No thanks, I’ll pass on my health and the planet. Our physiological and environmental wellbeing have been constantly traded by our pursuit of progress, prosperity and affluence. Ramped up in the embers of the last century and still wheezing despite the ever growing warning signs that things cant go on like this, the trade off seems beyond repair. We have created a prosperity blocking beast that is ugly, bloated and hungry. And is now being exported all over the world to billions more people.
We have created a prosperity blocking beast that is ugly, bloated and hungry. And is now being exported all over the world to billions more people.
Behaviour change and doing something differently is just not on the cards at the required scale. Convenience has become the ultimate aphrodisiac. This may give me cancer, diabetes, pollute rivers, the air, my child or me but I still want it as it’s readily available and gives me a short shot of satisfaction. The prosperity blocking beast lives on deploying its arsenal of tricks – despite being on life support (thanks pointless politicians).
One of our projects this year is exploring location services, RPGS and behaviour change (you can read more about it here). We have looked at how role playing games like Epic Win could be white labelled and adapted to help take things off the sh1tlist and making doing something differently less of a chore. We have also looked at how social currencies (like the Brixton pound) and location services (like foursquare) can boost local economies and incentivize new types of trade and exchange.
Enabling tools
Greengoose adds another layer to this. Their sensors can be attached to everyday objects (like toothbrushes or bicycles) and ring up scores for people when they are used. Activity can easily tracked and simply displayed with a super simple interface. Their API is out there for developers to get to grips with (+ their units are v well priced and on sale in a few days) and create tailored experiences.
User can win points, see how much energy (and therefore cash) they have saved through their actions and more. I imagine the points being converted not just for gaming, (ie ‘congrats: next level unlocked’) or ‘well done you have saved money’ credits, but into alternative units to be swapped and bartered with in online or physical marketplaces.
Solving the consumption conundrum at the edge
The world’s new middle classes consumption boom, currently being serviced by wheezing big businesses, will be the last big global party. After that, the prosperity blocking beast will have become too big to fail ( uh oh, wev’e seen that before). This initiative from Greengoose forms part of a growing network of ideas and tools that are all about flipping our version of prosperity so that it fits the actual reality of 21st century living (and is actually so much better anyway). As is v clear, all theses ideas for changing things up are happening at the edge where people are taking on prosperity blocking challenges to create value.
All theses ideas for changing things up are happening at the edge where people are taking on prosperity blocking challenges to create value.
Those at the centre (surprise, surprise) don’t really want to know. Despite their small incremental improvements on sustainability (or life!) issues they can’t see a way the turn the supertanker around – the punchbowl is still there and they are getting trashed. Looking forward to merrily skipping past their hungover bodies and bidding them a wonderful decline.
I’m hopefully get my hands on some sensors, get a developer to get cracking on the api and setting up a little demo. Get in touch if you are interested in being involved.
Sources: venturebeat, readwriteweb engadget
