Innovation, creativity and sustainability

Creativity World Forum, November 2010 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: creativity is “the driving force behind our greatest ideas, our most comprehensive solutions, and our most profitable enterprises.”

Who ever found the courage to say that sustainability cost more (in terms of efforts and money)? 

...to follow sustainability give the chances to develop and innovate ourselves, our community and our business.

The research "Why Sustainability Is Now The Key Driver Of Innovation" by R. Nidumolu, C.K. Prahalad, and M.R. Rangaswami published by Harvard Business Review (September 2009), proves the opposit. ...the wonderful thing is that they do it by examples analyzing also how and why development and innovation come out from the choice to have sustainability as business objective.

What is needed is the truly belief that everything can be made in a more sustainable way, that this can bring advantage (if made with the right efforts and ideas) and that the research of a better future is needed and possible. ...then is needed to put energy, creativity and strenght of will in each action that we do each single day! 

...They do, as one of the many examples, the one of ForEx, that looking for a more sustainable business found the way to save fuel and so have less costs; they do the example of Wal-Mart and Unilever that worked (and are working) for a more sustainable Supply Chain, reducing also them the cost related to it... or also Waste Management that created a new profitable business...

All this, say the Authors, happen' through 4 Stages:

1: Viewing Compliance as Opportunity

2: Making Value Chains Sustainable

3: Designing Sustainable Products and Seervices

4: Developing New Business Models

Each of this stage has some challeges, some competencies development needed, and innovation opportunities... 

At familiar level we can do the example of building, and live in an "intelligent building" that helps to reduce cost related to energy, water and gas usually.

Until now we did mostly example on Enviromental Sustainability, so I would like to do also other examples, because sustainability comes also from Community Development, from follow Human Rights principles,...

We can take the example of "The Enabling City" that propose the rediscovery of participation in order to boost creativity as "added value" and make it available to community finalized to reach the objective of "urban sustainability"

My last example will be Lush one: Lush tries to do everything in the better and most sustainable way that they can, in everything they do. ...they work with their suppliers (that they see as partners) in order to develop them and the community where they work in; Lush give financial aid to social projects; do the most eco-friendly products that they can,... Result: their workers are really addicted to them and feel something like loyalty and gratitude to their company, they feel part of the firm, from the bottom of it to the highest executive... this happens also thank you to their inclusiveness in some of this activities.

As proofe I will ask you this: in which other place can you find the shop assistants do something like this without taking revenue or other benefit back?

Lush Shop Assistant doing a campaign for products without packaging

We only need to believe in a better future, a sustainable future...

Innovation, Development, two words that have no sense if not integrated to a sustainable meaning.

What do you think about it?

Creativity training in everyday's life

Today I'm inspired dear friends, and I want immediately to give 2 simple suggestions on how to develop your creativity!

1st:

Basis: Some theories says that in a person creativity development comes through the interaction between the right and the left cerebral hemisphere. Summarizing you can create this interaction doing, feeling new things.

To do: ...so simply, do new things, or better do the same things that you ever do in a different way!

Some examples: if you clean your teeth with your right hand change the hand and do it with the left one... if you do the shower face to the "telephone", let's turn and do it with the back to it,... the second time try to do it with all your hands in the air or why not, raising a leg... train your crativity and your brain in find new things to do or new ways to do things

2nd:

Basis: Brain can be trained

To do: invent a question, a simple question (as example: "how can I go to Rome" or "how can I give away smiles to people around me?") then start to write down each simple/stupid thing that come out to your mind, it doesn't matter if is impossible to realize it, it doesn't matter if is a fantastic answer... the only thing important is to answer without putting barriers or limit to our ideas. Try to arrive to 300 answers, or try to arrive to 400... usually after the answer number 200, approximately, you will start to find troubles, and that's the moment where you are implementing your ability!

I want to leave you with a famous video. A video concerning new things, new ways, new ideas (and also marketing)...

Have a look and, why not, try it at home =D

What do you think about all this?

Have a nice day, and remember that "second rule is: be nice to mommy!"

Creativity, culture, people development

Here I am,
again and again =)

Today I worked on Umberto's Light Bulb blog, and I find the idea...
I would like to create contents, discussion and sharing on creativity, culture and people development.
I will post about creative, strange, cool, brillant ideas that I will find by my way, and if you will share it with me I would like also about yours creation, or about what you will find by your way.
I will write about tools and tips for develop our creativity,  about culture, and about creativity's brillant outputs.

Creativity is what will help us to grow, and to develop ourselves, creativity will bring us to a better world if matched with culture, equity and justice.
Creativity is also what enjoys me...
Because of all this, to discuss and share ideas on "creativity, culture and development" will be my principal purpose with this blog.

...Let's paint together for a better future =))

Some considerations, my role in the world!

Here I am again,
more than one month passed since the last time I wrote...
In this month a lot of things happened in the World and in my life:
Revolutions in Africa and Middle East,
New events happened in Italy,
I went with Oriana to the EBBF-AIESEC congress and to the Shared Responsibility Congress organized by EU
I attended the "Marketing and promotion for tourism" event organized by BTO Educational.
I learnt also to use twitter in an usefull way (communicating with the protesters from Africa)

At the end of all this, the question for me became one, only, simply, one:
How can I be useful and relevant for world/people development?
and then:
...Which has to be my blog's role in all this?

Until now this blog is only as a diary is...and for me it's pretty ok, but can become more, and I would like this to happen'... this means a lot of work, time, passion and continuity... am I able to provide continuity with this blog? Perhaps not... or perhaps yes!!  What I know is that can be something that represents me, that can be something useful to spread my network and facilitate my comunication with the whole World; all what I need is a structure for myself!

Give me the time to imagine it, to build it, and I will come back here again, and ask for your opinions, and give mine.

Coming Soon: ME!


Have a nice day,
please pray for Africa, Meadle East and Japan... please pray for each one of us.

Umberto

Hope

Since a lot of time that I'm not writing here...
I had a lot of things to do, and I have to change my mores, and take my time...
Still a lot of things happend:
A lot of politics changes and scandal,
e-commerce shop closed,
job offers received,
AIESEC new president elections!  (WOW!)
Starting cooperation with my professor in marketing...
and so on...

And I was thinking... I miss a bit the hope... I'm a bit bored from university, but I have to finish in order to start working in Italy or abroad, no difference... but I want to put my energy in something and start again to invest, and enjoing in doing it, in my future, in my hopes... efficently.

who will still alive will see =)

Going to study,
hope to write here again soon,

Umberto =)