University of Minnesota - UMN Executive Leadership Insights
Energy Neutral
Video

Energy Neutral

It’s Easy When You Turn Things Around

Denis Slieker
Lift Events Sàrl, 2016
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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Innovative

Recommendation

Most companies design their business models so their sales volumes and profit margins are positively correlated. Denis Slieker’s Qurrent, a Dutch renewable energy firm, takes a contrary approach. Its goal is to sell as little energy as possible to as many people as possible. While many of Qurrent’s ambitious concepts aren’t yet a reality, it’s just a matter of time before society can leverage the firm’s smart innovations. getAbstract recommends Slieker’s visionary oration to environmentally conscious individuals who seek to reduce their carbon footprints.

Summary

When Dutch social entrepreneur Denis Slieker ran a project to fight climate change, some locals in Uganda cut down a forest that his initiative had planted. They told Slieker that they required payment to save the trees. This episode led Slieker to recognize that the structure of the global economy is unconducive to protecting the environment. The locals didn’t need woodland; they needed money, food or land on which to grow food. The felled trees were worth more to them than the forest, which they had no incentive to preserve. This epiphany led Slieker on a quest to design business models that promote sustainable...

About the Speaker

Denis Slieker is the director of Qurrent, a Dutch renewable energy firm that is committed to cutting energy usage.

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