Highlights from Eve of Disruption

22 Oct 2008 – Event

These were just some of the questions explored by a group of corporations, NGOs, social entrepreneurs, funding organizations and others at an ‘Eve of Disruption’ hosted by SustainAbility and Volans at The Hub in London on October 22, 2008.

The Hub’s new space in King’s Cross contributed to an engaged and warm atmosphere as the group gathered to consider the implications of the current financial crisis for sustainability. Panelists Louise James from Accenture Development Partnerships and Reed Paget of Belu Water shared their perspectives on possible challenges and opportunities for big and small organizations.

Overall, the tone was one of optimism and can-do, but with a sense of real urgency to ensure that as society shapes the way forward from the current economic crisis, it considers how to better align values and value. There were several comments that the current focus on the economy would trump focus on ecology. (For an interesting piece on this topic, see "“This stock collapse is petty when compared to the nature crunch()”:http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/oct/14/climatechange-marketturmoil”, The Guardian, 14 October, 2008.)

We took the pulse of the group, asking people which characteristics of the current financial system they would like to see scrapped and which elements could contribute to a positive future. Headline: THINK INNOVATION.

Stay tuned for future events from SustainAbility and Volans. Potential topics include “open source for sustainability” and “venture ecosystems.”