Question for today

Several responses on previous questions suggested to specialize in just a few sectors, such as water, even more than we do now. What do you think?

Should we focus on our traditional strenghts (water, greenery etc) or on developing new industries (nanotech, bio-economy, financial services, life sciences, etc)? Please explain your thoughts!

Did you know?

What happens to the world if these trends continue?

And there is also an updated version Did you Know 4.0 (though I think less well made than the 1st one):

Jon Brown

Sorry, I'm repeating a previous comment here but it's completely appropriate, actually more appropriate than last time I made it:


Assuming that commercialisation remains the primary incentive for manufacturing products around the world then the licensing of designs will become more important than a single company expanding its production andexporting its goods and this process will need to be facilitated in some way. Only the web offers a platform where this could possibly occur but even on the Internet the laws of a country define how well it can support different web activities, for instance the UK has gambling laws that make it better suited to supporting gambling websites than most countries, but the royalties system on music impedes the commercial viability of web radio there. If the Netherlands were to tune its laws and legislation appropriately (perhaps automatically honouring foreign patents as rights protection within the country) then it could become the international hub for trading in product licenses over the Internet, acting as a matchmaker and clearing house for ideas from around the world. Money would be made on commissions and fractional side royalties from the system in much the same way that stock market trading does. Indeed, the trade in ideas could naturally draw investment markets to the Netherlands, increasing that side of the economy.

Jon Brown

To start with it's important for the Netherlands to establish a reliable, independent energy supply:

It's lowland position, along with experience building the Delta Works and Zuiderzee Works, means it's in a perfect position to build extensive tidal flow energy generation facilities. Rising tides will be used to inundate vast reservoirs, filling them via sluices through inlet turbines. When the tide recedes again the reservoirs would drain through through outlet turbines. To manage and store peak performance and cover times when tidal conditions require the turbines to be closed off, spare electricity generation capacity during the night will be used to pump water to additional reservoirs that stand above the high tide line - these can be drained to cover shortfalls in capacity at a higher energy yield than the tidal reservoirs due to the increased 'drop' on the water held in them. An extensive network of tidal energy generation of this nature would fit perfectly with the Netherlands' ongoing requirement to protect against high tides and storm surges from the North Sea, provide energy independence into the future and possibly create enough power to export throughout Europe.


If this technology was to be exported then cheap tidal power generation stations could be established around the world's coasts. This would make short hop 100% electrically powered ships economically viable, as they would only have to be able to reach the next station, where the lower cost electricity would be available to recharge their batteries. Who would make these high tech ships? The Netherlands, of course...

Even with electric cargo ships, it's clear that the future will be one where goods travel short distances from production to consumption, without a fuel as cheap as oil it's obvious that physical goods will not be carried halfway around the world. At the same time, people will travel such distances less as the cost of flights increases. This will create a situation where ideas are no longer transmitted around the world as rapidly as we have become used to. Luckily we already have the Internet, which is excellent for piping any form of data around the world, but rarely useful information. Even today, with telecommunications systems being better than ever, a common way that products and ideas move around the world is by businessmen and entrepreneurs seeing products in different countries, realising their potential in another market and then taking them there. Without today's levels of travel this process will be stifled.

Assuming that commercialisation remains the primary incentive for manufacturing products around the world then the licensing of designs will become more important than a single company expanding its production and exporting its goods and this process will need to be facilitated in some way. Only the web offers a platform where this could possibly occur but even on the Internet the laws of a country define how well it can support different web activities, for instance the UK has gambling laws that make it better suited to supporting gambling websites than most countries, but the royalties system on music impedes the commercial viability of web radio there. If the Netherlands were to tune its laws and legislation appropriately (perhaps automatically honouring foreign patents as rights protection within the country) then it could become the international hub for trading in product licenses over the Internet, acting as a matchmaker and clearing house for ideas from around the world. Money would be made on commissions and fractional side royalties from the system in much the same way that stock market trading does. Indeed, the trade in ideas could naturally draw investment markets to the Netherlands, increasing that side of the economy.

Question for today

What can we do to stimulate international companies to settle or invest in the Netherlands?

Enviu - Innovators in sustainability

And let's put effort in letting the pearls shine even more. This is just a start..

Daan Grooten

Four big cities competing eachother on the field of sustainability. In Utrecht all housing is CO2 neutral. Rotterdam has the most sustainable port in the world. In Amsterdam is the most elctric car friendly city on this globe and Den haag generates most of his energy decentralized. Let our pearls be inspiring examples for others!

Miquel Ballester

When I look to transports for instance. Is not there room for improvement? I see a future where there is no more private transportation such as cars. We have to work to make systems more convenient. Conveninence is a key factor! And it is not a matter of infrastructures per se. We have to wonder: Why is there people st...ill using cars? What small details make a car better than the current OV-system?
I see in the future, a Netherlands which has already surpassed the "big brother" fear and works 100% interconnected, with a completely convenient transport system and where people are completely open to it.

Michaela Hogenboom

I would not be surprised if we are still famous for our windmills and dykes. With the increasing impacts of climate change, I can imagine that we become known for the development and knowledge sharing on dealing with rising sea levels and (off shore) wind energy.

Igor Kluin tells about first "vision-session" with the Innovation Platform

On Friday the 12th of February, Igor Kluin, network member of Enviu and director of Qurrent, joined the first vision meeting organised by the Innovation Platform with 19 other young visionairs. Their assignment was to come up with the first ideas for a possible vision that can make the Netherlands more competitive. Here a short summary of his experience:

“I was very positive about the diversity of people that were present to think along.
I joined a sub-brainstorm group that came up with the idea of redesigning education in the NL: Life long learning. Educations should have shorter ‘run times’[1]  and institutes should be interconnected much more. What you learn in the first 2 years is old information already in the last 2 years. If you can apply for courses in other institutes all the time and don’t stop learning after 4 yrs but keep learning all your life, this would improve the quality of knowledge and keep everybody up to date. Borders to diploma’s and titles fade and you are both teacher and student. You teach for example in the one course and are a student in the other: flexible and without boundaries.
The financial system in education should change as well. It should consist of a premium system like in healthcare insurance. You pay premiums your whole your life just like you consume education your whole life.
Essence: you learn continuously. 
Take for example a pilot or a doctor. They take all sorts of courses during their studies and job to keep up to date with their knowlegde. They got to have a steady base but after their studies there are many things that change and they get extra training. This should be normal! We used the metaphor of stringing beads: you add beads throughout your entire life.

Inspirational Video of how the UK approaches this Question!

This is what we are striving for...

Question for today

In 2020 a reporter for a big international newspaper visits the Netherlands. What does he or she see? Where do people live, work, in what sectors, what do they want and how do they make their wishes come true?

Elmar Stroomer

totally agree! We should increase facilities that stimulate and challenge the creative mind.. I am not talking about coffeeshops. I am talking about frablabs, playgrounds, good (technical) universities, open, solid and solidary society and government..

m4ximoe

#youenvisionwelisten @nickygrunfeld that is quite provocative and asocial but considering our reality, well...

nickygrunfeld

Irreverence #youenvisionwelisten

nickygrunfeld

RT @Enviu: What is today’s greatest strenght of the Netherlands, which we should embrace and keep for a bright future? #youenvisionwelisten

Carolien Hoogland

Water engineering & Dutch Design.

Enviu - Innovators in sustainability

What is today’s greatest strenght of the Netherlands, which we should embrace and keep for a bright future?

Pieter Parmentier

By far the best way to accelerate innovation in sustainability is to improve our networking. That is why I am working on a sustainability advanced network (SAN) in which people can find the expertise they are looking for. It will be a backbone to connect all networks and initiatives that focus on sustainability.enf@planet.nl

Enviu - Innovators in sustainability

Borrow good ideas like there's no tomorrow. Progress may lie less in invention than in useful application.

Herman Jongejan

No change ADD and ADD more that is a change and a chance

Thanks Denise to be connected

Maxim Asomov

Main problem in implementation of sustainable development projects in the Netherlands is a too much of unsystemized talks between government, developers and citizens. Such a talks reducing econimical and environmental prosperity. Government and develpers stuck in salvation of risk problems- how to share them. Citizens and governement stuck in salvation what we want and how to achieve.

I would Introduce new bottop-up - top-down approach\framework of communication between government, developers and citizens. Where government and developers could agree on goals, define and quantify risks (which means risks could KNOWN) and could found solution to share risks or prevent them.
Government and citizens could agree on ambitions, ways to live and sustain (how far they would like to go.).As well as gov-t has to give a sufficient knowledge - what they are talking about...
... See More
If to make proper tool it could be easier to change=save the World

Denise van der Linden-morris

I agree with Herman about feeling connected to the world. Focus on shared interests from people (who doesn't want a healthy planet?) instead of the current focus on the differences - especially religion related - between people around the world, so we can together come to creative ideas and create an exciting and sustainable world

Herman Jongejan

Feel responsable and connected to the rest of the world as your neighbour

The Issues are Global and dont stop at any border they effect us all, in negative and possitive sence
The wind can blow from any direction but always comes from abrought

Marleen van der Werf

Accountability as the new responsibility. Hence; transparency.

Enviu - Innovators in sustainability

Think big even if being small: we can make a difference

Emile Voogt

Positivity!

Ana Maria Palaghi

Less complaints and more do'ers

Sikko Gerkema

the lack of ambition

Michaela Hogenboom

instead of striving for more and more income, striving for a higher quality of living

Enviu - Innovators in sustainability

We are trying to figure out how YOU think the Netherlands can become one of the Top 5 Knowledge economies in the world.


Our question of today is: 

What is that one thing you would like to change in the Dutch society?

Kayode Olowoofoyeku

Focusing on power of intellectual capital that ignites value,rather than mineral resources.

Marleen van der Werf

No longer at the cost of the world's poorest people.

Michaela Hogenboom

by not putting the empasis on earning money, but on creating value

Enviu - Innovators in sustainability

How will the Netherlands earn its money in 2020?

Egon De Bruin

Hun fractieleider van Eerste Kamer heeft daar laatst hele spannende dingen over gezegd.

Egon De Bruin

Watch the ChristenUnie in this closely

Enviu - Innovators in sustainability

Also refer to the Beyond GDP project by the EU: http://www.beyond-gdp.eu/

(this may be what you were referring to as well?)
But yes, why not take the lead in this..

Enviu - Innovators in sustainability

Thanks Egon for your thoughts! We will continue more indepth discussions on your ideas about specializing in water and a new economic measurement and try to take the ideas further!

Egon De Bruin

Some thoughts:

* Specialize in only a few sectors.
* Transform economic measurements beyond GDP (like national balance scorecard for 'triple p' sustainable performance). If we will be a experimenting guiding country within the EU, everybody will look at us and would like to our expertise/knowledge
* Specialize in water, even more than we already do. Will be one of the major global issues in the coming decades.... See More
* Get more young people from abroad!
* Away with patent laws :- ) (just a wild idea, about 100 years ago we did without, and those were the days for Philips and Unilever to 'sprout')

Enviu - Innovators in sustainability

And another set of thoughts: innovation is not about having knowledge but about using knowledge, and preferably in other ways that others. How to foster that (building on the previous thoughts)? By encouraging to make different links, e.g., by asking different questions. And connecting 'unusual suspects' And where better than in a traditionally ... See Moreopen, multi-cultural society. Let that work for the good.
Competitive knowledge economy may be about fostering the differences, to come up with new distinguishing solutions.

Enviu - Innovators in sustainability

Yes, bulding RELEVANT knowledge bottom up: find out what it menas there and develop relevant directions for research and implementation from there. But also realise that to be useful for others at some point links with the broader context than just NL is important.

Sikko Gerkema

yup I agree

Carolien Hoogland

Here we are: back to the relations bit: build relationships with the people you want to involve, and empathise with what S means to them. So for instance to my mum, S means a stable income and connecting to her friends and the people around her... I won't bore her with "thou should not driveth" anymore...

Sikko Gerkema

It should be something I can have a relation with...the more we talk about it the more boring it gets

Enviu - Innovators in sustainability

Thanks Sikko but could be more specific, what exactly do you mean with it should be more like a brand?

Enviu - Innovators in sustainability

What is today’s greatest strenght of the Netherlands which we should embrace and keep for our future?

Penta Energetica

Energy policies so far do not deliver enough results. Trias Energetica policies – save energy, use sustainable energy, process fossils as efficient as possible – fail to deliver enough effect timely. Energy use increases, sustainable energies hardly manage to match that growth and efficiency increases are slow and little. Its open ended nature without a maximum and its solo technical nature are fundamental shortfalls of the Trias Energetica. 

The Penta Energetica Principles can be applied to any region, but are best applied to urban area’s with sufficient size (more than 5-10 million inhabitants) and diversity of energy functions (industry, ports, transport, housing) as to facilitate energy integration best. Apply to such area the following steps: 

1. Accept a long term sustainable CO2 per capita max., e.g. 4 ton CO2/capita per year

Then fulfil the current energy need with technologies realisable between now and 2020, by:

2. Use the maximum sustainable energy sources (wind, sun, geo, tidal, etc.);
3. Use fossils as efficient as possible for both old (gas, oil, coal) and new (biomass) fuels,
by best available conversion technology, CHP, DHDC, etc. until the CO2 cap is reached;
4. Save energy to stay under CO2 cap, both freely, with economic incentives and mandatory; 
5. Innovate and redesign to a Low Carbon/High Quality life style and economy, under strong carbon restrictions. ICT, novel transports, adaptation of travel and life style elements will play important roles, next to improvements of energy use in industry and utilities.

These analysis, further information and presentations of Penta Energetica can be found here.

Inspiration of today

We have decided that besides just asking you for input one our questions we want to provide you a daily inspiration. An article, a video, research report or link that we think might inspire you to come up with new ideas!


For the weekend, a tip from Carel Muller from our network (thanks for that), let's get inspired by top innovator or "the restless genius" Ray Kurzwei.

Interview on Youtube below, but just Google the guy, there is TED talk, he has been on "Wintergasten" and loads of other videos.


Curious what you think! Let us know and leave a comment....

Life Long Learning

One of our latest members of the Enviu network, Bee Leng Lee, comes from Singapore and introduces to us her idea on Lifelong learning and how to create a positive and safe environment for senior students. Here is a piece of the document she sent us, to read the whole doc follow this link.
 
Why LLL?
People are the core infrastructure and resource of a country. The workforce in this case is extremely vital to sustain competitiveness. And people make up the workforce. So they need to be properly trained.
To change something, we need to educate or make awareness of the changing world to the people.
While from the Lisbon treaty, the EU commission under Education and Training has implemented various Lifelong Learning Programmes (LLP) to enhance globalisation, much of the initiatives are based on student and staff exchange under the Erasmus, Comenius programmes. One purpose of this is to create opportunities for students and staff to expand their horizon to work/study in another country.

What about the people currently in the workforce? Here, I am not talking about LLL for leisure learning like sewing, knitting, philosophy, psychology, etc. Though they are equally interesting. I am talking about a second degree or a first degree for those who missed the chance when they were younger.
There is a trend in the main-stream Dutch universities (I do not have imperial evidence here. It is merely based on personal observation), that it is a place for the young. While the LLL grant in the UK, for example, encourages even the greyed-hair to go back to universities for education, you seldom see older (40 and above) students returning to school for education.
Older people may feel intimidated and uncomfortable by the fact that he/she may be the only matured student among the group of youth in their early 20s.
There are a lot of advantages and also things to learn from the matured people. So it is actually a plus point for the youth. However there is  no sure climate (matured student climate) created here.

Coming from Asia, one of the differences is that people in some Asian countries are constantly going back to universities for further education. On-line and distanced University programmes are very common. Most people have various diplomas and continually upgrade themselves. When the people grow, that makes the countries grow too.

In the UK, LLL has encouraged the people in the workforce to continue their education even at very senior age. It is so common to see them among the young students.

Advantages that LLL could bring are:
1.    Younger people can learn from the experience of older people
2.    Older people get new information of the current development and experience academic life again.
3.    Educating the current workforce opens up their the horizon. They will also have the opportunity to mix around with international students.
4.    Current workforce could updated their skills and become more aware of current development in the world.

This in hope can improve professionalism in the workforce and create better awareness of globalisation starting from the nuclei of the country, i.e. the people.

Suggestions
Initiative to launch a learning atmosphere for also the older population and make it safe and comfortable for them to return to education. Also to encourage them to upgrade themselves.

External links on the subject:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifelong_learning
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/com/2006/com2006_0614en01.pdf
http://www.ou.nl/eCache/DEF/18/832.html

And also Igor Kluin who was present at the first vision session of the Innovation Platform posted his idea about LLL.

The map of the future

Through FFFFound.com stumbled on this map, designed by Density Design, based on the scenarios developed by the Institute for the Future in Palo Alto to show the net of ideas and hypothesis built by 7000 influencers from all over the world. 

Hi-res version @ Flickr
Zoomable widget @ Closr.it

Here te part on ECONOMICS, maybe some inspiration!

Developed by Density Design

Question for today

We are trying to figure out how YOU think the Netherlands can become one of the Top 5 Knowledge economies in the world. Our question of today is:

What is that one thing you would like to change in the Dutch society?

Please comment (click the link below)!

Greenbizstartup

My vision for NL 2020: open, flexible and stochastic. And above all: fair and sustainable! #innovatieplatform by @igorkluin

johanledeboer Reetweet

RT @liekelamb: Ook bij grote innovatieve bedrijven geldt; decision makers zijn niet de innovaters!! #innovatieplatform #penw