Regenerative design draws on assets not deficits: A conversation with Josie Warden

Regenerative design draws on assets not deficits: A conversation with Josie Warden | Benjamin Freud, Ph.D.

Posted By: Benjamin Freud, Ph.D.

April 8, 2022 and October 13, 2023

In this episode of the Coconut Thinking podcast, I speak with Josie Warden, Head of Regenerative Design at The RSA (The royal society for arts, manufactures and commerce). Josie is particularly interested in the intersection between design, environment and economy and is currently leading the RSA’s work on circular and regenerative economy and manufacturing. She originally trained as a textile designer, and holds a Master’s degree in Leadership for Sustainable Development.

This is part of our series to bring in the voices of those calling for more regenerative frameworks. What will it take to shift the conversation away from “school” and toward learning ecosystems, which are themselves living systems? In this conversation, we discuss:

🥥 How we can thrive in a world of complexity because we are built for an interdependent world, which is itself nonlinear and thus complex;

🥥 How our designs and actions need to be place-sourced and contextualized, because one size doesn’t fit all;

🥥How regenerative design draws on assets, not fixating on what people need.

Check us out on our Coconut Thinking website, where you’ll find our articles, presentations, and resources. Get in touch!

You can also find our articles and those of some fantastic thinkers and doers in education on Intrepid ED News: www.intrepidednews.com

regenerative

Benjamin Freud, Ph.D.

Benjamin Freud, Ph.D. is the co-founder of Coconut Thinking, an advisory that supports schools and learning organizations to co-create, co-develop, co-stress test, and co-implement ideas that nurture the conditions for emergent learning. Benjamin is also the Head of Upper School at Green School, Bali. He was previously the Whole School Leader of Learning and Teaching at Prem Tinsulanonda International School in Thailand. He was the Academic Coordinator at Misk Schools, one of the most prestigious and high-profile school in the kingdom. In 2018-2019, he was also the Head of Upper Primary and Middle School at Misk. Prior to this, he was Vice-Principal of the Middle School and High School at the Harbour School in Hong Kong. He holds a Ph.D. in History, an MSc in Education, an MBA, an MA in International Relations, and a BA in International Affairs. Benjamin was born and grew up in Paris, France. He moved to the U.S. when he was 15 and spent 11 years there in different cities before living in the U.K., Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and now Bali, Indonesia. He started his career in consulting for Internet start-ups in Silicon Valley in the late 1990s, working with people whose ambitions were no less than to change the world. This experience had a profound effect on Benjamin's outlook on education, innovation, and entrepreneurship.