Think Act Regenerate

Leigh Baker
Think Act Regenerate Podcast

THINK ACT REGENERATE is a podcast by Leigh Baker of ThinkActRegenerate which explores the wealth of regenerative design solutions happening on the ground in Australia and New Zealand, as well as around the world.

  1. 30 AUG

    INSIGHT | How to uncover regenerative Service Flip opportunities

    Service and value tools for finding business opportunity have been developing for decades - both in mainstream business and sustainability circles. In Circular Economy circles, they talk about The Service Flip - but there's a much wider toolkit on offer. "Regenerative business service and value design is not about finding a better or lower cost solution to the existing problem of an industry. It's about redefining the problem itself." Adapted from Blue Ocean Strategy RESOURCE LINKS FREE Think Act Regenerate INSIGHTS - introductory email series: ⁠https://thinkactregenerate.com/insights/⁠ Think Act Regenerate Service Thinking Resources: https://thinkactregenerate.com/product-as-a-service-paas-stories-sources-and-resources/ Circular Design Guide: https://www.circulardesignguide.com/post/service-flip The Service Economy by Walter Stahel: https://www.globe-eu.org/wp-content/uploads/THE_PERFORMANCE_ECONOMY1.pdf EXAMPLES Aspect Legal SME advisory: https://www.aspectlegal.com.au/lawyerline-sme/ Bristol Siddeley "Power by the Hour": https://www.nexsys.co.uk/knowledge-hub/servitization-jargon-buster/ Lighting services by Signify: https://trellis.net/article/how-philips-became-pioneer-circularity-service/ and https://www.circularx.eu/en/cases/40/signify-light-as-a-service MUD Jeans as a service: https://mudjeans.com/pages/sustainability-mud-jeans Rare bird as a service: https://reasonstobecheerful.world/farmers-protect-rare-red-fronted-macaws-bolivia/ Supermarket solar as a service: https://www.smartease.com.au/solar-panels-supermarket-iga/https://www.smartease.com.au/solar-panels-supermarket-iga/ Vogue review of clothing services: https://www.vogue.com/article/clothing-rental-subscription

    47 min
  2. 22 MAY

    INSIGHT | The radical efficiency opportunities of CIRCULAR systems

    This podcast episode summarises the third of the Think Act Regenerate INSIGHTS email series on regenerative innovation -and the rich smorgasbord of business and career opportunities it offers. Circular Economy principles have been a driver of regenerative business growth over the last 1-2 decades - and proving increasingly profitable. A lot of people have heard the term - but think of it as "something about better recycling". However, assuming that the circular economy is just about better recycling is like assuming that all you can do with a smartphone is make voice calls - because it's called a phone. This podcast episode explores the full scope of Circular Economy design, with examples from over two decades of real world business innovation. CREDITS Original music composed for the show by Ian Hopkinson of HopkinsonCreative.com – used with permission. LINKS General resources The Australian Circular Economy Hub: https://acehub.org.au/ The Ellen Macarthur Foundation’s Case Studies and Examples: https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/topics/circular-economy-introduction/examples The Ellen Macarthur Foundation’s CIRCULAR DESIGN GUIDE: ⁠https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-design-guide/overview⁠ The full Think Act Regenerate INSIGHTS email series: ⁠https://thinkactregenerate.com/insights/ Examples Bananas – from food waste to food in Australia: https://thinkactregenerate.com/dried-bananas-food-vodka/ Banoffee Leather: https://banofileather.com/ Bateup Green Chair: https://www.bateupconsulting.com.au/greenchair Canyon Solar in supermarket carparks: https://onestepoffthegrid.com.au/solar-carparks-offer-renewable-solution-for-supermarkets-and-cheap-ev-charging/ Caterpillar remanufacturing: https://www.caterpillar.com/en/company/sustainability/remanufacturing.html Close the Loop (R) Australia: https://www.closetheloop.com.au/about-us/ Close the Loop® road surfacing:https://www.closetheloop.com.au/tonerplas-in-the-award-winning-m80-ring-road-upgrade/https://roadsonline.com.au/from-plastic-to-pavement-with-close-the-loop/ EU Unsold Clothing Destruction Ban: https://english.aawsat.com/fashion/4711286-eu-approves-ban-destruction-unsold-clothing Framework Computers: https://frame.work/au/en Interface early years BUSINESS LESSONS FROM A RADICAL INDUSTRIALIST: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781429997164/businesslessonsfromaradicalindustrialist Interface reuse and upcycling: https://www.caterpillar.com/en/company/sustainability/remanufacturing.html Kua Coffee: https://kuacoffee.co/about Rohner upholstery textiles: https://www.wipo.int/wipo_magazine/en/2007/02/article_0002.html

    35 min
  3. 25 APR

    INSIGHT | Levelling up to design for REGENERATION

    One of the core propositions of Think Act Regenerate is that today’s regenerative design thinking enables a rich smorgasbord of smarter, faster, funner win/win/win solutions that go WAY beyond 20th century “sustainability” and “efficiency”. What IS regenerative thinking? To me, it’s a new place to stand – because we can’t solve 20th century problems with 20th century thinking. Here’s my take on what regeneration is about and why it has a strong business focus, illustrated with a heap of examples. LINKS Think Act Regenerate INSIGHTS email series: http://thinkactregenerate.com/insights Think Act Regenerate INSIGHT on OPPORTUNITY https://thinkactregenerate.com/insight-a-world-of-business-and-career-opportunity/ Books and general links BUSINESS LESSONS FROM A RADICAL INDUSTRIALIST https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781429997164/businesslessonsfromaradicalindustrialist REGENERATION: https://regeneration.org/the-book THE DEEP GREEN PROFIT HANDBOOK https://thinkactregenerate.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/DeepGreenProfit.pdf Michael Porter: “Why business can be good at solving social problems” https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_porter_why_business_can_be_good_at_solving_social_problems.html Project Drawdown: https://drawdown.org/solutions Examples: Precious metals being recovered from ewaste using the whey https://rpra.ca/the-hub/researchers-extract-gold-from-e-waste-using-a-cheese-byproduct/ Farmer upcycling excess produce https://thinkactregenerate.com/dried-bananas-food-vodka/ AMP upcycling skyscraper https://thinkactregenerate.com/upcycling-commercial-buildings-circular-economy-at-a-whole-new-scale/ Sundrop farms, using solar energy and seawater to grow tomatoes in the desert: https://www.sundropfarms.com/ Interface flooring, utilising land-fill methane to power a factory https://www.greenbiz.com/article/interface-flooring-powers-plant-using-landfill-emissions Farmers installing solar panels to protect their crops and power their on-farm equipment https://ceat.org.au/the-benefits-of-agrivoltaics-in-agriculture/ A Riverina renewable energy coop building a community solar garden https://switchedon.reneweconomy.com.au/content/australias-first-community-solar-garden-becomes-a-reality Kua Coffee, utilising a social enterprise structure to serve its growers in Kenya https://kuacoffee.co/learn/why-does-kua-have-a-foundation-and-a-company An Indian company making a vegetable-based “Leather” from banana waste: https://banofileather.com/ Plastic-free coffee pods utilising algae-based material to protect the coffee https://www.fastcompany.com/91056402/how-keurig-finally-made-a-coffee-pod-with-no-plastic Waste processing powered by Black Soldier Fly for food waste: https://goterra.au/food-waste-management/ HarperCollins use design to reduce paper cost and save trees https://www.fastcompany.com/91071102/harper-collins-made-a-tiny-tweak-to-its-book-design-and-has-saved-thousands-of-trees-as-a-result Totally Renewable Yackandandah – from solar panels to energy retailer https://totallyrenewableyack.org.au/ Melbourne business turns toner cartridge waste into road surfacing material and vegetable garden modules: https://roadsonline.com.au/the-proof-is-in-the-pavement-with-close-the-loop/ WA farmer is using biochar and dung beetles to reduce operating costs, increase production : https://www.wantfa.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/WANTFA_NF_Summer2015_Biochar-002.pdf A family-run building company in NSW building super-efficient housing that sells itself https://thefifthestate.com.au/columns/news-from-the-front-desk/news-from-the-front-desk-issue-no-231/

    38 min
  4. PRINCIPLES | Climate Solutions and Drawdown Down Under

    16/08/2022

    PRINCIPLES | Climate Solutions and Drawdown Down Under

    ReGenOmics Down Under is a podcast by Leigh Baker of Balance3 exploring the wealth of climate solutions happening on the ground in Australia and New Zealand, as well as around the world. This episode explores what the human race already knows about how to reverse global warming – starting with the commercial, scaling solutions modelled and ranked by the independent not-for-profit Project Drawdown in 2017 (and updated in 2020) Project Drawdown’s findings include: We CAN reverse global warming – even if we just use the quantifiable, multi-benefit commercial solutions that WE ALREADY HAVE and are already scaling. NONE of the 80 solutions require further policy change from national governments (while it would help, all the solutions ARE  commercial and  ARE scaling) 79 of the solutions are multi-benefit solutions that make the world BETTER (the only harmful solution of significance was nuclear). The 80 solutions are WHOLE-OF-ECONOMY solutions that go way beyond electriciy generation and transport to include food, agriculture, construction, education, health and materials. The high-potential new solutions that they didn’t have numbers for are likely to be every bit as powerful and even more regenerative than what we have now. The list of 80 commercial, quantified Drawdown solutions can a bit overwhelming, and each one only gets 2 pages of explanation.  So in this episode we dive in to a couple and see how they’re happening in Australia, with examples from two past Climactic episodes. Tropical forest regeneration Insulation Forest regeneration ranked #5 and #12 on the original Drawdown top 80.   And here’s an example of what a small group of concerned Australian researchers created, told by Jess Panegyres from The Australian Environmental Grantmakers Network Insulation ranked #21 on the original Drawdown list. We explore the action that one Perth insulation installer began back while Drawdown was still doing their modelling. Drawdown only modelled solutions where they could find a robust, peer-reviewed data sets – so there are many, many more powerful, existing solutions that aren’t  that well-measured yet – from vortex water processing to cellulose-based building materials.   So it’s more useful to think of Drawdown as a guide book of highlights rather than a definitive encyclopedia. We live in a world where most of the mainstream media coverage on climate action is focused on either: high-level action where big government and big business do big things; OR low-level actions about consumers using less or spending more on expensive alternatives. That’s barely beginning of the story.  Those two themes like the pastry layers on a vanilla slice – necessary, but not the main event.  There’s actually a wealth of accessible action when you get out and start looking for problems that need solving and the opportunities they create. Solving the challenges we face has created a quiet design revolution –  the development of systems and processes that regenerate communities and ecosystems.   It’s a whole lot easier to see the best, multi-benefit solutions when you understand the straightforward principles regenerative design.   Re-gen-omics Down Under explores the solutions happening and the thinking behind them – so if you’re interested in solutions, learn to find your action opportunities and listen to your gut.  LINKS Paul Hawken, founder of Project Drawdown, speaking on Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOTLtrt6OIE Key pages from Project Drawdown's website (where their open-source finding are published): Their current list of evidence-based solutions https://drawdown.org/solutions Their downloadable updates https://drawdown.org/drawdown-review The Climactic Live episode BZE - Fight for Planet A Panel for the forest regeneration story  https://www.climactic.fm/show/climactic/climactic-live-bze-fight-fo

    31 min

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THINK ACT REGENERATE is a podcast by Leigh Baker of ThinkActRegenerate which explores the wealth of regenerative design solutions happening on the ground in Australia and New Zealand, as well as around the world.

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