Last week sustainability + food was on my radar.  This week, it's happiness.  Maybe because of Coca Cola's massive Open Happiness campaign for the 2010 Games, maybe because spring has come early and the cherry blossams make everything cheery.  The Happiness Project recounts the author's daily adventures in pursuit of happiness, and a NY Times bestseller, while the Future Well is a new design firm specializing in health and happiness.  I'm thinking that the secret of happiness is simply discovering the things in the world that make us smile. For example this public poster series by the Dopludo Collective!  

Bill Gates TED talk is being called one of the most important speeches of the year. It is about climate change. Although we cannot see the talk yet online, Alex Steffan from World Changing has kindly summed it up for us, with some added critical analysis and links to supporting articles. Anyone interested in sustainability and climate change should read it and talk about what it means on a more local level with friends and family. To me, this is big news because the political has been removed. It's neither right nor left, conservative nor liberal. It's real. It's human.

Gates spoke about his commitment to using his massive philanthropic resources (the Gates Foundation is the world's largest) to make life better for people through public health and poverty alleviation ("vaccines and seeds" as he put it). Then he said something he's never said before: that is it because he's committed to improving life for the world's vulnerable people that he now believes that climate change is the most important challenge on the planet. 

On the consumer level, the solution to achieving zero emissions is through net zero buildings (buildings account for up to 30% of emissions).  NetZeroLiving.ca is a project that was recently launched by our friends at LightHouse. Ci was hired to come up with the creative concept and copy writing for the campaign – Make an Impression Without Leaving One. You can download the PDF brochure here, or visit the site to learn more – design principles, case studies and incentive programs surrounding net zero homes in British Columbia and Canada. 

The first Olympic weekend just passed in Vancouver and what I am loving most of it is the warm feeling that happiness is bringing with this celebration. I think it's really amazing to see how one huge business like the Olympics, has brought so many great things to this city. Tons of Cultural things to do and enjoy and a reminder that no matter where you are from, there are still ways to bring us all together. It makes you feel like you belong to an amazing time and moment in life, even when the news talk about money or war, hunger or global warming, to me what matters the most is how you feel at this very moment and how you relate to the people who are close to you, the people that you live with, the people that you share a moment with.

As we learned from the SHIFT Report Sustainability Passion Index (SPI), 19% of the North American population is considered as a Pragmatic Believer. Someone who likes to treat others ethically and with respect, someone who searches for spiritual contentment and support instead of  material contentment and support, and who thinks that feeling connected with family, friends and community and a sense of well being are the biggest Sustainable Issues. There are still some barriers for the Pragmatic Believer, like price and knowledge, in order to complete it's sustainable pad, but at least happiness and respect has no price at all!

Here are some pictures I took over the weekend while I enjoyed from some of  the free activities that happened throughout the weekend!

With only two more days until the opening of the 2010 Olympic Games, Vancouver is an exciting place to be (so long as you are not in a car). The buzz, mounting as people flood into the pedestrian friendly streets full of art installations and photo opportunities. I think I am most excited about the people watching, to witness the city transform and of course all of the (free) cultural events. The world is here.

It was announced that the Olympics have won the bronze medal for their efforts in environmental sustainability efforts. The David Suzuki Foundation praised organizers for building energy-efficient venues, using clean-energy sources, relying on public transit during the Games, and offsetting part of the event's emissions. The first Olympics to take such an integrated approach. They fell short in communicating these efforts: To date the 2010 Olympic organisers haven't made the most of their opportunities to tell the story of their climate initiatives to Canadians and the world.

Riding past the Olympic Village is a beautiful feeling as I now sense the huge accomplishment felt by all those involved, thousands of workers poured their blood and sweat into the development. The Olympic Village represents so much of what is possible in the realm of building and community. So much was learned. Segue to The Challenge Series, an educational publication about the planning, designing and building of the Village. Broken into seven chapters that each cover a different topic, the narratives focus on the challenges we face in light of climate change and in pursuit of sustainability (including all pillars). It focuses not only the urban design strategies and technological innovations (eg. district energy, rain water catchment, radiant heating and cooling) but also on the people who were involved in the project.  

Of course more could have been done in terms of communicating all of the sustainability efforts, and it still can. Measuring or quantifying sustainability is like aiming at a moving target and is something that can only emerge over time. I am, like so many others, curious to see how the city recovers after all is said and done. These 12 short days have changed so much already.

On another note, not to be missed is work by Mexican-Canadian artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer – Vectorial Elevation:  

Vectorial Elevation is an interactive artwork that allows participants to transform the sky over Vancouver, Canada. Using a three-dimensional interface, this web site lets you design huge light sculptures by directing 20 robotic searchlights located around English Bay. A web page is made for each participant with photos of their design from four cameras located around the city. 

Amazing photos of the interactive installation can be seen at vancouverisawesome.com, while the offical CODE live website where you can add your own design is here.

Food in the media is at the top of my radar these days. I've been cooking a lot of great recipes at home and with such mild weather, I am getting excited to start planting some seeds in the earth. I was most impressed to see Michael Pollan on Oprah a few days ago. Delighted and hopeful in thinking just how many people across North America were tuned in to his brilliance and concern. The average American eats fast food four times a day, he reports, while we have inversed our food to healthcare spending. No wonder organic food is not at the top of mind as a sustainability issue for most, according to The SHIFT Report. However we do know that 60% of North Americans have made changes for the better when it comes to food, and 20% plan to make some healthy changes.

A recent peer reviewed study demonstrates that there are indeed harmful pesticides found in everyday food products. Chensheng Lu, the principal author of the study writes: "Once you switch from conventional food to organic, the pesticides (malathion and chlorpyrifos) that we can measure. The level returns immediately when you go back to the conventional diets." The study is yet another wake up call for people to make more conscious choices related to food.

From Food Inc. raising questions about where our food comes from, Julia and Juliet bringing love back into the kitchen, to Chipotle changing the nature of fast food in the USA, to Pollan's new book Food Rules, to the rise of urban agriculture and people spending more time in their kitchens, signs are pointing to the fact that North Americans are waking up and asking the questions about what we are putting in our bodies and how it effects us.

Also noted:

Our friends at Spud! would be happy to know that they were featured on Trendcentral's daily feed – Farm To (Your) Table: Fresh, local fare can now be delivered as you like it.

And for those of us in Vancouver who read the New York Times, a very complimentary and flavourful review of our culinary offerings as the world comes to pay us a visit.  

Bon Apetit!

Part of the fun about Twitter, I’m finally discovering, is that you get to ‘follow’ people you only ever get to see on TED talks, or by reading their books and magazines.  John Maeda, President of Rhode Island School of Design, has an extremely refreshing and optimistic outlook on life which makes him that much more enjoyable to follow!  One of his latest tweets that caught my attention was a quote by author Palolo Coelho "Art and storytelling are the only bridges we have left in a world that is collapsing."  From Ci’s perspective, this is especially pertinent (in a strategic / romantic / Alchemist kind of way).
 
So what happens when our Vocal Globalists* are also Artists and Storytellers?  Good things.  For example: Challenge Your World 20/20 is a partnership between Challenge Your World and Motionographer. 20 video artists create 20 wild, whimsical, and unconventional machines that solve environmental issues. They believe “If we’re going to transform the world we have to push ourselves to think differently.” You can see the videos here. My favourite has to be Recycle Invaders by Thiago Maia!

* Vocal Globalists are passionate about social and environmental issues and make up 34 percent of the population. They are more concerned about Global Warming than any other group. They are very much connected with their community, talking amongst friends and writing blogs. They take the time to be aware of the issues, and are simultaneously anxious and confident about the future (SHIFT Report Sustainability Passion Index (SPI)).

Dr. Ron Burnett, President of Emily Carr University, and former teacher of mine shares his optimistic view of the Literate Future:

“The beauty of language is its flexibility and adaptability. The various modes of conversation to which we have become accustomed over centuries have a textured and rich quality that depends on our desire to communicate. That desire crosses nearly every cultural and political boundary on this shrinking earth. Rather than worry about whether text messaging will undermine literacy, we need to examine how to use all of the new modalities of communications now available to us to enhance the relationships we have with each other. That is the real challenge, quality of exchange, what we say and why and how all of that translates into modes of expression that can be understood and analyzed.”

What I take away from his closing paragraph is by simply having an open mind to our now multi modal existence, we may be able to better cherish and appreciate conversations, share knowledge and strengthen relationships; that the real challenge is to not waste our time and energy with mindless distraction.  After all, feeling connected to family, friends and communities is the top sustainability issue for North Americans.  Today, there have never been more ways to stay connected with one another.

I will be posting here more frequently, and am looking forward to it.  Garnering information from multiple channels – feeds, tweets, newspapers, blogs and the SHIFT Report findings – to record and support the cultural shift to sustainability.  It is happening, friends.

SHIFT 2010 is the most cohesive set of intelligence on attitudes/ perceptions/ behaviors around sustainability and social responsibility – and the impact this has on lifestyle choices, brand relationships and purchase decisions.

We are thrilled to say that the next installment of SHIFT – another 5,000 North American study and Sustainability Passion Index consumer segmentation – is currently in the field and we will have data in the next 2 weeks or so.

SHIFT makes up the backbone of all the work we do, and in addition to all the cultural analysis and marketplace intelligence gathering we complete throughout the year, it’s crucial to get a very robust pulse on what everyday people make of this thing called ‘sustainability’, and its relationship with brands, lifestyle choices and purchase decisions.

What’s more, this year’s study will dig even deeper into the following areas:

• Political affiliations: What relationship do Republicans have with sustainability? How does this compare with Democrats? Or in Canada, on the eve of the Liberals no-confidence vote in Canada, are Conservative voters any different than NDP or Liberal supporters.
• Sustainable consumption categories: In 2008 we looked at which macro categories people said they had made or planned to make sustainable lifestyle choices and purchase decisions: My Home Energy, My Clothing, My Children, My Financial Investments and much more (click here for list). This year we’re going micro, looking at the myriad decisions for each category. For people making sustainable decisions related to their children, we’re taking a deeper look at food, clothing or toys. For Home Energy, is it appliances? Lightbulbs? etc. For food, is it meats? Produce? Dairy? etc… We’ll find out.
• Personal banking: who is making socially responsible and sustainable choices related to personal banking? And within that, is it credit cards, mortgages or day-to-day banking?
• Google search terms: what search terms are people using when searching for information on a brand’s sustainability ‘credibility’?
• Product labeling: What specific labeling characteristics are people looking for? Do they want to see Certified Organic? Or do they want to see Produced Locally?
• Product packaging: What actual packaging materials are people looking for? Local? Organic? Toxin-free?
• Social media (Blogs, Facebook, Twitter). For people who rank Fair Trade as a top sustainability issue, what’s their relationship with Facebook or Twitter? Alternatively, people who are using Facebook, or Twitter frequently, what’s their relationship with sustainability?

 Access to this intelligence starts at $1,000.

Look for exclusive early findings from SHIFT 2010 on Matter Network. Matter will be sharing exclusive findings from the energy and digital technology sections of SHIFT as the data rolls in via their website, Twitter and Facebook page.

www.matternetwork.com

Twitter @matternetwork

Facebook page

SHIFT has been put to work for a number of great companies including Worldchanging, Adidas, The Ethical Funds Company, The North Face, Keen Footwear, Starbucks, Lowe Worldwide, Droga5, Butler Shine & Stern, Publicis, and GSD&M’s Idea City to name a few… if you’re interested in learning more, email kierstin [at] ci-shift [dot] com, or call + 1 604 877 1277.

  "Many people trying to market sustainability efforts barely know what the word means, and have no new ideas for how to explore and explain it -- that's what makes Ci and their SHIFT Report so refreshing.

They combine deep, grounded knowledge of the sustainability landscape with fresh thinking and hot insights about how to actually get through to people about what your business is doing for the planet and humanity. SHIFT is about changing your thinking, not just the buzzwords in your pamphlets.”

- Alex Steffan CEO and Executive Editor, Worldchanging Author, Worldchanging: A User's Guide for the 21st Century 

OK… so it’s not The League of Gentlemen – thankfully - but Kierstin will be speaking at the launch of LoCo BC today and will be sharing some insights from Ci’s SHIFT Report on the relationship with ‘local’, and where it fits into the overall sustainability equation.

If you’re in Vancouver this evening, check out the info here.

“I've tried more. It's awful. I want less, and I want it now.” Consumed with too much stuff and overwhelmed by too many things to do, The Guardian’s Charlie Brooker nails it with this terrific article… Time for a Cultural diet!