Creativity 21

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Novel Futures specializes in writing novellas and novels that respect history, clarify the present, and explore the future of sustainability. Novel Futures Director, Darren Swanson works collaboratively with other writers on short stories about the future and is getting set to publish his debut social fiction novel, 'Towers of Hiva'.

Sustaineo 2030 is the story of a fictional new country, Sustaineo, which has successfully mainstreamed the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable development and achieved its SDGs.  It was a collaborative effort among Bertelsmann Stiftung, Stakeholder Forum for a Sustainable Future, International Institute for Sustainable Development and Novel Futures.  

Written by Darren Swanson, 'Towers of Hiva' is the story of two lost civilizations, one lost in the present, the other to the past. Their fates come crashing together in a tragic and symbolic moment, reminding us all of the perils of perfect storms and the imperative of peace, freedom and sustainability.  Stay tuned for the novel's publication date.

Novel Futures uses participatory foresight and scenario planning methods to help governments, businesses and community organizations engage internal and external stakeholders on complex and critically important issues for sustainable development and corporate social responsibility.

Chapter 7 from this 2009 book provides guidance on using rapid scenario planning to create adaptive policies. It was co-edited and co-written by Novel Futures Director, Darren Swanson, while he was with the International Institute for Sustainable Development. 

Darren Swanson was a co-author of the 'Scenarios and Sustainability Transformation' chapter of the 5th Global Environment Outlook published by UN Environment. Among the chapter's conclusions was that "meeting an ambitious set of sustainability targets by the middle of the century is possible but current supporting policies and strategies are not adequate to achieve this."