The Future of Earth and Biodiversity Week
The Future of Sustainability: Re-Generation Rising
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Hear from innovators who are moving us to the active ‘do
more good’ principle of regeneration, and seeding a
flourishing future for people, places, and planet.
As we face the challenges of climate change, inequality and
environmental degradation, we know to simply sustain is not
enough. We want to see a world where people and communities
harness their potential to be sources of health and
regeneration for all life on earth. Because people and
planetary needs are intertwined, our problem solving should
be too.
Recorded video available
Discussion
- #Community and place-based action #Environment #Health & wellbeing #Social innovation
| Transmission of simultaneous interpretation | Provided |
|---|---|
| Language of interpretation | Japanese and English |
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Track Programme
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Time and
Date of
the event -
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2025.09.15[Mon]
17:30 ～ 18:30
(Venue Open 17:00)
-
- Venue
- Pavilion
- UK Pavilion
Programme details
*Subtitles: Choose “Subtitles/CC” in the “Settings” (gear
icon) at the bottom right of the YouTube video.
*Subtitles may not show with multiple languages or overlapping
audio.
Join us in London, Osaka and online for the third event in our
global partnership with the RSA at Expo 2025.
To join the event in person in Osaka Expo, please register
here:
https://www.events.great.gov.uk/200292408.
Due to limited venue capacity, participation will be confirmed
once registration has closed on 7th September.
To join the event in London or online:
please click on Book Now (
https://www.thersa.org/events/2025/09/the-future-of-sustainability-regeneration-rising/
).
Those attending in person will receive an invitation code by
email, while those participating online will be sent a viewing
link 24 hours before the event.
As we face the challenges of climate change, inequality, and
environmental degradation, we know that simply sustaining is
not enough.
To achieve this, we need a radical reimagining of our current
systems – from economic and political to food and energy. And
we need a new collective story for humanity. One that
celebrates our fundamental interconnection with all life on
Earth and galvanises collaborative action.
Linking speakers in the historic Great Room of the RSA in
London and the UK Pavilion at Expo 2025, this event will hear
from the next generation of disruptors, influencers and
innovators who are building new movements to move us from the
passive ‘do less harm’ principle of sustainability, to the
active ‘do more good’ principle of regeneration, and seeding a
flourishing future for people, places, and the planet we all
share.
Reports
【Reflection】
The Future of Sustainability: Regeneration Rising brought
together the next generation of disruptors, influencers and
innovators who are building new movements to move us from the
passive ‘do less harm’ principle of sustainability, to the
active ‘do more good’ principle of regeneration.
Chaired by journalist and author Lucy Siegle in London and by
Carolyn Davidson, UK Commissioner General for Expo 2025 in
Osaka, the discussion brought together a diverse panel: Amy
Meek, Co-Founder of Kids Against Plastic (London), Tessa
Devreese, Programme Lead at ReLondon (London), Professor
Brendan Barrett, Institute for International Initiatives,
University of Osaka (Osaka), and Jesusoorefunmi Olaoye
(Soore), Co-Founder of Energyz Black and Commercial Manager at
OVO (London).
Connecting audiences in London and Osaka, this hybrid
conversation attracted 305 attendees (91 in person and 214
online), with 36% new participants – an indicator of the RSA’s
ability to engage fresh audiences and expand its reach. The
event also demonstrated lasting resonance beyond the live
session: the replay has drawn 425 views so far, and the
podcast episode has achieved over 670 downloads to date,
reflecting sustained public interest in the subject of
sustainability and climate action.
Global engagement extended well beyond the UK: for the YouTube
live and replay audiences, the top countries after the UK and
US were Japan, India, and Canada; for the podcast episode, the
highest engagement outside the UK, US, Australia, Canada, New
Zealand, and Germany came from Sweden, France, and the
Netherlands. Feedback was positive: 90% of attendees reported
learning something new and feeling inspired to take meaningful
action in their own contexts.
Participants particularly appreciated the intergenerational
and international exchange of ideas.
The hybrid format proved instrumental in cultivating inclusive
participation and accessible dialogue, connecting global
voices across time zones and disciplines. This event not only
underscored the RSA’s role as a convener of cross-border
innovation but also reaffirmed its commitment to advancing
practical, collaborative responses to the pressing challenges
of climate change and environmental degradation.
【Post EXPO Initiatives】
Following the event, online engagement has continued to grow
steadily, with both YouTube views and podcast downloads
increasing week by week, extending the life and impact of the
discussion well beyond the initial broadcast. This sustained
digital interest underscores the value of hybrid and recorded
formats in reaching global audiences and keeping key themes
like sustainability and climate action alive in public
discourse.
Connections formed between London- and Osaka-based speakers
and organisations have also led to meaningful follow-up
conversations, laying the groundwork for future
collaborations, and seeding long-term, actionable
relationships.
The event strengthened the organisation’s mission to catalyse
collective action and advance a more regenerative, inclusive
future for people and the planet.
Building on this momentum, the RSA continues to champion
practical initiatives and thought leadership around
regenerative design, circular economies, and systems
innovation. Programmes such as the Playful Green Planet
initiative exemplify this ongoing work - fostering
collaboration to inspire tangible progress toward
environmental and social wellbeing.
Cast
Moderator
©Dvora.photography
Lucy Siegle
writer, broadcaster, public speaker (London)
Lucy Siegle is a writer, broadcaster and public
speaker, known as The Original Green, on ecological
issues and sustainability who has been at the heart of
contemporary conservation and environmentalism for two
decades. As a reporter on BBC 1’s The One Show, she
has been following the problem of single use plastic
and wider ecological issues since the show began in
2007. Through her work as a journalist she is credited
with mainstreaming action on plastic, fossil fuel
fibres and the quest to make fashion a cleaner, fairer
industry.
She is author of five books including To Die For: Is
Fashion Wearing out the World? (Harper Collins 2011,
nominated for the Orwell prize) and Turning the Tide
on Plastic: How Humanity (and you) Can Make Our Globe
Clean Again (Orion). She is co-producer and stars in
the Netflix hit documentary, The True Cost.
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Carolyn Davidson
Commissioner General for UK at Expo 2025 (Osaka)
Carolyn has led the UK's presence at Expo 2025 as
Commissioner-General since March 2024, a role she took
on full-time from January this year. Prior to that she
was British Consul-General in Osaka from August 2021.
A career diplomat her previous roles include
Ambassador to Guatemala and Honduras (2015-19), High
Commissioner to Zambia (2008 – 2012) and Deputy Head
of Mission of the British Embassy in Slovakia
(2004-08), all roles she job-shared with her husband,
Tom Carter.
She has a degree in Modern Languages from Bristol
University (1986), a MBA from the Open University
(2011) and speaks French, German, Spanish and
Japanese.
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Speakers
Jesusoorefunmi Olaoye
Co-Founder, Energyz Black, Commercial Manager at OVO (London)
Jesusoorefunmi Olaoye (Soore) is an energy and
sustainability professional. His corporate work
experience and unique mix of entrepreneurship cuts
across Telecommunications, Renewables, Environmental
and Management consulting in countries in Sub-Saharan
Africa (Nigeria, Mozambique, Congo DRC, Ghana) and the
United Kingdom.
Given his dedication to sustainable development, he
has been instrumental in developing other businesses
and social change initiatives, serving as a volunteer,
mentor, and strategist over the past 8 years.
Soore is currently working on the commercial delivery
of zero carbon products, particularly Solar, Batteries
and Insulation at OVO. He's also a Co-Founder at
Energyz Black, a non profit working to support and
inspire excellence for black professionals working in
the energy sector in the United Kingdom. Launched In
2024, the initiatives delivered by Energyz Black have
impacted more than 400 professionals to date.
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Amy Meek
Co-Founder, Kids Against Plastic
An environmental campaigner since the age of 12, Amy
co- founded the educational charity Kids Against
Plastic with her younger sister. The initiative has
engaged over 280 young people globally as part of the
KAP Club, and their Plastic Clever scheme has signed
up more than 1,800 schools and businesses since 2019.
Collectively, they have removed over 100,000 pieces of
plastic litter and developed a citizen science app to
log waste.
Amy has addressed ministers in all three UK
Parliaments, diplomats at the UN in Geneva, and
international business forums from Seoul to Barcelona.
She is a two- time TEDx speaker and the recipient of
the Pride of Britain Green Champion Award, Prime
Minister’s Points of Light Award, and a British Empire
Medal. She is also the author of Be Plastic Clever
(2020) and Be Climate Clever (2022).
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Tessa Devreese
Programme Lead, ReLondon
Tessa leads ReLondon’s built environment sector work, facilitating the mainstream adoption of circular practices in the construction industry. She advises on policy development and ambitious pilot initiatives, aligning (local) government and industry. She currently directs two flagship projects: one enhancing accountability and transparency in circular-economy planning commitments, the other developing a construction material-flow model for London. Before joining ReLondon, she worked at C40 Cities supporting global megacities tackle embodied emissions from construction.
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Professor Brendan Barrett
Institute for International Initiatives, University of Osaka
Brendan is a professor in the Institute for International Initiatives at the University of Osaka. He teaches several courses including ethical and regenerative cities, and climate change in the Asia Pacific region. He is climate change, science communication, and documentary producer and teaches young scientists how to produce videos on social issues. He has been a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufacture and Commerce (UK) since 2018. Brendan first came to Japan in 1986 and undertook research at the University of Kyoto on Japanese environmental policies. His doctorate compared local environmental sustainability in Japan and the UK. Brendan has spent most of his professional career in Japan, working with the United Nations and now at the University of Osaka. He is lead educator on two MOOCs dealing with Ethical Cities and co-authored a 2020 book on the topic. He is currently developing a project on NextGen Cities with award-winning filmmaker, Citt Willaims.
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Co-organiser
Royal Society of Arts
The Future of Earth and Biodiversity Week
The Future of Sustainability: Re-Generation Rising
Hear from innovators who are moving us to the active ‘do more
good’ principle of regeneration, and seeding a flourishing
future for people, places, and planet.
As we face the challenges of climate change, inequality and
environmental degradation, we know to simply sustain is not
enough. We want to see a world where people and communities
harness their potential to be sources of health and
regeneration for all life on earth. Because people and
planetary needs are intertwined, our problem solving should be
too.
-
2025.09.15[Mon]
17:30～18:30
(Venue Open 17:00)
- Pavilion
OTHER PROGRAM
The Future of Earth and Biodiversity Week
