Written by Pierre-Olivier Carles (9 February 2009)
As you may know, Virtual Worlds such as Second Life represent a huge opportunity to reduce Companies’ Carbon Footprint.
I was invited to talk about that at Cork, Ireland during the GreenIT Conference organized by IT@Cork in November 2008. I had great fun talking about what we are doing and how it helps to make our clients greener.
Thanks to my friend Tom Raftery from Redmonk, here’s the video of my presentation… Feel free to get in touch or get in the conversation
On the threshold of a new year, it has always been a good tradition to look back to the time that has passed and how we have used it. The year 2008 has brought many new opportunities, ideas, and projects and we are amazed to see how much we have learned and what has been achieved.
At the same time, we look forward to the new year and set intentions and goals that we want to meet. And as always, we have many and all as exciting as the ones we had last year.
First of all we want to thank our clients to keep on working with us in 2009 on such strategic projects for their companies. We will continue in supporting them and bring them innovative projects concerning mainly e-commerce, e-learning and 3D Intranet.
We also want to help them to contribute to sustainability and to reduce their Carbon Footprint by helping them to use massively Internet and Virtual Worlds, and thus, by crushing their Business Trip Rate. Our input will be supportive, innovative and inspiring. Research is and will stay our core business to improve and stay ahead of developments, that we will then bring to them as soon as it will have a great value added for their business or organization.
Even more than before, we will explore the opportunities that virtual worlds - Second Life, Open Sim and new comers - can offer to face business challenges and use them in the best way we can to serve our clients.
Meanwhile, we want to share our energy, our inspiration, our ideas and achievements with our clients, friends, teams, relations and with you and transmit the love for the great chances to innovate that come on our way.
Leaves us to wish all of you a wonderful, prosperous, inspiring and healthy 2009!
Again a new step has been taken into improvement of sustainability by use of virtual worlds.
Virtual Worlds, such as the well known 3D-web browser “Second Life”, are a powerful tool to change the way businesses and institutions are operating. And above this; Virtual Worlds can help companies, organizations and institutions to decrease their carbon footprint and to perform without taking too much advantage of natural resources. And, by doing this, contribute to a more sustainable way of life for everyone.
On initiative of Crédit Agricole and together with the team of Stonfield InWorld, a special Learning Management System has been developed to teach employees in the organization how to use Second Life. This week, a group of employees of Crédit Agricole PG, performing as beta-testers of the Learning Package, have started to receive on line lessons of the basics to use Second Life. Basics such as how to use the menu’s and user interface, how to move and fly with the avatar and how to modify the avatar to their own liking.
The great idea behind this project is, that if all employees in an organization understand how to use Second Life, they can organize their meetings and appointments in this Virtual World. The huge benefit for the organization is not only on saving on their traveling budget, but also the decrease of their carbon footprint by much less use of transport, which leads to less pollution of the environment.
Starting with these employees of Crédit Agricole now, the ambitious goal is to teach all 1800 employees of Crédit Agricole PG how to use Second Life before the end of 2009, and to organize the majority of their meetings in Second Life, in stead of having to make business trips and meet in physical life (’real’ life). After the employees have finished their courses, they will have to do a special developed test after which they will receive their personal Web Passport. In this way, the Metaverse will be integrated again and even more in daily, common life.
The team of Stonfield InWorld is continuously active and ambitious to start up and give performance to innovations that concern the use Virtual Worlds, or ‘Metaverse’ and that contribute to a higher level of efficiency for companies and organizations and at the same time help to reduce their carbon footprint and participate in a more sustainable economy and life.
Because of this passion for innovation, the expertise of the Stonfield InWorld team has a fast growing reputation, not only in France where the company is settled in three places: Oloron Sainte-Marie, Toulouse and Paris, but also abroad.
For this reason, co-founder of Stonfield InWorld - Pierre-Olivier Carles - has been invited to the Technology in Business Conference 08 by it@cork in Cork, Ireland on Wednesday 26 November 2008. In his speech, he will explain how Virtual Worlds can reduce companies’ carbon footprints and he will also present the business case for ‘Campus CA’, an e-Learning Solution in Virtual Worlds created for the Credit Agricole Bank.
Anyone who wishes to meet Pierre-Olivier Carles at this conference is hereby invited to get in touch.
Last Thursday, 6th November 2008 the long announced and long awaited opening of RIL Shopping in Second Life TM was a fact. This shop, at its first opening selling exclusive chocolate by D’lys Couleurs, is special compared to all other shops in Second Life, because real goods are sold in stead of just goods in pixels. The chocolate purchased at RIL Shopping will be delivered to the customers door within a few days. This very new step in e-commerce will be the first in a new way of shopping on distance.
Compared to all other webshops that have been known until now, RIL Shopping is the first to open its doors in the 3D web environment of Second Life ™, and where all goods can be seen in their real, 3D shape.
And while the customer is making his or her visit in the shop, a shop-assistant is always around to assist. These shop-assistants, who have been trained specially for RIL Shopping, can help each customer personally with his or her choice, but also guide in the registration, which must be done on the RIL Shopping website as well as at RIL Shopping in world.
This personal attention to every customer is one of the reasons why RIL Shopping is special.
Shopping on distance, both in the well known webshops as well as in the virtual environment of Second Life, has never taken the place of ‘real’ or better: physical shops and will never mean to take over either.
Shopping, as a social way for people of spending quality time, will never be replaced by shopping on the internet or even in Second Life. At the other hand, shopping on the internet has turned out to be a great improvement for people who are disabled and therefor not able to go out shopping if they need or want to. The same goes for people who live in rural places who have to travel a long distance to do their shoppings in ‘real’ or physical shops. The market that has been opened, also to these groups, is enormous and the only thing needed is a computer with internet connection.
Although the improvements are great, the one thing that is still missing in webshops, is the personal attention that gives the customer the social perception that changes shopping into spending quality-time.
And this high valued quality is another reason why RIL Shopping in Second Life is special. It adds quality-time to shopping on the internet.
To make RIL Shopping really work, and especially with high quality products against considerable discount, the main challenge now is to convince the residents of Second Life and explain to them that it is easy and efficient to shop at RIL Shopping and that they will really have a delivery after their purchase.
This is the challenge that the initiating teams of Stonfield Inworld and credit bank Sofinco are facing right now.
RIL Shopping, managed for Stonfield InWorld by Richard Malterre, is not opened 24/7 like other, common webshops. This makes it possible to provide personal attention and service to every customer. Opening hours will be announced in advance at RIL Shopping in Second Life, as well as on the website, www.ril-shopping.com together with the specialties that will be offered for sale.
The very next sales, only available for residents who live in France, Belgium or Luxembourg, of special and exclusive wines by Château Labastidié, will be on the 12th of November from 17.00 to 21.00 CET. On the third opening day, the 14th of November from 17.00 to 21.00 CET, exclusive and high-quality gifts provided by Bagatelles.fr will be offered for sale in RIL Shopping against considerable discount.
Written by Pierre-Olivier Carles (24 September 2008)
Some weeks ago, I’ve talked about what we were preparing in Second Life for Saint-Gobain Glass. The project has been launch on September 18th, 2008 and I would like to thank the dozens of residents who came to the conference.
As you will see, we launched a game, that will let you understand better how the Glass can save energy (that means reducing our carbon footprint). Each resident that’ll succeed will see a tree appearing on Saint-Gobain’s island. In January, we’ll plant as many trees as there’ll be on the island, but for real, this time, to re-create a forest in Lebanon.
The game will stay opened until November, 18th. Every resident has here a unique opportunity to really act for our Planet.Feel free to talk about the game (even without mentioning our client if you feel more comfortable this way !) on papers, blogs, etc… We would love to plant thousands of trees !
If you do so, please leave a comment on this post or a Trackback to let us know.
Here’s the press release :
Courbevoie, 11 September 2008 - Sustainable development and technological innovation are, for Saint-Gobain, powerful handles for improving its operations and its results.
For several years, the company initiated a pro-active policy in this area. The establishment of Saint-Gobain Glass in the virtual world of Second Life, orchestrated by experts of Stonfield InWorld, is a new step to encourage exchanges between scholars and performers of glazing residents with high environmental sensitivity.
A strong agreement to the protection of the environment in Second Life
To initiate a constructive discussion on the role of glazing in environmental protection and energy saving, Saint-Gobain Glass organizes conferences and debates between marketing and development and residents whose sensitivity and Culture Sustainable development is high. This is to present innovative solutions developed by Saint-Gobain Glass to build the ecological house of the future and talk with residents.
Twofold:
* explain solutions for existing glazing and present the environmental impact of the most innovative often little known to the general public.
* exchange of ideas with residents who are highly committed on the theme of environmental protection, improve their comprehension of these solutions and above all their expectations of products.
This interactive initiative has begun on September 18th, 2008 with a presentation of the implantation of Saint-Gobain Glass in Second Life and its new showroom designed and developed by the company Stonfield InWorld to present, through 3D animation, the characteristics of the most efficient glass. That evening, a lecture on “More glass, less energy” has been an opportunity to explain how the glazing enhanced thermal insulation and solar control participate in the reduction of energy consumption of buildings. The conference has also provided an opportunity for Saint-Gobain Glass to begin a fruitful discussion with residents of Second Life on future developments in glazing by Saint-Gobain Glass.
Understanding the glass … by planting trees:
Starting from September 18th, 2008, Saint-Gobain Glass has also launched a competition. Residents who will visit the showroom on the sim “Ebeoplex” in Second Life, can go to the next floor and join the “game”. Its aim is to identify by multiple choice questions, for a house in a given environment, the glass best suited to an ecological point of view. Each winner will have the satisfaction of a tree to grow in his name in the garden adjacent to the showroom. A less virtual commitment has been made by Saint-Gobain Glass too, as it pledges to plant for each winner, a real cedar on the Mediterranean coast. The influence of Second Life in the first world … The game will stay on the upper floor of Saint-Gobain Glass until the 18th of November.
About Saint-Gobain Glass:
The glazing by Saint-Gobain has achieved a turnover of 5.6 billion euro in 2007 and employs about 39 000 people. Located in 40 countries, it is now Europe’s leading flat glass and number 2 globally.
Saint-Gobain, historically grown in glazing, includes three core businesses: the manufacture of flat glass and glass layers, processing and distribution of glass products for construction and glazing for transport. The efforts of research and development enable the Flat Glass to launch products and innovative systems and high performance in a sustainable development approach.
Saint-Gobain Glass is also very active in the field of renewable energy, particularly in the market for solar-thermal and photovoltaic.
About Stonfield InWorld:
This company, originally established in Oloron Sainte-Marie (Pyrenees Atlantiques), also settled in Neuilly sur Seine and Toulouse, became in a short time a participant in the market for virtual worlds (Second Life, There.com, OpenSim, Multiverse). It offers businesses of all sizes and all sectors, comprehensive solutions for integrating Internet and virtual worlds in their development strategy. Accredited Full Service Provider Solutions by Linden Lab, Stonfield InWorld also focused part of its efforts to research and development on sale online (e-commerce) and training (e-learning) in order to make two poles growth with high added value for its clients on the virtual world. In September 2007, Crédit Agricole entered the capital Stonfield InWorld and became the largest shareholder. Clients of the consultancy and service are companies like Réunica, the Navy, ENST Bretagne, Suez Environment, Saint Gobain Glass, IBM, Sofinco, Intersport, Bull …
Press Contact Stonfield InWorld:
Virginia Heuzé - Florence Gillier Communication –
virginieh@fgcom.fr / tel: 01 41 18 85 55
Let me tell you the story of a great challenge : showing how high technology products such as Saint Gobain’s ones could be so useful to the world as they are… transparent !
We decided to create some animations that are clear enough to explain what a transparent product is made for… Please feel free to come and visit us in Saint-Gobain Glass’ building.
In fact, to be honest, the main reason SGG is now in Second Life is to share ideas and invent their next generation of products with a great focus on sustainable development. We’ve already planned to run virtual meetings between SGG’s experts and eco-friendly resident. The idea for SGG’s experts is to share about their products and technology, and to collect comments or ideas on how the next generation products should be, to take into account even more than today the carbon footprint issue. The residents’ feedback will be very useful for both Saint-Gobain Glass’ Marketing and Research & Development Departments.
By the way, other actions are already intended, starting in September 2008, with virtual/real actions for the preservation of our planet.
Please stay tuned if you are interested in this kind of projects…
