Aarhus Affairs #02 by Aarhus Affairs

AARHUS The AFFAIRS

# 02 : 2013

Denmark

A J O U R N A L E N C O U R A G I N G C O L L A B O R AT I O N B E T W E E N E D U C AT I O N , B U S I N E S S A N D C U LT U R E F R O M A N E N T R E P R E N E U R I A L P O I N T O F V I E W

DO WHAT YOU LOVE

WHEN WORK BECOMES PASSION AND PASSION BECOMES REALITY A dialogue between Christian Stadil & Lóa Steffánsdóttir

THEORY U, PRESENCING THE EMERGING FUTURE

A dialogue between Steen Hildebrandt & Lotte Darsø

AND DO IT OFTEN

THE YES! MUNICIPALITY Developing and rethinking a positive framework and culture in the city

This is your life Extract of the Holstee Manifesto 2013

GO GREEN AARHUS : 2017 Join the Green Transition

TRAILERPARK ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Godsbanen - the power and possibilities of a bulldozer deadline

TRE

P RE N E U R

Temporary structure, knowledge and creativity A dialogue with the citizens of Ceres City

T IO N * GU I

THE CITY OF CERES : HOW TO BUILD A CITY 2.0

THE

ION

LD BET E FIE W

2ND C

EDITION 2013

The Green Edition

PHOTOGRAPHER Marcus Møller Bitsch / www.marcusmb.com

SINES S A E, BU N

STON E

PA PE R

- Paper made of stone? The cover of Aarhus Affairs you are now holding in your hands is printed on stone paper. Stone paper is a sustainable alternative to paper made of tree fibers. The production of stone paper is less energy consuming compared to conventional paper production and requires no water, tree fibers or usage of bleaching chemicals. Using stone as material gives some distinct advantages, one being a water resistant material with a high tensile strength, which makes this newspaper usable as a rain cover or a sheet to sit on the dewy morning grass. The stone paper cover will protect the content of this paper in all weather. Stone paper is Cradle to Cradle certified. W W W. S T E N PA P I R . D K

F SC

PA PE R

FSC is an international non-profit certification for wood and paper products. You will find the FSC certificate on wood and paper products that you can buy with a clean conscience. In an FSC-certified forest no more trees are felled than the forest is able to regenerate. FSC also offers a protection for animal and plant life and ensures that forestry workers are secured an education, safety gear and a fair wage. W W W. F S C . D K

CONTENT PAPER :

COVER PAPER :

ARTIST : Hvass&Hannibal / www.hvasshannibal.dk

IMAGINATION IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN KNOWLEDGE

C O N T R I B U T O R S TEXT

A R T C O L L A B O R AT I O N S

/ Sander Jensen

TANK Artshop & Coffee

/ Signe Hummeluhr Dammeyer

www.tankyou.dk

/ Signe Nielsen

Lunchmoney Gallery

/ Peter Matzen

www.luchmoneygallery.com

/ Thea Green / Niels Elmegaard Bæk / Malene Andersen

ARTISTS & GRAPHICS / Hvass&Hannibal

/ Munna Hoffmann-Jørgensen

/ Nicolai Høtoft Jensen

/ René Sune Sørensen & Abdul Dube

/ Daniel van der Noon

/ Anne Mette Boye

/ Kristina Krogh

/ Katrine Nør Andersen : VINK

/ Mormor - Kristian Bruun

/ Jens Fick

/ Mandy Rep / Zakary Chenoweth

PHOTO / Marcus Møller Bitsch

/ Nikolaj Sørensen, Palmehaven / Andrea Wan

/ Marcel Christ / Raw Color / Miles Bowers

GRAPHIC DESIGN / L AY O U T

/ Cathrine Ertman

/ Jonatan Marcussen :

T R A N S L AT I O N & PROOFREADING

/ Zeuner Grafisk / Stenpapir.dk

Content executive

/ Hester Ditte Callaghan / Sarah John

A A R H U S A F F A I R S #2

T H E U R G E T O C R E AT E

The beginning of all things starts with a creation. Whether you prefer the Garden of Eden or the Big Bang. The world was created at some point. You are, we are, all part of this world. All around us, people are creating things all the time. A microbrewery in the basement A local running club. Lettuce in a window box. IT businesses listed on the stock exchange. Art. Space rockets! Why do we create anything at all? Because we are bored? Because we want to be rich? Because we are hungry for something? Everyone has their own motivation to create. It can give something invaluably good to the world, society and yourself, when you start something new. From a societal perspective entrepreneurship is mostly about creating businesses and growth because it is good for the economy and thereby the future welfare of us all. For Aarhus Affairs it’s also about making a difference in the world. For when you start something new you initiate a ripple effect that generate rings in the water around you as well as the society that you are a part of. Aarhus Affairs is working with three themes in this issue; passion, networking and resources. A person with an urge to create often has an inner flame, which isn’t always easy to explain. This flame needs a network and good relations with other people and last but not least, also needs to be nourished with resources like labour, time and capital. We believe that by working with others from a range of different professions and by being open to new ideas, your work can be mamade easier and more productive.

C O N T E N T S Page 3

Page 21

When work becomes passion and passion becomes reality

Entrepreneurial Portraits

Passion-driven work & entrepreneurship Page 6

Interviews : Jacob Bundsgaard Mayor of Aarhus +

Marc Perera Christensen

The every day drive Page 24

The City of Ceres - How to build a City 2.0 Page 27

Headstart Fashion

Head of the cultural department, Municipality of Aarhus

Page 29

Page 9

Page 30

Go Green Aarhus - 2017 Page 10

Theory U

Presencing the Emerging Future Page 13

The Yes! Municipality Page 14

Trailerpark Entrepreneurship Page 17

Architecture : Knowledge & Experiments

Aarhus Entrepreneurial Ecosystem The Green Transition of Denmark Page 31

Steps toward a Sustainable Future Page 32

Green Entrepreneurial Portraits The every day drive Page 35

Sustainable Footprint

FO Aarhus : Taking local & global responsibility Page 36

Spot a Wealthy Investor (It ain´t over, ´till the fat lady sings...)

ARTIST : Nicolai Høtoft Jensen

Aarhus Affairs has been brought to life in Aarhus, the second largest city of Denmark, by artists, journalists and photographers that all work voluntarily or for very little. The financial contributions come from private individuals, companies, the local municipality and educational institutions in the area. The goal is to help promote entrepreneurship and enterprise and showcase opportunities, provide inspiration and explore the field between education, culture and business. At the same time we would like to make space for reflection. Am I living the life that I would like to? Am I not seeing what is right in front of my eyes? Is everything going well? Am I reaching my full potential? We sincerely hope that you want to join us in creating – or co-creating – the world. Jonatan Marcussen & Sander Jensen / editorial Aarhus Affairs

EXECUTIVE EDITOR : Jonatan Marcussen CO-EDITOR : Sander Jensen COVER PHOTO : Marcus Møller Bitsch EDITORIAL : hello@aarhusaffairs.dk / www.aarhusaffairs.dk AARHUS AFFAIRS #2 - 2013 : Copies 15.000

SANDER JENSEN Co-editor / www.smallgiant.dk

J O N ATA N M A R C U S S E N Executive editor / www.imaginelab.dk

Director Process Ink and Small Giant

Project manager Aarhus Green Living Lab

A A R H U S A F F A I R S

#2 2013

PASSION

PHOTO : Marcus Møller Bitsch

WHEN WORK BECOMES PASSION AND PASSION BECOMES REALITY We have met up with the owner of Thornico and Hummel, Christian Stadil, and Loá Steffansdóttir, owner of the company, Mind of Gold, for a talk about passion, work, passion-driven and holistic companies – and not least: How to lose yourself, use your time wisely and make mistakes – quite a few in fact. WRITTEN BY : Signe Hummeluhr Dammeyer

he train trundles across Fyn. The photographer and I are sitting tensely with our black notepads; one lined and the other for sketching, on the table in front of us. The theme is passion – both in the photographer’s sketches and in my questions. But what is passion? We quickly agree that we both have it. For why would we otherwise take the return trip from Aarhus to Copenhagen with DSB for an hour long interview and photo shoot with Christian Stadil and Loá Steffansdóttir at a rather hectic café on Østerbro? After a brief moment of confusion in front of Østerport station, the photographer and I finally find the right road and locate the café where the discussion will take place. I don’t mention to the photographer that I have actually lived in Copenhagen and still don’t know my way around. Loá and Christian find us quickly and once the raspberry smoothies have been ordered, we get straight down to business; there is no time for small talk. What is passion for you, I ask and catch sight of my own reflection in Stadil’s sunglasses.

“When you feel passion, you feel it burning so strongly inside you that you can end up losing yourself in the fire of what you are doing.” - Christian Stadil, owner Hummel - Company Karma

“When you feel passion, you feel it burning so strongly inside you that you can end up losing yourself in the fire of what you are doing”, explains Christian Stadil as he elegantly removes his sunglasses and replaces them with his charismatic horn-rimmed glasses. I have a strong feeling that this man can talk. “When we lose ourselves, our sense of time and place and experience disappears, we get into a flow and then all of a sudden, five hours have passed where we have been sitting in a brainstorm or have been out climbing, which I enjoy doing. Passion is the most important fuel in terms of getting into a state of flow”, he says looking over at Loá.

“For me it’s the big why.” - Lóa Steffánsdóttir, anthropologist & Mind of Gold

“For me it’s the Big Why”, starts Loá Steffansdóttir. She is sitting in her beautiful bottle-green dress with a feather in her hair. “I need to know why I do things. There are things I

want to give this world – I feel almost in a hurry to do it. Passion is also not giving up when things take an unexpected turn”, she says. “And they always do”, interrupts Stadil whilst changing back to his sunglasses. The sun must have come out again. “I have heard myself say to my former boss that I would rather live on state benefits and live out my passion than stay comfortably in a full-time job and not doing it”. For me there’s a sense of urgency”, she says. Stadil nods, “that’s a good phrase – sense of urgency”, he says, whilst savouring the words. Many companies work from “what” to “how” to “why”. Businesses run on passion work the opposite way around and start by asking why. This comes from the motto that people don’t buy because of what you do, but because of why you do it.

Loá has also just done something crazy. She had a permanent job at Innovation Lab as chief anthropologist but quit to follow her dream and passion of having her own company. “I only have this life now and I was spending all of my waking hours doing something that isn’t what I dream of – that’s a waste of time”. Loá could feel it on her levels of motivation and she felt that she was only applying herself 80%. MAKING MISTAKES IS PART OF LIFE It is not fun to make mistakes. Not at all. Especially not when it is what everyone predicted would happen. Both Christian Stadil and Lóa Steffansdóttir have tried it many times.

USE YOUR TIME WISELY It has been a bit of a jigsaw puzzle trying to arrange a meeting with these two very busy passionate individuals so my question of how to use one’s time most wisely is not totally irrelevant. I don’t know the answer myself. Procrastination is my middle name, especially when it’s something I don’t feel like doing. I believe that both Loá and Christian are experts in this arena. “I am most certainly not an expert – just ask my girlfriend and she will tell you that I am anything but”, says Christian and we all laugh. “But after I became a dad I have been forced to prioritise and I have started prioritising my passions higher and higher. Prioritise those things that you are passionate about and where you feel you can make a difference – in my case it is those tasks and jobs that I am most passionate about that I use most time on and lose myself most often”.

ARTIST : Andrea Wan

CONTINUES ON THE NEXT PAGE

When work becomes passion & passion becomes reality

A A R H U S A F F A I R S

#2 2013

PASSION

CONTINUED

When work becomes passion & passion becomes reality

“I have messed up many times and I actually think that it’s a big part of getting anywhere. Because we really do learn more from our own experiences. In this respect, the ‘bad’ experiences are very valuable”, says Loá in such a relaxed tone that I have a hard time believing her. “Making mistakes hurts, especially if you are very self-conscious. The more you step forward, the more resistance you will meet – you need to be prepared for that. People will always find things to get offended about when you become more clear. But for me, life is about becoming clear” she says, taking a sip of her raspberry smoothie. It is as if Christian read my thoughts about being self-conscious. “We humans are not very good when we get self-conscious”, he says after a long story about horse riding and jumping. But it makes sense: “about 76% of all riders knock the last jump down. Psychiatrist and Zen Buddhist, Mark Epstein, worked with a technique that required the riders to ima-gine a final jump after the last actual one. Then what happens? We don’t get in the way of ourselves – we ride past the jump so to speak. Because when we have to perform, we get overly self-conscious. We might stumble and fall but if the goal is all the way out there in the distance, it doesn’t matter”, says Christian and turns around on his chair to greet an acquaintance that just caught sight of him. “Hello...it’s been a long time... yeah I don’t come here that much anymore – I’ve moved out to the countryside”, Stadil explains.

COMPANY KARMA Steen Hildebrandt and Christian Stadil wrote the book, Company Karma, before the crisis set in as a warning – not many people know this. “We noticed the figures on the American stock exchange, where the holding period - the length of time that you keep your stocks before selling them off - had fallen from seven years to just one”, says Christian.

Company Karma is not just a book. The whole Thornico concern has built karma into their business models. Combining, as far as possible, doing well with doing good. “At the moment we have some new big projects going on all over the world for example we had held a kid’s festival in Afghanistan with 900 children playing football in Hummel gear - it was a great sight”.

They describe in the book why businesses need to think both long term and holistically. Some of the Native Americans worked with a seven-generation perspective.

Christian Stadil describes Company Karma as a non-religious business philosophy. “We call it karma because we are living in an interconnected world – if I don’t treat you nicely, it is most likely to have its repercussions and you’ll go on Facebook and write ‘that Christian was a prick’. Well that’s the way it works, isn’t it!” he says laughing. Don’t worry Christian, I won’t do that.

“We should be working for some of the next generations – the things we do today should be able to survive for the next seven generations”, says Stadil.

ARTIST : Andrea Wan - www.andreawan.com

All good things come to an end they say. No, why is that? I ask both Loá and Stadil if they have any good advice. Loá begins, “ask yourself, do you believe in what you are doing or is there anything that you believe in more”. Stadil picks up the thread, “I know that it is a boring place to start but having a good idea is important. There must be a market out there for it – they are the necessary conditions – passion won’t do it alone.

HOLISTIC BUSINESS THINKING There are many that believe that holistic businesses are philanthropic enterprises where employees meditate and drink green tea. But they are not. There is however a returning trend towards seeking wholeness, finding meaning in life, identity and happiness – and we are seeking answers in both science and spirituality. This is also reflected in organisations and businesses.

“A business is like a limb; a limb needs blood to function just as a business needs money, liquidity and cash flow to operate. The interesting thing is what the limb, or the business, decides to do with itself once it has enough blood, or cash flow, respectively” he says, continuing, “I am not holy, I love making money. A business that doesn’t make any money has anxious employees so it is a good thing to make money. Without money there is no karma. But things are also about doing well and doing good”. Businesses with a holistic approach are not just businesses with financial goals; they are also dedicated to contributing to society at the same as tending to the interests, skills and needs of the directors and employees. The holistic approach is also a way of ensuring a meaningful job.

“I provide wisdom techniques for businesses and workplaces”. Wisdom techniques, I repeat, probably looking a bit puzzled. “Yes, I am actually desperately looking out for a better word at the moment – it is a technical approach to the spiritual methods. There is mindfulness and meditation, and there are plenty of more techniques to hack your system and lift your life to a new level. I want to make that accessible to everyone”, says Loá and points out that this is in no way religious. “Imagine sitting in an office and you have to complete an assignment or give a presentation. You heart is beating rapidly and sweat drops are forming on your brow. There are actually things that you can do in just four minutes that can help you. There is help for all of us, regardless of what mental or psychological stuff we are dealing with. There are tools to work with”, she says. LIVE YOUR DREAM AND SHARE YOUR PASSION The meeting is drawing to a close and I try to find an appropriate question to finish up an hour-long chat with two inspiring people whom I don’t really want to stop talking.

The point is that companies should view their goals in a longer perspective – that way it doesn’t matter if you stumble half way. “It is not healthy to think so myopically”, Christian points out and starts talking about times of crisis; Einstein, who wrote bad papers, and Lincoln, who after many defeats went on to become an excellent president.

“If you are sitting in the marketing department you have far more freedom if you are working on campaigns that will earn money - so earning money is good - but I refuse to believe that it is the only thing that is worthwhile”, says Christian Stadil. I can sense that this means something to him.

MIND OF GOLD Loá Steffansdóttir has recently started a small company called Mind of Gold.

“The world starts to cooperate with you when you mean what you say and what you do. And there is always a deeper bottom line. Such as the health and wellbeing of the next seven”, continues Loá, touching her hair, making the feather flutter. It is Native Americans meet business – and it’s the new black.

“Making mistakes hurts, especially when you are very self-conscious.”

“Easy come is not that exciting. It is exciting to make a difference doing something that’s worthwhile. It is pretty uninteresting to make money by doing something very easy which leads more rubbish and more carelessness in the world”, she says. Stadil nods and refills all our glasses with ice water. I get a nod from the photographer who mumbles something about the light being perfect and that we should go down to the lake next to the café to get ready for the photos. We’ll be there in five minutes, I tell him.

- Lóa Steffánsdóttir, anthropologist & Mind of Gold

“The more you step forward, the more resistance you will meet – you need to be prepared for that. People will always find things to get offended about when you become more clear. But for me life is about becoming clear.”

“For we humans are not very good when we get self-conscious. About 76% of all riders knock the last jump down. Psychiatrist and Zen Buddhist, Mark Epstein, worked with a technique that required the riders to imagine a final jump after the last actual one.” “Then what happens? We don’t get in the way of ourselves – we ride past the jump so to speak.” - Christian Stadil, owner Hummel - Company Karma

Then you have to ask yourself if there is something that you actually want to spend 15-20 hours a day doing because it is really tough running a business” he explains, once again removing his sunglasses and replacing them with his horn-rimmed glasses. It is duly noted. We are both literally high on passion when the photo shoot comes to an end and hugs have been exchanged. Now for the train back to Aarhus.

FACTS : COMPANY KARMA www.hummel.net/en : MIND OF GOLD www.mindofgold.dk

PHOTO : Marcel Christ / www.marcelchrist.com

PHOTO : Raw Color

THE ENERGY OF THE MIND IS THE ESSENCE OF LIFE

A A R H U S A F F A I R S

#2 2013

PASSION

2013 - 2017 - »

CREATIVE AARHUS

A dialogue containing five questions to Jacob Bundsgaard, mayor of Aarhus & Marc Perera Christensen, alderman Culture- and Citizen, Municipality of Aarhus

ther in order to succeed. A good example of this is Smart Aarhus. It is an open data project where the Municipality, project groups and individuals cooperate to find new digital solutions that make it easier, more sustainable, more fun and better to live in the city.

I will work towards making it more common for high net worth individuals and businesses to sponsor new businesses, just like they already sponsor sports clubs. A kind of sponsorship that is driven by a love for the city.

In this collaboration, Aarhus Municipality provided all the data on everything from kindergartens to public footpaths. For example a private individual has recently developed a mobile app to help locate the nearest public toilet.

- Marc Perera Christensen

» #3. How can the municipality be involved in creating optimal conditions for the creative industry? - Marc Perera Christensen

Jacob Bundsgaard, mayor of Aarhus

Marc Perera Christensen, alderman in Aarhus

CREATIVE INDUSTRIES

need for, promoting two types of value creation: what does your business generate in terms of economic value, turnover, jobs and profit; and what value does your product or the result of your work have for the rest of society - what experiences, changes or creations does your business provide? The latter can rarely be measured in money.

WRITTEN BY : Munna Hoffmann-Jørgensen PHOTO : Municipality press

» #1. How can the municipality support the creative entrepreneurial milieu? - Marc Perera Christensen

large part of it is to create a new mind set, which appreciates just how important creative entrepreneurs are for the city. The municipality must become better at expressing that the cultural and creative clusters are just as valuable for the city as the AgroFood and Cleantech groups. The power and potential of the city’s entrepreneurs must become a clearer part of the town’s contemporary history because this is what drives the city. This is what has made this city great and this is what is really driving progress in Aarhus today.

“A large part of it is to create a new mind set, which appreciates just how important creative entrepreneurs are for the city.” This is why we involve both small and large creative firms in business politics. We need to give newly established companies advice and feedback in the running of their businesses and we must help them connect with the rest of the business world. There are many skills and areas of expertise in this city that can aid and assist each other. The Student House uses a great deal of energy on fostering interactions between young students with a flair for business and established business figures that can act as mentors and supervisors for the students. The municipality could also host some of these meetings. One obvious occasion could be our annual New Year’s meeting at the City Hall. - Jacob Bundsgaard

In the future some of the big business ventures will involve entrepreneurs, for example in the film and fashion industries. My vision is to unite the city around the message that entrepreneurs are important for Aarhus. Half of all new jobs in Aarhus are created by entrepreneurs. The fact that more and more people wish to start something from scratch is hugely valuable to society. We must equip the new generation with the right knowledge of how to start something new. They must know that it involves hard work and is praiseworthy. As a city we have an interest in, and a

“Aarhus should be the town that you go to if you have a good idea.You should be drawn to the city by the contacts, network and knowledge that the town can offer. It takes time to build this image up.” There are concrete services that we as a city should offer. We already offer a number of various initiatives that, amongst others, are provided by The Incubator where you can get feedback and advice and where you can receive and pay for consultancy services. We should also try to promote a culture where it is seen as more normal to start something yourself; being an entrepreneur should be an appealing career choice on a part with other career choices. We should inspire and encourage students at primary schools as well as further educations, so they are aware that entrepreneurship both includes developing an idea into a product that can be sold on the market, and a way of developing oneself and forming yourself as an individual.

» #2.Which new kinds of collaborations are being used between creative companies?

Marc Perera Christensen

The crucial thing is that companies don’t isolate themselves with projects but exploit the value inherent in working as a group and in temporary partnerships. The central element in a socalled business cluster is that companies work together and share resources and facilities because they are working towards some common goals. Shared working spaces are established and an atmosphere develops where related companies can inspire each other and collaborate on certain projects and assignments. At one time car companies started setting up shop next to each other because they discovered that they all benefitted commercially by being located close to each other. This is a good example of how a cluster can be formed. - Jacob Bundsgaard

When we assess Aarhus’ strong points we find that cross-disciplinary collaboration is amongst them. We are very aware of the necessity of working toge-

Culture-producing companies must have access to the same framework conditions as all other industries. This includes a clear and transparent processing of applications so that, for example, if the company applies for a building permit, they can follow the progress of the case. This includes simple and flexible administrative procedures so that the municipality is seen as a service body rather than a control body. When a firm contacts the municipality they must feel that the municipality offers them assistance and effective guidance so that the company can, as quickly as possible, start generating added value for them self and society. In terms of taxation, it is important that we have a municipality where it is attractive to run a business. It is therefore vital that we ensure that the city’s businesses are not taxed too hard respective to the surrounding municipalities. At the same time we need to work towards making the spotting and connecting of businesses across sectors part of the Business and Culture Administration’s task. Employees at these public offices are in daily contact with the region’s businesses and they therefore hold some very important information. One business could have found an effective solution to a problem that another business is also experiencing – these two businesses should help each other out. Instead of calling Aarhus a ‘Yes Municipality´, I am more interested in how we can turn this way of working into a standard working model. It is what we do that is important and it is essentially about healthy salesmanship – service, common sense, clarity and an ability to put yourself in the customer’s shoes. We want to see experiments with new entrepreneurial projects in the years up to 2017; an abandoned building filled with small, newly established businesses fitted in a Spartan simple style with chalk marks on the floor and a desk and cupboard for each – or a city of office containers on a field? - Jacob Bundsgaard

» #4.Will we see experiments with new entrepreneurial projects in the years up to 2017? We are legally required to get rid of municipal buildings that we are no longer using. The municipality could offer these building-free areas to private initiatives to use for a period of time as we are currently in a situation where we have a lot of land available. The city would benefit from taking a more laid-back approach, as we seem to be hurrying at the moment to sell the land and buildings and plan strategic urban development. The high tempo that this is happening with prevents smaller initiatives from developing and meeting their potential as local area plans take over. It is most definitely in my interest to support initiatives such as establishing a Container City with well-designed offices, like that in London, possibly being located by the old freight yard and the ring road bridge. - Jacob Bundsgaard

This is already happening in many places across the city, such as Fodboldfabrikken at Ceres Byen and the fashion clusters at the harbour. These businesses are organising themselves under the same roof where you sit close together and can form clusters. These businesses are using and helping each other out both formally and informally. Such working environments arise out of private initiatives and as a Municipality we should not take over this role. We should give people permission to be there and otherwise stay out of it. Passionate individuals are sure to make lots of interesting things happen.

» #5. How could Aarhus become the world’s best city at being entrepreneurial with international impact and visibility? - Marc Perera Christensen

Aarhus is a strong international brand as a result of Aarhus University. International students and researchers take the knowledge of Aarhus out into the world and this makes a huge impact on the world stage. Another example is Olafur Eliasson’s rainbow, which amongst other items, led to a two-page article about Aarhus in the New York Times. Several international newspapers have sent their journalists to Aarhus to cover the city and the people that live here who claim to be the happiest people in the world. - Jacob Bundsgaard

The city can offer a great starting point for self-employed businesses. Denmark is in the top league when it comes to ease of starting a new company and we should work towards rendering what Aarhus can offer more visible.

We should spread the message that it is easy to open a new company in Aarhus and that the city has a number of services to offer fledgling businesses. We should also try to make ourselves known as the city that brings businesses together. We have, amongst other things, a high concentration of people working in the creative industry. Finally we should, to a far greater extent than we do now, be a city that uses its purchasing power to support new businesses.

“There is a tremendous amount of potential to exploit if we used the Municipality’s purchasing power more intelligently.”

“The entrepreneur should be allowed to be the entrepreneur and we should avoid taking over that role.” Instead the Municipality should offer advice and feedback and provide a culture where it is admirable to start up your own business. We should inspire more people to dare to try. We should connect those who are thinking about starting up something themselves. They need the right support to get started and realise their ideas. The Municipality should provide the necessary conditions for ideas and venture capital to meet each other – both regarding foreign and Danish investors and entrepreneurs.

ARTIST : Andrea Wan

E V E R Y G R E AT

DREAM BEGINS WITH A

DREAMER A LW AY S R E M E M B E R YOU HAVE WITHIN YOU THE

S T R E N G T H , T H E PAT I E N C E

AND THE PASSION

REACH

FOR THE STARS TO

CHANGE THE WORLD.

QUOTE : HARRIET TUBMAN

arriet Tubman (1820 - 1913) was an African-American abolitionist, humanitarian, and Union spy during the American Civil War. Born into slavery, Tubman escaped and made more than 19 missions to rescue more than 300 slaves using the network of antisla-very activists and safe houses known as the Underground Railroad. As a child, Tubman was beaten by her masters. Early in her life, she suffered a severe head injury. In 1849, Tubman escaped and returned to rescue her family. Slowly she brought relatives out, and guided dozens of other slaves to freedom. She was also the first woman to lead an armed expedition in the war, which liberated more than 700 slaves. (Source: Wikipedia)

WE ARE ALL IN THE GUTTER, BUT SOME OF US ARE LOOKING AT THE STARS PHOTO : Marcus Møller Bitsch / www.marcusmb.com

A A R H U S A F F A I R S

#2 2013

FACTS

: AARHUS 2017

www.aarhus2017.dk

GO GREEN

: AARHUS GREEN LIVING LAB contact : hello@aarhusaffairs.dk

AARHUS 2017

BE A PART OF THE PROCESS : JOIN THE MOVEMENT

Contact Aarhus 2017 / Aarhus Green Living Lab

In 2017 Aarhus will bear the title of European Capital of Culture. A title that has been won following four years of intense preparations in collaboration with the whole of the Central Denmark Region. One of Aarhus 2017’s core values is sustainability, which expresses a positive belief in culture and sustainability as absolute necessities in the development of a future modern urban society. GREEN C O L L A B O R AT I O N WRITTEN BY : Malene Andersen, Aarhus 2017

round 50% of the world’s population lives in cities and urbanisations today. This figure will rise to 75% by the year 2050. A majority of the world’s resources are used, consumed and over consumed in cities. At the same time, cities are the hub of much of the knowledge and technology that we will need in dealing with environmental and resource challenges in the future. Sustainability is therefore especially relevant in an urban context and has come into particular focus in recent decades on the European political agenda as an objective for a whole new way of living, working and organising ourselves with the goal of global responsibility.

THE THORNICO BUILDING ROTTERDAM’S GREEN LUNGS

WRITTEN BY : Signe Hummeluhr Dammeyer

Aarhus has a green role model in the town of Rotterdam. The Thornico Building in the centre of Rotterdam, with 30,000 m2 floor space and 800 parking spaces, has been transformed into a green lung and stands as an example of business and environmental conscience successfully going hand in hand.

Aarhus 2017 is therefore not just about music, film, theatre, art and literature. We define culture much more broadly – as our way of using, con-

PHOTO : Raw Color

“The sustainability of our environments - urban and rural - into long-living and healthy terrains requires understanding and developing new ways we better live together to create more pristine space for future generations.” - Rebecca Matthews, managing director Aarhus 2017

“Many people talk about making real estate sustainable but there are very few people that have actually gone and done it. We have planted ivy up one of the walls in the multistorey car park, which filters the same amount of CO2 as 200 mature oak trees – it is Europe’s large green wall”.

ROTTERDAM AND AARHUS AS FRIENDSHIP TOWNS Aarhus would be well advised to look over it´s shoulder at Rotterdam and The Thornico Building to exchange ideas and knowledge of rooftop gardens, city beekeeping, watering systems, plant walls and urban farming as well as other green initiatives.

“Everybody using the building, including ourselves, benefits from the fact that the city now has a green lung.”

Christian Stadil, owner of Thornico and Hummel supports this potential collaboration:

- Dan Bjerg, Karma developer, Hummel & Thornico

The building’s sheer size and large multistory car park makes it one of the biggest in Rotterdam. At the top of the massive concrete building there is a small green oasis with a panoramic view of the Rotterdam skyline.

Company Karma is the result of globalisation and the fact that businesses interact and sell all over the world. Thornico calls their karma theories a kind of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) that aims to be even more holistic. By this the firm itself as well as it´s customers, partners and a chosen causes will all benefit from investments made.

The rooftop is planted with flowers and moss and is a haven for bees that produce honey. During the night the building is lit up by green LED lights that are energysaving and illustrate the building´s transformation from grey to green. It’s really all about branding.

Dan Bjerg, karma developer, Thornico & Hummel explains:

GREENING AARHUS 2017 Why not go a step further and use our year as capital of culture to become the first European Green Capital of Culture? Aarhus and the Central Denmark Region are already strong players in the fields of clean tech, circular economy, food innovation and green entrepreneurship and therefore have much of the knowledge, the partners and not least the ambitions to become Europe’s first green and sustainable city of culture. Aarhus 2017 wishes to be an open and favourable place to try out new solutions for the challenges of the city of the future at the crossroads between art, creativity and sustainability. Our vision is for Aarhus and the Region to be visible from the Moon in 2017. Everyone that visits the cultural capital should find a city and a region with an

Thornico – the holding company for Hummel amongst firms – has realised many of their green aims from their Company Karma strategies.

The climate and local environment are matters close to the company´s heart. This passion for combining business and responsibility for the planet has made The Thornico Builin the heart of Rotterdam green.

suming and experiencing the city; as our way of interacting with the city and each other in public spaces. Aarhus 2017 is just as much about drawing, forming and drafting scenarios for our shared future. We wish to rethink our existing knowledge, habits and experiences with an aim to creating a modern city society that does not exploit neither human nor environmental resources. For this reason RETHINK is the central theme of Aarhus 2017.

We have turned a grey concrete building into a sexy landmark for Rotterdam, which everybody using the building, including ourselves, benefits from the fact that the city now has a green lung. We hope that we can make people stop up and think: We could do that too”, says Dan Bjerg.

“Aarhus and Rotterdam could most certainly join forces and learn from each other’s green transition. A potential friendship town agreement could allow the cities to exchange experiences with urban greening, vertical plant walls, rooftop gardens, urban farming, city beekeeping and more general sustainable urban development – Aarhus also has a lot of experi ences that Rotterdam could learn from”.

PHOTO : Thornico building - rooftop garden, with beehives, etc.

“Aarhus and Rotterdam could definitely join forces and learn from each other’s green transition.” - Christian Stadil, owner of Thornico & Hummel

unmistakeable blue and green identity with beehives in backyards, floating parks in the harbour, urban farming on the city’s roofs as well as herbs, trees and flowers on the streets, walls, plazas and squares. They should visit green art and cultural institutions that focus on eco-aesthetics and circular economy and they should experience the first steps being taken towards Aarhus’ and the Region’s ambitious goals regarding CO2 neutrality and the use of renewable energy. Aarhus 2017 is therefore working towards establishing Aarhus Green Living Lab in Mejlgade. A 1:1 platform for developing and exchanging ideas, knowledge and next practice for the sustainable city of the future in the field between art and culture, creativity and business, education and entrepreneurship, with a strong sense of local ownership and global responsibility at its core. The work is already underway – we encourage all green and sustainable people in the city and in the Region to join our venture to develop a common green strategy for Aarhus and the Central Denmark Region.

“By mapping out and creating crossdiscipline synergies and collaborations and making the green players in the Central Denmark Region more visible, our aim is to support entrepreneurship and growth in the green sector.” - Jonatan Marcussen, director Aarhus Green Living Lab

PHOTO : Green roof enhancing biodiversity within the city

The green transformation of the building in Rotterdam has created new knowledge and experiences in the practical handling of green real estate. Experiences which may seem simple and obvious but which are definitely worth knowing before planting crawling ivy up a wall or establishing beehives on a roof. “We have gained a lot of experience with the vertical plant wall, which we would like to use to help others. It has been a very dry spring in Rotterdam so we have developed some watering systems to prevent the ivy from drying out”, explains Dan Bjerg. One of the green visions in Aarhus; Aarhus Green Living Lab, which has several on-going projects in Aarhus, dreams of and envisions Rotterdam and Aarhus officially entering into a visionary friendship agreement. This could increase focus and not least action in creating sustainable cities, as well as permitting mutual learning through dialogue and collaboration.

FACTS : THORNICO BUILDING ROTTERDAM www.thornicobuilding.com/EN

PASSION

A A R H U S A F F A I R S

#2 2013

PASSION

ARTIST : Daniel van der Noon

THEORY U

STOP DOWNLOADING AND START LISTENING The current world crises demands us to act differently and seek new perspectives and solutions. The world calls us to wake up from habits and repetitions. But how to change?

Hildebrandt elaborates with reference to Albert Einstein, “to create holistic sustainable solutions for both our inner and outer crises , we must understand that we can´t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them”. We must therefore identify the deeply ingrained habits and patterns that control our decisionmaking.

WRITTEN BY : Peter Matzen

irst of all, forget everything about the perfect business model! It’s far more important to look inside yourself to find out what you are good at and listen to what the world needs. It’s about having heart. This is made clear by Steen Hildebrandt and Lotte Darsø, who have followed and worked with leadership theorist Otto Scharmer’s transformational change and innovation theory. Aarhus Affairs has met up with the two to draw on their wisdom of how to become an entrepreneur. It is challenging matter as Theory U should be lived rather than read. U-MODEL OF CHANCE Theory U has received great recognition around the world and has provided hope for dealing with the great crises that the planet faces. But what is Theory U all about and how can the theory help current and future entrepreneurs? It is the German leadership researcher, Otto Scharmer, who has developed the transformational change and innovation model. The theory is named after the model, which is shaped like a “U”. The model offers support for doing things radically differently and is a model that cannot simply be read but must be lived and performed. It is a challenging task but it pays off, assures Lotte Darsø, who is a lecturer at The Pedagogical University of Denmark (DPU) and author of “Innovationspædagogik – Kunsten at fremelske innovationskompetence” [Innovations pedagogy – the art of fostering innovation competencies]. CONNECT INNER FOCUS WITH OUTER NEEDS According to Darsø, one must work with oneself internally to find out what one is good at but also listen externally to what the world needs. “You must know what you are good at, even if it is just one small thing,

THEORY U AND THE MANY CRISES Theory U focuses its attention on the world’s many crises including the economic, health and environmental. For many, this is the most challenging thing about the theory; that we cannot solve crises with quick fixes and actions but instead have to stop and think. Stop completely.

PHOTO : Raw Color

“You should not develop the perfect business plan but rather work with your interests, passions and unique talent towards the greater goal of making the world a better place”. - Lotte Darsø, researcher, writer, teacher and expert in innovation processes. Associate professor at DPU, The Pedagogical University of Denmark.

and be able to use that skill in a way that makes a difference in the world. It is not enough to spot something temporary that you can make some quick money off”, she adds smiling. Theory U is a model that challenges us to create a connection between the inner and the outer, or as Darsø says, “you should not develop the perfect business plan but rather work with your interests, passions and unique talent towards the greater goal of making the world a better place”. Professor Steen Hildebrandt doubts that working towards finding your unique talents is included in any entrepreneurial course. One should dare to embark on an inner journey to find meaning. Meaning can be found by combining one’s individual talents with what the world needs.

Otto Scharmer calls this STOP DOWNLOADING. We must stop downloading the same habits and ad hoc solutions we usually do. Lotte Darsø adds, “The Chinese symbol for crisis contains both crisis and opportunity so solutions must originate from identifying the opportunities”. For this reason we must train our ability to stop and rest during crises or transitions in order to make good choices, whether it is a choice of new career or a larger societal decision. Steen Hildebrandt leans forward in his chair and says that he is on the cusp of finishing a new book called “Krise og mulighed – På Kanten af industrisamfundet” [Crisis and opportunity – on the edge of the industrial society]. He believes that we do not catch sight of opportunities during a crisis because our systems are stuck in certain ways of thinking or paradigms, where solutions are focused solely on economic growth using a warlike rhetoric. Growth and competition are the answer to everything and no one questions these presumptions. Hildebrandt offers an example of this rhetoric, the Minister for Education, Christine Antorini, who argues that children should receive English lessons from first grade so that they can compete with the Chinese. “Maybe we should cooperate with the Chinese instead?” he suggests with a friendly smile. He continues, “A replacement for the growth paradigm could be a more holistic concept like sustainability. Sustainability on both a personal and societal level”.

YOUR HEART NEEDS TO BE IN IT Our interview is taking place in Steen Hildebrandt’s inspiring workspace where bookshelves cover the walls from floor to ceiling and a wellstocked desk testifies to a flurry of activity. In the corner of the office stands a small smiling Buddha. Now we’re at it – a transformational change and leadership theory that has heart – isn’t that a little bit Buddhist? Steen Hildebrandt hears this same question from time to time. He wonders why this is a problem. Buddhism is an ancient philosophy and belief system that encourages looking inwards to find depth and answers. Steen Hildebrandt says, “The most provocative thing about Theory U is that we have to look inwards to find sustainable solutions, which we are not trained to do. The only thing that young people are required to do is earn more money and buy more things. This is not tenable for a society or planet in crisis or even for the young people themselves who, according to studies, are feeling more and more distressed”. We need to have our heart with us in our decisions and this requires training. Our collective wisdom is found in our hearts, not in our heads. Happiness and meaning is not something that you can calculate with your brain but can be felt in your heart, Lotte Darsø and Steen Hildebrandt both point out. To move on from the rational analytical is to move into the realms of the uncertain, which is where happiness and meaning can be found. Theory U describes this process. Otto Scharmer writes about being able to listen empathetically, which Lotte Darsø also sees as an important skill to train. “Scientific studies show that you can measure the heart’s radiation several metres away. This is something that we have all felt in certain situations when you walk into a room and can immediately feel whether the energy and company is good or bad”. Darsø’s research shows that one of the most important elements of innovation competency is being able to work together and listen empathetically to each other. She points out firmly, “collaboration must be trained – ideally already during primary school. But in order for group work to succeed, you need to have clear instructions and good tools to work with”.

LEARNING FROM THE EMERGING FUTURE Once we have stopped downloading our standard patterns of behaviour, identified unconstructive habits and dedicated ourselves to our hearts and passions, we find ourselves in a situation where the solutions of the past no longer work. And where the solutions of the future have not yet been formed. Theory U is about learning from the emerging future, which Steen Hildebrandt describes as leaning towards the future. We must dare to stand on the bridge between the past and the present without fleeing to one side or the other. These solutions will rely on whether we have the capacity to stand in existential transitions and listen inwards and outwards. Life always exists in the transitions between one now and the next now; nothing is stationary and we must dare to accept this.

A A R H U S A F F A I R S

#2 2013

MOVING TOWARDS PERFORMING WITH PROTOTYPING Fail fast to succeed sooner. Generate prototypes in order to get feedback is an important step in Theory U. We are taught and raised to pass exams where everything has to be perfect. Young entrepreneurs are told that they need to have the perfect business plan. Lotte Darsø thinks that this is completely wrong; “it is much more important to do things in order to get feedback”. Theory U calls this prototyping, which means that you have to create models of your ideas or business plans – these models need not be fully-developed or perfect as this enables you to get feedback earlier on in the process. This feedback can come from within yourself or from external advisors. This means that you have to try out your ideas and plans before they are fully formed. Get them developed and made better even though it can be rather discomforting to do this so early on in the process. Knowledge can be passed on but wisdom cannot. Wisdom must be gained by making your own experiences and getting feedback. Or as Lotte Darsø puts it, “Theory U can’t just be read but must be worked with and lived”.

“It is vital to create a strong and dynamic culture for entrepreneurship at our educational institutions, all the way from primary school to high school to further education. Many will experience this as a mental cultural revolution. A radical change from taking an education to GET a job when you finish, to taking an education to CREATE a job when you finish. But that should nevertheless be our ambition.” - Uffe Elbæk, member of the Danish Parlament, spokesman Science, Innovation and Higher Education & former Minister of Culture

PHOTO : Cathrine Ertmann / www.cathrineertmann.dk

It is difficult to learn from the emerging future insists Lotte Darsø. For her it is about learning to listen to what life calls you to do. Lotte Darsø thinks that we are often so full of ourselves that we cannot see past ourselves. We must leave our egos behind to be open to the new things that are on their way. She explains vividly that new roads open up when one dares to venture into unchartered territory. Steen Hildebrandt believes that entrepreneurs should be particularly focused on stopping the tendency to get caught up in the concepts, problems and patterns of the past. Hildebrandt compares the example of serfdom, which was abolished around the 1800, to the way that we are bound to our parents, schools and society and we must break free. He believes that entrepreneurs must start with a kind of disrespect for the lessons taught in books. Entrepreneurs often get stuck in the mantra that you should make plans, take action and produce things faster but Hildebrandt challenges this mantra by saying that we should stop and see what the future brings. COOPERATION AND CROSSDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION Otto Scharmer calls Theory U a social technology that focuses on trying to cooperate and make connections for the greater good. Our present inner and outer crises could be solved by working across disciplines. The educational system is based on old-

FACTS

Otto Scharmer is the author of the books Theory U: Leading from the Future as It Emerges and Leading from the Emerging Future: From Ego System to Eco-System Economies

OPEN MIND OPEN HEART OPEN WILL

: OTTO SCHARMER www.ottoscharmer.com : PRESENCING INSTITUTE www.presencing.com : STEEN HILDEBRANDT www.steenhildebrandt.dk

ARTIST : Daniel van der Noon

fashioned industrial society thinking where people must complete an education in order to enter the labour market. The labour market now no longer resembles the industrial society but educations are still stuck in the same ways of thinking. We need educations that work with a more holistic perspective – a more sustainable perspective for individuals, society and the planet. Both Lotte Darsø and Steen Hildebrandt see a need for working across the conventional academic boundaries, which is also true for the entrepreneur. You should be able to use your interests and individual talents in collaboration with others.

“When I lean towards the emerging future in a global context I see a need for cross-disciplinarity. One of the greatest sources of potential we have during a crisis is the enormous amount of knowledge that people have acquired but many of these branches of knowledge are isolated in sociology, psychology, learning theories etc. Crises are complex and can only be resolved using a holistic combination of all these pieces of knowledge.” - Steen Hildebrandt, Professor at the Department of Organisation and Marketing, Aarhus School of Business and Social Science, author of books, articles and features on management and societal conditions

OTTO SCHARMER

“The transformation to a more sustainable world demands a profound shift in the way we meet the pressing challenges of our time. I believe that the biggest leadership challenge of our time is to shift stakeholder groups from interacting based on ego-system awareness to co-creating based on eco-system awareness. We know that these kinds of profound shifts originate or be inspired by very small beginnings or seeds. I believe that Aarhus and Denmark could become such a place since leaders in Scandinavia tend to connect more naturally around eco-system awareness- that is, an awareness of the well-being of the wholethan i have seen in other regions of the world.” - Dr. C. Otto Scharmer, senior lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), founding chair of the Presencing Institute

PASSION

YES The meaning of yes

Try to imagine if you always said no. What would happen? Imagine then if you said yes to everything. Would you experience more, meet new people, or get new challenges? What if the yes became a way of life? Where you look at possibilities and not limitations. If next time that you are going to say no, you wait and ask: What is the best thing that could happen - and the worst thing? What would it take for you to say yes? Could you ask for a different approach or a change that will allow a yes? If you then finally say no, then your decision will be much more well founded, because you have explored all possibilities for the yes. The yes-approach requires you to sometimes take risks, but it can ultimately make new opportunities, well being and joy in all aspects of life. Are you ready to try? PHOTO : Anders Laursen / TEXT : Sander Jensen

A A R H U S A F F A I R S

#2 2013

THE YES! MUNICIPALITY If you listen to politicians, the media and the zeitgeist, it is evident that entrepreneurship offers a strong opportunity to create a revolution in society. There is massive demand from all sides for start-ups, entrepreneurs and innovators. Could a Yes! Municipality be a way of achieving more entrepreneurship? METROPOLIS FOR HUMANS WRITTEN BY : Jens Fick

n the Municipality of Copenha gen’s strategy, ‘Metropolis for People’ there are three overall goals: 1) There should be more life in the city for everyone in the form of a wide range of activities and offers that are aimed at a diverse demographic. 2) More people should visit the city because it is free, healthy and sustainable and simultaneously generates more life in the city. Therefore the city should feel safe, accessible and inviting. 3) More people should stay in the city for longer so we should create opporutunities for experiences, personal development and recreation. Plazas, parks, streets and harbour areas should encourage people to stay longer.

into a dialogue with Copenhagen Municipality, the answer will always be yes. Certain applications will naturally be followed by a number of criteria and requirements but essentially, the answer in the Yes! Municipality will always be Yes!. And the Municipality will always go the extra mile as a service to the citizen or company in question.

In this article we are focusing on the use of the city in both Copenhagen and Aarhus with a desire to support the ideas behind a Yes! Municipality. FRAMEWORK FOR GROWTH ”It’s about creating the right framework and conditions for growth”, explains Jan Beyer, Director of Business Development in the City of Aarhus. According to him, the Municipalitys´ goal within entrepreneurship is not to dictate development, but rather to offer interested groups the space to develop their dreams. The frame should create a forum where connecctions are made, networks broadened and possible collaborations made visible. No municipal, regional or state funds are pumped into newly established businesses in the Yes! Municipality. The main burden of responsibility still rests upon the innovators themselves but it should be made beneficial, viable and attractive for them to develop their ideas. There should be fair and equal conditions for entrepreneurs in all areas. The foundation should be able to hold up the building in its entirety, it’s no good that the one side receives more support than the other. Development is development. Contents, motives and methods are not interesting as long as there is development. IN COPENHAGEN THEY ALWAYS SAY YES! The most important aspect in a Yes! Municipality is of course while processing cases. When entrepreneurs and established companies enter

He believes that caseworkers should always establish the possibility of relaxing the rules to meet others’ wihes. They should offer more experimental permissions for innovative ideas, as these would benefit citizens, businesses and the municipality itself, which needs to develop new rules in tact with new delopments in information.

SERVICE WORKERS FOR THE PEOPLE

”Obscure rules have been scrapped and restrictive fees have been abolished. At the same time Copenhagen has got a contact centre that can assist citizens and a business centre that can take care of the business conditions in the Municipality. We have gone from being an authority to being a service. If you say yes to more you get much more in return. The result is that we get 20% more applications each year”, says Hugo Prestegaard.

tional and external dialogues. Employees must realise that they are the service workers in a project for developing growth. Without all members of staff adopting a service mindset, the Yes! Municipality is not possible.

”Temporariness inspires and motivates the over-all planning. It can generate new life in the city right here and now. As well as creating life, temporary projects can increase interest in an area, which of course generates added value for property owners and investors. This can be a strong argument for encouraging even more people to start up temporary projects”, says Tina Saaby, Copenhagen City Architect. NO. NO. NO. YES? ARTIST : Andrea Wan

Aarhus Municipality is not yet a Yes! Municipality and there are many areas that could be improved.

“A city lives and breathes the people that inhabit it and who use it. It should be easy to use the city. To create also non-commercial life on streets and squares. This creates spaces for people and human interaction. It is all about making cities for people.”

The key to the transition from a No to a Yes! Municipality lies, according to the Director of Business Development in the City of Aarhus Jan Beyer, like a heavy duvet over the Municipality’s 30,000 employees. Jan Beyer believes that we despe-rately need to shake this duvet off. All the Municipality’s employees should work towards promoting the Municipality´s interna-

EVEN UNREALISTIC PLANNING CAN PUSH DEVELOPMENT

Jan Beyer believes that long term visions together with very concrete short term actions pave the way towards transforming the mindset of municipal employees.The Municipality regularly establishes long-term visions. With attractive presentations and long impressive words, the great possibilities and spectacular results are reported. These visions are however, often exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, to achieve. But vision plans like Erhvervsby i vækst – Danmark i fremdrift 2014-17 (Business city in growth – Denmark in progress 2014-17) can also be used internally to put pressure on development. READINESS TO ADAPT

According to Bente Steffensen, director of Aarhus Business Network, another tool that clearly has unexploited potential is the ability and will to adapt quickly. Over time unexpected things can suddenly occur and the Municipality would do well to deal with these changes and reap the opportunities that accompany them.

Latvia

DENMARK Aarhus Copenhagen

Poland United Kingdom

Germany

- Klaus Bondam, director, The Danish Cultural Institute Benelux, former mayor of Copenhagen

”We have broken away from conventional administrative thinking and moved from being a No Municipality to being a Yes! Municipality. As a rule of thumb we never say no to an application. If for whatever reason we have to say no, which we very rarely do, the case worker has an obligation to indicate what changes must be made to receive a yes so that the project can be realised”, says Hugo Prestegaard, ex chief consultant of ”Gang i København” (tr. Get Copenhagen Going).

”We have broken away from conventional administrative thinking and moved from being a No Municipality to being a Yes! Municipality.”

Croatia Italy

FACTS : ARRANGØR I AARHUS

www.arrangoeriaarhus.dk

: KØBENHAVN METROPOL FOR MENNESKER www.kk.dk/metropolformennesker

: BUSINESS AARHUS

www.businessaarhus.dk

: ERHVERV AARHUS

www.erhvervaarhus.dk

- Hugo Prestegaard, ex chief consultant of ”Gang i København” (tr. Get Copenhagen Going).

”Temporariness inspires and motivates the overall planning. It can generate new life in the city right here and now. As well as creating life, temporary projects can increase interest in an area, which of course generates added value for property owners and investors. This can be a strong argument for encouraging even more people to start up temporary projects.” - Tina Saaby, city Architect Municipality of Copenhagen

PASSION

A A R H U S A F F A I R S

#2 2013

PASSION

ARTIST & BAND : Zakary Chenoweth for Pear Shape, www.facebook.com/pearshapemusic

GODSBANEN TRAILERPARK

E N T R E P R E N E U R S H I P As observers and influencers of the local cultural landscape, unused space is a concern for many creatives. Urgency! Yes, there is urgency now. Today’s economic restraints feed into some of the thinking for this article. Unused spaces are caught between their old industrial occupations and ideas of remodelling new realities. ENTREPRENEURSHIP LAB JOINTLY WRITTEN BY : Abdul Dube, René Sune

Sørensen & Kim Bisgaard with kind help from Ari Marteinsson

e have asked ourselves, how do we remodel the city for the openness required in these days of mobility and flux? We look at space and its uses as being a platform to get people making, creating and sustaining a life that is done with love and loves to be done. This idea seeks to realign individual desires and self-interest within a collective consciousness, focusing as much on responsibilities for ‘us’ and ‘our joint world’ as choices that are only for ‘me’ and my selfish needs. There is an urgency! That right moment to leverage what people want to do and amplify it with sound administrative eco-systemic foundations. Space is a two way street. The challenge is the fact that cities need to be open to the needs of the people that occupy and use them because at any given moment space runs out. In South Africa there is lots of space. However clustering happens on the city limits, sprawling shack cities pop up everywhere, through necessity of being closer to one’s home and in close proximity to one’s work. We think the space “challenge” is overcome by letting some organic systems take place, its the idea behind “don’t follow the map follow the landscape”.

“Don’t follow the map follow the landscape.”

LET’S MAKE THE INVISIBLE VISIBLE At the local level residents are ready to take ownership of their environments. More decentralisation is needed, as it is way too complex to govern a city from a centrally located city hall. Ja ne Ja cobs, t he a ut hor of The Death and Life of Great American Cities, says: “Cities need old buildings so badly, it is probably impossible for the vigorous streets and districts to grow without them”.

- Abdul Dube, co-founder Batteri

So what’s been happening? Well, Institut for (X) found at Godsbanen has reworked a decaying unused series of buildings. These spaces have propelled spontaneous and unpredictable creative and cultural works. INSTITUTE FOR (X)

Mads Peter Laursen, founder of Institute for (X) and Bureau Detours at Godsbanen, and his tribe have given to this city a rough gem, and the city has responded by putting in the time and effort to build something we all make use of. Over the past four years they have been openly building a network and infrastructure for Do´ers, people that lust for doing and getting stuff done, the influencers and the brave men and women that make culture happen. SPACE runs out but we can find ways of harbouring these energies and in that make a city that works for its people, the people working for the city. Looking closer at the city we live in, it’s very difficult to imagine setting up a small business, as SPACE is tight and just down right too expensive. Many buildings stand empty and a flux of people move to other cities that are open to giving them a hub for living a crea-

This quote resonates with us and as a point of departure we want to propose that the city looks at what we have now and amplifies what is emerging. At Godsbanen, ideas of mobility, temporality and SPACE as the vehicle for creative value creation witin the cultural life and society as a whole is happening. One of the people working with this is Kim Bisgaard, Head of Godsbanen.

“Although Godsbanen has 10.500 m2, we are still in need of space.”

When it comes to creating value in spaces and the creation of mobile spaces, Institute for (X) is a great example. And there is a point in letting their unrestrained group get more access to Godsbanen’s architect drawn square meters. Rather than letting the established part of Godsbanen have it. “There is a small area on the ground , that essentially could be taken into use with very low start-up costs. This would give a clear advantage in terms of the content. A number of creatives are ready to unfold within these frames on affordable square meter prices (which is a growing parameter within the growth in size and magnetism of Aarhus). In addition to the bridging of the established part of Godsbanen and the more independent Institut for (X), it would create life and traffic at what’s actually the front of Godsbanen, but what most people see as the back of Godsbanen. We need to get people to use this entrance, which it is designed for and experience the world that is unfolding in all of Aarhus’ cultural backyard. We can’t wait for the area to be fully built and a natural orienting towards this exiting entrance occurs. It can already work, with existing urban experiences to show for. Why not do it?

- Kim Bisgaard, head of Godsbanen

At Godsbanen space relates to creation, development of cultural competences and art production. Since both enterprise (industry) and cultural politics are talking about optimising of wasted unused spaces and buildings, our ideas naturally orbit around how we can utilise these spaces. To top this off, Godsbanen is hosting activities and creators that fully embody these ideals, artists and creative entrepreneurs alike.

tive and just life. Long ago urbanity implied that we have both a right to the city, as well as responsibility for it. In using freedom of the city we should have commitment to it.

Temporality and forced mobility is not a bad thing, but rather an advantage or even a statement. Something that contributes quality to what one is working with.

FACTS

: GODSBANEN

www.godsbanen.dk

: SIDEPROJECTS / BATTERI www.sideprojects.dk

The project that Kim is mentioning is a small housing project aimed to incubate small ‘homeless’ creatives. The idea is quite simply to place 5 - 6 containers on the grounds at the entrance to Godsbanen. These containers will offer cheap rent for artists in need of a space to work. This project, albeit a small-scale project, has a huge upside. Aarhus is full of creative people, with ideas, skills and motivation, all these people need, is a table and a small room to work in, and wonderful things will happen. Finally we are starting to see decision-makers take notice of what happens when you give space to creative people. Godsbanen is a great example of this. The next step is the daunting task of ‘letting go’ and giving full control to the creatives occupying these new spaces. We believe, that in order to make changes sustainable and give people time to adapt to physical changes one needs to consider small scale transformation of unused spaces and let it grow from there. In closing, we would like to leave you with a question: HOW do we bridge the bound areas and transform unused space in Aarhus?

PHOTO : Raw Color / www.rawcolor.nl

WHAT I DREAM OF IS AN ART OF BALANCE

Whose City?

ARTIST : Andrea Wan

ARTIST : (outer black pen drawing)Daniel van der Noon / INSTAGRAM@danielvandernoon

THE FUTURE IS NOT SOMETHING WE ENTER. THE FUTURE IS SOMETHING WE CREATE

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FUTURE PRACTICE – KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIMENTS GREEN URBANISATION WRITTEN BY : Anne Mette Boye, Head of Pro-

fessional and Academic Development, Aarhus School of Architecture & Torben Nielsen, Dean, Aarhus School of Architecture

arhus Municipality’s Climate Plan aims to develop showcase projects to provide inspiration both nationally and internationally. It also prepares the ground for collaboration between educational institutions and private companies in reaching that goal. These grand ambitions correspond well with the strategy of the Aarhus School of Architecture: Engaging through architecture. By educating socialminded architects, carrying out research in sustainability, Aarhus School of Architecture want to contribute to the further development of sustainable cities and forming future practices within the field. SUSTAINABLE URBAN DEVELOPMENT It seems common ground to agree that ambitions for the future the city is that it is to contribute to new resources and improved living conditions. The aspects of sustainable urban development however can concern a broad spectrum from energy supply, waste management and transport to demographics, functional diffusion, choice of materials, biodiversity and rainwater collection. In this we have barely touched upon social and economic sustainability. A good deal of knowledge exists on many of these aspects, but as complexity and internal connections are a premise of urban development, we must accept that we have difficulty on agreeing on which indicators are most important to meet these ambitions and getting hold of valid data to assess proposals. THE ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL’ S CONTRIBUTION The broad definition of sustainability, the complexity and uncertainly in working with urban development gives the school the challenge in how to decide the priorities according to the specific situation, ask questions and help develop answers. “I don’t think of the Architecture School’s contribution towards sustainable urban development as a solely physical one”, explains City Architect of Aarhus, Stephen Willacy: The school has a responsibility to generate new knowledge and act as a bridge builder that passes new expertise on to society. Skills that can help us become CO2 neutral by 2030 are especially important. We need more demonstrations of how we can increase the energy efficiency of the city’s buildings in a way that also respects their cultural heritage. We also need research to engage user involvement.

We are currently undertaking several larger urban development projects in Lisbjerg, Gellerup and the new harbour front. Here we need to cultivate a sense of ownership and create a good connection with the existing society of Aarhus. The collaboration on “demokracity” is an example of how we can work with these themes but it can also be achieved through actual “tests” out in the city that investigate how the town will react. As an example, there was a collaboration between the Architecture School and Aarhus Festival at Store Torv in 2012 and 2013 and the school also worked with the Municipality in connection with Tall Ships Race and Aarhus Cycling City,” he says.

NEW KNOWLEDGE ABOUT ALTERNATIVE FUTURES Aarhus School of Architecture often has a greater degree of freedom to pursue new knowledge, to investigate alternative futures and test the limits of our standard preconceptions than the private offices and clients. The work of students and research is often carried out through completion and evaluation of various types of experiments. Claudia Clarbone, who is an associate professor elaborates, “in architecture, experiments and rough drafts are not just scientific, practical or even artistic products, they are a complex fusion of both the existing and the imagined criteria. The experiment requires a concrete step. The experiment’s aim is discovery. Discovery can consist of recycling or rearranging already existing solutions or knowledge. In every experiment that is carried out, opportunities will arise to try out new combinations, mixtures and solutions”. It is the capacity and the ability to dare to piece together new combinations of known and innovative solutions that can lead to interesting showcase projects. This means that the school’s research and teaching focus both on developing traditional knowledge of the many aspects of urban development and trying out new combinations that can lead to alternative futures of practice.

BIODIVERSITY AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT PhD student, Martin Odgaard uses a landscape ecological analysis to assess contemporary Danish urban development projects and their potential to reducing animal and plant species extinction. He explains, “this perspective is highly relevant in newer urban development projects Brendstrupkilen in Skejby and the new town areas near Lystrup and Elev. At these locations there is an overlap of natural and urban interests and so therefore a combined natural and town planning solution is necessary to promote biodiversity and create beautiful and varied landscapes in our towns”.

ILLUSTRATION : Alexey Shamovsky

PHOTO : Martin Odgaard

LANDSCAPE AS A LABORATORY FOR FUTURE PRACTICES Assistant professor Stefan Darlan Boris has focused on the landscape as a laboratory for future practices. An important showcase project is the landscape laboratory Sletten, near Holstebro, which was the first of its kind of Denmark. The aim has been to establish new forested areas in connection with the development of new housing estates in Holstebro. The project is a place where citizens, researchers and practioners can meet and cooperate on the development and testing of new methods of planting and administering local forests that are included as a natural part of future urban development. Stefan sees the establishing of local surroundings as a significant requirement for developing sustainable cities. The project has broken ground to a collaboration with Aarhus Municipality to develop a local landscape laboratory where architecture students can experiment with new forms of local landscapes in and in this way, contribute to developing future practices. COMPACT LIVING In the spring of 2012 a group of students, led by associate professor Inge Vestergaard, worked in a disused industrial area in Barcelona, Barcelona@22. It is an industrial area currently undergoing transformation into a new sustainable combined housing, education and commercial neighbourhood. Whilst developing this area, particular consideration was paid to the existing values and to the addition of new settlements. The aim is to create an attractive neighbourhood for the contemporary human that strives for a sense of belonging, history and atmosphere in their local living and working environment. By looking out in the world, the students gain new ideas for sustainable urban development and what this can bring to Aarhus. For example, what is the implication of preserving existing elements in the industrial areas of Aarhus and how does this affect a sense of belonging and ownership for new citizens of the city?

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CYCLING CITY : AARHUS Aarhus Municipality’s climate efforts includes increased cycling. This has been explored by a group of students from Urban Design and Design at Aarhus School of Architecture, Interaction Design at Aarhus University and Aarhus Municipality though the project “Happy Cycling City – Aarhus”. Through observations, interviews and sound bites it became clear that bicycle parking and maintenance were of great importance when it came to the experience of cycling. The students contributed with new solutions. In these solutions the underlying belief is that cycling is not merely a way to encourage more sustainable mobility but that it also makes for better cities and a better quality of life. It is therefore prudent to think of values such as enjoyment and behaviour when formulating cycling policy as well as when designing urban spaces and traffic solutions. The point is that when traffic behaviour is thought of in the greater context of the implications of transport policy, it might be possible to decrease energy consumption and make Aarhus a more fun and enjoyable place to be at the same time.

ILLUSTRATION : Jesper Vejrum, Jesper Vognstrup Neergaard, Lea Marie Franck, Arminas Sadzevicius, Laoise Quinn

FLOODING AND DRINKING WATER Whilst projects like happy cycling city are fairly easy to realize, others concern more speculative visions of the future that question our standard conceptions of the city. One of these projects has been produced by a student of the studio run by guest professor, CJ Lim from London and Maria Gaardsted, who is an teaching associate professor at the school. In the project a story is presented about the first refugees who are not fleeing war but global warming. The citizens of a town that has disappeared under water travel to Venice to save the town from a similar fate and to re-establish their own society. The proposal builds on knowledge about new ways of working with the water’s natural processes in relation to actual issues such as flooding, water collection and drinking water supply and pushes the knowledge into an illustrated experiment. The project challenges our expectation of what a historical city such as Venice could be able to do, and how it should look and function. It is the combination of research and the ability to produce alternative thoughts about a sustainable urban future that open the doors to the on going creation of new future practice.

PHOTO : Miles Bowers / www.cargocollective.com/milesbowers

NOTHING COMES FROM NOTHING - SO DO SOMETHING

YOU ARTIST : Michael Cina

GRAPHIC DESIGN : Jonatan Marcussen TEXT : Sander Jensen

NETWORK : TRY TO DRAW IT Your relations to other people are one of the strongest and most valuable assets in your life. Typically we would call this networking but try for a moment to broaden your view and forget the word networking that tends to focus on business relations. Instead think of all the good personal relations you have with your family, colleagues, friends, neighbors etc. Write your name in the center and add each relation you can remember around you in small circles. Organize your closest relations close to your name and expand outwards. Connect the dots between your relations that know each other. Now ask yourself what do you want in life? A new job? A girlfriend? Advice? Start a new business or an art project? Look at the dots as your hel-pers in life. Who can help you to achieve your goals? Of course ask them for help with respect regarding their time and situation. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll bet you that nobody will refuse to help. Would you?

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All around Aarhus small businesses, start-ups and idealistic entrepreneurs work hard to fulfill their dreams. Here is a small selection of all kinds of different approaches to making it on your own, with partners or in a team. Here´s new concepts and ideas mix with both traditional and creative ways of making a living - or just living your dream.

CULTURE BLOG // VINK - Katrine Nør Andersen

We sniff, snap, live, look, listen, taste – and pass these experiences on to Aarhus’s citizens via a culture blog that centres around the unusual and hidden things in the city. This is where we report what is going on in Aarhus. After the culture blog eventuelt.org closed down at the beginning of this year, and many of us were writers from there, we felt that Aarhus was lacking a blog that could relate the diverse culture that Aarhus has to offer. We are relentlessly curious about goings-on and are interested in how best to communicate this to others. Our drive comes from letting ourselves be challenged and

WINE SHOP // SMAGFØRST - Morten Stahl Pedersen

I run an experience-based wine merchant where you can try before buying. That is why we are called “Smagførst” [taste first] but this also stands for our belief that taste comes before everything else. Before name, origin or label. When you buy wine at SMAGFØRST you pay for the wine and not all the bells and whistles – which means that you get a lot for your money. We have a great passion for wine and spirits – actually for everything that can be eaten or drunk. We also have a drive to rock the boat in a stale sector and show people that everyone can buy a good

ART LAB + AGENCY // I DO ART - Rikke Luna

I DO ART is a platform for art where community and personality are in focus. In extension to this we have started the I DO ART LAB, which will present art exhibitions, sales, events and experiments until the 1st of August 2014. Our lab is a physical manifestation of idoart.dk. Since 2006 we have been in close contact with a large number of artists. Finding new budding shoots on the art tree, seeing these same shoots exhibit their first items and watching the person develop as an artist over several years are some of the most fantastic and motivating parts of our work.

CAFE & BAR // DOUBLE RAINBOW - Lui Rosenkrantz Pedersen

The essence of Double Rainbow is cocoa with added fresh vanilla pods, salt and cane sugar! We have moved into an old warehouse and have changed it into a cocoa bar, where there is space for freethinking in the company of good people. Double Rainbow is an informal meeting space where we wish to bridge the gap between the outside world and the established culture production that already exists at Godsbanen and Institut For (X). We also organise cultural initiatives that boost the mood, both on our own but also in collaboration with various event coordinators.

ARTIST // DANIEL VAN DER NOON - Daniel van der Noon

I’m an artist, mural-maker and window-drawer trying to get people to believe in my overall vision and potential. I have already had exhibitions in galleries in Aarhus, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Shanghai and Hamburg and, during the last couple of years, I´ve been involved in a number of cool projects. I do it because I think that I’m onto something. I never consider my work complete or rather definitive, but instead a part of an on-going chronology that will eventually result in a body of work that will be written about,

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we often go out hunting in a city that has a lot to offer. Culture is, more than anything else, something that happens in the here and now. The world is in a constantly evolving. As is music. Food. People. Us. We should therefore always be prepared to let ourselves be modulated. But this is of course something that the blog, and its form and process, has taught us. We are very connected to the now, just like the blog. We want to be a blog that the people of Aarhus can enjoy both now and in five year’s time. This means that we have to develop in tandem with the city. Be on our guard. Be on the watch. We hope that our curiosity will be just as great in five years as it is now. www.vinkaarhus.com PHOTO : Thomas Rørby Petersen

wine that they can also afford – if they taste first. We have learned an awful lot. But most important of all is that you keep an eye on the numbers. Make precise monthly accounts and analyse them so you can react quickly if anything goes wrong. We have got a good feel of our main concept – we know what we are doing right and we are making money doing. So during the next five years we just need to open as many shops as possible but also follow developments to ensure that we are always better than our competitors. The wine merchant SMAGFØRST has shops on Jægergårdsgade, Trøjborg Centre and Rosenvangs Allé. www.smagfoerst.dk PHOTO : Archieve

We opened up the doors to I DO ART LAB on the 1st of August 2013 and so we have a whole year ahead of us in our new art laboratory. We view the lab as an experiment where the process is important and where we hope to learn a great deal. I DO ART LAB is potentially the first step towards a permanent physical address. For us, the most important thing is the now. Each time we launch ourselves into a new project, the most exciting thing to us is the unknown, the experimentation and the investigation. We have great faith in the process and we often allow our intuition to guide us. This is what has led us through the last 7 years. www.idoart.dk PHOTO : Rikke Luna, I Do Art Agency

Our drive comes from wanting to create something. To see ideas from the drawing board being made a reality for people to use and enjoy. There is a great satisfaction in creating experiences that bring people together and lead to positive interaction between people from all parts of society. We have learned to take our time and learned that nothing is as easy as you first assume. In five years we hope that Double Rainbow – Cocoa Bar has spread throughout Denmark and possibly even into other countries as a well-functioning cocoa bar franchise. Get a deeper understanding at: www.facebook.com/doublerainbowdk PHOTO : Mandy Rep

revered and respected internationally. I’ve learned confidence and belief. I wake up wanting to do this. It’s both a lifestyle choice and mental framework I’m now married to, and the more I get into this line of work the more interested I become in the immediate art world. I don’t plan for the future. I don’t think I’m wired up to think that way. I’m more interested in my creativity and maintaining the energy I pour into developing new work. In other words, if I keep it up, my stuff will get bigger, I’ll become even more engrossed in what I’m doing and have acres of new territories to explore. www.danielvandernoon.com PHOTO : Rune Slettemeås

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CAFE // LA CABRA - Esben Piper

Through craftsmanship and communication I try to show what is possible with coffee. I am never satisfied and I am on a constant quest of discovery for good and interesting coffee experiences, for which I try to achieve an even deeper understanding through sourcing, roasting and brewing. I am passionate about quality, craft and detail. Brewing coffee can be beautiful and elegant. It is a pleasure for me to take the time to develop exactly the right profile and ultimately see your passion and precision influence your guest. All my focus lies on trying to optimise taste profiles and ha-

SHARED OFFICE // IDÉBUTIKKEN - Daniel Walsh

IDÉbutikken is an office collective focusing on how to get the most out of each other. It costs DKK 100 a month and there is all the coffee you can drink and Internet you can surf. When I graduated from the KaosPilots I felt that Aarhus lacked a place that focused on an open and flexible learning space. I believe that everyone has had the best idea in the world at some point. There are those that realise their dreams and those who hesitate and later think, why didn’t I do it? It’s all about networking and sharing your project

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ving an eye for details. I have learned that a barista, as well as a coffee roaster, must be humble when it comes to your subject. There are many stages between the farm and the cup and there are many things that can go wrong along the way. It is therefore important to understand that it´s the result of many people’s efforts when you succeed in producing an aromatic and flavourful cup of coffee. I wish for people to start seeking out other components of taste than just the taste of the roast. If we manage this, there is a solid chance for La Cabra to become a large and sustainable company. www.lacabra.dk PHOTO : Paw Gissel

and your idea with others. At IDÉbutikken we talk about things, which strengthens projects and ideas, as there is always someone that knows someone that can help you take the next step towards realising your idea. We don’t have a target group other than people who want to be part of the community. In the future I hope that IDÉbutikken still acts as a launch pad and a catalyst for ideas, both great and small. That everyone that has used IDÉbutikken to get more out of it than they brought with them and for IDÉbutikken to still be an active player on Aarhus’ cultural scene. facebook / idebutikken PHOTO : Palle Vinther

SOCIAL GAME // SNAK (TALK) - Frederik Svinth

SNAK (TALK) started out as a game but has grown into something much more. The idea behind the whole thing is to create things that nurture friendships. We see a need for tools and knowledge about this since there is no one actually guiding us in how to deal with friends. We’re taught how to be a good spouse or how to be a good colleague but there is no manual for being a good friend. Our main product, the game SNAK, is a simple facilitator of meaningful conversations, whose purpose is to create stronger ties between people. We have been at festivals and other events with it, not to

CAFE & SHOP // KNUDS KIOSK - Anders Freestone

Knud’s Kiosk is built on the philosophy “just do it”. This is what led to us opening up the place and it is this message we want to pass on to visitors. The core of the kiosk is customised bikes and clothes. Here you can get your very own FREESTONE bike made with its very own story, where each bicycle is unique and has its own personality. At the kiosk you can also find MOMMEwear, a unique brand where everything is tailor-made and made with lots of love. We also have our own CAFÉcoffee bar where you can find a specially selected assortment of coffee. We even have our own coffee blend,

EVENT AGENCY // CULTURE WORKS - Adrian Matthew Fey

The essence of the project is to create cultural experiences that develop Aarhus and push the boundaries of what we can expect from a small city with a great potential. The desire to do something comes from living in a global age where we are exposed to inspiration and innovation on a daily basis but where we also feel that our city and ”micro climate” have a long way to go before reflecting these values. During the process I have learned never to give up – Fail Faster, Succeed Sooner. I wish that there were more room to grow in Aarhus, in the way that I wish that every

promote the product but to promote the idea. The game doesn’t generate enough revenue to sustain us financially, so giving lectures and facilitating workshops is also an important part of our working day. The aim for SNAK is to become less of a company and more of a movement and, with a team consisting of fifteen volunteers and five employees, it’s starting to get there. We’ve sold 2000 games and this year for Christmas we’re releasing a book about friendships. If you want to be a part of the movement, you are more than welcome that’s why the rest of us are here. www.snakspil.dk PHOTO : Rikke Luna, I DO ART Agency

KNUD’S COFFEE with the slogan: “GOOD BEANS - GOOD LEGS”. We established a coffee bar because we didn’t want Knud’s to only be a shop but also a gathering place. A “kiosk” is associated with having a wide selection of goods and under the mantra of “along the way design”. Therefore we have decided to embrace the possibilities and acquaintances that pop up along the way. Over the past year these coincidences have led to the kiosk having pinball machines in the basement to hosting a hairdresser every Friday and hand-made bicycle cups plus a web of contacts and acquaintances from all manner of places. Knud’s Kiosk is best experienced – so drop by. www.knudskiosk.dk PHOTO : Anders Freestone

one in the city was fighting to realise cultural initiatives and not the other way around. I would also like for Aarhus to be more visionary and more ideological and to become a city that dares to take chances and experiment in the urban environment. Culture Works is an amalgamation of four creative entrepreneurs that each have their own set of skills but whore share an ideology of challenging and develo-ping contemporary culture. With a basis in our own projects and conceptual event initiatives, check out our portfolio, Culture Works has gained experience, success and a wide-reaching network within the music and events field. www.cultureworks.dk PHOTO : Julian Loescheke

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CONTEMPORARY // LUNCHMONEY GALLERY - Jacob Bjørn

I am a gallery owner. I exhibit, mediate and sell pieces of art from the un-established Danish and international art scene. Through my gallery – Lunchmoney Gallery – I represent young fast growing artists that have not yet broken into the mainstream. I have had the gallery for just over two years. I have been interested in art for just about as long as I remember but during the last 10 years my focus has been on the young, fresh and un-established segment of contemporary art. The kind of art that makes you stop

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and think: “Wow, this piece of art does something to me!” As an art provider there has to be some kind of authority within one’s area of focus and I have, quite simply, learned to trust my own taste when it comes to selecting pieces for the gallery. I hope that Lunchmoney Gallery will continue to act as the platform for young Danish and international contemporary art that it has grown to be. I would like to carry on discovering new talents that can influence the future art scene and hold on to those that I have already found that live and breathe for the art they produce. www.lunchmoneygallery.com PHOTO : Lunchmoney Gallery

ARTIST // MORMOR - Kristian Bruun Djurhuus

I am an artist and I work primarily with wall paintings. As well as this, I live on meeting people that I can work with on all sorts of projects. I have succeeded in being able to work artistically in many many different situations. I have refused to live a life where I have to get up in the morning and do something other than precisely what I want to do. Especially in my working life. This made me realise that being so stubborn would require me to create my own job. So that is what I have tried to do. By doing this - having a great joy of working and doing exactly what I want to – it doesn’t

ARCHITECTURE // MOCK UP STUDIO - Rasmus Nørfeldt

mockup is a little studio specialising in furniture design based at Institut for (X) at Godsbanen, owned by two architecture students, Rasmus Nørfeldt and Simon Kjærgaard Kristiansen. The design studio is run along side studying at Aarhus School of Architecture and therefore our work at the studio varies between real architectural work and experimental school projects. After working as model builders whilst studying architecture, we decided to start mockup. Our goal was to supply models to other studios in the city but our own studio quickly developed into a platform for our other projects. Through mockup we have learned a great deal about how to

PHOTOGRAPHER // MARCUS MØLLER BITSCH - Marcus Møller Bitsch

I am a self-taught freelance photographer with many irons in the fire. At the moment I am working day and night planning a travel, photography and book project in Australia. My plan is to make a “backpackers guide for a backpacker” as a photography book, which guides the reader around Australia through a very subjective perspective at eye-level. The fairytale book will focus on alternative experiences that don’t require you to empty the bank. To finance my trip I have run a crowd-funding campaign on the site, Indiegogo.com. I have always been extremely creative by nature and I am interested in art and handicraft, but my interest in

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CONTEMPORARY MUSEUM OF LITERATURE

- Nikolaj Sørensen

Contemporary Museum of Literature is not a museum for manuscripts, writers or rare editions. It is a new form of engaging with a literary audience. An experimental platform with both spatial, social and aesthetic dimensions. With a common theme in mind we find and present literary excerpts, frame them and stage them in a way that mimics an art museum or gallery. Exhibitions could have literary themes, such as metaphors as a literary phenomenon. Or we could work

feel like I am working at all. My tools are people. It is always the people around me that have been the most interesting part. In my artistic work I have always wanted to tell other people’s stories – however small, or occasionally large they might be. I am the only person in my tiny company, apart from my accountant. This has meant that I have had to learn everything from scratch. My private life is very simple. It is very conducive for me to have to limit myself in that way. That said, I would really like a brand new bicycle at some point during the next five years. Can they be taken as a business expense? www.mormorandme.com PHOTO : Nicolaj Wittendorff

run a business and have become closer to figuring out what to do when we graduate from architecture school. Establishing our own office at Institut for (X) has given us a strong insight into the craftsmanship behind architecture, which is not something you necessarily get at the architecture school, whilst our location at Godsbanen constantly challenges our preconceptions of urban environments and the ways that people interact with these spaces. We will graduate from architecture school in two years and so we hope that in five years’ time mockup will provide the framework for our work as architects both at home and abroad. Hopefully by that stage, we will only be producing models for our own projects. www.mockup.nu

PHOTO : Christoffer T. Duff

photography sprang from wanting to convince my pa-rents what I could see under water on holiday. I was given a disposable waterproof camera on our holiday to Malta when I was 10 years old and all of a sudden it was possible to convince my sceptical parents what I could see beneath the surface. I do it because I simply can’t stop myself. I get such a high from creating my own product, seeing its development and watching it bear fruit. In 2011 I started a 365 day project where I took a picture every day for a year. The project has taught me incredible discipline, about the art world and thinking creatively under pressure and about visual communication. Today I work fulltime in my own company “marcus mb photography”. www.marcusmb.com

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PHOTO : Marcus Møller Bitsch

with cultural and contemporary issues, such as national identity. Whatever we do, we strive to create a space for literary experiences and dialogue that is both intelligent and democratic. The layer of curated meaning allows for interpretation and focused attention in a way that a book itself might not. And the short format invites new readers inside the works of authors we traditionally view as challenging. Thus we hope to be a venue for teachers as well as tourist guides. People who like spaces just as much as they like literature. It might seem like an odd idea. Aarhus is the perfect stage for it. facebook / Contemporary Museum of Literature PHOTO : Batteri

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THE CITY OF CERES : HOW TO BUILD A CITY

2.0

Create physical experiences in which you take over an empty building temporarily and be part of developing the character of the place. Three entrepreneurs from CeresByen share their experiences. TEMPORARY DEVELOPMENT WRITTEN BY : Signe Schäfer

ast year, Aarhus Affairs published an interview with Rune Kilden, city developer, and Tommy D. Pedersen from Startup City who met up for the first time to discuss the temporary use of empty buildings. Since then their dialogue has been made a reality. In this interview, they explain what has happened since the last time we met, now joined by their new playmate at CeresByen Lars H. Kruse, initiator of Fodboldfabrikken. In hindsight the combination of beer and a football factory in a closed down brewery seems like a match made in heaven. The story of CeresByen, however, started somewhere else. Rune Kilden had just been offered the use CeresByen when he met up with Tommy D. Pedersen last year. The network opened up and a mutual project slowly took form. In time Lars H. Kruse was invited into CeresByen with Fodboldfabrikken.

The partnership was complete and the framework had been established but “how do you begin working with rooms that are in a state of limbo in a raw and grubby building?” thought Lars Kruse. The business plans got delayed and in the end the three entrepreneurs decided to move into CeresByen without having fully polished their plans. They needed to “try the buildings out”.

“How do you begin working with rooms that are in a state of limbo in a raw and grubby building?” - Lars Kruse, founder Folboldfabrikken at CeresByen

A WAY OF THINKING Using buildings temporarily goes hand in hand with temporary project development. The news that entrepreneurs had moved into CeresByen generated interest and value but so did the general change of the venue. A disused brewery – a piece of

Denmark’s history – develops itself into a new product. A new building.

CeresByen to develop the place and thereby generate value for your own company.

According to Rune Kilden, the property company, Olav de Linde has been at the head of many similar projects before, just like in 1996 when they transformed a boiler factory into a buzzing mecca of people and goods in Bazaar Vest. “For many years Olav de Linde has been working almost on their own developing empty buildings in this way but now a new generation is entering the scene with new ideas based on the same way of thinking”, says Rune Kilden.

OPEN INNOVATION The time is now. Temporary development means that the end of the project should be reached in the not too distant future. The date that a project should be finished, or when a business should leave the building, is not always fixed but it goes for itself that the contract should have a short-term perspective. For this reason, Rune Kilden recommends everyone working within temporary development to work with simple and realistic goals. These goals make it possible to evaluate whether the project is going anywhere along the way and whether it already has a marketable direction.

Entrepreneurs that are successful with the temporary use of empty buildings don’t just think about themselves, they also want to bring their experiences and concepts to the table. For this reason, passionate individuals that want to reside at CeresByen don’t get accepted without a screening. Can they kick the door down? Will they use their energy to further develop the place? If yes, the guidelines are clear and simple: Help yourself and others at

On the other hand, all residents of CeresByen should be open to trying things out and ready to remove the tent pegs with a day’s notice if needs be: “If they already have a list and a complete picture of how things should look on the other side of the finishing line then they are not open-minded enough”, says Lars H. Kruse. Stability lies in the support and inspiration from the other residents of CeresByen. It can be very beneficial for upcoming entrepreneurs to be in contact with the more established entrepreneurial milieu where they can get feedback and

A A R H U S A F F A I R S

#2 2013

PHOTO : Marcus Møller Bitsch

CERES CITY : LARS KRUSE, FOUNDER OF FODBOLDFABRIKKEN RUNE KILDEN, PROJECT DEVELOPER TOMMY DEJBJERG PEDERSEN, MAYOR OF STARTUP CITY

advice. “Startup City already had some experience with taking over and managing a building. It is important that there is both vision and management. It is not enough that someone that wants to, you also need someone who is able to carry it out”, says Tommy D. Pedersen.

“Forget the idea of sponsoring.” - Rune Kilden, Aarhus entrepreneur - founder the new CeresByen

Inspiration and feedback are exchanged between the businesses with backgrounds in the entrepreneurial milieu at CeresByen. “Forget the idea of sponsoring”, says Rune Kilden and continues, “You have to pay the square metre price, even if you can’t pay rent”. Rune Kilden, Tommy D. Pedersen and Lars H. Kruse call the open innovation found at CeresByen “Capitalist Philanthropy”. As Tommy D. Pedersen says, it’s “not enough to produce heat if you don’t also generate some tension”. This means that new residents of CeresByen also

have to possess drive and be ready to take action both for their own sake, but also for the sake of CeresByen. CERES ANNO 2013-17 The constituents of CeresByen change and its residents move on. Seen in a greater perspective everything is temporary. Also when it comes to CeresByen. The fundamental focus on temporariness means that it is difficult to predict what will happen to CeresByen in the longer term – i.e. in 2017. “There will be different mutations of what we are doing at the moment”, says Rune Kilden, adding, “but it doesn’t make any sense to start speculating over how one can make the temporary more permanent”. Lars H. Kruse believes that it is also due to the fact that, “You can’t build up a long-term guarantee for coolness”. At CeresByen there is a group of entrepreneurs that affect the evolution of the buildings that they reside in. They know that their contracts are short-term and that the community is temporary but they also know that they are part of

ARTIST : Mormor / Kristian Bruun

ARTIST : Andrea Wan

developing a new area of the city. It will first become clear how Aarhus can use CeresByen after they have been through a long process of building and gathering experiences. In this respect, Rune Kilden can see many parallels between urban and product development. “Taking over a building temporarily works in the same way as building a prototype. Each time we try something, we learn something”, he points out. When the temporary comes to an end, and experiences have been accumulated, the owners of CeresByen can begin to develop the buildings in a sustainable way – something that can survive in the long run. When that happens – and the temporary is taken away – the opportunities for permanent develop will arise.

FACTS THE NEW CITY IN THE CITY The Ceres City is an old brewer y compound with a beautiful green park from 1856 right at Aarhus River.

It is going to be a new attractive part of Aarhus where the focus is on life and diversity. Here, new architecture will be mixed with old buildings that will house about 1000 people in the coming years along with 5000 students, and restaurants, shops and culture. The entire area is around 140,000 square meters. The old administration building temporarily houses numerous start-ups in a melting pot of creative entrepreneurs and new small businesses.

: CERES CITY

www.ceresbyen.dk

: START UP CITY

www.startupcity.dk

: FODBOLDFABRIKKEN

www.fodboldfabrikken.dk

NETWORK

ARTIST : Andrea Wan

PHOTO : www.trendland.com

T H E E S S E N T I A L PA R T O F C R E AT I V I T Y I S N O T B E I N G A F R A I D T O FA I L .

PHOTO : Jubes Ranola for www.gronsag.com

PHOTO : www.faebric.com / Atem-contemporary-timelessness ARTIST : Andrea Wan

ARTIST : Kristina Krogh

A A R H U S A F F A I R S

#2 2013

LET´S GO

CO-CREATE

Aarhus Municipality would like to strengthen the industry in partnership with TEKO and in association with some of the large fashion companies in the Region to provide a synergy with the digital sectors in the initiative Headstart Fashion. The formula is new kinds of collaboration and business models. The result should ultimately generate growth.

companies in the region get to know each other and learn how to enter into some new forms of cooperation and business models.

“I am pleased that something is actually being done. Doing things as a group and sharing experiences makes a difference.” - Rina Hansen, Head of online, Hummel International

“They must have the skills to learn about some finance, some organisation, some logistics and some liquidity so there are a lot of aspects involved. But obviously no one can do everything and small companies rarely have the resources to set up the entire value chain and organisation. Therefore you can say: I still have my own design and my own brand but if I can use this whilst working with someone else so we can organise ourselves in a way that we can help each other, then we might get some companies that survive rather than many that struggle”, says Anne Mette Zachariassen.

CREATIVE INDUSTRIES WRITTEN BY : Signe Hummeluhr Dammeyer

arhus Affairs has invited consultant in Business and Urban Development at the Mayor’s Department at the Municipality, Christian Chapelle, and the director of TEKO design and business school for the creative industries at VIA University College, Anne Mette Zachariassen, for a talk about the initiative Headstart Fashion, and how the fashion industry can develop and become even stronger with help from the digital sector. “The fashion industry is strongly cha-racterized by many small companies”, begins Anne Mette Zachariassen. She thinks that it is wonderful that so many wish to start up their own company but she can also see that it can be very difficult to survive as a self-employed business if you don’t know much about the digital media, IT, finance or logistics. “It can be hard to grow if you, as a designer, focus on the design and think you can do a pirouette and voilà! you have a business. No, you haven’t. So the idea is that these businesses should be able to grow bigger and stronger and this is what Headstart Fashion is helping them with”, says Anne Mette Zachariassen.

PHOTO : Raw Color

“First of all we have to talk about courage, drive, desire and interest to collaborate and to use the network.” - Christian Chapelle, project manager Headstart Fashion, consultant, mayors department, Municipality of Aarhus

in the region using creative partnerships. Headstart Fashion was selected as one of the nine creative partships and will investigate the possibilities for promoting the fashion industries using the digital sector until the end of 2013.

HEADSTART FASHION + MORE.CREATIVE In connection with Aarhus Municipality’s business plan, the film and fashion industries have been identified as having growth potential. A survey of the fashion industry including both large and small fashion companies was carried out and the conclusion was that something could be improved.

“It has been very important to listen to what the fashion companies actually need – what challenges they face, what needs they have and what strategies they are employing over the coming period”, explains Christian Chapelle who is project manager for the initiative Headstart Fashion. He points out that one thing these companies do need is to meet more people from the industry and not to have to travel to Copenhagen to find inspiration.

Central Denmark Region launched an initiative at the beginning of the year, More.Creative, which aims to strengthen the creative industries

A MENTAL BARRIER Neither Anne Mette Zachariassen nor Christian Chapelle doubts that Headstart Fashion will help fashion

“They are both in doubt about why the fashion companies play their cards so close to their chest. Business models and company designs can be kept secret but Headstart Fashion encourages businesses, big and small alike, to open op and start to use each other’s networks, experiences and ideas. I believe that the barrier is a mental one. In reality the barriers are not that big when it comes down to it. First of all we have to talk about courage, drive, desire and inte-rest to collaborate and to use the network”, says Christian Chapelle. Rina Hansen, online director for Hummel, sees Headstart Fashion as a welcome initiative. “I am pleased that something is actually being done. Doing things as a group and

sharing experiences makes a difference. Hummel would like to contribute with IT and online selling skills, which we have used resources developing – we see no reason to keep these skills to ourselves if others could benefit from them”, she says. INTELLIGENT TEXTILES Preben Mejer, co-founder of Innovation Lab, views Headstart Fashion as offering new possibilities for cross-discipline collaborations within IT and fashion. He sees particular potential for development in the field of “intelligent textiles”. Intelligent textiles are textiles that can have built-in sensors that collect data and can, for example, help measure your temperature. “Intelligent textiles can have built-in displays so that you can interact with computerbased devices in and on your textiles. Mobile media and digital media have developed with phenomenal speed and it is an obvious next step to introduce IT into fashion and business models in the fashion industry. Intelligent textiles is a sector experiencing great growth. There is definitely potential for intelligent textiles in sports and work clothes”, says Preben Mejer. STIMULATING AARHUS-BASED FASHION There are many companies that only start thinking in terms of new collaborations and business models when the bank tells them to. There is a risk that the fashion industry loses its focus on creating exciting fashion when the focus is always on the figures on the bottom line and all sorts of other things. New collaborations and business models should help generate more time and energy for the company to work on its brand and design. “If we are able to stimulate creativity in the individual company, regardless of its size, I believe that it is a great push and a great stimulation for Danish and Aarhus-based fashion”, states Anne Mette Zachariassen finally.

FACTS : MORE.CREATIVE www.morecreative.dk : HEADSTART FASHION www.headstartfashion.dk : HUMMEL INTERNATIONAL www.hummel.net : ALEXANDRA INSTITUTE - INTELLIGENT TEXTILES

www.alexandra.dk

: TEKO DESIGN+BUSINESS, VIA UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

www.viauc.dk/teko

“I can still have my own design and my own brand but if I can use this whilst working with someone else so we can organise ourselves in a way that we can help each other, then we might get some companies that survive rather than many that struggle.” PHOTO : Raw Color

- Anne Mette Zachariassen, director TEKO : Design+Business, VIA University College

PASSION

ARTIST : Kristina Krogh / www.kkrogh.dk

I HAVE NOT FAILED. I’VE JUST FOUND 10,000 WAYS THAT WON’T WORK

A A R H U S A F F A I R S

#2 2013

AARHUS UNIVERSITY : STUDENT INCUBATOR There are great opportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs at Aarhus University. The Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation offers assistance for students with entrepreneurial plans.

work spaces and meeting rooms available for students signed up at The Incubator and these physical facilities and advisory skills have led to there being more applicants than there is space for.

SpinIN FACTS WRITTEN BY : Niels Elmegaard Bæk, Incore.dk

CENTRE FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND INNOVATION, (CEI) UNIVERSITY OF AARHUS The entrepreneurial skills centre, CEI, which is part of Aarhus University, has during recent years, established itself as a bridge between theoretical research and practical application in society. As well as offering entrepreneurship courses and knowledge exchange, CEI of-

- SpinIN matches entrepreneurs and established businesses in a mutual collaboration. - The goal of this “growth match” is for both parties to strengthen and promote each other’s growth. - SpinIN’s consultants establish concrete plans of action so that plans don’t get stuck at the talking stage. - SpinIN is available to all students of medium or full-length educations.

fers knowledge-based services with-

in entrepreneurship that can help students develop their desire to create and become successful entrepreneurs. One of these services is The Student Incubator at Aarhus University. The Student Incubator is open to all students at Aarhus University and offers amongst other things, workshops where students participate in an intensive 6-week course where they are helped to start up their own company. The students work with everything from idea generation to business models and sales techniques. There are offices,

ECO SYSTEM

AARHUS ENTREPRENEURIAL

In biology an ecosystem is defined as a community of living organisms along with the non-living components of their environment interacting as a system.When analysing and observing entrepreneurial hot spots around the world it seems that the definition from biology can be adopted to describe the entrepreneurial milieu as well. INNOVATION + NETWORK WRITTEN BY : Esben Strandgaard Hansen

n Aarhus there are several “entrepreneurial microcosms” around Mejlgade, Katrinebjerg, the former Ceres brewery, Godsbanen and the harbour that are creating interesting start-ups. Sometimes they even blossom and become visual to the public eye in the form of successful companies. Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Aarhus University recognised that there was something going on. In the fall of 2012 they invited the living organisms of Aarhus

CENTRE FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP & INNOVATION, AARHUS UNIVERSITY, DENMARK (CEI)

www.cei.au.dk/en

Another of CEI’s initiatives is the SpinIN project that has been set up in collaboration with The Danish Industry Foundation (Industriens Fond). CEI hooks an established company up with a startup company where the entrepreneur “moves in” with the established firm for a while. The goal is for the two companies to enter into an equal collaboration

where they both offer their skills and experiences for the benefit of the other part. SpinIN is aimed at student entrepreneurs currently studying at a Bachelor or Master’s level and with CEI’s help concrete plans of action are made between the two businesses to ensure a mutual cooperation. CEI also focuses on entrepreneurship as an academic discipline by offering courses in entrepreneurship at the various faculties at the University. Teaching is firmly anchored in the existing academic settings within AU and students are able to gain skills in using their specific branch of knowledge in a more business-oriented way. BUILDING UP THE SOCIETY OF THE FUTURE In the future, CEI will continue to expand the scope of the various services such as The Student Incubator, SpinIN and classes in entrepreneurship as well as knowledge exchange. The goal is to become even more integrated into the educational and research fields at the faculties so that entrepreneurship becomes a permanent fixture of each institute and in the cross-discipline collaborations.

“Entrepreneurship and Innovation at CEI are all about breaking down the barriers between the University, the students and the business world. Put shortly, we are trying to create as much synergy as possible by bringing them together.” - Flemming Kobberøe Fink, Centre Director CEI, Aarhus University

GREEN CEI ENTREPRENEURS

PHOTO : WE:RE

WE : RE The company We:Re, are participants of SpinIN. They give new life to materials that are otherwise viewed as waste products and transform them into high-quality designer bags. The products regenerate lost value and work towards a sustainable planet.

PHOTO : SustaIN

SVAMPESYNDIKATET The three-man firm, Svampesyndikatet (The Funghi Syndicate) that is currently signed up at The Student Incubator, deliver gourmet mushrooms grown with used coffee grounds from cafés around the city. The Syndicate received Aarhus’ Sustainable Innovation Prize this year for their outstanding upcycling concept.

PHOTO : SustaIN

AARHUS SUSTAIN FESTIVAL SustaIN, also resides in The Student Incubator, and is behind the city’s annual Aarhus Sustainability Festival, dedicated to sustainable initiatives. The festival boasts a food market, talks, live music and much more, all in the name of sustainability.

entrepreneurial environment to come together to develop scenarios for how, in cooperation, they could influence and develop the non-living components. Eventually to create an ecosystem that would enable even more entrepreneurial seeds to blossom and grow up into sustainable profitable companies. The result of this cooperation was an interdisciplinary scenario in which private dynamic forces boost entrepreneurship and a culture of creating your own future by doing what you’re good at and what you love. Agreeing on a scenario and a desired future is not the difficult part. The difficulty is getting the ecosystem to live by itself. Actually it could be seen as counterintuitive that an ecosystem needs to be kick-started by an institution like a university. One single organism is not sufficient for an ecosystem to live – all organisms are needed to contribute, benefit and interact with each other and the non-living components should enable them to do so. Therefore, it is critical that the university, the city and the region act

ARTIST : Daniel van der Noon

“Together with the many talented entrepreneurs and business promoters in Aarhus we are determined to further strengthen the strongest ecosystem in Denmark.” - Jesper Henrik Borg Christensen Consultant, mayors department, Municipality of Aarhus

PASSION

and take responsibility, as well as the smallest single micro-organisms. The entrepreneurs must also open their environment and interact with the entire ecosystem, creating and evolving in conjunction with each other. An entrepreneurial ecosystem can and will only be fruitful if each organism, small or large, interacts, shares and co-creates with the others. This is why we all are responsible for creating our own future.

“We need a transitional movement where the next big step for mankind is not setting foot on distant planets but rather making sure that we can live together on Earth.” - Mette Davidsen-Nielsen, CEO & Christian Jensen, editor-in-chief Dagbladet Information TO GET MORE KNOWLEDGE AND INSPIRATION ON DAGBLADET INFORMATIONS NEW CAMPAIGN: VORES OMSTILLING, HVAD GØR VI NU? / OUR TRANSITION, WHAT DO WE DO NOW? PLEASE VISIT THE OFFICIAL WEBPAGE AT: WWW.VORESOMSTILLING.DK

ARTIST : Andrea Wan

HOPE IS GREEN THE GREEN TRANSITION WRITTEN BY : Mette Davidsen-Nielsen & Christian Jensen, Dagbladet Information

h e efforts of today and to morrow towards The Great Transition [Den Store Omstilling] are mere parts of a long list of initiatives, innovations, experiments, collaborations and conflicts that will last for generations. A process where the new must rise up from the midst of the old. The difficult thing is that it is difficult. The good thing is knowing that there is no other way way and that everyone has a role to play. This is what Information’s Jørgen Steen Nielsen has written in the new edition of his book Den Store Omstilling (The Great Transition). It can be hard not to become discouraged when we are confronted with the enormity of the crises that the world faces. We can discuss the causes and chronology but the conclusion is, and will remain, the same; if we attempt to solve the current economic crisis with traditional growth from the traditional industries, the accelerating fuel and energy crisis will escalate. If we intensify the efforts to exploit the planet’s last fossil resources, the economic and ecological crisis will deepen. One crisis will affect the next if we continue to use the solutions of the past to solve the problems of the future. This is because it is our system, our way of thinking, our very way of being, which is in crisis. This is why the new must rise up from the midst of the old. This is why there is a need for “a great transition”.

ARTIST : Andrea Wan

THE DUTY TO HOPE The combination of the ecological and the economic crisis has increased the divide and brought the problem to a head. It moves dangerously close when the central European rivers overflow and flood both motorways and medieval towns and leave the already crisis-stricken European economy with bills of up to 100 billion DKK as it did during the last flooding in 2002. Back then the meteorologists called it a “once in a century phenomenon”.

“When you take a look at the problems it’s difficult to be an optimist in the sense of believing in the problem´s imminent solution. In that sense I am not an optimist. But I believe that we have a duty to be hopeful,” expressed by the previous senior economist in the World Bank, Herman Daly, in connection with the Rio conference in 1992. We can agree that politicians across the world lack the will – and possibly the skills – to do something fundamental with the discrepancy between the world’s sustainability and the scale of the world economy. But we can’t give politicians all the responsibility. Our own individual attempts towards sustainability can feel like a trek in the desert exacerbated by drought. A drop in the ocean where sea levels are rising. It can seem utterly overwhelming

but everything starts and ends with us. It is our own small steps that can make a world of difference.

when it comes to reducing our own energy consumption and we cannot use lack of knowledge as an excuse”.

WE ARE PART OF THE SOLUTION There is a deep concern and a great engagement amongst Information’s readers in how we can convert the perspectives in Den Store Omstilling [The Great Transition] to concrete actions. This engagement is becoming more and more related to how we can, both individually and collectively, become part of the solution.

Maybe it’s caused by the psychology of transition – it is a conflict between paralysis and action, fear and hope, isolation and community. There are violent powers at play in the atmosphere, on the planet and within ourselves.

It is this interest and engagement that are the foundation for the campaign “What do we do now? Our transition to a sustainable future”. Information is running the campaign in collaboration with DR (Danish Television) and it is our hope to shed light upon many promising initiatives and stories. Everything that take place outside of the political leader’s sphere of awareness is often also off the mainstream radar. These initiatives are often small and manifold but they are growing and gaining momentum. In Information’s mission statement, we proclaim that we must “inform the public on conflicting points of view and draw attention to disparities between words and action”. “We should take some of our own medicine and must shamefully admit that our own efforts towards green transition are far from as effective as the sustainable initiatives started by citizens and businesses that are described in this newspaper. We are not pioneers

BELIEVE IN GOOD STORIES In the campaign “What do we do now? Our transition to a sustainable future”, Information is on the look out for stories of transition that have four attributes; they should be of benefit for the community, they should be inspirational, they must be shareable and – if the project gains greater impact – must have a measurable effect. You can find more information on the campaign and how you can contribute on Information´s website. Dagbladet Information and Aarhus Affairs believe that good stories and concrete examples can help sustainable development gather speed. Naïve optimism doesn’t help – quite the contrary. System critique is still central to Information’s contribution towards The Great Transition but it is just as important that we strive to spread stories that can give hope. Green hope flourishes best when we share ideas and insights.

ORIGINALLY PRINTED IN DAGBLADET INFORMATION. REPRINTED HERE IN A REVIEWED AND TRANSLATED VERSION BY KIND PERMISSION OF DAGBLADET INFORMATION BY METTE DAVIDSEN-NIELSEN & CHRISTIAN JENSEN

A A R H U S A F F A I R S

#2 2013

PASSION

PHOTO : Archive

STEPS TOWARD A : SUSTAINABLE FUTURE The Insero Horsens foundation is a catalyst for sustainable growth. Through venture investments, investments in education and research, the establishment of subsidiary companies, cluster companies and new alliances and EU partnerships, the foundation runs Catalytic Philanthropy, where the profit of the foundation’s investments are reinvested in developing energy efficient technology. GREEN INVESTMENTS WRITTEN BY : Munna Hoffmann-Jørgensen

hen Energi Horsens merged with the energy company NRGi in 2008, Energi Horsens had a surplus value compared to NRGi. The committee of representatives at Energi Horsens decided to place this surplus in a foundation with a vision of generating sustainable growth and d evel op m e n t i n t h e a re a s around Horsens, Hedensted, Vejle and Juelsminde, which is the area that helped acquire that wealth. INSERO - THE GREEN FOUNDATION Today, Insero Horsens is a very proactive foundation that starts up projects and alliances, increasingly on its own initiative. In the project prøv1elbil [try an electric car], 100 families tested electric cars, which turned out to be the beginning of an exciting adventure with the electric car. The foundation since established the susidiary company, Insero E-Mobility. Insero Horsens’ working methods are at the forefront with an international development with increasing focus on the effect of financial support as a generator of returns and re-investments. This trend, Catalytic Philanthropy, describes a

practice where the foundation, instead of giving charity in the classical sense, starts activities that can sustain themselves. This means that the foundation’s resources are not depleted but make their way back to the foundation so the funds can continue to work and can be reinvested into further projects.

“If we can take this little bit of Denmark, which the foundation’s local area represents, and get this to work and interact with innovative spheres around the world, the foundation is necessary and we have done the right thing. The work that the foundation carries out should be relevant for the rest of Denmark and the rest of the world.” - Karsten Lumbye Jensen, innovation manager Insero

The working model “The Insero way” was formulated after a thorough analysis of the local area, which the foundation was established to improve. The analysis showed that the level of education in the area was lower than in the rest of the country and that the corporate sphere was characterised by heavy manufacturing, production and industry. The area’s competences and potential were also analysed and used by the foundation to form a strategy for the future work in four areas of focus.

STRATEGIC FOCUS Insero Horsens has decided upon a strategy that should generate growth and development in the local area in terms of e-mobility, geoenergy, increased use of IT in energy usage and building projects. The foundation’s strategy is therefore based on making investments into establishing clusters, developing new projects such as transforming the local area into a living laboratory to test new technologies on, and investing in entrepreneurs, education and platforms for innovation. The latest step has been to establish the subsidiary company, Insero Science Academy. The company is developing and setting up new educational initiatives, which aim to push for innovative and experimental teaching. One example is the three rolling laboratories, Mobil Labs, which travel around to the various educational institutions in the area and offer teaching on the body’s energy, energy forms of the future and innovation. Insero Horsens is always on the lookout for entrepreneurs that have a good idea or small businesses that need an injection of capital. When Insero Horsens invests capital in a entrepreneurial business the foundation doesn’t just buy a share

FACTS

Insero invests in new enterprises, projects and innovative research in the fields of energy and ICT, and we develop local educational, sports and cultural offerings.

: INSERO HORSENS www.insero.dk

: INSERO LIVE LAB

www.inserolivelab.dk

in the company, it brings it into a strong network. They offer the company a number of business strengthening services like communications assistance and campaign drives, which can help the company grow. When the company is strong enough, the foundation sells its shares in the company.

FUTURE LIVING LABS The Insero Concern has initiated the largest EUfinanced developmental and demonstration project in the concern’s history in collaboration with a European consortium. Insero Live Lab has won the right to test and develop a system for use in the operation of energy production and consumption. The IT system that will be tested will control the energy supply intelligently, utilising software that is coded to exchange data between the various components that are connected to the Internet. The theories and protocols behind the system are ready, and the subject of intelligent control of the energy supply is not a new one, but no one has yet proved that it can function. The principle of the system is that there is a shared server that controls the overall system and distributes energy in the system, such that energy is fed there where it is required. At the same time as implementing the IT aspect and examining the interplay between the energy supply’s various components, they will look at how the individual components – heat pumps, solar panels, solar heat panels, electric cars and chargers – can be incorporated into the consumption patterns of 25 families. The solar panels for example produce a lot of electricity during the day when the houses are empty as everyone is at work and there are no electric cars at home to receive this charge. The plan is therefore to test this in practice and store excess energy in the earth so that it can be saved for later on in the day when the families use most energy.

Insero Live Lab collaborates with another EU project, BUMILLA, which, amongst other things, tests business models for e-mobility. Using new business models they are trying to break down the barriers for e-mobility through car-share schemes, battery renting and leasing arrangements.

A A R H U S A F F A I R S

#2 2013

RESOURCES

GREEN ENTREPRENEURIAL PORTRAITS R

In Aarhus green entrepreneurs and businesses in all shapes and sizes thrive with a common goal: To support the green agenda by making a healthier, cleaner and more sustainable city and society. From edible mushrooms grown in coffee grounds, to protecting clean water with sponsored trees, to mobile greenhouses. Aarhus goes greener.

SUSTAINABLE CLOTHING // GRØNSAG - Nicolaj Wittendorff

At Grønsag we want to have fun! We love products that are filled with energy, creativity and details that spread smiles and joy. We strive to be experimental. We are passionate about challenging design that dares to follow its own path. We love small details. Therefore we both sell our own products and products that live up to our standards on our website: www.gronsag.com. We make bespoke designer tags, stickers, brochures, flyers, webpages and much more to complement the final product. What we do, what we say, what we make, use or throw out has an impact, however big or small.

GREEN CITY LIVING // URBAN GREEN HOUSE - Line Grüner

Urban Greenhouse is an urban farming concept, the main element of which is a mobile and multifunctional greenhouse that is created with sustainability in mind and with design and quality at its core to ensure an aesthetic product. The mobile greenhouse is adapted to suit the specific challenges of the city for the urban gardener. The plants are lifted free from the often-polluted soil and the mobility of the greenhouse allows for changing shade conditions and limited space. The greenhouse is designed to be used anywhere; private gardens, rooftops, institutions, offices and so on.

FOOD + BIODIVERSITY // HELT HONEY - Anthony Lee

I am a beekeeper who runs a small Danish honey company. I am on a mission to tell the world how wonderful Danish honey is. I do it because I love working outdoors and doing physical work. A beekeeper’s year is dictated by the passing seasons. I get huge satisfaction and a feeling of well-being from being so closely connected with nature. I’ve learned that starting my own business is the hardest thing I have ever done, but also the most exciting and satisfying. It’s a huge emotional rollercoaster to start your own business.

PUBLIC ACTION

PR / COMMUNITY

DESIGN + FASHION

GREENERY + WATER

TRANSPORTATION

FOOD

Every day you can choose what that impact is going to be. Toxic or clean, naughty or nice. For Grønsag it makes sense to take care of the planet we party on. Having said that, we also like the nice bits in fashion, so why not make it biodegradable? Grønsag has amongst other things, developed a 100% organic and Fair-trade certified collection for NorthSide Festival in 2013. The design was produced by the bureau Hele Vejen [All the way] that was give free reign to leave their mark on the T-shirts and hoodies that were all hand printed and made of 100% organic cotton. All the dyes were water-based and therefore environmentally friendly. www.gronsag.com PHOTO : Jubes Ranola

Graphic designer and inventor Line Grüner founded the Urban Greenhouse. It began as an exam project but soon developed into a very popular 2 square metre mobile green house, the success of which took many by surprise. One of Line’s visions was that her children should be able to experience how plants and vegetables are grown even though they live in the city. This simple vision is now spreading all around the country where people, institutions and companies are taking the mobile green house into their hearts and out into their yards. You don’t even need a permit to place the greenhouse because it is mobile. www.urbangreenhouse.dk PHOTO : Lasse Kofod

It takes so much of your time, your thoughts and energy. I wouldn’t change it for the world though. I feel very privileged to have the opportunity to do what I do. I have total freedom over my time. For the future I hope to have a thriving business. I hope that young people are looking at professional honey production as a serious career option. I hope that there are more bees in Denmark and that we are all eating more honey. If some or all of these things happen, it will be great news for our bees. They need all the help they can get right now. www.helthoney.dk

PHOTO : Anthony Lee

GROWING THE CITY // ADOPT A BOX - Hester Callaghan

Adopt A Box is an initiative that aims to bring edible greenery to the city. By combining guerrilla gardening and urban farming into a more permanent fixture in the city we hope to show people how easy it is to grow your own food as well as bringing more nature to the city centre. I do it because my green fingers are itching but as a group we all have our own motivations for bringing more greenery into the city. We’ve learned not to ask for permission - forgiveness is much easier - and to try things out.

Nothing kills motivation or drive like too much planning. In five year’s time I hope that the city council is on board and can see the potential of urban farming in the city, both for children to understand where their food comes from and for adults that want to feel more connected to the soil. It would be fantastic if there were some designated places for it in the city as it is pretty limited what you can grow in a box. I also hope that crops become more and more visible in the city to support biodiversity and local food production. www.adoptabox.dk

PHOTO : Ramona August

SUSTAINABILITY AGENCY //

WORLDPERFECT

- Martin Thim

I am a partner and co-owner of WorldPerfect which is Denmark’s first and only sustainability bureau. We work to create positive changes in companies, organisations and people. We do this by developing concepts for campaigns, graphics assignments and communication strategies and through collaborations in which an organisation or a product needs to be developed in a sustainable direction. I have a burning desire to do things differently. We are pioneers and combine sales and the bottom line with a more sustainable future. You learn all the time and WorldPerfect

is without comparison the highpoint of my journey. It is hard and, at times, very frustrating being self-employed, but I have a little troll sitting on my shoulder that keeps dri-ving me to doing new and better things. This drive to create is my motivation. I am convinced that Aarhus could lead the way in this field and become a showcase, of future solutions for cities of the world. There could be much stricter requirements for building projects, recycling of rainwater, using refuse as a resource and having fewer cars in the city centre. I wish to experience the decision-ma-kers in our society exhibiting the will and the desire to look further into the future with concrete and realisable visions. www.worldperfect.dk

PHOTO : Lucas Adler

A A R H U S A F F A I R S

CLEAN WATER // GROWING TREES NETWORK - Lars Heiselberg Jensen

Growing Trees Network was started to make reforestation part of people’s every day life. The trees are planted on public soil above groundwater reserves, protecting the groundwater supply for the future. It requires many different steps to ensure clean water in the future, including stopping and limiting the discharge of toxic substances but also the growth of new forests that can prevent the contamination of groundwater by pesticides and nitrogen from conventional agriculture. Both businesses and individuals, who pollute the atmosphere via their chimneys or exhaust fumes from

their cars, can reduce these emissions by planting trees. At the same time, these trees provide new recreational forests, which is also good for the climate as the woods act as a climate shield against torrential downpours of rain. Growing Trees Network has made it possible for individuals, busines-ses and organisations to plant trees in new public forest reserves offering many different kinds of tree planting. For your car to be CO2 neutral+ you have to plant 21 trees a year for DKK 399. Or you can let your company van plant 50 trees. When the tree is ready to be felled after 50-70 years, it will typically store 5 tonnes of CO2. For comparison, an average family car will emit 2-4 tonnes of CO2 per year. An investment in forests is an investment in the future. www.growingtrees.dk

CITY TRANSPORTATION // RE-RIDE TAXI - Robert Senftleben

We are catalysts for using bicycles for transport, goods delivery, marketing, campaigns and in creating healthy, fun and meaningful jobs. Producing less noise, less pollution, less toxic air and more smiles and vitality in the city. Our drive comes from wanting to create a less dirty, less boring and a more festive and healthy city! In a world with more and more stress, it is important to bring the tempo down a bit. Breathe deeply and view things from another angle - that is what a bicycle taxi offers! We aim for 100% maintainable solutions so that all future generations can follow us.

CITY PACKAGE DELIVERY // VELOPAK - Brice Bedos

We are a cargo bike messenger company. Environmentallyfriendly, cheaper and faster than conventional car delivering companies. Velopak is bringing back the bike messengers to Aarhus in order to make the city more breathable and less congested with cars and trucks. The need for a more sustainable future is paramount to Velopak. Our inspiration dates as far back as bike messengers have been around. Bike messengers are and have been the most sustainable and eco friendly method of transport. A city cannot breathe properly with so many cars and trucks- and

FOOD // SVAMPESYNDIKATET - Stian Alexander Maack Nielsen

At Svampesyndikatet we believe in sustainability, and we believe in local solutions to global problems. By producing gourmet mushrooms on the waste from local coffee production and consumption, we achieve a faster production cycle, remove the footprint on forests, and produce healthy, tasty and fresh mushrooms in the heart of Aarhus. The waste from our production can even be used as feed for pigs and hens or as fertilizer! Our fondest dream is to inspire others to action – to motivate the younger generation to see opportunities instead of taking in the

- Anna Asgeirsdóttir Kastberg Hinrichsen

SustaIN is an independent advocacy organization that works for a transition to a sustainable society. We organize the annual Sustain Festival Aarhus (earlier known as Aarhus Sustainability Festival), and Sustain Festival Copenhagen. Our work is based on a vision in which high welfare and standards of living walk hand in hand with a healthy environment, a responsible use of our resources and a globally fairer distribution of these resources. We inspire change and motivate for action by focusing on solutions and possibilities, rather than a doomsday rhetoric. We facilitate sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship, encourage a sustainable lifestyle and create network

PHOTO : Birger Borgward

Bicycle taxis and courier bikes are just one of the solutions. We have learned to say:, “Let’s just DO it”. Don’t make things more difficult than they need to be. But we have also learned that not everything is as easy as it appears to be. That people come before everything else. Before profit, before huge ambitions and before wacky ideas. In the future we wish for more and more companies to reduce their tempo and choose the sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions. In terms of our own little firm, we would love for all sustainable companies and organisations, whether that be socially or environmentally, to market themselves and Re-Riiiiiide on our bicycle taxis! www.cykeltaxa.dk PHOTO : Chib pressebureau

a cargo bike could do exactly the same job. We’ve learned that Aarhus needs this kind of service if it is to meet its carbon free emissions deadline by 2030. Although there has been some progress with regards to conventional petrol cars being replaced by electric cars, electric cars still require a lot of resources and take up as much space as conventional cars. In the next five years we expect Velopak to grow strong enough to provide jobs and a better transport alternative to the present one. By implementing hubs or bike depots in suburban areas, Velopak will help parcels and goods to reach their destination faster to the city centre. www.velopak.dk PHOTO : Velopak

gloom and doom of the climate debate. We don´t solve any problems while being depressed! We are currently in a phase of piecing together the company, and are running production tests to assure the efficiency of our production – its viability has been assured. In the spring of 2013, Svampesyndikatet won the ‘Aarhus sustainable entrepreneurial company’ award at the Aarhus Sustainability Festival, handed over by Jacob Bundsgaard, Mayor of Aarhus. We are three young men with a desire to make a difference, and who believe business can be a great vehicle for change. We hope you will welcome our solutions as a piece of the puzzle – and we hope you will create one of your own! svampesyndikatet

PUBLIC ACTION // AARHUS SUSTAIN NETWORK

PUBLIC ACTION

PR / COMMUNITY

DESIGN + FASHION

GREENERY + WATER

TRANSPORTATION

FOOD

PHOTO : SustaIN Festival

and synergy between companies, initiatives and citizens. We do this through the festivals, our newsletter, social medias, a variety of member activities, a business network and a platform for sustainable entrepreneurship. The overall purpose of SustaIN is to make the engagement in sustainable issues and the movement towards a sustainable society as easy as possible. To make this a success, citizens, businesses and politicians have to understand the complex problems, know the solutions and be motivated to contribute themselves. That is why our approach to the sustainable changeover is to establish knowledge and debate, to motivate, inspire and create synergy between sustainable initiatives. synergy between sustainable initiatives. www.sustain.nu

RESOURCES

GREEN ENTREPRENEURIAL PORTRAITS T

#2 2013

PHOTO : Vladington

ARTIST : Daniel van der Noon / INSTAGRAM@danielvandernoon

THE SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS WE FACE TODAY CANNOT BE SOLVED AT THE SAME LEVEL OF THINKING WE WERE AT WHEN WE CREATED THEM

A A R H U S A F F A I R S

#2 2013

SUSTAINABLE FOOTPRINT

FO AARHUS : TAKING LOCAL + GLOBAL RESPONSIBILITY A new green area of the city with education, networking and idea development is growing at the end of Frederiksgade. FO Aarhus is leading the way and showcasing the sustainable path with solar panels, organic food and hanging gardens. At the same time, FO is working hard to generate new life on Frederiksgade. HOLISTIC CITY BRANDING WRITTEN BY : Thea Green & FO Aarhus

n between Vester Allé, Christiansgade and Frederiksgade lies a tiny city within the city. This is where you’ll find FO-city, a kind of “everyday folk high school” that is located where people meet, live and work. FO Aarhus is an adult education association and a social enterprise offering activities, teaching, debate and evening classes open to everyone. FO invests in sustainability and has a solar panel that produces enough electricity to supply four family houses a year.

“FO-city must be both socially and environmentally sustainable. This means that the city primarily houses social enterprises and that the day-to-day life in the city abides by green principles.We would also like to be part of creating a green entrance to Frederiksgade.” - Torben Dreier, head of school FO Aarhus

A GREEN ENTRANCE “FO-Aarhus would like to be part of creating a green entrance to Frederiksgade. In the old days there was a town gate at the end of Frederiksgade, which was the only brick-built town gate in the city. This tradition of having an entrance or exit gate on the street can be brought back using the end walls at the top of Frederiksgade. This port can be decorated so that it welcomes visitors and shoppers to the street – ideally with a green and eco-friendly message at its focus”, says Torben Dreier, headmaster of FO Aarhus School.

“The aim of Frederiksgade as the ‘blue and green experimental stroke of culture’ is to create a new identity that will draw attention to the street through visionary and sustainable initiatives with lighting, greening, waste management, water recycling etc. This will be carried out in a cross-disciplinary project where both Aarhus Municipality, property owners, the street association and other consultants will participate.” - Stephen Willacy, city Architect of Aarhus

SOLAR POWERED ENERGY The first phase of Aarhus’ largest solar panel is now complete in FO-city in Frederiksgade. It is the first phase of a new electricity production, which will save CO2. The Cleantech company Megavol. planned and installed this initial plant, which contains 21.6 kW of cells, on top of the administration building at Frederiksgade 78C. The plant produces approximately the same amount of electricity as is used by four family houses over a year – roughly 19,000 kWh. – It provides almost

enough electricity to power the administration building all year round. The solar panel will save at least 293 tonnes of CO2 over the course of its lifetime. This is equivalent to 5.1 family cars running for a year, eight return flights from Aarhus to New York or planting 293 trees. FO-city will soon be embarking upon a new project to construct a new teaching building at Frederiksgade 78B. Megavol will be installing the second phase of the solar panel system. The solar panels are part of FO-city’s green strategy that aims to take responsibility for both the local and national environment. FO-city’s green strategy is in accordance with the Frederiksgade project “Green Street”. The beginning of the Green Street Frederiksgade is strongly anchored in FO-city’s installing of Aarhus’ largest solar panel facility.

“We at Megavol, in association with FO-city, aim to spread the message of how necessary a greater understanding of sustainable and renewable energy is in solving global warming and creating fossil-free energy supplies.” - Dennis Præstekjær, administrative director Megavol

Some years ago Aarhus Green Scouts started a scheme to hand out green fingerprints to shops, offices and businesses in Aarhus after a thorough check and approval of their procedures regarding energy and organic produce. FO-city has lived up to the green fingerprint requirements since 2000, which include:

HANGING GARDENS “The FO city has planned to establish a hanging garden between its two backyards in 2014. The garden will be filled with green plants and trees but will also be lit up with ecofriendly lights and be fitted with a rainwater collector. The yard will also offer artistic experiences such as re cycled art”, explains Torben Dreier.

PHOTO : FO Aarhus, artist : Anja Franke, Sculpture by the Sea Aarhus

ENERGY SAVINGS

There are energy saving light bulbs everywhere in FO-city, as well as water-saving toilets, water-saving attachments on the taps , timers on the radiators to reduce heat waste at night and also energy efficient household appliances. RECYCLING AND MINIMISING OF RESOURCE CONSUMPTION

Printing and copying on both sides of the paper, recycling of paper to use as notepaper, reusing of plastic folders, paperclips, ring binders etc. ORGANIC

Sorting of waste that is delivered to the appropriate recycling station as well as the procurement of organic produce and ecolabelled paper.

“We would really like to change peoples’ impressions of Frederiksgade. There is nothing worse than empty shop windows. We have generated a good deal of life and colours here already but the most important thing is that we have made contact with the property owners and are in a dialogue with them about how we can do even more to create a green identity.”

The street is already known for it´s green plant decorations and events during Aarhus Festival 2012, energy saving initiatives with the Green Fingerprint scheme and solar panels in FO-city and the retail of green products such as the Christmasstalls in 2012. A green town gate would support this environmental brand.

- Daniel Walsh, project manager Idébutikken + ´Green Street´́ Frederiksgade

FACTS

: FO AARHUS

www.fo-aarhus.dk www.facebook.com/FOaarhus

: IDÉBUTIKKEN

www.idebutikken.net www.facebook.com/IDEbutikken

: MEGAVOL+ A/S

www.megavol.com

PHOTO : FO Aarhus / Megavol+

RESOURCES

THE NEW AND SUSTAINABLE SOLAR POWER SYSTEM AND LANDMARK OF FO AARHUS : SUPPLIER MEGAVOL

A A R H U S A F F A I R S

#2 2013

RESOURCES

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

The Merchant

The IT Billionaire

Slim and favourable woman in a red power dress who has had a lightning career through all the large European concerns. Graduated from business school in record time and went straight into Vestas, Nestlé or some part of the finance sector due to her great intelligence, charm and her ability to remain unimpressed by men in suits. Has insisted on receiving shares in all of the corporations that she has been employed in, which has made her filthy rich. Often longs for a young idealistic man...

Dressed in indescribable clothes with a large wallet bulging out of his pocket and shifty eyes. Buys cheap. Sells for a huge profit. This is the motto that has allowed him to accumulate a vast pile of money. It is also the only kind of business model that he understands. He will simply walk away if you start talking about design or IT. If you get hold of a container of tea towels from China for a bargain price, he will definitely buy them, regardless of the quality or level of child labour involved in the production. Money talks.

Hair wax, beard stubble, expensive jeans, silly t-shirts and narcissistic monologues. Has developed some kind of online software, which he managed to sell to Microsoft, Amazon or Google for some obscene sum of money that believes it to be the marketplace of the future. The IT billionaire often lives in an imaginary world with online games, gadgets, and dreams of being a rock star. He has a tendency to throw his millions at crackpot ideas and therefore goes bankrupt quite often. So hurry up to get your hands on his money!

Spot a Wealthy Investor - (It ain´t over ´till the fat lady sings...)

As an entrepreneur it is vital that you can quickly spot a wealthy investor from a crowd when you need some extra capital to fund your ideas. Here are six types to keep an eye out for.

ARTIST : Mormor / Kristian Bruun TEXT : Sander Jensen

The Rich Widow

The Project Developer

The Foundation Chairman

Dressed in a tight fit dress clutching a Gucci bag with gold earrings, discrete make up, done-up hair and of an indeterminate age. Has inherited a fortune from her aged deceased husband who was a manufacturer, merchant or shipping magnate, which she now carefully administers using enormous foundations. The only way to get money from her is by being nice to her and taking her Springer Spaniel for walks so that she will bequeath you something in her will.

Doesn’t make an effort. Worn out jeans, T-shirt and non-descript hairstyle. His motto: The one that lives a quiet life lives well. He earned half a million by selling his flat in the 00s and has since anonymously invested prudently in property and building projects, which has led to his becoming rather wealthy. Often comes from humble origins and still loves camping holidays. To get some of his money, you have to be honest and trustworthy and enjoy the odd pint.

Pinstriped suit, Rolex, gold ring, tanned and perfectly grey hair. Is not actually rich himself but administers a large percentage of the country’s assets. Many years as a director in the Danish business world have given him loads of chairman positions in the country’s rich foundations and pension companies. He can release millions of kroner with a simple phone call. To make him take notice you either have to look just like him or have attended a private school.

THANK YOU The importance of showing gratitude

A simple thank you can change the way we think, feel, or act. Imagine a world with no thanks and no appreciation. That would be like living in a world without love. When you say thank you, you make an active choice to acknowledge your relation to a person. It is a sign of respect, recognition, and affection. Gratitude can be shown in many ways. With a note, a small gift, a hug, or even an investment of $10 million in your business adventure. People will also tend to trust you more when you are not ungrateful and selfish. Gratitude can be contagious. When you do something nice for a person, he or she will possibly do something nice for another person. Aarhus Affairs have a lot of people, organizations, companies, and institutions to thank. With their help, free time, and sponsorships we are able to make this journal to encourage entrepreneurship – and gratitude.

// Anne Mette Zachariassen, director TEKO design+business / Kim Bisgaard, head of Godsbanen / Rune Kilden, Aarhus entrepreneur, founder of the new CERES / Tommy Dejbjerg, mayor Startup City / Lars Kruse, founder Foldboldfabrikken / Margrete Bak, co-founder KarlBAK / Jan Beyer Schmidt Sørensen, business manager Business Development, Mayors Department, Municipality of Aarhus / Lone Lindequist, manager Byhøjskolen / Signe Hansen, manager Frontløberne / Ole Frank, PR coordinator, CEI, AU Flemming Fink, director, CEI, AU / Marc Perera Christensen, alderman Culture- & Citizen, Municipality of Aarhus / Hvass&Hannibal, design bureau / Marcus Møller Bitsch, photographer / Nikolaj Sørensen, Palmehaven - Tvendehave communication / Thomas Priskorn, photographer Palmehaven / Mandy Rep, graphic, Quote the Future / Anders Laursen, Stenpapir.dk / Nicolai Høtoft Jensen, artist / Signe Hummeluhr Dammeyer, writer / Christian Stadil, Hummel / Thornico / Lóa Steffánsdóttir, Mind of Gold / Daniel van der Noon, artist / Raw Color, design studio / Sven van der Steen - Marcel Christ Photography / Jacob Bundsgaard, mayor of Aarhus / Malene Andersen, Aarhus 2017 / Rebecca Matthews, director Aarhus 2017 / Dan Bjerg, Karma developer Hummel / Peter Matzen, writer / Steen Hildebrandt, Professor at the Department of Organisation and Marketing, Aarhus School of Business and Social Science / Lotte Darsø, Associate professor at DPU, The Pedagogical University of Denmark / Otto Scharmer, senior lecturer at the Massachussetts Institute of Technology (MIT), founding chair of the Presencing Institute / Cathrine Ertmann, photographer / Jens Fick, project manager Mejlgade for Mangfoldighed / Bente Steffensen, director Erhverv Aarhus / Klaus Bondam, director, The Danish Cultural Institute Benelux / Uffe Elbæk, member of the Danish Parlament, spokesman Science, Innovation and Higher Education & former Minister of Culture / Hygo Prestegaard, ex chief consultant of ”Gang i København” (tr. Get Copenhagen Going) / Tina Saaby, city Architect Municipality of Copenhagen / Abdul Dube, co-founder Batteri, Sideprojects, Creative Morning Aarhus / René Sune Sørensen, co-founder Batteri, Sideprojects, Creative Morning / Jakob Rauff Baungaard, co-founder Worldperfect / Munna Hoffmann-Jørgensen, writer / Anne Mette Boye, Head of Professional and Academic Development, Aarhus School of Architecture / Kirsty Badenoch, graduated student at Aarhus School of Architecture / Torben Nielsen, Dean, Aarhus School of Architecture / Miles Bowers, photographer / Kristina Krogh, artist / Katrine Nør Andersen, co-founder VINK / VINK team / Morten Stahl Pedersen, founder SMAGFØRST / Rikke Luna, co-founder I DO ART / Lui Rosenkrantz, co-founder Double Rainbow / Esben Piper, founder La Cabra / Daniel Walsh, manager Idébutikken / Jonas Højgaard, Nordic Tales / Anders Freestone, co-founder Knuds Kiosk / Adrian Matthew Fey, co-founder Culture Works / Jacob Bjørn, founder Lunchmoney Gallery / Kristian Bruun Djurhuus aka Mormor, artist / Rasmus Nørfeldt, co-founder Mock Up studio / Signe Schäfer, writer / Christian Chapelle, consultant mayors department, Municipality of Aarhus / Rina Hansen, Head of Digital, Hummel / Preben Mejer, co-founder Innovation Lab, Alexandra Institute, etc. / Esben Strandgaard Hansen, writer former editoral at Aarhus Affairs / Niels Elmegaard Bæk, co-founder Incore.dk / Anna Ásgeirsdóttir Kastber Hinrichsen, founder SustaIN Network + Festival / Nikoli Lander, PR AU / Thomas Sørensen, PR AU / Mette Davidsen-Nielsen, CEO Information / Christian Jensen, editor in chief Information / Jørgens Steen Nielsen, journalist Information / Karsten Lumbye Jensen, innovation manager / Brian Pape, owner MercoPrint / Nicolaj Wittendorff, founder Grønsag / Line Grüner, founder Urban Green House / Anthony Lee, founder Helt Honey / Hester Callaghan, founder Adopt a Box, translator / Martin Thim, co-founder Worldperfect / Lars Heiselberg Jensen, cofounder Growing Trees Network / Robert Senftleben, founder Re-Ride / Brice Bedos, founder Velopak / David Nordentoft, Re-Ride / Jesper Mørkenborg Kjær, Folkesparekassen / Stian Alexander Maack Nielsen, Svampesyndikatet / Torben Dreier, head of FO-Byen Aarhus Sarah John, proof reading / Dennis Præstekjær, CEO Megavol / Stephen Willacy, city Architect Aarhus.

Thank you all

Godspeed! W W W. A A R H U S A F FA I R S . D K ARTIST Andrea Wan