More and more people talk about systems change - be it the climate movement on the streets, political parties in virtual conference rooms, NGOs or the private sector led by entrepreneurs. A growing number of pilot projects as well as grassroots initiatives pop up and are showing us how a sustainable and collaborative future could look like.
However, if we look at the big picture, very little seems to be happening. If we want to stay below the 2°C target - which is absolutely crucial for if we aspire to leave a healthy planet for future generations - we need a more radical approach: systems change.
What is systems change and why is a radical shift in our actual economy model needed? Where do we stand and what is the role of entrepreneurs in this transition? How can we support them to scale their impact? What are the levers for a transition of our economical model? What are examples of circular & climate ventures that are leading the way to an effective systemic transformation?
During this interactive event, we want to deep dive into these questions with renowned experts and learn from circular & climate ventures how they can, with the right frame and the involvement of us all, contribute to a systems change.
This event is brought to you by Impact Hub Zurich as the launch of the Circular Economy Incubator 2021, ETH Zurich, together with the ZHAW, as well as EIT Climate-KIC co-founder of the European Largest Summer School for Climate Innovation, the “Journey”. It aims at bringing together entrepreneurs and individuals interested in addressing the key challenges of our time: system change not climate change!
please note: the event will take place on site as well as be held online. After your registration via Eventfrog, you will receive an email with all information or with access to the Zoom call closer to the event. The event is limited to 60 attendees on site and to 150 attendees via zoom. Make sure to reserve your seat.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Keynotes:
Nora Wilhelm
With a background in youth engagement and active citizenship (European Youth Parliament), Nora specialised in collaboration, self-organising, ecosystem leadership, systemic change and social innovation. Beyond facilitating the emergence of social enterprises, multi-stakeholder processes and Social Innovation Labs, she is a renowned young leader, recognised for the impact of her work amongst others by the UN and Forbes. In 2017, she co-founded collaboratio helvetica, an initiative dedicated to systemic change for societal renewal in Switzerland. At the event, Nora will tell us more about working with various entrepreneurs and organizations towards system change.
Nicolas Gruber
Nicolas Gruber has been Full Professor of Environmental Physics at the Department of Environmental Sciences at ETH Zurich since July 2006. Dr. Gruber’s research interests are the study of biogeochemical cycles on regional to global scales and on timescales from months to millennia, with a particular focus on the interaction of these cycles with Earth’s climate system. He is member of several international research boards, former member of the governing board of Climate-KIC, and serves as review editor for the Science Magazine. Nicolas Gruber is part of the executive committee for the recently launched research project "EXCLAIM". This project is developing the next generation of weather and climate models. The new models will provide a much higher resolution of the key processes in the atmosphere and oceans.
Panelists:
Anne Voigt
Anne Voigt worked for many years for various environmental organizations. When her daughter was born in 2017, she experienced how time-consuming it can be to combine a sustainable life with a baby. Without further ado, she founded Miniloop, a rental service for high-quality and sustainably produced baby clothes, and now helps other parents to outfit their babies in a healthy and, above all, time-saving way. Miniloop is one of six projects that received support at the first catalyst program of the Circular Economy Transition initiative.
Patrik Deuss
When Patrik studied “Energie- & Umwelttechnik” at the zhaw, he realized that over 12% of our electricity is used for lighting systems. At the same time, he observed that big buildings are often lit up 24/7. To tackle this problem, he developed a concept and prototype for his bachelor thesis. In 2017, he then founded LEDCity together with his co-founder Florian Gärtner. Four years later, they not only count 20 employees, but also raised 2 million Swiss francs to further expand their technology. Their goal is to reduce the worldwide electricity usage for lighting systems by 80% within 20 years after founding the company.
Lucie Rein
Lucie Rein is a pioneer of the circular economy and has been campaigning for sustainable and resource-conserving consumption for years. She successfully founded the Swiss branch of the company To Good To Go in 2018. The young entrepreneur now wants to continue this success story as the new CEO of Sharely. Sharely was founded in 2014 and is now the largest rental platform in Switzerland - over 40,000 Swiss people share around 22,000 properties via Sharely. The Zurich-based start-up has a big ambition: to help retailers enter the circular economy. The credo: make better use of existing resources and at the same time provide uncomplicated access to a wealth of objects - Own less, Do more!