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• Economy 2.0 and you

  May 27, 2009

  So we’ve introduced Economy 2.0 and covered the blueprint for Economy 2.0. And we’ve talked about the definition of innovation (collaboration, sustainability, and technology). Now, let’s talk about how you can create opportunities for yourself in Economy 2.0.

  The concept of the “Brand called you“ has become even more relevant. Whether you’re working within an organization, looking for a job, or starting your own company, it’s all the same — besides branding yourself to stand out from the crowd, you need to make the business case for why you add value. It’s all about bringing compelling entrepreneurial ideas to your employer, future employer, or customers, with a clear plan on how to make it all happen. The urgency is here unfortunately thanks to the state of the global economy whether your organization is downsizing, or you’re looking to be employed.

  And the bottom line in Economy 2.0 is how you can help your current employer/prospective employer/client innovate through collaboration, sustainability, and technology. How can you leverage collaborative networks to help speed up innovation? How can you apply a sustainability lens to help create long term innovation? How can you make use of technology to help scale innovation?

  We can continue to talk about high level reasons why it’s important for you to be a part of the solution. But when it comes down to it, being a part of Economy 2.0 is all about your personal passion. I’m a firm believer that if you’re doing something innovative you’re passionate about, it’ll help you perform at a higher level. And unlike the old days when everyone wanted to get rich quick, or create the next global phenomenon, these days it’s all about quality over quantity.

  Witness innovative efforts like B-Line and Brunch Bunch here in Portland, Oregon. And check out this recent article about “The case for working with your hands.“ There’s a movement going on where people are taking things back to the basics, doing something they’re passionate about, while often putting an innovative twist to it.

  I’ll explore this topic in more detail in the coming weeks, using the story of FMYI. In the meantime, I leave you with this video to ponder, which illustrates the urgency of needing to think differently in this day and age:

  Onward and upward,
  -Justin

  Continue Reading…

  

• Check your tech

  May 18, 2009

  Next up in our innovation blueprint (collaboration + sustainability + technology) for Economy 2.0 is technology.

  This one seems to be a no-brainer. Compared with collaboration and sustainability, technology is the most widely accepted definition of innovation. To some extent, we tend to rely too much on technology itself to solve every problem in the world. When combined with collaboration and sustainability, technology is at its best. The balance is crucial. Without collaboration, technology doesn’t advance as quickly. Without sustainability, technology isn’t long term enough. But collaboration and sustainability without technology isn’t as scalable.

  Using the sectors I mentioned in Economy 2.0 blog post, let’s check out examples of technology innovations coming out of Portland:

  EDUCATION
  I don’t know much about Educadium, but from what I’ve seen from their website, it’s a great way to leverage the web to increase access to educational opportunities. Their mission is “to help individuals and organizations of all sizes create, manage, and profit from online teaching and training through easy-to-use and affordable learning management tools.“ One of the great hopes for technology and education is to level the playing field for those trying to teach, and to increase access for those wanting to learn. Of course, we need to address the digital divide, but that’s another blog post entirely!

  ENERGY
  BetterBricks is the commercial building initiative of the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, which is supported by local electric utilities. BetterBricks’ goals are to support the marketplace’s capability to deliver efficient products and services, provide pragmatic and comprehensive information about energy efficiency and its benefits, and build awareness and demand for energy efficiency in buildings. The key question to me is how we scale efforts around clean tech, not just grow individual clean tech companies. BetterBricks is one way to address this.

  FOOD
  If you live in Portland, then you’re no stranger to New Seasons Market. Besides being a model of sustainable operations, local options, organic foods, and a community commitment, they’ve also been innovating with technology. Their online shopping service makes it easy for anyone (including those not near a store) to benefit from their products anytime during the week. And is this sustainable? You bet. New Seasons fuel their vans with a B20 biodiesel blend in a process that utilizes their own delis’ used cooking oil. And they can prevent up to 240 trips to the grocery store per day through grouping the online shopping purchases together, potentially saving over 80 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year. Now I’m hungry…

  HEALTH
  Intel is one of Oregon’s biggest employers, and their new personal telehealth product is an intriguing way to leverage technology to provide better healthcare. People can get monitored by the healthcare provider from home, which is more convenient for people in rural areas or for anyone who finds it difficult to travel to their healthcare provider’s office. And perhaps more regular monitoring can take place, which could head off problems before they get worse.

  HOUSING
  GreenRenter is a great online source for green rental properties. Their mission is to inspire renters and owners to go green through showcasing green properties and providing resources. Again, this is a great example of technology helping to scale the impact of collaboration and sustainability. Check out the site for both commercial and residential properties.

  PRODUCTS
  I’m a big proponent of more centralized resources for furthering the commercialization of innovative products. A great example of this is Oregon State University’s Food Innovation Center. The FIC helps people commercialize their product ideas through research and technology. Portland has attracted and retained a lot of people with innovative ideas thanks to lifestyle and sustainability reasons. But that increases competition for existing jobs. What we need is more cross functional resources to commercialize and scale ideas people have. And these can come from higher education, government, nonprofits, or other businesses.

  TRANSPORTATION
  You have to love Clever Cycles. Their mission is to promote cycling as primary transportation for the everyday activity of households and businesses. Not just for commuting or fitness, but also family and cargo transport. This requires a whole set of unique tech solutions to bicycles, gear, and accessories. They’ve scoured the planet for products that fit their mission. And in the process, they’ve become a focal point for a growing community.

  Do you have suggestions of other innovative models of technology in these sectors? Share them in the comments field below. In my next blog post, we’ll take a look at how we can all be a part of Economy 2.0…

  -Justin

  Continue Reading…

  

• Sustainable sustainability

  May 04, 2009

  Next up in our innovation blueprint (collaboration + sustainability + technology) for Economy 2.0 is sustainability.

  No doubt there’s a lot of baggage with the term sustainability. What does it mean? Why does it sound so whimpy? The best definition out there is the Natural Step’s. In terms of the word itself, people criticize it for not being aspirational or inspiring. And I agree. But to me, the point is sustainability. By paying attention to the triple bottom line (people, planet, and profit), we’re able to sustain innovation and not get too out of balance. Because as we know, getting out of balance results in major shocks to the system. A lot of this is common sense and harkens back to the old days when things were simpler. Time to go back to the future.

  So the bottom line is, sustainability is an approach to sustaining innovation. Using the sectors I mentioned in Economy 2.0 blog post, let’s check out examples of sustainability innovations coming out of Portland:

  EDUCATION
  The Northwest Earth Institute publishes discussion courses about sustainability that grows sustainably. What do I mean by that? You gather some friends or colleagues, do a course, and you either repeat the process for another course, or your friends/colleagues start their own. It grows without much top down guidance because people can talk about their passion around community and the environment. It’s also innovative because it’s an education approach that spurs personal action, without being prescriptive about how to bring about change.

  ENERGY
  Want to offset your carbon footprint? Check out the Bonneville Environmental Foundation. What they do is basically create an innovation fund for the development of renewable energy sources like solar power and wind farms. It’s a successful attempt at lowering the barrier to entry for new sustainable technologies while leveraging a fresh approach to marketing something that could be dry. And what makes it sustainable in the long term? There will always be a higher cost to new technology. This is a program that engages people and organizations to help bring down the barriers without relying solely on investors.

  FOOD
  Portland Farmer’s Market is an organization that has been putting on farmer’s markets since 1992. As we know, these markets are the perfect balance of people, planet, and profit. What makes it sustainable over the long term is the message of a closer, direct connection between the farmers, community members, and the food.

  HEALTH
  Coalition for a Livable Future is a group of almost 100 organizations dedicated to health and livability in the Portland area. By addressing health at a high level and stressing the interconnectedness of the issue, I’m betting that CLF’s efforts are sustainable over the long term. Health isn’t an isolated issue. We’re all connected to it.

  HOUSING
  Verde creates environmental job training, employment, and entrepreneurial opportunities to residents of Hacienda CDC affordable housing and to other disadvantaged individuals. The key to the success of affordable housing is the success of the residents. By providing sustainability-related education and opportunities, Verde is working toward the long term success of the residents.

  PRODUCTS
  Rebuilding Center is a major hub of reused materials for new buildings and remodeling projects that employes disadvantaged community members. By taking a more balanced triple bottom line approach, the Rebuilding Center is creating a long term success model that will be more sustainable than the boom and bust cycles of more traditional home center retailers.

  TRANSPORTATION
  Ecoshuttle provides transportation services to groups using innovative vans powered by renewable fuels (and there’s wifi on board as well!). Long term, this approach is smart because of potential volatility with traditional fossil fuels, and is a competitive marketing advantage.

  Do you have suggestions of other innovative models of sustainability in these sectors? Share them in the comments field below. In my next blog post, we’ll examine how technology can be leveraged for innovation in Economy 2.0…

  -Justin

  Continue Reading…