both within and across regions; 2) an ability for key regional actors, including SME owners, to (re)imagine what future sustainable business landscapes might look like; 3) active and constructive provocation to challenge business-asusual ways of thinking and doing; 4) a willingness to engage in experimentation; and 5) the development of new narratives that underpin what sustainability means for a region – encapsulating what it means to do business, to live, work and visit the area in a more sustainable way. How we integrate these different aspects is a key question that we would like to address. IN NEED OF INSPIRATION AND IDEAS The INSPIRE for Sustainability project, supported by the Pentland Centre for Sustainability in Business and the Centre for Global Eco-Innovation at Lancaster University, is exploring ways we might address the challenge. Focusing on SMEs in Cumbria and North Lancashire, our aim is to better understand how the region might more effectively encourage, support, and develop sustainability-focused knowledge to accelerate innovative and economically viable sustainable transitions. The project will also recognise and promote pioneering local businesses within the region who are actively implementing more innovative and sustainable ways of doing business, and who have successfully balanced the creation of economic value with the delivery of positive value to society and the environment. Already across the two counties, we have tourism and travel businesses that are working together to enable more sustainable forms of visitor experience; food and drink producers who are returning to local and traditional ways of food production that are more sustainable longer-term; and a growing number of businesses who are work alongside local community organisations and groups to provide more positive environmental and social impacts locally. But these are just a handful of examples, and the project is currently mapping the landscape of sustainable businesses and exploring flows of sustainability-focused knowledge within and across the region. It is also identifying good practice and exploring opportunities for future research that will enable us to more effectively and efficiently co-develop and share knowledge and ideas within and across the region. HARD WORK REQUIRED It will be difficult to make the transition to a more sustainable business less complex or challenging, but hopefully through INSPIRE we will discover new ways to make it less time-consuming and resource intensive for local SMEs. By working with local businesses and understanding their challenges we hope we might discover new ways to support more businesses in sustainable transitions and foster an environment of curiosity and exploration, whilst reducing a fear of the unknown. We also hope that the project will inspire a range of businesses, from those who are currently struggling to see a more sustainable way forward, to those already on a sustainability journey, as well as inspiring a new generation of business owners who will bring new skills, knowledge, and expertise to the area. FIFTY FOUR DEGREES | 17 Dr Joanne Larty in a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Entrepreneurship and Strategy, a member of the Pentland Centre for Sustainability in Business, and Associate Director of the Centre for Global Eco-Innovation. j.larty@lancaster.ac.uk The Black Bull. Phil Rigby Photography The Black Bull. Amanda Farnese-Heath
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