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
- Time and
Date of
the event -
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2025.09.15[Mon]
17:30 ～ 18:30
(Venue Open 17:00)
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- 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
- * Programme times and content are subject to change. Any changes will be announced on this website and via the ticket booking system.
- * The schedule is subject to change depending on the organiser's circumstances.
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The Future of Earth and Biodiversity Week
