happiness, ministers, very.

Interesting, Sort of understanding. And appreciation of well-being. Another. Thing that they've recently. Launched, last year a, couple of years ago they did the Gross National Happiness seventh. Conference or sixth conference this year it was a seventh and they, said what if businesses. Were, also aligned with this and I. Said okay well you're going to be introducing list of businesses already and probably taking a top-down, approach they, took 40, different businesses, and asked, them whether they were approaching their, businesses, with the kind of well-being index within the, context of the. Products and services and the employees, that work there kind of right the organizational. Structure. And. When. This came out one. Of the things that I suggested, to the. Bhutanese Primus but also their team at the center of Britany studies was. You're doing the well-being why don't also do the environmental side of it too so. If you were to like be corpse analyze, the, whole business and the impact that it had on the environment as well as the well-being what. Kind of a metric would you have you'd be the first in the world to do it so. We're exploring that together it's. Funny actually, you know at. The beginning of the year when I was writing the convergence. Of AI and ecology. Piece I watched, all of the black Murrow series I don't if you come across this. And. One, of the things that I came across was, if I, could write a. Piece, for the future like 40, years maybe even thirty or ten years of how, this could be I went a bit crazy and I wrote that it, then became the preliminary. Piece for the for the medium article but, one of the things that I wrote was in. Two years time and, I wrote it as if I was looking back so two. Years ago this, suggestion was made and, then this was implant, you know implemented, it the the government. Level in Bhutan and it's interesting how that is happening, now and I wonder if because that intention, was there that, something like this is actually manifested. I have a very interesting relationship with, intuition and manifestation. But, many different countries around the world from a government, level are trying to introduce this like in Goa. With. The installation they suggested. 2019. What. About if we had a festival on zero waste funny. Because. The festival that Bou had this art installation for, a year ago I suggested, how, about if we have our festival, and zero waste festival and they, said well why. Don't you do it first and then. We'll see how from, the evaluation, we could do it and it's funny that the government is now suggesting. Completely. Unrelated but government is suggesting we have like a zero waste festival, I think there, are like pockets, of people coming together and doing very interesting things but for the for, the world replenish Index at. MIT last, year in December I launched something called the replenish, business canvas and I wanted to suggest that if every. Single startup, not. You, know sgt company come, to the end of it and now, I've got some money I'll put some money towards CSR. Right. At the beginning when you're formulating, your company you, could say that, this company is going to be a zero waste company and where. I'm going my military materials, from so at Reiter inception. You could introduce this whole idea what. Kind of businesses would we have in the future and you. Know I'm surprised but even, at Harvard and MIT both of their MBA programs, as well as Oxford Syed's Business School do, not have enough case studies of businesses, that have done extremely well in this, field so, that's one of the projects, within the world replenish index to, build on the case studies of business, model, innovation of, where. Businesses. Have done it have made it so, it's. A lot of work and I need a lot of help. Maybe, some of you will help me. You.

2018-01-29 04:49

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