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The Economy

The Economy
2017 Summit Phil Brown

Relive the most impactful moments from the 2017 Summit.

Our curated highlights package offers a concise overview of the key discussions and presentations.

Watch all the essential recaps now.

Sustainable Human Launches New Gift-Based Economic System

The current economic system, driven by growth and profit, depletes resources and exacerbates inequality. Sustainable Human proposes a new path: a voluntary global gift economy designed to foster abundance for all by transcending scarcity economics.

This initiative invites individuals to share their unique gifts and skills, collaborating on projects to create goods and services given freely. Powered by Hylo, the Sustainable Human Gift Economy Network aims to build a bottom-up, participatory system, reducing reliance on the traditional industrial economy. Learn more and participate at sustainablehuman.com.

Part 3: Your Wealth Does Not Justify Overconsumption

Environmental and economic problems like low wages and unemployment are often blamed on a hard-to-regulate U.S. economy. However, this system is intentionally rigged for the wealthy. Laws and policies overwhelmingly favor them, allowing control of vast resources and lavish living, while most Americans struggle paycheck to paycheck.

Despite ample resources, our economic system is designed for the wealthy, who manipulate it via political influence. It could easily be regulated to ensure decent jobs, healthcare, and homes for all. Yet, we largely complain without taking action.

See related content: Part One and Part Two.

Part 2: You Are Responsible For Everything You Buy

Consumers bear responsibility for the entire product lifecycle, from resource extraction and manufacturing to eventual disposal. Despite holding admirable sustainability values, our purchasing behaviors often fail to align, impeding progress in environmental, social, and economic sustainability. Individual actions form the foundation for meaningful change.

For more insights, see Part One: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TFWbpgCFjg

By Kat McDearis and Eric Pappas. Copyright 2015.

Michael Pawlyn - NewDynamic2 - promo2

Explore the principles of biomimetic design in Michael Pawlyn's chapter, featured in the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's latest publication: "A New Dynamic 2: Effective systems in a circular economy."

Order your copy of "A New Dynamic 2" here: tiny.cc/newdynamic2.

Learn more about the Ellen MacArthur Foundation: ellenmacarthurfoundation.org.

Hunter Lovins NewDynamic2 promo2

Hunter Lovins discusses soil and the circular economy in an engaging clip. Her insights are featured in the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's latest publication, "A New Dynamic 2: Effective systems in a circular economy."

Order your copy of the book: tiny.cc/newdynamic2

Learn more about the Ellen MacArthur Foundation: www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org

ResCoM Overview

Discover ResCoM (Resource Conservative Manufacturing), a project developing an innovative methodology and software platform. Its aim is to implement closed-loop manufacturing systems within industry. Learn more at ResCoM website.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Programme for research, technological development, and demonstration under grant agreement No 603843.

The New Plastics Economy

The New Plastics Economy is a three-year initiative dedicated to building a functional plastics system.

Learn more about this project by visiting newplasticseconomy.org.

The animation was created by Simon Tibbs.

Schools & Colleges - Top 5 Skills to learn in the 21st Century

The Schools and Colleges team interviewed UWC SEA students in Singapore. Initially up-cycling plastic bags, their work evolved towards regenerative design. These students now share their top five essential 21st-century skills for schools.

Learn more about our schools program here. We also invite you to share your systems thinking or circular economy education story with us.

Schmidt MacArthur Fellowship: What we're looking for

The Schmidt MacArthur Fellowship invites postgraduate and graduate students interested in the circular economy to apply. The submission deadline is February 12.

Find out more and submit your application on the Ellen MacArthur Foundation website: ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/programmes/education/schmidt-macarthur-fellowship.

Schools & Colleges - Learning for a circular economy

Students from UWC SEA in Singapore, who evolved from up-cycling plastic bags to regenerative design, share their insights. They offer ideas on how schools and institutions can foster learning for the circular economy.

Discover more about our educational initiatives and contribute your own systems thinking or circular economy story. Visit the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's Schools & Colleges program: https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/programmes/education/schools-colleges.

Schools and Colleges - What is Circle

The Schools and Colleges team interviewed UWC SEA students in Singapore. These students evolved from up-cycling plastic bags to embracing regenerative design, ultimately establishing a circular consultancy. They share insights into their journey and the consultancy's mission.

Learn more about our work in schools: Ellen MacArthur Foundation - Schools & Colleges.

We invite you to share your systems thinking or circular economy education story with us.

Copy of Disruptive Innovation Festival official launch video 2014

Join us for DIF 2014.

Register for your free pass at thinkdif.co/me.

Google Talks: Otto Scharmer

Published on August 29, 2016, by Google Talks, this features Otto Scharmer. He is a Senior Lecturer at MIT, co-founder of the Presencing Institute and the Global Wellbeing Lab, and chairs the MIT IDEAS program.


Scharmer introduced the concept of "presencing"—learning from the emerging future—in his bestselling books *Theory U* and *Presence*.


To order his book, *Theory U*, visit Amazon or your local bookstore.

Economy for the Common Good: Christian Felber

Economist and writer Christian Felber presents his "Economy for the Common Good" initiative. He explores whether businesses can achieve both endless growth and be fair and sustainable, and if an economic model untainted by our current financial system is possible. Learn more about Felber's work and his book Felber Book on Common Good.


Launched in 2010, the 'Economy for the Common Good' is now supported by over 2000 businesses across 40 countries. It aims to create systemic change by awarding legal benefit points to socially responsible companies, encouraging their pursuit of the common good. Felber demonstrates how this shift can be achieved, and his book "Change Everything" is available for purchase.

Economic Inequality with Danny Dorling

The RSA presented "The Inequality Debate" with Danny Dorling. This discussion explores whether London's economic success justifies growing inequality, and if the city can maintain economic efficiency amidst such disparities.

Watch Professor Dorling, from the University of Oxford, in the latest RSA Spotlight – an edited highlight of the event. For the full replay, click here.

Sabbath Economics

Sabbath Economics is an economic practice rooted in the belief that there are sufficient resources for all. It recognizes our fundamental role as economic beings interacting with creation's resources for survival and flourishing.

 

A key tenet is debt forgiveness, viewed as biblical, just, and healing. This approach aims to narrow the divide between the wealthy and the poor.

 

Explore Sabbath Economics further at sabbatheconomics.org. Additional insights are available in these clips: Clip 2 and Clip 3.

RSA Replay: The State of the Sharing Economy

Streamed live on May 19, 2016, Rachel Botsman visited the RSA to discuss the rapidly growing sharing economy, popularized by platforms like Airbnb and Uber. She addressed its "growing pains," exploring how to unlock its full social potential and ensure it empowers, not exploits. Botsman examined the sector's future, including new ventures, the importance of diversity, and critical issues such as monopolization, provider power, and the future of work.

A six-minute version of this discussion is available here. Follow RSA Events on Twitter, Facebook, SoundCloud for podcasts, and Instagram for behind-the-scenes.

How I Learned about Capitalism from JS Bach and a Penniless Swami

Capitalism is often seen as a dual force: a driver of prosperity that has lifted billions from poverty, yet also a system that can foster greed. Both views contain truth.

While free enterprise promotes global prosperity, we must guard against materialism, remembering that money serves as a means to greater ends. Join Arthur Brooks—New York Times columnist, bestselling author, and president of the American Enterprise Institute—for this thought-provoking discussion.

The Rich Don't Always Win by Sam Pizzigati

Sam Pizzigati, an Associate Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies, discusses his new book, "The Rich Don't Always Win: The Forgotten Triumph Over Plutocracy That Created the American Middle Class, 1900-1970."

Pizzigati also edits the Too Much blog. Explore more content from the Institute for Policy Studies on their YouTube channel.

The book is available to order from Amazon or at your local bookstore.

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— Dr. Elena Rivera
Environmental Scientist and Advocate
 

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The Thinking Game | Full documentary | Tribeca Film Festival official selection

“The Thinking Game” is the inside story of DeepMind's groundbreaking AI research, culminating in the Nobel Prize-winning AlphaFold breakthrough. Filmed over five years by the award-winning team behind "AlphaGo," this documentary explores co-founder Demis Hassabis's lifelong pursuit of artificial general intelligence and the rigorous scientific journey from mastering strategy games to solving the 50-year-old protein folding problem.

Following its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival, "The Thinking Game" is now available to watch for free. For those interested in hosting a screening for a classroom, community, or workplace, visit: rocofilms.com/films/the-thinking-game/.

 

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The Thinking Game | Full documentary | Tribeca Film Festival official selection