GRIN-CO-CREATIONS
GrinCo is a project developed in the context of the “Dare to Challenge” workshop by Betty Tsakarestou in Panteion university of Athens, where we’ve been encouraged to challenge social circumstances and offer viable solutions to digital and physical communities through innovation. Our project aims to be the first local open innovation organization that works in a co-creation digital and physical environment. Our goal is to change consumption and production patterns in Greece from self-interest actions to community and worldwide interest actions by following the co-creation economic system. Our digital platform serves as a meeting point for stakeholders to brainstorm, share ideas and collaborate in our physical labs of creativity.
It is not something new to say we live in a modern society. Most of us — either living on the west, east, south or north side of the world — have at one point or another been in touch with a certain form of technological development. And precisely technological improvements and developments are those, which define the modernity of the modern society we live in. It is what differs our times from the past and the future, as improvements, which influence the initial working process, always have.
However, with all the technological knowledge and resources we possess, the world and society are still in a crisis, managed and influenced by a poorly functioning political system. The crisis is political, ideological and most of all — environmental.
While developing technology fast, the amount of people and companies using it in an environment friendly way is still largely small. Society as a whole doesn’t seem to be able to step beyond using new developments for singular and individual purposes, mostly directed towards profit. We have big corporation conglomerates, which produce with enormous financial incomes and outcomes only following their own pace, which is dictated by profit. They will slow down production, if they see it will not be profitable at a certain moment. They will close one eye on the ecological benefits and tragedies, if they see it will not be profitable for them at a certain moment. They are the subject, which stands on one side of the situation.
On the other side we have a countless number of individuals, small companies and groups with an enormous amount of ideas, knowledge and skills in engineering, design, sustainable energy, who are not able to find a suitable place for their creation. The big companies will only buy of their idea and usually give them no creative, managing and usage rights. They will not have an influence on what happens with their idea. On this other side we also have a countless number of people, regular citizens and families, who wish to use technology in a more environmentally helpful and usable way, but it is simply out of their price range. The big companies who own most of the patents and financial power also regulate the price range specific technological products and designs will be sold at. So, with a lot of potential, we have a low level of actual results, we have a lot of possibilities, which are simple not being used to their full potential.
This is why we are creating and designing a platform for innovators, designers, engineers and all other individuals or groups with certain specific knowledge, ideas and skills. The platform will be an open space for brainstorming, collaboration and creation of ecologically friendly and beneficial designs and products, which are directed towards sustainable energy production, usage and not exclusively profit.
There are countless examples of co-creation, including Lego, Linux, Skype, Wikipedia and E-bay. They are based on open design, open innovation and microfactory modules. The startup project follows the next four UN sustainable development goals:
- industry, innovation and infrastructure (goal number 9),
- climate action (goal number 13),
- responsible action and consumption (goal number 12),
- affordable and clean energy (goal number 7).
Our group is made of five people; Dimitris, Narinaa and Iason from Greece, joined by Romana from Slovenia and Ivan from Ukraine.
How will the project work?
We will create an open and simple web platform. An individual will create an account by providing his name, initial idea or design in the beginning stages and a set of skills he can use during the process. All the designs must be for ecologically conscious products, which apply with our sustainable development goals. The users of the platform will suggest different products and ideas in the early stages of design and a vote will follow. All the users together will choose one design and start co-creating it. When the product is ready, we will create a kit box with all the parts and instructions, so everybody can order the box and fix the product at their home. After the first design will be finished, we will start all over again with the next product. In the next stages, we can also suggest a creation of microfactories in different cities so people can build their product together at a physical location.
The funds for sustaining the platform and people working on the startup and projects will come from the kit box sales, which will be available at an affordable price, because the specific parts will be bought from different companies in big amounts. In the end it will be much cheaper to buy the kit box and compose the product by yourself, than buying the product already composed from one of the leading corporations. The buyers will also be definite that the product was collectively designed with a specific sustainable energy goal.
What do we want to achieve?
We want to offer a possibility of co-working, brainstorming and developing products, which will have a positive influence on the environment, individuals included and the whole society. The influence will be positive because all the products will be voted on, developed in an open co-working environment and only based on creative ideas, which follow a sustainable energy and safe environment goal. The products created will be more accessible to a bigger group of people, because they will be able to create them themselves and we believe in the end, the environmentally beneficial products will be used by a lot more people than today.
Read our initial idea on this post: https://medium.com/@a_narigr20/grin-co-creation-299c3f2614c0#.tbqyhhf1s
And read more about the situation in Greece: https://medium.com/@dimitrisbalios/a-social-entrepreneurs-motives-are-of-course-what-differentiate-himself-herself-from-someone-aa707c835d09#.ty583kpu7
Read about production, consumption and the environment: https://medium.com/dare-to-challenge/grinco-blog-1-consumption-production-and-the-environment-e46e81fb3a80#.wspyknhde
Other team members:
