This was originally written by David Fell for Guardian Sustainable Business. You can view the original article (published on 7th March, 2013) here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sustainable-business/selling-sustainability-consumer-battle ———— Advertisers have long since abandoned any effort to sell their wares on the basis of functional performance. Instead, they sell on the basis of dreams, of myths – speaking about our feelings rather than [...]
In early February, I went to an Interdisciplinary Symposium in Belgium. The overarching theme was ‘Which transition for our societies’ and it attracted international scientists, decision-makers and civil society members alike. Nowadays ‘transition’ has become one of those catch-all concepts, in that it encompasses a range of seemingly divergent visions which share an underlying connection [...]
As the Royal Statistical Society (RSS) reports on the latest pressure brought to bear on the Government’s Open Data initiative, signs of a thriving and well-resourced statistics and data-based movement abound. The UK Statistics Authority, with Andrew Dilmot now in the chair, have instructed the Office of National Statistics to ensure that all responses to [...]
As we head towards the Mayoral elections, at a time of deep economic uncertainty and not inconsiderable anxiety about the future, it seems to me that a caring respect for Londoners might be the most appropriate over-arching policy stance for a politician to take. Perhaps I’m being a little too idealist in these straitened times, but I’m sure there’s a way of developing and conducting Mayoral policy which not only assists the millions of Londoners who need help today, but which also sets us in the direction of a more just and sustainable London tomorrow.
Here’s my suggestion for five policy initiatives that, were I to see them in a manifesto, would swing my vote:
You need to dismantle in order to build the future economy…
What has 23 screws, 15 separate rubber parts, 13 wires, 4 plastic boards, 3 metal plates, 3 unidentifiable objects, 2 microphones and 1 circuit board? These are the ingredients of an old landline phone, obviously! In a Green Alliance conference last week, I took part in a tear down session run by the RSA as [...]