Why Bergensia – The Sustainable Gazette?

United Nations Global Goals for Sustainable Development is the largest assignment of our time.

We are the first generation that can end poverty,
the last that can end climate change
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (2007-16).

Bergensia pushes and inspires leaders, businesses, and organizations to innovate
and realign their strategy and purpose towards the Sustainable Development Goals.

Bergensia; a heritage after Gro

Sustainable Development, an appealing phrase, was first used by Gro Harlem Brundtland in what is later known as the Brundtland Report; Our Common Future; World Commission on Environment and Development 1987.

“Sustainable development is the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It contains two key concepts:

• The concept of needs, in particular, the essential needs of the world’s poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and
• The idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment’s ability to meet present and future needs.”

In September 2015, the nations of the world agreed on 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030, this makes Gro’s legacy more relevant than ever.

DNV GL’s report “The Future of Spaceship Earth – Business Frontiers” makes extrapolation of the world’s development until 2050 and estimates the probabilities towards the achievement of the 17 SDGs within 2030. DNV GL sees the SDGs as platforms for innovation towards which companies can align their strategies.

 In November 2016, the Bergen Chamber of Commerce and Industry emphasized the theme for their yearly conference Årskonferansen. The founder of Bergensia attended this conference, and found there was a lack of media coverage in this field; this became the starting point for Bergensia.

Bergensia – The Sustainable Gazette an English global media platform (website) launched from Media City Bergen which gives a voice to all organizations and persons who can report progress and innovation towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); within science, political, economic, social/cultural, technological or environmental. The site will “hipse” (lift) individuals and organizations who make a difference so they can inspire the rest of us. Further, the site will accumulate knowledge and become an archive to go to for best sustainable development practice.

An early prototype, the least viable product launched May 10. 2017 at Nordic Media Festival.

The target audience for Bergensia:

Members of the strategic management in international companies, primary the manager in charge of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility, but also the management group and central key stakeholders in the companies. The second audience is anyone who feels like they may have something to contribute towards the SDGs within 2030, especially mainstream media.  Climate and environmental issues are no longer a case for a minority of people and special environmental organizations; it has become the major issue of our time. An overwhelming majority regardless of political flavor are now looking for solutions and contributions. This is what Bergensia is about.

Even before launch Bergensia is warmly welcomed by sustainability forces who seek to gather small and major progress and to share knowledge and inspiring content; among these are The Bjerknes Center for Climate Research, Sustainability Hub Norway, Bergen Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and DNV GL:

The Bjerknes Centre welcomes Bergensia – The Sustainable Gazette, as a valuable contribution to the coverage of the world’s climate challenges and the actions taken by organizations to achieve the SDGs in general and the climate goal in special. The Bjerknes Centre looks forward to co-operating with Bergensia on journalistic content, knowledge sharing, competence and network building within the climate field.        Tore Furevik, Director

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are the only plan we have for our common future. Business role in the society is to solve social challenges and deliver solutions. I will encourage business leaders to look at the Sustainable Development Goals as platforms for innovation. We in DNV GL hope that Bergensia will communicate stories, examples, and solutions that will inspire the businesses sector to realign their purpose, strategies, and priorities in a way that drives innovation towards the world’s 2030 agenda. Bjørn K. Haugland, Executive Vice President, Chief Sustainability Officer, DNV GL

Det er kjekt å se at Bergen Næringsråds Årskonferanse om FNs bærekraftsmål inspirerer til handling.
Jeg vil med spenning følge Bergensias strategiske satsning på kompetanseheving, kompetansedeling og nettverksbygging om kurert journalistisk innhold i samarbeid med forskningsinstitusjoner, miljøorganisasjoner og næringsliv. Vi ser at stadig flere virksomheter tar Bærekraftsmålene i bruk som overordnet ramme for sin virksomhet. Økt kunnskap kombinert med gode eksempler som inspirerer og peker på nye muligheter for næringsliv og offentlig forvaltning er det behov for både nasjonalt og internasjonalt. Dette selskapet passer godt inn i det mangfoldige miljøet som vokser frem i Media City Bergen. Alle med lokal forankring og internasjonale vekstambisjoner. Her skapes det stadig nye arbeidsplasser i en tid der de store etablerte mediehusene nedbemanner.
Marit Warncke, Adm. Direktør Bergen Næringsråd

Bergen Teknologioverføring (BTO) and NCE Media are other important supporters. Other science institutions will also make their voice heard through Bergensia; an estimated 4000 scientists work on international science projects only in Bergen, they have English as a working language but no common platform to communicate with the outside world. (!)

Huffington Post is a role model as content curator; viral success and business model “Content Marketing” where organizations pay to promote their Corporate Social Responsibility message. We are confident that there is room in the news market for a global Bright Green Media company like Bergensia. We notice that The Guardian has some heavy sponsors on their environmental content. The New York Times has a huge department of journalists solely working on content marketing and in Norway; we have recently seen Schibsted building this capacity.

The Founder of Bergensia left a safe and well-paid position as a Business Development Manager at the IT Infrastructure Company Atea and 10 years in sales of long-term outsourcing solutions (some customers TV 2, StormGeo, Tide, Skandiabanken, Toma and Ekornes . .) Before that, 10 years in different marketing positions; Sponsor Manager at ICA Norge where he contributed to building two SOS-Children Villages, and as Marketing Manager in Reisefeber.no where we defined online travel long before Google Analytics and Facebook came along.

I am launching Bergensia because I think it can make a difference.

At Bergensia ambitions are high, we want to become the authority in our field – «The Sustainable Gazette».
New York is a natural next step after Bergen since the United Nations headquarter is there. With Trump running the US, Beijing may actually be just as natural, China will for sure take leadership in new energy and other climate issues. With offices opening in Rio and in Cairo/Lagos Bergensia will cover all continents.

We are hiring and besides looking for a «Second Fiddle” or co-pilot, news desk, and web developing capacity, a dialog is also established with NAV on possible internship. A year from now Bergensia expects to employ more than a handful of gifted journalists and at the same time has opened offices in New York and Beijing.

“Eternal life” and 10.000 sustainability conscious readers for 50 000 NOK

Quality stories that are relevant will “live” for 12/24/36 months attracting new readers each month. At a premium price, you also get to audit your advertorials to make them up to date, and you may have more than one post. Together with Bergensias advertorial staff, you can arrange so that each quarter you publish new relevant content at no extra cost except for time and materials (edit, photo, video, animation, etc.)

Bergensia is already featured as one of the new media companies moving into Media City Bergen, where you will find us in Mediakuben on the 8th Floor in the South tower from August 28.

It is time to step up.

Bergen May 3. 2017
Jan Terje EspelandFounder Bergensia – The Sustainable Gazette
mobile 45663204, jante@bergensia.com, Media City Bergen