An economy we can no longer service...

I have just been reading an article outline the work done by Tesco and Sainsburys creating jobs in growing stores and they call this Corporate Responsibility (CR).

Do we now have to rely on charity from Corporates to create new jobs? Have we completely lost the idea and hope of a growing economy?

I have always being troubled by the statistic that 80% of UK employment is in the form of the Service industry. Not making primary or secondary industry but pure tertiary work, servicing the consumers in the UK. We are continually recycling our income and wealth and with a growing rate of unemployment these service industries are under threat as the disposable income to service each other will diminish.

The early noughties supported this shift in employment as more people had money, could borrow money etc.. but as the economy declines so does the value of this economy. As it grew itself it will also shrink itself.

We need to radically look at where jobs can be created and where the value in our economy should be coming from. Not emerging opportunities but existing opportunities in a global market.

Tribal Movement

Will sustainability ever become a mass market "tribal" idea. It seems that few people get it. Those that do, live it and are passionate about. Those that don't, steer clear and those in the middle are totally apathetic to it.

Do we try to force people to live more sustainably, do we financial encourage them to do it or do we take the lead and show them what the difference is.

The Green Party in the UK has exactly this challenge. Annomously their policies appeal to people, probably enough to be a major political force in the UK. The wrapper however isn't so appealing.

Is it just the brand, is it the apathy or is it that we need to stop talking about sustainability and talk about equality, fairness and economic value??

Quick ways to make a difference.

Replace a regular incandescent light bulb with low energy light bulbs.
CFLs use 60% less energy than a regular bulb. This switch will save about 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Try multiplying that around your house and it soon starts making a big difference.

Localism and Global Issues

Localism has been something I have been passionate about for several years now. The idea of developing local communities, helping people re-engage with their neighbourhood and preventing big corporate culture from dominating our high streets.

With a low carbon economy, these ideas begin to be more relevant as we look at restrictions on global travel, renewable energy production requiring smart grids to be effective etc.. But we still live in a planet challenged by resource deprivation, mass poverty and poor health care.

I have heard the saying charity begins at home all my life and I do agree that principle, but if we focus purely on our neighbour do we miss a chance to make real change.

In reality our neighbour has never been further away, whilst at the same time never closer. The communications era has lead to a shrinking world. Someone living in my village has never read my blog, but I know people as far away as South Korea have. Does the term neighbour redefining in our global network.

The skills and ideas that we generate in the UK are equally relevant in South Korea, Libya or Argentina. Whilst the Global mastodons will continue to grow and reach new markets so the challenge of localism becomes ever more important. Towns in the sub continent and Africa need the skills and ideas to become self supproting to create jobs and provide food for their families in the same way that we do.

We should not be focussed on localism solving local issues but localism and networks of locallities changing the global framework and reinventing how we live our life.

What do we want??

In any democracy we have some freedom and some restricition. This may seem like a very un democratic thing to say but with the budget cuts announced we have no real power to stop these from happening. Further to that, was the detail of the CSR (Comprehensive Spending Review) ever consulted with the public, did it hold firm to what the electorate wanted in the General Elecltion?

It is clear in my mind that the British people have less say now than they ever have. The demise of the Unions and reduction of community cohesion have meant that apathy is here in full effect. I am guessing there will be more out cry over Wagner staying in the X Factor than there will be over the CSR.

How do we recover from this? Can we recover from this? Is this Sustainable?

Innovation to Save Public Services

It is clear from all the media and feedback from the government that 2011 will be a difficult year and we will be faced with devastating cuts to our public sector budgets.

I wonder how many people in leadership across the Public Sector are thinkning outside the box. If the cuts are 20% and the obvious way is to cut salaries and employment numbers, why not wholesale reduce staff working hours? Or is this too simple.

In my mind 20% cuts means a 4 day working week? Why not look at job sharing, increased office hours weekend work. This would have both the desired effect on the budget but also have a massive impact on the service offering of a local authority. Further to this there would be the social beneifts of people still being in employment, not a ground swell of benefit and support claims, as well as the quality of life, work life balance, reduction in congestion around rush hours etc...

The cuts will be big and challenging but now, surely, is the time look at new models and not just to follow a blinkered policy of job losses and service reduction.

Changing the Future

Somebody said to me earlier in the week that business will seek locations with quality local energy supply. This is 15 maybe 20 years down the line but two things struck me. It is within my working lifetime (not just my lifetime), and it is a real issue.

Fossil fuel depletion is challenge for all of us. How much it costs us to commute to work, go to the shops, heat our house in winter and where we go on holiday in the summer. For business leaders it is even more of an issue. How do I keep my manufacturing plant running 6 days a week, how much does that cost me, can I afford to run a data centre in this location, where is my power coming from?

For most of us this is a bridge we will cross when we get to it. Electric/Hydrogen car, solar heating, a wind turbine in the garden. When my fuel bills hit £300/month I'll think about it.

But what about our policy makers, our leaders today and our leaders in the future. Are they planning, getting ready, pushing boundaries and making changes? If they aren't what are you doing to help them realise? What can you do? You'll find it is more than you realise...

Localism - Challenge or Opportunity

There are a whole raft of challenges floating around at the moment in terms of the local offering. Whether this is around LEPs, social enterprise developments around the "Big Society" or even the local stock exchange idea. It seems in politics we are desperate to make changes and put our stamp on a project and retain ownership. The idea of the big society is interesting as is the formulation of LEPs. There is no stipulated framework or booklet of guidelines. As a result we seem to struggle with this as a society. We have been told what to do and how to do it for so long we seem to rely on others to make decisions.
This is a unique opportunity for empowerment of individuals and communities to make a real difference and throw out the rule book. But let's not reform what we are trying to get rid of. We need to start again, build from the bottom up and engage with those looking for the change. We all see areas where change is needed whether it is local authority duplication, disengagement or crumbling communities. Now is the time to make your voice heard, take action and feel empowered. No rule book is an opportunity not only for those in power to make radical changes but for those who feel they have no voice to find one.

First Steps

It seems that sustainability is everywhere at the moment. From Bankers bonuses to the ultra liberal green and anti globalisation movements.

In the end it is just a word and as with all words can hide a multitude of steps. Using sustainability in a brochure or literature doesn't make you sustainable. A food company who only produce 3% waste can't be sustainable when it transports its raw material from the far east to the UK to make ready meals for the masses. A bank who invest in bonds and stocks on short terms to make quick revenue aren't sustainable, if they were there wouldn't be a pension gap or global financial crisis.

"Sustainability" is not about words and glossy brochures containing them, it is about behaviours. As a world and as a country we have a long way to go but to achieve this dream of sustainability we need to start with small steps. Simple behaviour, such as using local shops, turning down the washing machine, cutting down food waste and turning down the thermostat. Simple in theory...?