“As one of KATERVA’s global judges, we are delighted to congratulate the Excess Materials Exchange winner of the first Imaginal Award, showing creative paths to the circular economy and the cleaner, greener, knowledge-richer more equitable and sustainable societies of the Solar Age!
~Hazel Henderson, Editor“
Hello to one and all in the Katerva Community!
It is my great pleasure to share with you the first ever Imaginal, a recognition given by our partner Reboot the Future. From amongst our 10 Category Winners, who were asked to answer two additional questions, the Reboot the Future team identified the one they felt was the best representative of the Imaginal Principle – and if you wonder what that is, here is their definition:
An Imaginal is an individual with a vision of a more compassionate and sustainable world, who connects with others to bring that to life.
Without further ado, the 2019 Imaginal is our Economy Category Winner, Excess Materials Exchange (EME), based in the Netherlands.
Congratulations from all of us at Katerva!
Co-founder Maayke Aimee Damen’s response to the news was, “We are very honoured to have been recognised with the Imaginals Award. This will help us on our journey to achieve the paradigm shift that we strive for: reinstating waste for the valuable material that it is.” Indeed! The results of their pilot are very impressive:
- A potential CO2 emissions reduction of 123 kilo-tonnes of CO2, which equals the emission of all citizens of Amsterdam (862,987) driving from Amsterdam to Milan.
- A potential creation of €64m in financial value and a reduction of €54m in environmental damage (eco-cost), resulting in a Total Value creation of €118m.
- A water reduction of 2.1 million m3, equal to the content of 860 Olympic-size swimming pools.
- An energy saving of 2,883 Terajoule, equal to the energy consumption of the city lights in Paris for at least 5 years.
Still, it must have been a very tough choice as I feel that most of the individuals and teams behind our nomination will fit that description! Kim Polman, Co-Founder and Chair of Reboot the Future commented on their decision, “EME are embodying the definition of Imaginals, their work is ingrained with the spirit and values that can transform our world for the better. Not only are they incredibly innovative but we can see they have a clear heart connection to what they are doing. They are focused on their strong inner compass and this is the conscious manifestation of The Golden Rule.”
You may be familiar with the commonly used version of the Golden Rule, which is: ‘Treat others as you would wish to be treated’. Reboot the Future have brought this rule into the 21st century so it now reads: ‘Treat others and the planet as you would wish to be treated.’
If only all of us followed that simple rule ….
Please join me again in congratulating Maayke and her team at Excess Materials Exchange.
With best wishes to all,
Bettina