BACKGROUND The present is lavish with superlatives. That holds true not only for prestigious technological products and architectural constructions, but also for strategic political and commercial ambitions. China’s Belt and Road Initiative (or the correct translation: ‘One Belt, One Road’), more commonly known as The New Silk Road, is one;...
THE COMBINATION OF ETHICS AND SUSTAINABILITY
We are living not only an epoch of change but a change of epoch. Digital and technological innovations are creating a huge range of new opportunities. Technology offers instruments to build a better world but it needs ethical parameters. Not everything that is technically possible is ethically acceptable. Therefore a...
FEMALE EMPOWERMENT IN THE DIGITAL AGE: FIVE STARTING POINTS
Dr. Laura Bechthold is a social scientist and innovation professional from Munich. As a postdoctoral researcher at the Friedrichshafen Institute for Family Entrepreneurship at Zeppelin University, she works on questions regarding responsibility and decision paradigms of family entrepreneurs. As the Director of Science Services at Philoneos GmbH, she supports family...
THERMAL SPONGE CITIES NEW TRENDS TO COOL EUROPEAN CITIES
Abstract: Urban areas are both contributors to and the main victims of the effects of climate change and will be confronted with drastic changes in terms of heat supply (heating and cooling) and urban climate in the years to come. Moreover, conventional technologies for heat supply are future-proof only to...
SUSTAINABILITY IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Sustainability is an incredibly broad and popular term in our modern, developed society that encompasses everything from people to nature and, generally, rethinking the way we approach current procedures. It is somewhat difficult to pinpoint where to begin, what to look for and how to navigate through the various complexities...
FIVE CONVINCING REASONS FOR YOUR COMPANY TO PROTECT THE CLIMATE
No other topic - including COVID-19 - has so much destructive power and polarises so many public and private debates as climate change. Often, half-knowledge and emotions dominate the discussion, while concrete and implementable ideas about what companies can do regarding the duopoly of ecology and economy are often missing....
THE VALUE OF STRATEGIC INVESTMENT IN MODERN BUSINESSES
Present climate and strategic investment The recent pandemic has reset every traditional norm and belief about the nature of investing or just how businesses operate in general. The start-up investing ecosystem in Europe had to adapt with the ever-changing nature of the world. COVID-19 has really had a diverse impact...
TECHNOLOGY FOR DEMOCRACY
The Conference on the Future of Europe was officially inaugurated on 9 May 2021. In their joint declaration, the three presidents of the EU-institutions spoke of ‘a citizens-focused, bottom-up exercise.’ EU citizens now have one year to feed this digital platform (https://futureu.europa.eu/) with ideas and events at European, national, transnational,...
HOW TO SCALE UP INDUSTRIAL ORGANIC WASTE CONVERSION SYSTEMS THROUGH INSECT FARMING
Brief Description To achieve the European Union’s Circular Economy targets, the E-28 needs to put a big emphasis on Waste Management solutions, not only to reduce waste to landfills but also to create sustainable waste-to-value industries that help close the loop on our resources. Bio-Waste accounts for the largest single...
BUILDING SUSTAINABLE GLOBAL BRIDGES: A PARADIGM SHIFT IN TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION
The year 2021 exposed in a burdensome way how much the world has grown together – and at the same time hasn’t: While some rich industrial nations had to dispose of massive unused doses of the new liquid gold – the SARSCoV-2 vaccines –, in many poorer countries there was...