Growth & Jobs | Could a common cultural, creative activity become a renewable energy source?

UNESCO’s action in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) will include the soon-to-be launched SIDS accelerator programmes (ACES). Six accelerators, one of which will be dedicated to protecting and promoting culture in SIDS for resilience and sustainable development, will be launched by UNESCO in 2024-2025.

Olayinka Jacobs-Bonnick, local cultural and creative industries expert, international cultural strategist and National Programme Officer for Culture/Creative Caribbean Grant Coordinator at the UNESCO Multisectoral Office for the Caribbean, shared UNESCO’s SIDS operational strategy at the recent British Council Future of Creativity Symposium, hosted at The Pegasus hotel on November 27. The symposium is part of a project dedicated to strengthening collaboration between the Caribbean and the UK to collectively envision and shape the future of arts and education.

SIDS are priority groups for UNESCO, which recognises their needs and potential. UNESCO’s executive board endorsed the 2022-2029 UNESCO Operational Strategy (OS) for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) at its 216th session, where a decision was adopted for the elaboration of flagship programmes and related partnerships.

The high-level SIDS initiatives, which will include six accelerator programmes, will be inter-sectoral and will each be led by a different programme sector to allow for a coordinated approach. In collaboration with the appropriate national and regional institutions in SIDS and UN partners in the context of the UN reform and mechanisms such as the Multi Country Offices for SIDS, the implementation of the initiatives will also privilege the collaboration with regional organisations and inter-SIDS cooperation.

KINETIC DANCE FLOORS

Within the context of UNESCO SIDS Accelerator (ACE) 3 - Protecting and Promoting Culture in SIDS for Resilience and Sustainable Development - Jacobs Bonnick reminded attendees that there are no longer visions of a better future, it is now a reality. She highlighted the potential use of a common creative and cultural activity as a link between sustainable development and renewable energy - dancing. How does this work? Using kinetic energy floor tiles: “.. .in 2008, a group of innovative creatives out of the Netherlands, Energy Floors, decided to design something called kinetic energy floor tiles. These floor tiles are used for kinetic dance floors, kinetic school hallways, and kinetic sidewalks. The titles are being placed in these locations and human beings are generating energy by simply dancing on the dance floor or walking. That energy is being converted into electricity.”

That same energy generated is powering festivals and charging cell phones, among other things. Popular international band Cold Play has been instrumental in using kinetic dance floors at their concerts. A typical cell phone battery would take approximately two hours to fully recharge if it were connected to a kinetic energy floor tile. Over a year’s time, the energy generated from the 24 tiles will be enough to fully charge 853 cell phones or power a phone call for 2.5 years. You could even drive an electric car for seven miles from the energy produced by these tiles

Kinetic energy is the energy of motion and, therefore, can be found in every object that moves. In everyday life, we are surrounded by it. The kinetic tiles are constructed from glass, steel, recycled plastic, and electronics. All components can easily be separated and recycled when they are at the end of their lifecycle.

Jacobs-Bonnick further said that dance is important to our culture and, potentially, also to renewable energy. “Imagine if we had a kinetic dance floor at parties in Jamaica and we harness this energy and store it in rechargeable batteries. These batteries can be sold to industry. How can we renew our resources? We have people, culture, and music,” said Jacobs-Bonnick.

The energy produced by the kinetic tiles can be used to power streetlights. Kinetic tiles can be used in pavements and high foot traffic areas such as airports, shopping malls, and schools. With the help of kinetic tiles, energy that would otherwise be wasted can be used to power up cities in the future and contribute to increase the share of renewables in the global energy mix.

In giving a practical example, Jacobs-Bonnick referenced carnival in Trinidad and Tobago, “… If we put kinetic dance floors in Trinidad for three days of carnival, it could possibly power the entire Caribbean ... .”

The Future of Creativity Symposium was a collaborative effort aimed at fostering Caribbean-UK collaboration (with a specific focus on Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago) undertaken by the British Council in conjunction with the National Education Trust, the Ministry of Education and Youth, the Ministry of Culture Gender Entertainment & Sports, and the Planning Institute of Jamaica.