Groupe Intellex Associate, Colin Coulson-Thomas, will speak this week in London at the Global Summit on Sustainability, organised by the World Council for Corporate Governance in association with India’s Institute of Directors, Centre for Social Responsibility.

At this summit business leaders will consider new approaches to sustainability that can benefit business, the environment and people’s health.

Colin Coulson-Thomas will say, “We have a historic opportunity to transform our prospects and the quality of our lives. We can turn our backs on the personal and environmental costs of current behaviours to create a better and healthier future. With a shift of focus from treatment to prevention and the transfer of budgets and responsibilities to doctors and patients, a new generation of tools can make people more aware of the health and environmental implications of their lifestyle choices.”

Speaking on the subject of “Innovative Business Strategies and the Challenge of Global Health”, Coulson-Thomas believes “Global health and healthcare represents a massive challenge. It is also a huge opportunity for enterprises and communities to benefit from innovative business strategies. Changes to lifestyle can further the sustainability agenda and contribute to improved health. For example, less burning of fossil fuels and reduced pollution means fewer people with respiratory problems.”

The author of “Winning Companies, Winning People” will show how sustainable approaches reduce pressure upon the environment and scarce resources, and improve health outcomes: “In relation to diet, lower consumption of beef would reduce the dangers to health caused by excessive consumption of saturated animal fats, and the emission of greenhouse gases from cattle would fall if fewer cows were reared. There are endless opportunities for the food and catering industries to develop offerings that would help to save the planet and enable people to live longer and healthier lives.”

Many further opportunities for health improvement will arise from the transformation of communications infrastructures – particularly the switchover from copper to high-capacity fibre access networks, new developments in mobile data and dramatic improvements in ‘easy-to-use’ hardware and software.

“Excessive stress is a cause of ill health and absenteeism. A daily commute to and from the workplace can represent a stressful experience. People are exposed to traffic fumes and risks of accidents, while the pollution resulting from congestion damages the environment. New ways of working such as teleworking – taking work to people, rather than people travelling to work - can address such negative impacts and boost performance by enabling people to save commuting time and work at a time and place that enables them to give of their best.”

Viable workstyle alternatives

“There are many viable alternatives to current patterns of working and living, based upon what we know and can already do using available and tried technologies. People living today have more options in terms of where, when, how and with whom to work, learn, earn and consume than any generation in history. For example, teleconferencing can be less disruptive and harmful than travel to a physical meeting.”

Coulson-Thomas considers “There is enormous scope for business and social entrepreneurs to introduce new possibilities for living healthier, and less stressful and more sustainable lives. Living more simply and slowly could be less costly and more fulfilling. It might benefit health and be good for businesses and the planet.”

Security and Connected Health

Security is a growth industry. Improvements in health and safety often go together, while insecurity can be costly for citizens, communities and Governments. The intelligent home and smart metering create opportunities for better monitoring, for example enabling older people to remain active in their own homes, with warning signs such as an absence of power consumption for activities such as breakfast triggering a visit or call to check that the individual concerned is up and well.

Healthcare represents an arena of opportunity for entrepreneurs to benefit people and planet. Growing and aging populations are putting pressures on health services across the globe. Developing and emerging states face particular public health challenges, while in many developed countries there is a desire to switch activity away from resource intensive acute care hospitals to preventive activities, earlier diagnosis, local support from general medical practitioners and caring for people in their homes.

Coulson-Thomas feels: “Caring for people at home creates opportunities for industries from construction to information technology. Improved monitoring in the intelligent home could address health and energy consumption considerations. A more distributed and sustainable pattern of living has consequences for transportation, the utilities and services such as refuse collection and disposal. Companies that do not adjust and embrace new opportunities may go to the wall, while others that reinvent themselves will prosper, support healthier living and protect the environment.”

Help is at hand. With new and cost effective support tools that could cost no more than a cup of tea per doctor or nurse, Coulson-Thomas points out: “Practitioners can help patients to increase their understanding of their own health and devise options for improving it and adopting a healthier lifestyle. Healthcare and environmental issues and options can be explained. Tools could also enable patients to make more and better decisions about their own lifestyle and care.”

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The Global Summit on Sustainability is organised by the World Council for Corporate Governance in association with India’s Institute of Directors, Centre for Social Responsibility. It is being held at the National Liberal Club in London. The inaugural address will be given by Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi, Secretary-General of UNCTD.

Dr Colin Coulson-Thomas, an active consultant and member of the business school team at the University of Greenwich, has re-engineered end-to-end healthcare processes, and been the process vision holder of large and complex transformation projects.

He was the world’s first Professor of Corporate Transformation, and has helped over 100 organisations to improve director, board and corporate performance, and spoken at over 200 national and international events in 40 countries. He can be contacted via www.coulson-thomas.com and recent publications based upon his work can be obtained from www.policypublications.com