This Eskimo proverb provides a timely insight into the potential of innovation as a source of economical, social, technical and environmental change. One of the world’s most innovative companies, Ideo, invites discussion on its ‘Big conversations & small talk’ facebook group titled ‘Turning recession on its head: is there an upside to the downturn’? For readers of Street Editors with an inkling for entrepreneurship, a bone for invention and a deep craving to make a difference, this forum will provide some appetizing brain food. And it seems timing is everything. Just yesterday it was brought to my attention that this week celebrates the inaugural Global Entrepreneurship Week, an initiative launched by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The international program of events encourages youth to think big, turn their ideas into reality, and make their mark. For those in Sydney on Wednesday night, Vibewire is co-presenting an evening with the School for Social Entrepreneurs in Ultimo.
Archive for the 'International' Category
“the storm is the time to fish”.
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As a creator of previous guerrilla marketing campaigns, I take my hat off to the Yes Men. Besides staging previous memorable stunts embarrassing Exxon Mobile and the World Trade Organisation, this week they are rumoured to have been behind the production and distribution of 1.2million fake copies of The New York Times across New York City and Los Angeles. With a front page headline reading “IRAQ WAR ENDS” and with other articles titled “Nationalized Oil to Fund Climate Change efforts” and “Nation Sets its Sights on Building Sane Economy”, I’m sure many people wished what they were reading was true. The motive seems to be political. As reported on the Sydney Morning Herald today, it seems those behind the paper swindle wanted to pressure incoming President elect Barak Obama by producing what the news could be should he maintain certain election pledges. Positive media for the masses, at least for one day.
Jane Goodall begins with the traditional greeting of the chimpanzees from the Gombe forest in Tanzania. Whooping with such joy and energy as she delivers the call of the primate she knows so well, 74-year-old Jane’s passion is palpable. It is now almost 50 years since she first set foot in the forests of East Africa in pursuit of her dream to study chimpanzees in the wild and, in the decades since, she has become one of the world’s most respected scientists, conservationists and humanitarians. Founding the Jane Goodall Institute for Wildlife Research, Education and Conservation in 1977, Jane has since evolved the institute’s mission to now ‘advance the power of individuals to take informed and passionate action to improve the environment for all living things’. Now, through community-centred conservation and development programs, including the microcredit-focused Take Care program and the Roots & Shoots education program, Jane continues her quest with the same passion, vigour and enthusiasm of that 23-year-old girl who set off for Africa equipped with little more than her inherent love for animals.
Growing up in New York City, roaming the streets in search of childhood adventure and fuelled by the exotic ethnic foods of the metropolis’ street vendors, Mark Bittman developed his appreciation for food early in life. His passion for cooking, however, was born out of necessity, when he headed off to college in Massachusetts and found that any access to good food had vanished completely. Realising that if he wanted to eat well, he had to make it himself, Mark soon began to explore his love of cooking and seized the opportunity to write about it as a journalist. Specialising in simple recipes from basic ingredients, Mark soon found great success publishing cookbooks based on this premise. While he never formally trained as a chef, his minimalist take on food earned him great trust with gourmets across the United States. Now, as the award-winning author of the much-praised New York Times column ‘The Minimalist’ and with a new book, Food Matters, on the way, Mark is on a mission to educate the world about the importance of eating ethically and the effects that industrial food production has on the planet.
Continue reading ‘international dreamer – mark bittman’
While we may not realise it, we spend a significant portion of our lives seated in a chair. From the office chair to the driver’s seat, the couch to the cafe armchair, we spend hours upon hours moving from one seat to the next. Most of us give little thought to the structure upon which we are perched. But to celebrated industrial designer Jeffrey Bernett, the chair is a complex object that not only requires intense rumination and careful design, but that can also dramatically increase a person’s quality of life. Since founding New York design collective studio B in 1995, as a vehicle to conceive and promote projects in a wide range of design disciplines such as interior architecture, furniture, household products, lighting and fashion accessories, Jeffrey has mustered an impressive stable of clients, among them Italian design savant, B&B Italia. Almost 15 years later, as he has the opportunity to satiate his relentless wanderlust travelling the world with his work, Jeffrey’s design philosophy still centres on improving quality of life. But now it’s with a stronger social conscience, as he strives to marry culture with commmerce and imbue his designs with environmental sensitivity. Continue reading ‘international story – jeffrey bernett’
Carl Honoré was living life in the fast lane and loving it. A journalist residing in London, he crammed as much into each day as he could, maximising every possible second, always on the lookout for some way to complete things in as little time as possible. Even reading his son bedtime stories was a race against the clock and he would proudly rush through a fairytale in a matter of minutes. But it was whilst reading a newspaper at an airport in Rome that Carl experienced a life-changing epiphany. Skimming the newspaper, he came across an article entitled The One-Minute Bedtime Story and, for a brief moment, it was the answer to all his prayers. His relief soon turned to horror, when it dawned on him that, in trying to make his life as fast as possible, he had lost sight of what mattered most – spending quality time with his three-year-old son. It was then that Carl decided that his way of life needed to change. In short, it needed to slow down.
As children, our imaginations are swept away by the magic of storytelling. Mystical worlds and fanciful characters occupy our minds as we spend our days enraptured by the stories we are told and those we create ourselves. In the magic of childhood imagination, nothing is impossible. But then, as we grow into adults and common sense and practicality begin to dominate our headspace, the barriers of impossibility loom higher in our consciousness. In the field of design, we are so often told that things aren’t possible or practical. But for Swiss-born industrial designer Yves Behar, the secret to good design is in not losing that childhood imagination. In fact, Yves and his San Francisco-based design agency, fuseproject, have made a career from creating objects – such as the $100 Laptop and the Jawbone headset – that tell incredible stories and make the impossible possible.
Continue reading ‘international dreamer – yves behar’
As the lights begin to fade to darkness, a heightened, soul-stirring silence falls upon the audience at the annual TED Conference. Seated to the side of the TED stage sits Chris Anderson, the inspirational owner and ingenious curator of TED – a man who is quite possibly responsible for the greatest gathering of minds on the planet. Al Gore, the once ‘next President of the United States of America’, makes his entrance onto the stage. He walks towards the lectern, leans forward into the microphone, gazes out into the audience and begins to speak. “Thank you so much, Chris. It’s truly a great honour to have the opportunity to be on this stage twice – I’m extremely grateful. I have been blown away by the TED conference and I want to thank all of you for the many nice comments about what I had to say the other night. And I say that sincerely partly because …” (he mock sobs) “I need that!” (laughter) “Put yourselves in my position …” (applause) “I flew on Air Force Two for eight years and now I have to take off my shoes to get on an airplane!” Continue reading ‘international dreamer – chris anderson’
When he was 10 years old, James Redfield’s boyhood imagination was consumed by one particular dream. Living on a lake surrounded by verdant wilderness in all its glory, he dreamed of catching the biggest bass that anyone had ever seen. Everyday, he would imagine the moment when he would catch that fish, visualising every detail as the mighty creature jumped high into the air, its scales glittering in the sunlight as it leaped about on the end of his line. For years this dream occupied the young boy’s heart until, one day, when he was 15 years old, it finally became a reality. Everything he had visualised for so long occurred exactly as it had in the fertile depths of his imagination. This experience was an important one in James’ life path and, 28 years later, he would capture the world’s imagination with a story based on such premises in his iconic book The Celestine Prophecy. Continue reading ‘live dreamer - james redfield’
Forty years at the top of his profession has done little to dim iconic architect Moshe Safdie’s passion for adventurous and controversial design. At the age of 70, many could be excused for slowing down in their careers. But in Moshe Safdie’s case he is as energetic about his profession today as he was 40 years ago when he rose to fame. Many architects spend a lifetime defining their architectural design philosophy and working towards a body of work that best represents their craft. But for Moshe, his journey was a lot more sudden and an exception to the rule. At 28, fresh out of an apprenticeship, the graduate architect rose to fame with his design of Habitat 67 – a complex of cellular residences that could be lifted into place like LEGO blocks. Habitat 67 was the central feature at the World Fair and, within just months of its opening, Moshe was featured on the cover of Businessweek. Fifty-million people were exposed to Moshe and his ideas, and his profile was elevated to star-like quality. Now, at 70, and with Habitat 67 still going strong, time has proved Moshe Safdie to be anything but your typical prodigy. Continue reading ‘international dreamer - moshe safdie’
For some, the process of air travel embodies much more than just the opportunity to get from one place to another. For others, air travel offers a fleeting moment in their lives to be suspended in a world between worlds – a transit world – where you are inaccessible to the rest of the world and inspired by the virtues of wandering. Few activities offer the promise, joy and excitement of the unexpected, the mysteriousness and the new. And for some, this world is the catalyst for many a great idea. For Emily Pilloton, founder of Project H Design, it was the latter. On a flight flying from Chicago to San Francisco, it was here that she first questioned the purpose of good sustainable design. Continue reading ‘international dreamer: emily pilloton’
At a certain low point in his twenties, Chris Anderson had an epiphany. At 27 years old, to be precise, he had come to accept that he had no talent. Although Chris was the “last to recognise his lack of talent”, his days as a bicycle messenger were over and his dreams of making it big in his punk rock band had come to an end. In short, failure was his best friend. Fast forward to April 2007 and Chris would not only find himself as the editor of iconic magazine, Wired, but he would also be named in the Time 100 - the news magazine’s list of the 100 men and women whose power, talent or moral example is transforming the world. Continue reading ‘international dreamer – chris anderson’
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