SEE Currencies for a Sustainable and Prosperous world

Dr. Harish Pant, FIE, MIET, is a rare Global Thinker, a new Global Guru and Managing Director of Hampson Industries Pvt. Ltd.  His global business experience of more than three decades in Aerospace, Automotive and Steel sectors has an unusual blend of spiritual outlook. His recent passion for sustainability has led him to developa path breaking Global Vision and Sustainability Model.His recently published article with SEE Currency model, wherein he postulates a currency for each i.e. Social, Environmental and Economic (SEE) Impacts, has been read with immense interest and curiosity across globe.Dr. Harish Pant, FIE, MIET, is a rare Global Thinker, a new Global Guru and Managing Director of Hampson Industries Pvt. Ltd.  His global business experience of more than three decades in Aerospace, Automotive and Steel sectors has an unusual blend of spiritual outlook. His recent passion for sustainability has led him to developa path breaking Global Vision and Sustainability Model.His recently published article with SEE Currency model, wherein he postulates a currency for each i.e. Social, Environmental and Economic (SEE) Impacts, has been read with immense interest and curiosity across globe.
Dr. Pant is also a Block-chain, Crypto Currency and Fin-tech enthusiast. He has world-wide following in linked in and other social media. He has received many accolades, awards and recognition and is an active corporate member of many institutions and organizations pan India and globally.This eminent Global Thinker does not only think but believes in action for impacts too. Dr. Harish Pant also laid the foundation stone of SEE Impact with Mary Olson, a Global Brand Intelligence Expert based in the USA. Dr. Pant serves the firm as Chief Convergence Officer of SEE Impact.
His poems, column, blog and speeches have gained significant public attention.
We tried to dwell deep into his thought process to understand how he stands out among a galaxy of global thinkers and leaders with such a variety and depth and still finding time and passion to create a future model which has potential to change the world.

INTERVIEWER: Dr. Harish, you have a profound profile rather a global exceptional, from an astute business leader to spiritual outlook; your interest and passion spanning sustainability to latest technologies and all this woven through a delicate handicraft of a writer and a poet. Can you share your insight on where it all started and where is it leading too?
HARISH PANT: Philotimo(Greek -φιλότιμο)!*Soul song.
When we flow in our life consciously, the melody of life song is the natural outcome. At times, we hit a hard note – a pause – then we again pick ourselves and work harder to get back to the original life song. The harder and challenging it gets, deeper and wider becomes the journey; we try and fail many a times and lo and again we are back to the life musing with gusto and vigor.
One thing leads to another in the time and space ever unfolding. In the purpose filled life, one starts observing the inherent cause and effect, relationships, structures, the processes and their impacts. I have just tried to observe, learn and communicate what has already existed -is there as such – through prose and verse and at times helping manifestation of ideas into products and services. Sharing and mentoring is an integral part of this learning process, as many a failed attempt and few successes, has a quite a few interesting turns and twists to mutually share and get benefitted further through an even higher learning spiral. There is a lot to learn from many wonderful people in every walk of life. Agility in this learning and sharing creates a flow!
We see two extreme ends in the complexity continuum: at one end is a quantum level specialization in every field of knowledge and at the other engulfing convergence akin to black hole with extreme gravitational pull, leaving nothing. In between these two extremes, humans have been ever trying to connect the dots. Now technologies and digital world are helping us to create platforms and connect various stakeholders for various products and services which was not possible before. Most of these platforms are economy driven. Our human society can’t live by money alone and soon we have to leap into a convergent world. I envision a convergent world where Social, Environmental and Economy (SEE) impacts for the betterment of humanity, will be realized by design and not by weak hearted choice at the tail end of economic profit.
INTERVIEWER: We live in an economic dominant world. Market cap of Apple likely to cross even a trillion-dollar mark. There is equally a world cry for People, Profit and Planet – Three P’s bottom line and many companies are pursuing sustainability. How is your concept of Convergence and SEE Impacts placed in this economy primed world where most of the common good gets financed from economic activities?
HARISH PANT: Our economic world is evolved over centuries where anything imaginable in product, services, knowledge and even end to end customer experiences have been given a price tag. This price tag moves the giant economic wheel making whole world go around. Most of the trades happen due to price differentiation and we move goods and services across the continents to leverage that arbitrage and in the process, distort social fabric in the name of growth while also polluting the whole world. The negative repercussions and cost are paid by the whole population due to negative externalities. When economy is the only consideration in our business decisions, later keeping aside a percent of earning for Social and Environmental consideration is just a ‘nice to do’ things without any long-term sustained positive impacts.
Just to illustrate further, a part produced in faraway China and exported to USA can’t be priced just with economic price tag, as we have moved it across thousands of miles burning ship load of fuels, used packing materials and also wasted lot of efforts which was actually unwarranted, had this part was produced and consumed locally. This cheap (economy) pill comes with a baggage of damaging side effects (social and environmental) and this damage can’t be estimated just in economic terms and values. We require a different valuation and two more highly-weighted currencies to measure social and environmental impacts, first to neutralize the negative impacts and subsequently earn in that currency through progressive positive impacts realization.
If any entity does not contribute positively to the holistic Social, Environmental and Economic impacts and hence are not sustainable, it’s better to close them. In the beginning, the entities have to earn to make good for the negative impacts and on reaching zero level, start earning Social and Environmental currencies in addition to economic currency.
In future, we are progressively going to live in an integrated and interconnected world where a lot of repeated jobs are going to be carried out by robots to achieve unprecedented productivity gains but at the expense of unemployment. From the rising unemployment and choked cities, we know intuitively that something massive is amiss in our universe and money alone is not the answer. Before it gets too late, now it’s the time to reset the whole world to a new world dynamic – a new base – where we have proactively designed our ecosystem for holistic and intelligent living and further channeled our efforts to earn not one but three currencies.
If we set aside wellness, healthcare, religion and spirituality as they ascribe to a personal space, we are left with Social, Environmental and Economic (SEE) considerations. As products and services move in their value creation journey, we need considerations of SEE in totality at every stage. Say, as in an earlier example, there is a negative environmental impact moving a part from China to USA and employment at one place means unemployment at the other, we need to pause and ponder whether we are trying to manage three-dimensional world (social, environmental and economy) with a singular dimension of economy which only perpetuates greed while damaging social and environmental aspects thus directly affecting human lives in many ways.Model below illustrates SEE Currencies – Social Currency ($SC), Green Currency ($GC) and Economic Currency ($).Now, before we rush to further pace up technological changes, we need a new algorithm which assesses SEE Impacts and values a product and service in SEE Currencies. One pays in SEE Currencies which are also earned instead of one currency. The essence of any enterprise now becomes to earn three currencies – two more on top of economic one. Earning other currencies are valued much higher and can be exchanged in economic ($) currencies but the dollars can’t be exchanged to other two thus encouraging a global mind set shift for a common good (social, environmental and economic) – not after earning profit considerations but apportioning our plan and efforts at the start of the game itself.
Let’s compare two enterprises
1. An enterprise with a turnover of 1billion dollars having 1000 employees emits 1000MT of carbon with a unit price of product at 1000USD or2. An enterprise with a positive carbon footprint and employing 1200 employees but a lower economic turnover and may be slightly costly product
It’s no brainer that the second one is a better choice as now it earns other SEE Currencies for company. This good work and goodwill can be exchanged in dollar currencies at a later date whereas higher profit of the first enterprise now can’t be converted to other two SEE currencies.In the world with over capacity chasing a lone economic pursuit, now we need to switch to this new future industry model to earn SEE Currencies – make world better socially through employment, make it greener and off course contributing to economy too. Further, each supply, service and job in this new future Industry gets paid in three currencies and each product is also sold in three currencies. As products move in supply chain from manufacturing to consumption – it becomes costlier as you pay more for negative impacts in Green currency – dis incentivizing movement across continents. Also, it discourages storage as one is using natural resources earlier than needed (to make it economical but preponing the environmental disaster).This will lead to convergence of SEE Impacts with exponential positive impacts and dramatic reduction in all kind of wastes known to us. This model looks odd to start with, as we are used to one currency, but with advent of digital currencies, algorithm and block chain, these three currencies will work even smarter as humongous wasteful and environmental depleting activities, by design, will get eliminated. With a fraction of work say 20%, we will enjoy holistic living.  We can expect emergence of new enterprises doing a set of Social, Environmental and Economic work as they will be paid for doing good in highly valued Social and Green Currencies rather than Economy currencies alone previously. Hoarding of Economy currencies is root of many evils in our society where as transforming through social and environmental good work is ever appreciated though out the human evolution and history.  Imagine a CEO being expected to do good and earn social and environmental impacts away from lone monetization madness of each quarter. Doing good is never stressful for a leader!
INTERVIEWER: A lot of companies are carrying out Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) work. How is CSR model different to your Convergence model? How this convergence model helps in achieving SEE Impacts better than CSR model.
HARISH PANT: The figure below highlights the difference in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR Model) versus Convergence Sustainable Model (CSM).It changes the very concept of shareholders and stakeholders wherein now all are active custodians, creator and impacted party for the holistic living. In CSR model, huge economic gains happen to the enterprise (shareholders) to the extent that capital accumulation goes beyond many nations GDP ‘s.
Taxation system of collections from few and then apportioning for social and environmental work is akin to high sugar consumption and then taking medication for diabetes. CSM Model is proactive healthy living. More earning in three currencies will make you even more healthier. This greed is good!

INTERVIEWER: Your SEE Currency model concept has a potential to change humanity – the way we work and live. United Nations has recently published Strategic Development Goals highlighting seventeen priority areas for development. How your convergence model can help in achieving these goals.
HARISH PANT: SEE convergence model is a subtle switch from one currency that gives way to three currencies through a convergence sustainability model (CSM) as described earlier.
The possibility of achieving United Nations seventeen aspirational Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) suddenly seems achievable when we adopt SEE Currencies.  The proposed CSM Model changes the rules of the game by revolutionizing a circle of human values that can contribute to sustainability and make the world better.Now, Social, Environmental and Economy (SEE) Impacts become the essence of any undertaking rather being on the tail end of a for-profit economic enterprise. We don’t need charity and philanthropy but commitment and implementation of CSM and SEE Currencies.CSM model of SEE Currencies (SEE-CURs) stipulates:
• Currency to affect Social impact to key stakeholders – Social Currency ($SC)• Currency to achieve Environment impact to water, air and land – Green Currency ($GC) and• Currency to produce Economic Impact to key stakeholders – Currency ($)

The future of Sustainability is at the crossroads of social, green and economic technologies that integrate all different services related to SEE, and the outcome is SEE Impacts.As opposed to economic models that are pure money plays, a new sustainable and integrated world is created where sustainability players, service providers and innovators converge at a little fractional cost (due to technology) but create super high values and SEE Impacts. Just to provide a glimpse of this radical view refer the diagram below:
MaryOlson aptly opines, “human evolution demands a wholesome approach than the singular pursuit of economic greed. To be able to refrain from creating hell on earth is not enough, we need to structure it anew for generating a holistic SEE wealth positively impacting the economy, society and our ecosystem.”We must dramatically change the rule of the game, adopting a circle of human values that can provide endless opportunities to contribute and make the world better.

INTERVIEWER: Any message to the future CEO’s and business leaders from this new Global Guru? A parting poem….
HARISH PANT: Pure play economic model is crumbling and as we accelerate into digital future –  interconnected and autonomous world – we will rapidly realize that each human has to positively contribute towards society, environment and also economic well-being – a holistic wealth. This also requires a very expanded multiple capabilities and outlook in life. This perspective also brings about changes in our wellness, healthcare, religion and spirituality in our personal space. Demand on the future leader will be immense and he/she will become a plumber connecting various dimensions of life – may be an insight into why Einstein wanted to be a plumber!
A new world of Convergence is emerging where every aspect of our being converge! I look forward to welcoming new corporate leaders who will be designated as Chief Social Officer, Chief Sustainability Officer and Chief Economy Officer earning SEE Currencies and positively impacting the world. Leading these three would be a CHIEF CONVERGENCE OFFICER.
We don’t mind being the first one’s in the world – Mary Olson too agrees!