Solution Hack for Journalists

What is ‘Solution Hack for Journalists’?

The Solution Hack for Journalists is a 2-day masterclass that combines training on the Disruptive Design Method and application of the method to assess climate solutions.

In partnership with Disrupt Design founded by Leyla Acaroglu, the UNEP Champion of the Earth, the Solution Hack for Journalists offers a free training on a method that helps journalists get information on the big picture of climate and global changes, so they can ask the right questions.

Our Barcelona edition offers a full 2-day masterclass for 16 journalists to explore the world of eco-friendly business practices and sustainable product development. Held on 14-15 November 2018, the masterclass will focus on life cycle thinking to understand how the product is made, used and disposed. With a method to get a bigger picture, it helps journalists ask the pointed questions when covering sustainable, bio-based products and business practices.

The selected journalists will get:

• Training on the Disruptive Design Method (DDM) and 'Product Cycle Thinking' with a certified trainer from Disrupt Design
• Field visit to the Cork Oak Forests in El Baix Empordà in Girona, featured in the film ‘Petra’ (2018)
• Possibility to engage with mayors, architects, city planners at the Biocities Forum
• Option to explore new city-based initiatives and business practices at Smart City Expo

Why?

Everything in the world is interconnected. All of our everyday actions have an impact on people, society and our planet: we need to try to see the bigger picture.

This is especially important as we face some of the biggest global challenges in decades.

Our current model for addressing climate change is not sustainable in the long run. According to the group of 1,300 scientific experts in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, our human activities over the past 50 years have accelerated climate change. The current growth-based economy is not working, and our lifestyle is clearly not sustainable:

• The world is facing the biggest water crisis; 844 million people are left without access to drinkable water
• The world population is skyrocketing and is expected to go from 7.6 to 9.8 billion by 2050
• 108 million people lived in 48 food-crisis countries in 2016 and the situation is worsening

Our natural resources are becoming scarce, but we are living in a throw-away society. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s report, the fashion industry's current disposal-based system causes greenhouse gas emissions of 1.2 billion tonnes a year. We use too many single-use plastics and if we don’t stop now, the plastic industry is projected to account for 20% of the total oil consumption in the world by 2025. Some cities are taking action to reduce their CO2 emissions through a global partnership that includes around 90 of the biggest cities in the world. But can we really say these efforts will make our world a better place? Is it enough to solve the problem we are facing?

We need a new paradigm and change only happens when the society is informed with knowledge and facts. If we want to see a better world, we need to revisit the way we consume and start to reuse, recycle and reduce. We need ‘out of the box’ solutions to tackle sustainability challenges and a new method to look at the whole picture. Journalists have a role to play. The way they tell the world’s problems and report on the possible solutions is what can make an impact on society and drive change.

Eligibility

The Solution Hack for Journalists is for all journalists who are interested in the Disruptive Design Method and willing to apply in their day-to-day reporting. The Hack in Barcelona is particularly relevant for journalists who are covering:

• Environment & Natural Science
• Urban Planning & Architecture
• Economy & Business
• Lifestyle & Products