VOLUME 2 MARCH 2021 E > PL PL EO A P C E S > O U T C O M E S ON THE COVER Supertree Grove, situated within THOUGHT Singapore’s Gardens by the 06 A DISCUSSION 12 LEADERSHIP 18 PEOPLE 26 OUTCOMES 28 OUTCOMES Bay, is a futuristic horticultural landmark that stands high above A New Perspective The Impact of Social Development Outcomes Climate Emergency The Past Decade the gardens’ floor. The Supertrees are flourishing vertical gardens with Jane Poynter and Responsibility on of Singita Kwitonda comprised of over 158,000 plants, Taber MacCallum Investment Outcomes Lodge, Rwanda including the national flower of Singapore, the orchid. Eleven of these trees are fitted with sustainable functions, such as harvesting solar energy through the photovoltaic cells located >12 million acres within their canopies. at-risk Photograph courtesy of Coleen Rivas. environment protected 32 INNOVATION 36 PARTNERSHIP 40PARTNERSHIP 44 PARTNERSHIP A Natural Partnership | Beating the Drums A Vision for a Sustainable David Yarrow in Rwanda Conservation & Technology for Africa Future in Colombia 46WHAT’S NEW? 48 MEDIA Over The Years | Highlights New Faces Contents 2 THE DIFFERENCE | VOL 2 VOL 2 | THE DIFFERENCE 3 Founder’s Note We hold a genuine desire to Welcome to Volume 2 of ‘The Difference’ and further risk. The outcomes of such actions we’d like to thank you for the positive feedback have long lasting negative impacts on the integrate business thinking we received on the first edition. I would also biodiversity and communities in these places. like to take this opportunity to thank our Through the usage of technology and data, we partners and colleagues who have graciously hold the ability to measure outcomes, which is into the purpose of saving our contributed their time and thoughts to integral to our collective responsibility to effect Volume 2 and trust you find their insights and change. commentary of value. We find motivation, however, in the success planet’s diminishing terrestrial Our experiences over the past 25 years stories of low density-high value tourism have shown that articulating and executing models, which proves that the realisation of sustainable development-based business plans positive sustainability outcomes, facilitated by requires outcome-based thinking to guide good management, are possible. and marine environments. P E well-managed and feasible implementation As we experience the wake and wrath of O P strategies that vitally focus on the ‘quality’ not the economic impacts of this pandemic, now S L E E ‘quantity’ of the product; authenticity is key. more than ever enlightened and integrated M > O Forethought, debate, research and real data on investment thinking is needed to aid recovery C P T L outcomes desired has proven crucial. In our for more robust and economically sustainable U A O C last publication we focused on Resilience, this programs. This will not happen quickly and E > S edition focuses on ‘Outcomes’ and we trust nor is recovery expected to be easy. Creating this provokes debate and encourages action. the conditions to attract investment during This issue is diverse, we look at space travel this recovery and reset period, measuring and the environment, the urban setting and outcomes, better understanding performance, ESG’s, and wilderness tourism destinations defining indicators and then converting this driving national tourism economies. data into defendable value propositions must An integral part of ensuring the long-term surely be an opportunity for us all to now start resilience and outcome-based nature of our to think differently. projects is through the adoption of natural and In wilderness settings, partnership and social capital methodologies, which measure, collaboration between all sectors is key to analyse, and inform all future decision making, producing positive and quantifiable outcomes this approach allows us to measure asset for both communities and wildlife. The value, and demonstrably achieve sustainable downstream benefits of such collaborations outcomes. are clear: job creation, foreign investment With the conservation tourism market, attraction, community uplift programmes, endless case studies show the negative skills transfer, platform for education and outcomes born from poorly managed awareness, business linkages, and more. conservation and tourism strategies - the We hope that the variety of outcomes Galapagos for example, rich in biodiversity and presented and discussed in this edition of The sought out wonders, became a degenerated Difference, achieved by our various Partners environment with a devalued brand, placed and Collaborators, will inspire and serve as on a critical list, and less than 1% of revenues a model for further innovative development generated remaining in Ecuador at that time. programs. Similarly, in poorly regulated mass tourism markets, the commoditization of the natural Paul Milton, Founder assets that attracted the market in the first place has devalued these destinations and placed environments and communities at 4 THE DIFFERENCE | VOL 2 VOL 2 | THE DIFFERENCE 5 A DISCUSSION PLA E > CE L S P > O E O P A New U T C O M E Perspective S In conversation with Jane Poynter and Taber MacCallum, Co-Founders of Space Perspective, an innovative company offering the chance to journey into space. Florida seen from 100,000’ above earth 6 THE DIFFERENCE | VOL 2 VOL 2 | THE DIFFERENCE 7 At Milton Group, a key part of our mission is to educate current and future thought leaders on making a difference; Space Perspective offers an aligned, yet alternative approach through which we can achieve this shared purpose, by providing its travellers with the ability to view the planet through a completely new perspective. Spaceship Neptune is the only zero-emissions spacecraft, using space balloons instead of rockets to propel the capsule Jane Poynter and Taber MacCallum, lead Space Perspective is an incredibly futuristic Could you tell us a bit more about the experiences, and their outcomes, taught is on NASA Kennedy Space Center, where the planetary biosphere. We plan to help them do designers in the Biosphere 2 program, are program - can you tell us a bit more about technology involved in this program? you about the world’s finite resources, and future of space travel is forged every day. And that through partnerships with organizations offering the chance for ‘Explorers’ to take the thought and purpose behind it? our relationship with these? yet it is also a wildlife refuge where I routinely such as Milton Group. We hope that for some Spaceship Neptune rises gently and smoothly a gentle six-hour journey into space in a see bald eagles nest, and traffic stops to let people, their voyage to space is the beginning Humans have always sought higher ground above 99% of Earth’s atmosphere where it My experience living and working inside pressurized capsule powered by a space deer cross. This symbolizes a future where of a new journey on Earth. to look over the next hill to seek a broader glides along the edge of space. The pressurized Biosphere 2 for two whole years led me to balloon. They spoke to Nadine Manji about humanity fulfills our dreams of an abundant horizon and gain a new perspective. Now we capsule holds eight passengers and a pilot, founding Space Perspective with another crew their vision. Science and education are at the world enabled by technology, while living Relatedly, what are the key objectives for can take to the ultimate high ground space. who can relax in a shirt-sleeves environment. member, Taber MacCallum. Biosphere 2 was core of this program - scientists, educators deeply embedded with nature. the guest experience onboard, and how do From up there, the Earth’s curved horizon lies It is the only zero-emissions spacecraft, using a three-acre hermetically sealed prototype and students are invited to perform ground- you aim to achieve a long-term, embedded below us. From up there we know that the blue space balloons instead of rockets to propel the space base with a rainforest, savannah, desert, breaking research via these flights. Research Milton Group’s work is focused on the learning experience amongst Explorers, as sky we see from the ground is not infinite – capsule to space. The space balloon technology ocean, marsh, farm and human habitat, where conducted could shed light on the greater conservation based-tourism realm, as opposed to mere ticket sales, with those that our home planet turns in the black void has been flown by NASA thousands of times, the eight of us recycled our water, air, and grew workings of the world’s climate and air- Space Perspective is similarly exploring who travel with Space Perspective going of space. Astronauts tell us that from that allowing us to offer a gentle and comfortable all our food. We could see the edges of our systems, vitally supporting and facilitating and creating the space tourism realm. Do on to share and make outcome-based perspective comes the realization that we all voyage. Instead of hurtling up against gravity world and knew that whatever we had inside efforts to mitigate against our currently you see a future of overlap between our two contributions in their own lives? inhabit this beautiful Spaceship Earth together as rockets do, Neptune smoothly launches to was all we would have for the entire time we unsustainable way of life. realms - where Milton Group’s sustainability as a singular human family living in and relying space at about 12 mph, the speed of riding a lived inside. We built an unbreakable bond We are offering a potentially life-changing We believe that Jane and Taber’s Space aims, to ultimately emphasise and execute on our global biosphere. bicycle. The entire flight is approximately six with our biosphere that we inhabited. This is experience of the space perspective rather Perspective aims are wholly in sync with our our role in protecting the planet, converge The global challenges we encounter today hours in duration: two hours to reach the edge akin to the experience Astronauts have when than selling tickets.