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Sustainable future

Sun, 07 Nov 2010 12:47:39 +0100

The financial crisis is an important turning point in the view towards our economic system. It made us aware of the inconsistencies. The crisis gives us the necessity to rethink and rebuild our economy, and the opportunity to set up a new sustainable system.

The concern with the social and environmental state of affair of business was already visible in the seventies. In 1962 Rachel Garson wrote the widely read book Silent Spring causing widespread public concerns about pesticides and pollution of the environment. This protest did not reach the commercial sector on a large scale and therefore had only little impact on the economy. When the internet became available to us the concerns reached a new stage of development and its audience grew rapidly.

Many companies feel the urge to respond to the demand for product and services that are good for people, profit and planet. Besides economic value, they are willing to also create social and ecological values. I call these values ‘value to the third power’, or value³. Although many companies are willing to become more sustainable too a high investment cost considered necessary and a lack of knowledge keep many from doing so.

But… is there an easy and affordable way to create value³ and become sustainable?

Yes: creative thinking. Some social and environmental entrepreneurs were able to create value³. The key to their success is their creativity that enabled them to develop new structures, new business solutions that are affordable to implement. Without their creative minds they would probably never come up with these strategies, because they are so different from the mainstream. Examples of these companies are the biodynamic farming company Sekem, the dairy company La Fageda, retailer of natural and organic food Whole Foods Market, open source biotechnology company Cambia and Aravind Eye Care System. Companies like these set an example on how to develop creative sustainable solutions that lead to value³.

Creative Earthitects’ research analysis how creative thinking can help your company to develop sustainable business solutions. We aim to increase the economic, ecological and social values of your company.

We hope all companies become architects of a sustainable earth: Earthitects. So we can together create a sustainable future.

Sustainable Solutions

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 19:25:11 +0200

Creative Earthitects invite companies to discover creative sustainable solutions. Together with universities and non-profit organizations Creative Earthitects founder Janou van Straten set up an innovative research on creative thinking and the creation of economic, ecological and social values (sustainability).

We believe that all companies should be able to create economic, ecological and social values in an affordable easy way.

Companies should be able to develop business solutions that:

-     increase economic, ecologic and social value; sustainability,
-     have low investment cost,
-     are easy to implement in your business.

To create affordable sustainable solutions we need to think different; we need to think creative. We study how creative thinking can be best introduced into business organizations. We also measure to what extend creative thinking relates to the economic, ecological and social values creation. We hope to discover new ways to create affordable creative business solutions.

Creative Earthitects invite companies to participate in the research. Your company will be part of the Creative Earthitects Network and will become a Creative Earthitect, using and sharing the knowledge gained from the research to develop sustainable business solutions for your own company.

Be a Creative Earthitect means to become an architect of creative sustainable business solutions: to develop together a sustainable future!

Corporate Mission

Corporate Vision

About the Founder

Janou van Straten

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 10:53:44 +0200

Ever since I was young I had two passions: nature and culture. When I grew older my passion for culture grew stronger. In particular the area of artistic creativity had my main interest. To get a better understanding of artistic creativity I studied Art History and worked as an education officer at the Van Gogh Museum and Aboriginal Art Museum.

In the last years of my study I focused more and more on human creativity. As project manager Art&Culture of a welfare organization I explored the aspects of human creativity of different groups within society.

When I started working at PGGM Investments my interest shifted to business creativity. I used business creativity to develop new business strategies and processes. I wanted to know how companies could use creativity to create value.

While studying business creativity at PGGM I began to realize that our knowledge of the subject is very limited. From the academic research done it is not clear to what extends creativity can increase the economic, social and ecological values of a company.

How can creativity be used to develop sustainable business solutions?

To answer this question I started a P.h. D-research at the Erasmus University. This research is conducted in cooperation with other research organizations. I founded Creative Earthitects to make the knowledge gained by this research directly applicable for companies. Creative Earthitects translates the knowledge to hands-on business advice on how to create sustainable solutions for the companies within the Creative Earthitects Network.

I invite you to discover creative solutions,
Janou van Straten

creative sustainability

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 10:53:24 +0200

Creative Earthitects aim to inspire and support companies to use creative thinking to develop business solutions that:

-        increase economic, ecologic and social value; sustainability,
-        have low investment cost,
-        are easy to implement in your business.

To achieve this goal Creative Earthitects gives advice based on a P.h. D-research on creative thinking and value creation. This research is conducted by the founder in cooperation with universities and non-profit organizations.

By developing creative sustainable solutions your company can become an architect of a sustainable future: a Creative Earthitect.

Corporate Mission
Creative Earthitects aim to inspire and support companies to use creative thinking to develop business solutions that:
-    increase economic, ecologic and social value; sustainability,
-       have low investment cost,
-    are easy to implement in your business.
To achieve this goal Creative Earthitects gives advice based on a PhD-research on creative thinking and value creation. This research is conducted by the founder in cooperation with universities and non-profit organizations.
By developing creative sustainable solutions your company can become an architect of a sustainable future: a Creative Earthitect.
Corporate Mission
Creative Earthitects aim to inspire and support companies to use creative thinking to develop business solutions that:
-     increase economic, ecologic and social value; sustainability,
-        have low investment cost,
-     are easy to implement in your business.
To achieve this goal Creative Earthitects gives advice based on a PhD-research on creative thinking and value creation. This research is conducted by the founder in cooperation with universities and non-profit organizations.
By developing creative sustainable solutions your company can become an architect of a sustainable future: a Creative Earthitect.