For our care related to health and well-being every citizen will experience the different fields and offices for finding and contracting. In fact the landscape is segmented, divided by roads (white) and system borders (black). The fields of pink are that of care and blue as the color of (the collection of) governments where citizens have to deal with.
Neri Oxman: “Derived from the sea and returned to the soil, we utilize decay as a design feature. Image from website Oxman.com.
According to the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), over 300 million tons of plastic are produced globally each year, leaving harmful imprints on the environment. Less than 10% of this material is recycled, while the rest becomes waste, dumped into landfills and oceans; all the while, plastic-based materials utilize raw ingredients that are extracted from the earth faster than they can be replenished, and are processed through environmentally destructive means. There is another way.”
Jack Kruf
Davos, World Economic Forum. Het is de plaats en het moment waarop leiders van alle geledingen elkaar ontmoeten om ‘de toestand in de wereld’ (naar G.B.J. Hilterman) te bespreken. Tijdens dit forum in 2017 presenteerden 13 bedrijven op het gebied van energie, transport en industrie de Hydrogen Council.Doel ervan is om een platform voor innovatie te bieden met als doel te migreren weg van vervuilende energiebronnen. De bedrijven willen de komende vijf jaar daartoe gezamenlijk 10 miljard euro investeren. Waterstof heeft de potentie om 90% van de CO2-uitstoot in 2050 te reduceren. Zij zien niet alleen transport als cruciaal, maar beschouwen waterstof als een erg aantrekkelijk alternatief voor olie. Waterstof biedt veel kansen om een transitie naar lage CO2– samenleving in meerdere bedrijfstakken en zelfs hele waardeketens mogelijk te maken.
De Hydrogen Council bestaat uit olie- en gasgiganten Royal Dutch Shell Plc en Total SA, automakers BMW AG, Daimler AG, Honda Motor Co., Hyundai Motor Co. en Toyota, energie- en gasbedrijven Air Liquide SA en Linde AG, mijnbouwbedrijf Anglo American Plc, electriciteit-nutsbedrijf Engie SA, treinmaatschappij Alstom SA en motor- en zware machinemaker Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd.
Waterstof is een veelzijdig, schoon en veilige energiedrager, kan worden benut als brandstof voor stroomopwekking, kan dienen als basisbrandstof en kan gemakkelijk op grote schaal worden opgeslagen. De leden van de Hydrogen Council hebben zich gecommitteerd om de toepassing ervan te bevorderen. Waterstof kan worden geproduceerd met behulp van (hernieuwbare) electriciteit en CO2-gereduceerde fossiele brandstof en produceert nul emissie bij gebruik. De veelzijdigheid in opslag en transport maakt waterstof geschikt om in veel sectoren de energietransitie te realiseren.
Burgers en bestuurders hebben, zo beschouwd, dezelfde hoogte. Dit is een wezenlijk uitgangspunt van de idee van representatieve democratie. Dit beeld is een metafoor, uiteraard. De vergelijking met de werkelijkheid gaat in veel gevallen mank, helaas. Hoewel, zeker niet altijd. Er zijn voorbeelden, die de regel bevestigen. Dat zijn de echte leiders.
De zwarte pion als onderdeel van de groep, van de samenleving, onder de mensen toegankelijk, luisterend, transparant, verbindend, communicerend, de eigen achtergrond nooit vergetend of verloochenend en vooral wetend dat het niet meer is als de witte pion. Zou dat niet geweldig zijn!?
Public steward or steward of the public domain? Who at the end is taking care for our society as a whole? Bringing balance between the political world (according Machiavelli the domain of power and influence’), society, the natural environment, relevant public values, science, media and business.
Is it the system of human society itself, democratic or not, functioning or not, which is actual self-governing? Or maybe is it the King as steward, guarding us, and not being part of the political system. Can the popularity of Kings and Queens (still) be explained by the fact that we actually are in serious need for a steward which is guarding and guiding? Or are they a sublimation of our own personal feelings about lack of security and safety in the big world?
Etymology
In old English stiward, stigweard means “house guardian,” from stig “hall, pen” + weard “guard.” So meaning “overseer of workmen”, attested from c.1300. The sense of “officer on a ship in charge of provisions and meals” is first recorded mid-15c.; extended to trains 1906.
A steward was the title of a class of high officers of the state in early England and Scotland, hence meaning “one who manages affairs of an estate on behalf of his employer” (late 14c.). The term developed during centuries, step by step, from the level of household to that of the public domain. What emerges here is the fact that government should not only deliver products, services, enforce rules, collect taxes and making regulations but also act as a steward. Taking care. Guardian angel.
Religion & Thought
The thoughts of stewardship are embedded in many beliefs, ideologies, philosophies and religions such as Buddhism, Catholicism, Gaia, Hinduism, Humanism, Islamism, Judaism, Protestantism and many more. According David Horrell the oldest and most influential source for the idea that humans are meant to be stewards of the earth is the Bible, and in particular the opening chapters of the book of Genesis.
Government
Within public governance though – scientifically as well as from practitioners perspective – stewardship is still in development, and compared with the “world of” beliefs, ideologies, philosophies and religions relatively small and not well elaborated. The role ofsteward– to underline the focus and feeling of this role I use the term public steward – has been defined by several institutions and scientists as one of the roles of government. This role can only be carried out by government, many say.
O yes, government. That is actually us. At least in the democratic societies. With as main – and generally acknowledged – considerations the attainment of the society’s (public) values and quality of life for citizens. I would like to add nature here. This mostly is not considered as part, rather as environmental aspect of society and defined as our natural environment. Nature though is a core in the conceptions of stewardship, but in public governance still in the background. Of course it is linked somehow with sustainability, but not truly embedded in the processes and architecture of public governance.
Embedding
In my view stewardship is not that easy to embed in governing the public domain – at least being a challenging task – due to the always rich palette of stakes, views, levels of government, political parties, beliefs, backgrounds and interests. Society is complex, stewardship in this regard a true profession.
What could be helpful is a more holistic approach (by government) of any issue, topic, plan or project; actually meaning placing strategies and policies in the larger perspective of total of values of the public area domain, for instance a city, as a whole. Not always easy zooming out from direct interests, stakes and clientele.
Moreover it becomes more and more important that also citizens and organisations living, working and acting within the public domain, truly embed the values of the public domain (as a whole) in their own behaviour. And act in the spirit of.
Ownership
Public stewardship contains on one hand a balanced holistic approach of public matters and a behaviour of citizens expressing their responsibility for the bigger picture on the other hand. So not only government as steward – with for cities Mayor, Aldermen and The City Council in the lead. No, everyone of us can be (and should be, but maybe that is too normative) a public steward and act from the responsibility for the mainframe of discussed, confirmed and decided public values.
Necessity
For example a clean city (as chosen, confirmed and decided public value). Many cities have expressed this public value in their strategies and policy plan, that is way I use it as an example – is not only the guarding task of government, but in my view for everyone of us, regardless our background, belief or personal circumstances. Public Stewardship can in my view be very successful (not only as concept but as truly effective way of governing) when government and citizens act as one (the essence of democracy). For that a more holistic approach of public governance is desirable. No it is more than that: necessary.
Picture: © Jack Kruf, Hondarribia, Catalunya
Kruf Huyssons 