[Itenv] Sustainable Innovation 07

[martin charter]

EXCUSE ANY CROSS-POSTINGS

CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT AND CALL FOR  PAPERS

Sustainable Innovation 07
Global Building and Construction: Systems, Technologies, Products and
Services
12th International Conference
29th - 30th October 2007
Farnham Castle Conference Centre
Farnham, Surrey, UK     

Part of the 'Towards Sustainable Product Design' series of conferences

Background
Globally the building and construction sector has a major 'environmental
footprint', contributing over 40% of greenhouse gas emissions and
generating high volumes of waste. Major projects such as the Olympics in
Beijing (2008) and London (2012), the Thames Gateway in the UK and Dongtan
Eco-city in China provide major opportunities to start to show a new way
and integrate sustainability thinking from a systems level right through to
ground-level. For example, recent research has indicated that three product
groups cause 70% to 80% of total environmental impacts in cities and
broader society: 
* The home, and related energy use: buildings, heating, cooling and other
energy using appliances
* Mobility: automobile and air transport
* Food: meat and dairy, followed by other types of food
Recognising this and designing-in sustainable consumption and production
systems into new urban environments as first principles will substanially
reduce negative impacts. New initiatives, creativity and a better focus
will drive new innovations through the supply chain and mean that new
technologies, products and services will be demanded with substanially
better environmental and social performance. Should change be radical,
incremental or a combination? Whatever, the scenario the development,
commercialisation and integration of new solutions will be a major
opportunity and challenge for designers, innovators and entrepreneurs.

Concept
Sustainable Innovation 07 will provide a platform to discuss 'state of the
thinking' in sustainable innovation, technology, product and service design
and development. It will highlight best practice and provide a range of
case studies and examples. Sustainable Innovation 07 will include invited
and refereed papers covering sustainable innovation from academics,
consultants, designers, sustainability, environment and Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) managers as well as other business functions. The
event will be a unique learning experience and networking opportunity.
Delegates will come globally from large companies, entrepreneurs and small
and medium-sized (SMEs), as well as academia, government and
non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The conference is supported by a
leading-edge international Advisory Board. 

Conference topics
Sustainable Innovation 07 welcomes conceptual and research-based papers
covering sustainable innovation, technology, product and service design and
development and in particular those that address building and construction
sectors.   Papers relating to sustainable innovation focused on the
following topics are welcomed:
 
* Sustainable Consumption & Production
* Market transformation
* Product policy
* Sustainable public procurement
* New business models
* Collaborations and partnerships
* Radical v incremental change
* Innovation processes
* Supply chain management
* Product-service-systems (PSS)
* Education and training
* Tools and techniques
* Management systems
* Organisational dimensions
* Performance measurement and metrics
* Newly industrialised and 'developing' country perspectives
* Case studies
 
Benefits to delegates of Sustainable Innovation 07 will include:
* Unique: forum for new ideas and concepts
* Leading-edge: presentations from key international researchers,
practioners and policy-makers
* Research: access to new results and thinking
* Networking: opportunities to meet business, government and academia
* Track-record: over 1200 delegates from 35 countries have attended
previous 'Towards Sustainable Product Design' conferences

Submission details
Conference papers: please email, fax or post  500 words describing your
proposed paper by 28 February 2007. The paper will then be sent to the
Advisory Board for evaluation and authors will be given feedback by the end
of April 2007. The highest rated papers will be invited to present at the
conference. 

Contact
For more information on Sustainable Innovation 07 please contact:
Martin Charter, Director,  The Centre for Sustainable Design,  University
College for the Creative Arts
Tel:  + 44 (0) 1252 892772   Fax: + 44 (0) 1252 892747   Email:
mcharter at ucreative.ac.uk   Website: www.cfsd.org.uk