Stahel will sign copies of his book, which examines the transformation of the industrial economy from a production-based model to a performance-based counterpart that enables policy makers and managers to shed costly methods in favor of scientific approaches to higher performance. The Performance Economy outlines strategies to curb high consumption of non-renewable resources and foster a low carbon/low toxin society. The second edition will be published shortly.
An alumnus of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Stahel is head of risk management at the Geneva Association and founder of the Product-Life Institute, Europe’s oldest sustainability-based consultancy. He has written about regenerative design, also known as ‘cradle-to-cradle,’ a systems ecology theory that integrates social needs with “the integrity of nature,” using bio-mimicry to create waste-free human systems.
The annual Chung-Watson Lecture, hosted by HSU’s School of Business, is free and open to the public. It takes its name from Hong Kong artist and business magnate Po Chung (’69), winner of an HSU 2004-05 Distinguished Alumni Award, co-founder of the Asia Pacific division of DHL Express and an internationally exhibited artist.