Joanna Boehnert
Energy Transitions in Organisations and Sectors
Transition Templates is a collection of visual tools for collaborative work in decarbonisation. The Transition Templates: Pathways to Net Zero+ research project (2023-2026) uses systems-level forms of design to support organisations envisioning, planning, and implementing decarbonisation agenda in five sectors of the UK economy: Home Energy; AI & Digital; Food & Agriculture; Fashion & Textiles; and Higher Education. Working with service design consultancy Livework, the project uses systemic and transition design approaches to bring expansive and ecologically oriented lenses to energy transition processes. We use net zero “+” to refer to decarbonisation agendas that also address wider ecological emergencies – beyond the narrow specificity of Net Zero. The work-in-progress presentation provides an update on the second year of the three-year research project, describes the progress and processes, and reflects on emergent results and conclusions. The four-step Transition Template process prompts mapping activities for collaborative design of energy transitions. The templates take a modular format whereby participants can engage with any of the four stages depending on their context, interests, and priorities. Over the last year we have revised each of the four steps and developed the processes in all five sectors. The templates are being tested, refined, and adapted for each sector to facilitate co-design and collaborative action for energy transitions. The work aims to engage more ambitious and comprehensive energy transitions.
Keywords: systemic design, net zero, futuring, regenerative design