CONFERENCE REPORT
Cleantech and the credit crunch
With the western world confronting its worse economic recession for 16 years, what
role does innovative cleantech solutions have to play? Sustainable Innovation 08 is a
conference that puts the question to leading academics and businessmen.
Geraldine Faulkner reports.
A
s we sail into the ‘perfect
economic storm’, is radical
innovation needed or
incremental innovation?
This is the question posed by Dr Mark
Hinnells, senior researcher, lower carbon futures
at Oxford University’s environmental Change
Institute who clearly believes it is the former that
is needed along with a greater sense of urgency.
“The current situation is potentially disastrous
for a large part of the world and calls for radical
and not reluctant incrementalism,” adds Hinnells.
“we’re really going to have to make hard
decisions about our environment, our society
and our economy - in that order, because in the
typical economic model, we don’t take into
account the environmental and the societal.”
Using a historical example, the senior
researcher points to the Marshall Plan brokered
by Us president Franklin D Roosevelt after
world war II for relief, recovery and reform.
“It was not about the economy, but about
Malmo's turning torso, a distinctive landmark on the Swedish town's skyline
building a society,” says Hinnells, before
deliberately misquoting Lyndon B Johnson: “A He points to another visionary; Vidya-Jyothi Predicting that painful change is needed to
great society builds a great nation.” Dr Ray wijewardene who believes the entire make radical innovation possible, the senior
He believes that the world needs a green new population of sri Lanka could run on biomass. researcher says that current policies have been
deal based on Roosevelt’s New Deal to a country Other sustainable innovators are equally keen designed around incumbents.
exhausted by the effects of the 1930s depression. to make a difference - albeit on a small scale. “Big firms are often not good at innovation.
“It is a radical social innovation that could Noon solar is a Us-based bag manufacturer They are risk averse and culturally tied to
have the Jules Verne effect: seeding the story started by Jane Palmer and Marianne Fairbanks. existing models,” concludes Hinnells.
although you don’t have the technology,” Begun as an art project in the early spring But once you have an innovative product,
explains the senior researcher explaining how of 2002, the bags created by Noon solar are what should you do next?
the French science fiction writer inspired Jacques biodegradeable and include solar panels which This is an issue tackled by Marco Versari,
Cousteau to invent the scuba tank. charge a battery pack located inside the bag to director of Novamont, an Italian manufacturer
In another example, he points to Martin supply power for cell phones or iPod. Palmer of bioplastics based on vegetable starches which
Cooper, inventor of the portable cell phone who and Fairbanks say they say they came up with a are sold under the brand name of Mater-Bi. He
took his inspiration from star Trek’s Captain solution "to give people not only personal power, describes his company as currently “being in
Kirk. but to integrate renewable solar power into their transition from an sMe to a large enterprise”.
embracing the theme that those looking daily life". Versari believes that the way to change
for a solution in the immediate future should According to Hinnells: “energy prices are a consumer behaviour and stimulate the uptake
look to the past for inspiration (“to write our cause for change.” He goes on to say that high and demand for bio-based products is to promote
own stories”), Hinnells gives examples of other energy prices is an opportunity to replace energy policy measures; standards labels; public
visionaries with an emphasis on local production. use with energy efficiency. The senior researcher procurement; financing and legislation and
“By making things regionally you are points to changes within the fridge sector. supply market intervention.
achieving a form of sustainability,” argues the “In the fridge market, less efficient models “while bio-polymers give added value to
senior researcher. have been driven out of the market,” he says. food waste as a soil improver, there is scattered
46 SuStaInable SolutIonS December/January 2009
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