Hopeful Leadership Now Briefing #1

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8 July

Buckle in for our monthly compilation of hopeful news that addresses our five impact pillars at Small Giants Academy: Self & Community, the Natural Environment, the Built Environment, Democracy & Justice, and Business & Capital. We hope this shines a light on the many pathways being forged to the next economy.

JULY 2020

Welcome to our first Hopeful Leadership Now briefing. We live in an historic moment of turmoil, transition and opportunity. Amidst the darkness of COVID-19 and the pain and suffering in many places around the world, there remains a stream of hopeful news highlighting the potential of this time. History shows us that in moments of great uncertainty and pain, extraordinary progress can be born. It is increasingly apparent that we are in the midst of an economic transition, from an unsustainable model of neoliberal economics to something new. Our briefing this month reminds us that what the next economy looks like is actually up to us…

Amsterdam has adopted Kate Raworth’s Doughnut Economics as an organising system for their planning and decision making. Many other cities are now exploring ways of joining the Doughnut movement. In the local context, Melbourne has announced the fast-tracking of 40km of new bicycle lanes and the City of Sydney has announced they are now powered by 100 percent renewable energy.

The 26th of June was flagged as the final day of operations for AAP Newswire. Instead, the AAP Newswire has been acquired by a new non-profit, supported by a broad group of philanthropists and impact investors. This is a massive win for independent journalism and democracy in Australia!
Atlassian is commissioning a new headquarters in central Sydney. The tech organisations is proposing to build the world’s tallest hybrid timber tower, at approximately 40 stories. The building, part of a new hub dubbed “Tech Central,” will operate on 100 percent renewable energy, and will use 50 percent less carbon in construction compared to a conventional building.
The Australia Institute has published a new report showing that extending universal free childcare would provide both a short term stimulus boost and a long term economic gain. The report’s authors, Matt Grudnoff and Richard Denniss, calculate that if Australia had the same average labour force participation rates as Nordic countries did, then the economy would be $60bn larger – a gain of about 3.2 percent of gross domestic product.
This month our friend Roman Krznaric is publishing his book, The Good Ancestor: How to Think Long Term in a Short Term World. The book explores six ways we can expand our time horizons to confront the great long-term challenges of our age, from the climate crisis to threats from new technologies and the next pandemic coming our way. Roman asks, do we have what it takes to become the good ancestors that future generations deserve? Roman is a public philosopher who has published bestsellers in more than 20 languages. He founded the Empathy Museum and was also a founding faculty member at The School of Life. Roman will be joining SGA for an in-conversation and a masterclass later in the month.
Greta Thunberg has joined Swedish Radio to host a 75 minute podcast (in English) taking us on her trip to the frontlines of the climate crisis. Many of us have followed Greta’s epic journey over the last two years, and this is an intimate account of her experience in the halls of power.
Here at SGA, we are focusing on the role of business in the Next Economy through our upcoming Next Economy programs. Kate Raworth is joining us to explore Doughnut Economics and Carol Sanford is joining us to delve into regenerative business and the regenerative life. Join us.