The SEEDS Framework Summarized
A short description of the five areas of SEEDS are presented here, with case studies. SEEDS is an acronym for Strengthening of Health, Education, Entrepreneurship, Digital Unification and Sustainable Distributed Energy and Mobility, and is a framework to govern where to invest sustainability innovation funding, within what areas.
Strengthening of Health
Here, innovations focusing on strengthening of health is focused (rather than just eliminate disease). All related, with a health impact, directly and indirectly, can be included and covered – clean water accessible, lifestyle changes, medical and pharmaceutical development and so on. Some case studies;
IAVI, International Aids Vaccine Initiative, works towards the long-term solution to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. At this stage clearly on the sustainability innovation generation stage, whereas the commercial applications will take into account the groundwork done by this pioneering initiative. The really big diseases in the world, like the now eradicated smallpox, polio and so forth has been finding their final solution only at the stage when an easily distributed vaccine has been researched, launched and distributed, and usually with globally joint initiatives regularly through WHO. Not this time – IAVI was started as an independent foundation.
SODIS: Switzerland’s Federal Institute for Environmental Science and Technology has created the cheapest, simplest water purification system ever. Solar water disinfection (known as SODIS) is so simple that many believe it can’t work – but it does, as people in at least 20 countries have shown. Just fill plastic water bottles, shake to oxygenate, then leave them in the sun for 6-8 hours – if possible, on a surface that will increase the heat, such as corrugated metal roofing or black plastic. The radiation from sunlight and the increased temperature of the water are enough to kill many forms of bacteria and viruses.
IAVI - the International Aids Vaccine Initiative
SODIS in the Phillipines
Education
Education is a key for a lasting change, wherever. It goes beyond just killing illiteracy, but in fact to empower and equip every kid in the world with knowledge to take charge of their own destiny, and get access to the vast amount of knowledge now found e. g. through Internet and the global result of the collaborative wisdom of Wikipedia and other sources in the curious search through the servers found at “Googleplex”.
The education project One Laptop Per Child, OLPC, is on its way pouring millions of educational power-tools to every school-kid in the world. It started out as an almost non-commercial application, whereas the innovation and technology in itself mainly has been blueprinted and developed at MIT and affiliated entrepreneur Nicholas Negroponte and seeking to find governments and school authorities to buy computers, and mass-produced in Thailand, not end consumers. At November 12, 2007, a semi-commercial initiative started for a limited time, where you could buy two computers – one for you, one for a kid!
Nicholas Negroponte on the OLPC Vision from TEDTalks 2006
Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurship has the power for youngsters and adults to take themselves out of poverty, and not just themselves, but the whole local community in collaborative efforts and vibrant networks of micro-entrepreneurs. One major proponent to empower the micro-entrepreneurial effort is the micro-credit movement mentioned, with role-model and “poster boy” named Muhammad Yunus, now honored even with his “fan club” - www.muhammadyunus.org. But even this innovative approach is still possible to innovate further.
A micro-finance network through Internet has established - totally peer to peer - Kiva. You lend money, not a micro finance institution – directly to entrepreneurs, empowered by Internet, and follow their stories through an authentic journal. Minimizing middlemen and intermediaries and supposed to maximize the direct commitment at both ends of the loan chain, this initiative holds the promise to bridge more than financial resources, creating alternative stories of hope told through the everydayness stories from the micro entrepreneur that you lend money to. Illustrating the power of Internet as an empowerment tool.
Watabaran is a sustainopreneurial venture in Nepal, solving many problems at the same time, with disadvantaged all levels producing e. g. Xmas cards, Calendars and Notebooks from recycled paper found in the streets of Katmandu, with former street citizens now educated and employed. At the same time, awareness is increased among the customers, primarily focused are companies sending Xmas cards to their customers, employees and suppliers as an act to walk their talk in sustainability and strengthening this profile.
The KIVA Model Explained
Choose an Entrepreneur, Lend, Get Repaid The below diagram shows briefly how money gets from you to a developing-world entrepreneur, and back.
1) Lenders like you browse profiles of entrepreneurs in need, and choose someone to lend to. When they lend, using PayPal or their credit cards, Kiva collects the funds and then passes them along to one of our microfinance partners worldwide.
2) Kiva's microfinance partners distribute the loan funds to the selected entrepreneur. Often, our partners also provide training and other assistance to maximize the entrepreneur's chances of success.
3) Over time, the entrepreneur repays their loan. Repayment and other updates are posted on Kiva and emailed to lenders who wish to receive them.
4) When lenders get their money back, they can re-lend to someone else in need, donate their funds to Kiva (to cover operational expenses), or withdraw their funds.
Source: http://www.kiva.org/about/how/
Watabaran making corporate christmas cards in Katmandu, Nepal.
Digital Unification
The part of the world not even seen a telephone, that used to be half of the world's population - lesser now, this estimate is outdated - and access is rapidly increasing - thanks to the introduction of the cellphone. Internet has the power to not just bridge the digital divide, but also cultural divides empowering global dialogues towards a changed world-view, e. g. more positive imaging of the developing parts of the world, at the same time as transfer of knowledge goes in both directions. So, “digital unification” is powering a cultural shift, with this "social media" view of technology. It is of priority to put the information and communication tools in the hands of pupils, micro entrepreneurs, educators and doctors everywhere, giving power to their everydayness strives in the quest to improve life quality of their fellow citizens.
Grameen Phone, for example, is a model flourishing and puts cell-phones in hands of villagers not just in Bangladesh nowadays. See the TED Talk on the amazing story about Grameen Phone from the founder Iqbal Quadir. Rural Internet now creatively distributed through WiFi Motorcycles relaying out a signal some couple of times a week when passing by, through First Mile Solutions.
Iqbal Quadir and the story about the Grameen Phone bottom-up development
The First Mile Solutions Technology, Social and Business Model
The term "First Mile" was coined by Titus Moetsabi, a poet/ developmental communications specialist, at a Southern African Rural Connectivity Workshop in Harare in February, 1997. He was the first to turn the "last mile" concept on its head and help us think instead of rural communities from the user perspective -- the first mile, not the last. This term expresses a more equitable and far less top-down approach to the challenge of providing universal connectivity.
The Internet is the nervous system of our planet and the billions of people who lack communications infrastructure do not see themselves as the "last mile problem". For under $1.00 per user, rural communities that have never seen a newspaper can do things like email, browse the Web, and have their own voicemail box using FMS technology. First Mile Solutions technology leverages two major trends that are rapidly driving costs down: WiFi (802.11x wireless) and digital storage. Essentially, FMS develop cached WiFi intelligence.
The WiFi signal is distributed in many legs, where the first mile is done through a motorcycle or a van.
Sustainable Distributed Energy and Mobility
Shifting kerosene and charcoal as energy sources in developing economies, and increasing access to electricity is crucial for development. Modern applications of renewable energy sources emerging from “clean tech” can literally (em)power the people! Extending the homework hours for the kids and some extra job hours at home can be made possible through Solar Home Systems, at the same time as the health damaging effects from kerosene lamps are gone. Micro hydro is also an efficient small-scale solution as opposed to the big water dams. Power at family and community level means power to the people, community up, not top down.
Solar energy and other forms of sustainable distributed small-scale infrastructure organized energy forms are financed through E+Co. Here, in this context, Grameen Shakti is worth mentioning, using micro finance as a model to provide villagers with renewable energy. Grameen Shakti won the 'Alternative Nobel Prize': The Right Livelihood Award.
And to end all these descriptions of SEEDS case studies, the 'mobility challenge' is also there, changing our transport systems to the more sustainable. This could be best illustrated by the first generation of cars coming from Tesla (funded and developed mostly in Silicon Valley, manufactured by Lotus in the UK), the Tesla Roadster. A high-end sports car running completely on electrical power. This signifies that the sustainability challenges are equally big in the developed part of the world as well as the developing - and the need for speed to get to the solutions are there. Besides transport on the ground, a great need is to get a shift towards sustainable air transport as well.
E+Co and Grameen Shakti - revamping investment models and energy systems
E+Co - investing in energy companies that provide small-scale infrastructure energy systems to micro-enterprises and households in the developing economies.
The type and character of enterprises E+Co invest in are illustrated by the case of Grameen Shakti, see video below.
Grameen Shakti has sold and installed over 65,000 solar home-systems (SHS) in rural Bangladesh, and brought major benefits to its users. Nearly 70% of households in Bangladesh are not connected to the electricity grid and depend on kerosene for lighting. This includes most rural areas and extends as far as the fringes of Dhaka. There are plans to extend the grid, but there is little prospect of substantial change in the foreseeable future.
By selling SHS, Grameen Shakti has provided lighting, communications (especially mobile phone charging) and TV, and has increased employment opportunities. It is the largest single installer of SHS in Bangladesh.
Fundraising of the SEEDS Investment Fund will be done through various commercial and sustainopreneurial activities from the founder. Further supportive knowledge will also be built up through a new research venture created by the founder.