Supercharging human ingenuity for sustainability

Sam Lakha

May 5, 2011

September will see the 80th anniversary of one of the most important events in British history, as it later transpired. On 13 September 1931, the Supermarine S.6B won the Schneider Trophy outright, which was nice for British aviation enthusiasts – but critical in terms of pushing the envelope of aircraft engineering: RJ Mitchell’s winning machine subsequently mutated into the iconic, crucial Spitfire.

First offered by the financier, balloonist and general aviation junkie Jacques Schneider, the trophy can be seen in London’s Science Museum, where it has long stimulated my interest in competitions – and raised the question in my mind as to whether we mightn’t use the same approach to spur innovation in the sustainability space?

Read full blog by John Elkington for Guardian Sustainable Business here.