A presentation on Demos Helsinki think tank and Peloton project for journalists participating Millenium Technology Week

1. Demos Helsinki
Self-made futures
8 June 2010
Outi Kuittinen
Demos Helsinki
www.demos.fi/english

2. Demos Helsinki
Future-oriented, people-centric think tank studying systemic change and
interpreting it into everyday life
Founded in 2005 by Aleksi Neuvonen and Roope Mokka because
something was missing, academic research and journalism were not in
enough
Politically independent, project-funded
Legal form is NGO
8 reasearchers
We work with companies, NGOs and Finnish ministries, the parliament,
municipalities and other organisations of the public sector that are willing
to widen their perspective and renew themselves.

3. = FUTURE
CO2

4. 1. The future is low carbon
2. The primary goal of a (low carbon) society
is happiness
3. A happy society is co-created; actively
made by us all

5. Manifesto for Politics of Happiness (2009, WWF,
available in English)
Onnellisuuspoliittinen manifesti
Well-being

6. The Voice of the Individual – Welfare State in the Age
of the Communities (2006, Sitra, summary in English)
Democracy and
Participation

7. City 2.0 – Towards a Social Silicon Valley
(Greater Helsinki Vision 2050 contest, 2007, in
English)
Future cities

8. Peloton (2009-2011, Sitra and Finnish companies,
article in English)
Low-carbon society

9. It is not about technology
It is not about politics
It is about how we
conceive and produce
technology and politics

10. How we concieve

11. How we concieve
Future orientation

12. How we concieve
Backcasting
Future orientation

13. How we concieve
Backcasting
2050 2040 2030 2020 2010
CO2 -90% CO2 -30%
Future orientation

14. How we concieve
People orientation

15. 50-70's I need welfare state
80-90's I want consumer society
2000's I can knowledge-based society
2010's We can peer-to-peer society
People orientation

16. No! Do you know what
We have to put followed when they
restrictions and started restricting things
regulations on in Soviet union,
consumption Germany, North Korea
and Burma?
People? 15

17. Needed
Empowered people

18. Institutions?

19. Needed
Empowering institutions

20. Needed
Structures for we can
Structures for co-creation

21. EXPERIMENT
with employees and their companies

22. Towards a new, energy-efficient economy

23. [Peloton]
‣ The main group in a road cycle race. Riders ride close to each other in order
to save energy. The reduction can be as much as 40 %
‣ Peloton in Finnish means ‘fearless’

24. 2010
climate challenge
Pragmatist’s perspective:
How to reach low carbon society

25. emission limits, price for carbon, funding...
2010 low carbon
climate challenge society
Pragmatist’s perspective:
How to reach low carbon society

26. emission limits, price for carbon, funding...
2010 low carbon
climate challenge society
participation, social innovations,
changes in lifestyle
Pragmatist’s perspective:
How to reach low carbon society

27. emission limits, price for carbon, funding...
2010 low carbon
climate challenge society
regulation accepted by citizens
participation, social innovations,
changes in lifestyle
Pragmatist’s perspective:
How to reach low carbon society

28. emission limits, price for carbon, funding...
2010 low carbon
climate challenge society
regulation accepted by citizens
participation, social innovations,
changes in lifestyle
ES, S
LITI ACE
IPA P L
NIC R K
Pragmatist’s perspective: MU , WO
How to reach low carbon society
EO P LE

29. AL
ION
AT S
R N IT I C
TE OL
IN P emission limits, price for carbon, funding...
2010 low carbon
climate challenge society
regulation accepted by citizens
participation, social innovations,
changes in lifestyle
ES, S
LITI ACE
IPA P L
NIC R K
Pragmatist’s perspective: MU , WO
How to reach low carbon society
EO P LE

30. 90 % of Finns think that climate change is a
fact
85 % consider it a serious threat
80 % are ready to take personal action
Source: e2, Onpa ilmoja pidellyt

33. Other
33 %
??
?
Industry ? ?
? ?
51 % ?
Traffic
16 %

34. Human perspective: Where do emissions come from?

35. Still, changing people's behaviour and reducing
energy consumption has proved to be more difficult
than the surveys on attitudes or technical possibilities
would imply.

36. Lets see how this was done in health:
Well-known Finnish intervention success story
has been the improvement of national health
(especially cardiovascular diseases).
The North Karelia Project
is its prime case.

37. The North Karelia Project in the 70‘s
Not only better health care services or visible
campaigns but also engaging communities at the point
of delivery:
‣ nurses at precautionary health care
‣ cafeterias in schools and work places
‣ food industry
‣ local NGOs
‣ peer opinion leaders of local communities

38. in the 21st century

39. in the 21st century
Now let’s do that in energy.

40. Human perspective: Which decisions are important?
Consumer based emissions in Finland
Source: Syke/envimat Ari Nissinen, 2009

41. Human perspective: Which decisions are important?
Consumer based emissions in Finland
Source: Syke/envimat Ari Nissinen, 2009

42. Human perspective: Which decisions are important?

43. Human perspective: Which decisions are important?

44. Human perspective: Who can affect important decisions?

45. Human perspective: Who can affect important decisions?

46. Gatekeepers are not only top-down decision makers but also people at
everyday communication situations. They offer information on new
alternatives and persuasive arguments during the decision making
process.

47. Gatekeepers of behaviour change, examples:
Customer Service Assistants
relevant
Lunch cafeteria Staff professionals
Managers of Everyday mediators of public
and peer opinion
Lifestyle Media
Work Communities both

49. peer development
‣ intensive, 2 day workshops for each sector
‣ competitors around the same table
‣ insight into one’s role in solving the energy and
climate question

50. peer development
‣ From understanding to
action: tens of ideas on
products and services
‣ From ideas to plans

51. results 2009
Fazer Food Services:
‣ Climate lunch in restaurants in autumn 2010
‣ B-to-B marketing
Lahden Ateria, public catering service in Lahti:
‣ Carbon reduction target -10%
‣ Foothold in Lahti Green City initiative

52. results 2009
Rautakesko, hardware store company:
‣ Wider selection of energy efficient products
‣ New service in development
MLL, Mannerheim League for Child welfare:
‣ new national peer group morel and material

53. Peloton idea
‣ Open idea contest for the
public
‣ Over 200 ideas
‣ From techy gadgets to
comprehensive services

54. peloton 2010-2011
‣ Banks, insurance companies, travel services, domestic
science teachers, food journalists, company
communications, HR, urban planning, home builders,
house managers, housing services
‣ Research on gatekeepers and the benefits, possibilities
and hinders of the model
‣ 2 Low Carbon Innovation camps inspired by Social
Innovation Camp concept

55. MOre info on peloton
Outi Kuittinen, Demos Helsinki, +358 50 326 5582, outi.kuittinen@demos.fi
Vesa-Matti Lahti, Sitra, +358 9 6189 9446, vesa-matti.lahti@sitra.fi
www.peloton.me
www.demos.fi