THE ENERGY TRANSITION IN OUR MIND
Energy is fascinating. It is at the same time ubiquitous and elusive, so very familiar and yet metaphysical. Depending on context and culture, energy can be a global commodity, a scientific concept, a sacred matter or simply a sense of vitality. Our relationship with energy changes by the kind of attention we pay to it.
Energies United works in unusual alliances to explore new ways to make sense of energy as a cross-cutting concept. We operate at the deep level of cultural paradigms and assumptions to foster more conscious energy practices.
„It has been overlooked that the word energy functions as a collage of meanings whose persuasiveness is based on the myth that what it expresses is natural.“
Ivan Illich
Energies United is a new type of agency. We collaborate with partners from diverse disciplines such as energy humanities, regenerative design, data visualization, biophysical economics, media, creative placemaking, systems design and place-based impact investing.
We follow a stringent approach integrating the energy mindsets from different sectors, scales and cultures towards a common framework of understanding. We believe in the power of sensory experiences that open up a space for collective sensemaking: driven by co-created experiments instead of normative thinking and push-button solutionism.
Our work comes in different shapes and constellations: action research, workshop design and facilitation as well as systems innovation on a global scale.
THE GRADIENT
An independent medium for online essays curated and published by Energies United.
The Gradient features experts and thought leaders from various disciplines and cultures
who investigate the concept of energy from rather unusual perspectives and shed new
light on fundamental assumptions underlying the use of energy in different domains.
ENERGY PILOTS
An innovation framework for place and culture-based energy transitions
Millions of people, many of them organised in citizen-led initiatives, seek new ways to shape the energy future in their immediate living environments. It is a challenging balancing act between complex regulations, limited budgets and finding innovative solutions amongst conflicting interests. Far too often the search for solutions is synonymous with the search for the best technical solution, reducing options to purely functional features or the need to install new appliances. The creative scope for sustainable solutions is so much greater - and a lot more electrifying - if we add the huge diversity of local energy cultures to the equation.
Energy Pilots is a research and innovation project intertwining specific design disciplines, local communities, and the Energy Humanities. Energy Pilots provides pioneering tools and methods that allow citizens to approach energy transitions as place-based acts of cultural innovation. It fosters speculative energy futures by building on site-specific cultural techniques as well as pioneering design expertise from across the globe. Stay tuned for upcoming pilot trials and the emergence of first artefacts.
In the meantime, these fireside chats will give you a first impression of encounters between experts who approach the concept of energy from very different perspectives.
Drop us a message if you would like to know more about our work, explore potential collaborations or join one of our future events.