EP 92: 'We Do Things Differently' with author and reluctant futurist Mark Stevenson

Summary: We are at a rare juncture in time where the future is up for grabs and the following realms are in a state of upheaval: Environment Economics Society Education Politics Technology “When the winds of change blow, some people build walls, others build windmills” - Chinese Proverb This book and this innovation show are about windmills and the people who are building them. We talk about the heroes of innovation and disruption, those people sacrificing so much to make the World a better place: Jamie Heywood’s nonprofit PatientsLikeMe portal – modelled after dating sites and his fight to find a cure for ALS after his brother Stephen contracted and died from the illness. Samir Brahmachari, India’s highest ranking scientist who is fighting for a cure to fight antibiotic-resistant tuberculosis. TB kills 4,000 per day worldwide and 1 person per minute in India. There hasn’t been a front-line drug since 1970. We talk about Dr Erika Syger who was suffering death threats for her drive to disrupt and implement new food systems. We discuss Peter Dearman’s “liquid air” engine, which brings food refrigeration to the developing world. We talk about the energy trilemma and the clash between environmentalists and fossil fuel lobbyists. We discuss the great story of former professional basketball player Reinhard Koch and Mayor Peter Vadasz and the town of Güssing, Austria, which experienced a massive revival when it went green. We mention the case of “Open Utility” and James Johnson who was inspired by Ethernet co-director Bob Metcalfe and built a smart grid based Ethernet, an uber for energy. Ashley Atkinson and KGD (keep growing Detroit), which uses “urban farming” to achieve urban renewal. In education, we talk about Carl Jarvis and how he turned around one of the UK’s worst-performing schools in spite of the education system who bullied him. In politics, we mention Maria Ines Naha and Fernando Pimental of Brazil and the idea of participatory budgeting, where citizens decide where the budget is assigned. You can find out more about Mark Stevenson and his books here: https://markstevenson.org/