Let’s do more with less – Together, with innovation, we can close the gap!

Today, I got to give my first TEDx Talk – about a topic that is very dear to my heart. Humanity faces two major challenges that we can only solve together. First, we are already using way too many resources and at the same time are doing way too little to leave our kids a healthy planet. Secondly, far too few people have a good and healthy life. The question is: How can more people live in prosperity and health without consuming more and more of our finite resources? A person in Berlin consumes on average twenty times the resources of someone in Jakarta. How can we close the gap between what needs to be done and what we are doing? I am convinced that together we can close the gap if we bear these three things in mind.

We need to lift more people out of poverty and use our finite resources sparingly. We need to do more with less – by unlocking the full potential of innovation.

1.??????How to use innovation as consumers to do more with less

Change starts with you, with me, with us. As consumers, we can all make use of intelligent and innovative technologies. Let us start by making small changes. For example: A global shift to LEDs could avoid 800 million tons of carbon dioxide – as much as the annual emissions of Germany. The next step could be to upgrade to smart thermostats in our homes or to buy only the most energy efficient electrical devices. I am sure there is more we can do in these and in other areas. In the end, our behavior and the choices we make matter – individually and collectively. By leveraging innovation, we can become our own sustainability heroes!

2.??????How to use innovation as industry to do more with less

Industry has great power – and great responsibility. Industry alone accounts for one third of global energy consumption. At Siemens we want to change this! Last year, our customers saved 150 million tons of carbon emissions using our technologies. This is equivalent to the entire carbon emission of the Netherlands. Our superpower in industry is data. We create digital twins of factories, of products, of everything. This allows us to digitally enhance production to save energy and resources. We can use infinite data to save our finite resources – and to do more with less. It is on all of us to act now!

3.??????How we need to up our innovation game to continuously do more with less

As consumers and in industry, we need to continuously raise our innovation game to become more efficient. We can achieve this step by step, year by year by year. We have the power to change anything we want. As things stand, we are not yet doing enough. That’s why it is necessary, to tackle one challenge after another. A good basketball player relies on his talents. A basketball superstar improves his game – by learning one new trick, one new move, year by year. We need to do the same. Let us take more small steps day after day after day to achieve the big impact we want!

It starts with us!

Together we are stronger – and smarter.?

Let us get involved, spark conversations, and exchange brilliant ideas.??

Tell me in the comments below: What can each one of us do to leverage innovation and to save our planet? I am curious to hear about your ideas of how we can do more with less so that everyone on earth can live a good life.