RealEyes and Ashoka recently arranged for Karl Henrik Robert, founder of The Natural Step, to meet with Prof. Owen Lewis, CEO of SEAI (Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland). The outcome was an agreement to explore together, how SEAI could apply TNS’s framework for strategic sustainable development (FSSD) to inform existing or future SEAI projects and policies, starting with a sustainable approach to retrofitting Ireland’s energy inefficient housing stock.

In his presentation Karl Henrik outlined how the FSSD could be used to inform smart moves in energy efficiency and renewable energy in the context of genuine progress toward a systems definition of sustainability.  He used the rise in food prices that resulted from a higher demand for biofuels as an example of how actions toward renewable energy are not always smart or sustainable. A shared, science-based, systems definition is required to avoid and manage such tradeoffs (plague or cholera) and has the unique advantage of ; avoiding unknown problems related to sustainability in the future, aligning experts from different disciplines or silo’s toward a shared understanding of success in sustainability and seeing each action or policy as a stepping stone toward it rather than a reactive “fix” disconnected from the bigger picture.  Additional features allow for prioritisation of actions based on criteria such as return on investment, flexibility and compliance with principles of sustainability.

Case Study - Karl Henrik went on to describe how stakeholders in Whistler Canada (local authority, businesses and Teresen, the utility company) used the FSSD to collaborate and improve a proposal to overhaul their energy system ahead of hosting the Winter Olympics 2010.  The following videos describe Whistler’s energy story and how it is now moving, step by step, toward sustainable energy in the context of their 2020 vision to become a sustainable community.

Karl Henrik went on to describe how the framework can be applied to inform decision making and planning in a practical sense using an example of a model for a transportation system in Stockholm. He described how the process can be started with a two hour meeting and go deeper as required.  He also outlined examples of renewable energy solutions, where they fit-in and how Sweden has managed to decouple emissions from GNP, despite a dramatic reduction in nuclear capacity. Finally, he finished with details of how universities and stakeholders are cooperating across the globe in applying the framework in 11 specific theme areas such as energy, water management and even conflict resolution through the RealChange programme.

Watch out for updates and developments related to this story on this blog or contact john[at]realeyes.ie for more information.