Zero Emissions Research and Initiatives

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Zero Emissions Research and Initiatives (ZERI) was founded in 1994 by Gunter Pauli at the United Nations University (UNU) with the support of the Japanese government. Three years before the Kyoto Protocol was adopted in 1997, the Belgian economist and entrepreneur Pauli led a team of scientists to design a new business model that would work without waste and environmental emissions .

Inspired by the way ecosystems work, the research initiative proposed integrating nutrients , materials and energy generation in such a way that our production and consumption systems make optimal use of the global resources available . On the basis of these ideas, Gunter Pauli and a team of initiators in Berlin developed the vision The Blue Economy in 2009 to encourage entrepreneurs from all over the world to act.

Basic principle

One of the basic principles of ZERI is to understand waste as a resource. The only species on earth that produces something that is of no use to anyone is human. In 1996 the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Gunter Pauli decided to set up a ZERI Foundation with the aim of translating nature's design principles into first experiences. There are now 26 project offices around the world.

Today ZERI comprises a worldwide network of creative minds who are looking for solutions to the fundamental challenges of this world. Starting with ideas, this process is always based on science and publicly available information. The vision that all members of the ZERI network pursue is to find sustainable solutions for society and to continuously improve them, starting with closed communities to companies, inspired by what is locally available.

For ZERI it is important to work simultaneously on many challenges at the same time in order to enable a synergy of many solutions and different organizational approaches. The sustainable solutions are based on what is locally available, building on regional culture and skills, but also incorporating the inspirations of the ecosystem with what is locally available. Business must first and foremost respect the condition under which it is allowed to act: satisfy the needs of customers. Governments are not exempt from this golden rule: satisfy the needs of the taxpayer and the needs of the general public. Unfortunately, the most common understandings of leadership are based on power and control. For ZERI, however, thinking ahead means generating a future generation, working with young people who still believe in the fulfillment of impossible dreams. With the stimulation of creativity and innovation, ZERI believes in awakening the creative potential of each individual and in their unique contribution to their own development and the general public.

Working in harmony with nature does not mean giving up science and becoming a hermit. Science is indeed the driving force behind ZERI, but it is also part of the concept to demystify science and make it accessible to younger minds by making extensive use of ZERI educational components (e.g. in fairy tale format) that explain how uncover nature through stories. ZERI paves the way for the creation of a new breed of scientists and entrepreneurs who work in harmony with nature rather than ignoring it or even working against it. For ZERI, the most important investment lies in creating a current and future generation that ensures sustainable livelihoods and is thus able to meet the basic needs of all living beings on earth.

ZERI centers worldwide

America

Brazil, Chile, Colombia (Bogota and Manizales), Ecuador, USA (Massachusetts, New Mexico)

Europe

Germany (Berlin, Ahlen), Italy (Turin), Spain (Madrid, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands), Sweden

Africa

Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe

Austral-Asia

Bhutan, Fiji, India, Japan

International Board of Directors

  • Rt Hon Anders Wijkman (Sweden), Vice-President of the Club of Rome , member of the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences, former member of the European Parliament and President of Globe Europe (2000–2009)
  • Ashok Khosla (India), Chairman of the Development Alternatives Group, President of IUCN, Co-President of the Club of Rome
  • Heitor Gurgulino de Souza (Brazil), General Secretary of the International Association of University Presidents (IAUP), former Rector of the UNU (1988–1997)
  • Jorge Reynolds Pombo (Colombia), scientist and inventor
  • Yasuhiro Sakakibara (Japan), entrepreneur and philanthropist

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b From deep ecology to the blue economy . Archived from the original on March 22, 2011. 
  2. ↑ Ecostrategia.com http://www.ecoestrategia.com/articulos/hemeroteca/zeri.pdf . 
  3. ↑ ZERI awarded http://www.greenbiz.com/news/2009/04/20/zeri-foundation-awarded-turning-coffee-waste-mushrooms . 
  4. ^ Sustainable Communities http://www.scizerinm.org/ . 
  5. ↑ UNAM . Archived from the original on February 24, 2012.