The Innovation Biosphere


Book Description

This book addresses those involved in research or R&D. It introduces the principles of eco-innovation and the importance of the impact of their activity. This topic is considered in the context of natural and digital ecosystems powered by intelligent assistants (technology). Chapter 1 positions the innovation as a process and component of ecosystems including research, enterprises, technology (digital ecosystems) and environment. Sustainable success is a condition of survival and an expectation of those who invest in innovation. Chapter 2 describes the main elements to consider and gives some tips. Chapter 3 presents some selected initiatives at the national and European level and provides a way of measuring success.




Harvesting the Biosphere


Book Description

An interdisciplinary and quantitative account of human claims on the biosphere's stores of living matter, from prehistoric hunting to modern energy production. The biosphere—the Earth's thin layer of life—dates from nearly four billion years ago, when the first simple organisms appeared. Many species have exerted enormous influence on the biosphere's character and productivity, but none has transformed the Earth in so many ways and on such a scale as Homo sapiens. In Harvesting the Biosphere, Vaclav Smil offers an interdisciplinary and quantitative account of human claims on the biosphere's stores of living matter, from prehistory to the present day. Smil examines all harvests—from prehistoric man's hunting of megafauna to modern crop production—and all uses of harvested biomass, including energy, food, and raw materials. Without harvesting of the biomass, Smil points out, there would be no story of human evolution and advancing civilization; but at the same time, the increasing extent and intensity of present-day biomass harvests are changing the very foundations of civilization's well-being. In his detailed and comprehensive account, Smil presents the best possible quantifications of past and current global losses in order to assess the evolution and extent of biomass harvests. Drawing on the latest work in disciplines ranging from anthropology to environmental science, Smil offers a valuable long-term, planet-wide perspective on human-caused environmental change.










Intrinsic Capability: Implementing Intrinsic Sustainable Development For An Ecological Civilisation


Book Description

What would a new approach to tackling urgent global issues like poverty, pollution, habitat loss and climate change look like? How can each of us make the most of the opportunities already present in our rapidly changing world?With a focus on the roles of knowledge-building and knowledge traditions — the ways we think —, we get closer to what is intrinsic in the functioning of our world and of ourselves.Topics covered include ecological business and marketing, ecological accounting; changing values in UK businesses; new business models for sustainability in Indian agriculture; sustainability in Latin America, Russia and Vietnam; mobilising the masses through dynamic citizenship in Sweden and Sarajevo; an investigation of the role of artistic collectives for sustainability in Brazil; developing Nairobi in accordance with a Triple Top Line Approach; an examination of two theoretical cultures in Europe and Africa; the emerging Chinese Eco-civilisation; and educating for sustainability in Singapore and Tasmania.




Coviability of Social and Ecological Systems: Reconnecting Mankind to the Biosphere in an Era of Global Change


Book Description

This book considers the principle of ‘sustainable development’ which is currently facing a growing environmental crisis. A new mode of thinking and positioning the ecological imperative is the major input of this volume. The prism of co-viability is not the economics of political agencies that carry the ideology of the dominant/conventional economic schools, but rather an opening of innovation perspectives through science. This volume, through its four parts, more than 40 chapters and a hundred authors, gives birth to a paradigm which crystallizes within a concept that will support in overcoming the ecological emergency deadlock.




Innovation in Environmental Leadership


Book Description

Innovation in Environmental Leadership offers innovative approaches to leadership from a post-industrial and ecological vantage point. Chapters in this collection are written by leading scholars and practitioners of environmental leadership from around the globe, and are informed by a variety of critical perspectives, including post-heroic approaches, systems thinking, and the emerging insights of Critical Leadership Studies (CLS). By taking the natural environment seriously as a foundational context for leadership, Innovation in Environmental Leadership offers fresh insights and compelling visions of leadership pertinent to 21st century environmental and social challenges. Concepts and understandings of leadership emerged as part of an extractive industrial system; this work asks its readers to re-think what leadership looks like in an ecologically sustainable biological system. This book provides fresh insights and critical perspectives on the vibrant and growing field of environmental leadership. It shows the latest state of knowledge on the topic and will be of interest both to students at an advanced level, academics and reflective practitioners. It addresses the topics with regard to leadership theory and environmental leadership and will be of interest to researchers, academics, and students in the fields of sustainability, environmental ethics, natural resource management, environmental studies, business management, public policy, and environmental management.







Ecosystems and Technology


Book Description

Ecosystems and Technology: Idea Generation and Content Model Processing, presents important new innovations in the area of management and computing. Innovation is the generation and application of new ideas and skills to produce new products, processes, and services that improve economic and social prosperity. This includes management and design policy decisions and encompasses innovation research, analysis, and best practice in enterprises, public and private sector service organizations, government, regional societies and economies. The book, the first volume in the Innovation Management and Computing book series, looks at technology that improves efficiency and idea generation, including systems for business, medical/health, education, and more. The book provides detailed examples to provide readers with current issues, including Venture planning for innovations New technologies supporting innovations systems Competitive business modeling Context-driven innovation modeling The generation of ideas faster The measurement of relevant data Virtual interfaces Business intelligence and content processing Predictive modeling Haptic expression and emotion recognition innovations, with applications to neurocognitive medical science This book provides a wealth of information that will be useful for IT and business professionals, educators, and students in many fields.




The Human Experiment


Book Description

It's a story that has never been told … until now. Imagine being sealed into a closed environment for two years — cut off from the outside world with only seven other people — enduring never-ending hunger, severely low levels of oxygen, and extremely difficult relationships. Crew members struggled to survive in Biosphere 2, where they swore nothing would go in or out — no food or water, not even air — all in the name of science. For the first time, biospherian Jane Poynter — who lived and loved in the Biosphere — is ready to share what really happened in there. She takes readers on a riveting, fast-paced trip through shattered lives, scientific discovery, cults, love, fears of insanity, and inspiring human endurance. The eight biospherians who closed themselves into the Biosphere emerged 730 days later… much wiser, thinner, and having done what many had said was impossible.