We Do Things Differently: The Outsiders Rebooting Our World

Description

Our systems are failing. Old models - for education, healthcare and government, food production, energy supply - are creaking under the weight of modern challenges. As the world's population heads towards 10 billion, it's clear we need new approaches. Futurologist Mark Stevenson sets out to find them, across four continents. From Brazilian favelas to high tech Boston, from rural India to a shed inventor in England's home counties, We Do Things Differently travels the world to find the advance guard re-imagining our future. At each stop, he meets innovators who have already succeeded in challenging the status quo, pioneering new ways to make our world more sustainable, equitable and humane. Populated by extraordinary characters, We Do Things Differently paints an enthralling picture of what can be done to address the world's most pressing dilemmas, offering a much needed dose of down-to-earth optimism. It is a window on (and a roadmap to) a different and better future.

Mark Stevenson is a writer, entrepreneur, broadcaster, futurologist and founder of The League of Pragmatic Optimists. He has written for The Times, Wall Street Journal, Guardian and New Statesman, and is the author of the critically acclaimed An Optimist's Tour of the Future. He lives in London and is an adviser to the Virgin Earth Challenge and Atlas of the Future.

Stevenson is an excellent storyteller ... fascinating. * The Times * Inspirational. The book works so well because Stevenson gets out there to see things for himself. * Daily Mail * An ability to express even the most complex scientific problems in terms easily understood by a layperson. * Sydney Morning Herald * Stevenson wears no blindfold. His tools are curiosity, open-mindedness, clarity and reason. That makes his journey intriguing... and ultimately exhilarating. * TED.com * Stevenson's engaging commentary has the ability to restore your faith in human ingenuity in the face of adversity * Geographical magazine * Not just a great read, but a really important one too. * Atlas of the Future * Stevenson is one of those rare visionaries who fascinates and entertains in equal measure. Do not be surprised if he becomes a household name in the not-too-distant future. * London Literature Festival * Stevenson writes with enormous warmth and humour. * Cory Doctorow * By the end of this exhilarating page-turner my faith had been restored. * EcoHustler * From the reviews of An Optimist's Tour of the Future: 'A rollicking roller-coaster ride around the cutting edge of science with dozens of laugh-out-loud moments * Scotsman * Stevenson puts the trends of tomorrow's world into perspective with a quizzical, fast-paced, quick-witted tour of the scientific horizon * The Times * Certainly one of the most interesting science books I've read for a long time * New Statesman * A grand tour of charismatic technologies and their prophets ... Stevenson bags an impressive list of interviewees * Financial Times * Essential ... illuminating and refreshingly hopeful ... an auspicious yet grounded vision * The Atlantic *