If products could lecture

Alan Knight

Our next speaker is…

If your product could talk

Would you be embarrassed?

Do you know what it would say?

Would you be proud?

What is a university’s product?

The “lens” of consumer products

as a huge contribution to make to SD

After 17 years – I believe more firmly than ever…

Environmental

Impact

Assessment

Environmental

Impact

Assessment

Environmental

Impact

Assessment

Environmental

Impact

Assessment

My life startedin a forest…

My life startedin India

Its my use….

Entire footprint

Solutions are possible:

All of world’sproductive forests = well managed

1990

?

Solutions are possible:

10% of world’sproductive

forests FSC’ed

- Marks and Spencer- Wyevale Garden Centres

1990 1993

19971995

2000

Sustainable or unsustainable?

“Imported directlyfrom Zambia”

Three Big Challenges:

1) Reduce Poverty

2) Reduce Climate Change

3) Working within the finite limits of the planet

= one planet living!

Getting ready for impact of emerging economies. . .

‘If Chinese want to live like Americans,

we will need the resources of four

Planet Earths’Liang Congjie,

Environmentalist (2004)

This a huge challenge!

Some context…

The planet is now a University

And you are doing your current role for Earth University

Welcome to…

“Earth University”

Earth University - Purpose;

Provide a university education for all of mankind:

(plus shelter and food) …

Earth University opened at same time as modern man evolved… 160,000 years ago

Lets say there were 100,000 people then!

Forecast Student growth numbers…

Slow growth for next 158,000 years until…

1 AD – 250 million 1000 – 500 million 1776 – 1 billion 1945 - 2.3 billion2006 – 6.5 billion2050 – 9.1 billion

Over whelmed!

1) Modern Human Beings appeared 160,000 years ago

2) Lets say your university is 160 years old – opened

in 1847

3) Lets compress Earth years into those 160 years

4) = 1,000 real years becomes one academic year

5) 333 years = one academic term

6) 19 years = 1 week

Condensing Mankind years into University years

Between 1847 and year end 2005… (the first 158 years)…

250 million students by end of 2004

= 5% growth in student numbers for first 158 yrs

but by end of 2005 = 500 Million

= 100% growth in one year

2006

By first and second term – grown to 1 billion students

= 400% growth in two terms!

Third term = 4.6 billion students

= 1,800% increase in student numbers since 2004!

2007 goes mad…

Terms starts with 4.6 billion

By end of week one - 6 billion

But by week three – 9.6 billion (population in 2050)

Good news,… numbers stabilise

Growth since 2004 – 3,800%

Impossible?

If your university was built in 1960’s

= over 10,000% increase in students in three years

Earth University –

In past this was enough…

Earth University –

Now they want all this…

You would not run your university that way…

But that is how we are running the planet!

Back to reality – SD = Balance between three challenges:

Finite Limits

Climate Change Poverty

Roundtable on Sustainable Consumption

- Joint – SDC and NCC- 18 months- What can UK gov. do on the consumption problem?- Report = 30,000 downloads

Don’t over rely on the green consumer…

Small changes over time drive change…

Choice editing =

no to G’s to C’s

RichmondParking fees

Road taxbanding

China!

£25 congestion charge

Introducing “Product Roadmaps”

Label

Choice editing

Product Roadmaps help find priority and balance between three challenges for your product!

Choice editing at work

What is a university’s product?

Research

and

degrees

Research

and

degrees

What is a university’s product?

Homes and food for 100,000’s

What is a university’s product?

Future’s people

If your products could lecture

Future’s people

Are you proud?