BEFORE YOU BIOFABRICATE

On lifecycles and hope @jenvandermeer

December 4, 2014

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Jen van der Meer@JENVANDERMEER

3 LESSONSDecember 3, 2014

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WHY AN APP-BASED DIAPER SERVICE WILL NOT SAVE US FROM GLOBAL CLIMATE CATASTROPHE

December 3, 2014

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WHICH IS BETTER?

PAPER VS. PLASTIC CUPS?

CORN-BASED VS. REGULAR CUPS?

PAMPERS VS. CLOTH DIAPERS?

COTTON VS. POLYESTER T SHIRT?

PRIUS VS. HUMMER

IPHONE VS. BOOK?

LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT

A GOAL DIRECTED ANALYSIS TO COMPARE TO A FUNCTIONAL UNIT

WITHIN AN ACCEPTABLE SYSTEM BOUNDARY

TO ACHIEVE A PEER REVIEWED VALIDATED PRODUCT SYSTEM CLAIM

“For the three nappy systems studied, there was no significant difference between any of the environmental impacts – that is, overall no system clearly had a better or worse environmental performance, although the life cycle stages that are the main source for these impacts are different for each system.”

Life Cycle Assessment of Disposable and Reusable Nappies in the UK

DANA MEADOWS: PLACES TO INTERVENE IN A SYSTEM

12. Constants, parameters, numbers (subsidies, taxes, standards)11. The sizes of buffers and other stabilizing stocks, relative to their flows10. The structure of material stocks and flows (transport networks, population age structures)9. Length of delays, relative to the rate of system change8. The strength of negative feedback loops, relative to the impacts they are trying to correct against7. The gain around driving positive feedback loops9. The structure of information flows (who does and does not have access to what kinds of information)5. The rules of the system (such as incentives, punishments, constraints)4. The power to add, change, evolve, or self-organize system structure3. The goals of the system10. The mindset or paradigm out of which the system – its goals, power structure, rules, its culture-arises11. The power to transcend paradigms

With models and measures – we tend to stop there. LCA is not powerful if we don’t change the goals of the system, the mental models we use to see production and consumption.

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WHY ENTREPRENEURSHIP IS OUR BEST HOPE

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WHICH IS BETTER?

NY TAXI VS. UBER?

HILTON VS. AIRBNB?

DAGASTINO’S, FRESH DIRECT, GREENMARKET VS. BLUE APRON?

WE CAN MOVE FROM MODELED > MEASURED DATA, QUICKLY

MEASURE TRACTION

ROLE MODELS: PASSIVE HOUSE(MEASURED VS MODELED ENERGY)

ROLE MODELS: ALL HEALTH TECH STARTUPSOUTCOMES BEFORE TRACTION

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WHY THE MILLENNIALS WILL SAVE US FROM OURSELVES

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MY (GEN X) CHOICES

Non profit For profit

MILLENNIAL CHOICES

Social enterpriseSustainable NGO

World changing startupPurposeful work

WHY: BECAUSE MILLENIALS CAN MAKE

With cheaper tools and data storage, the celebration of creativity, and the power to manifest a new reality, in ever more rapid time cycles.

Creative destruction turns to thriving adaptation when we figure out how to live on this earth, in prosperity

THANKS

Slides at: jenvandermeer.og@jenvandermeer

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