Lively Worlds is a think-and-do tank that aims to empower a socially and ecologically regenerative future.
We are activating a global network of spaces for diverse communities to bridge interdisciplinary academic theory with practice—through labs, workshops, and knowledge sharing.
Informed by the collective knowledge of our network, we bring holistic and rigorous approaches to help organizations and individuals thrive while positively impacting the world’s most pressing challenges.
Why Regenerative?
Regenerative calls for systems and practices that give back more than they take—that heal, nurture, and liberate rather than consume, degrade, and exploit.
It is a way of thinking, being, and acting. A holistic and symbiotic systems approach to solving environmental, social, and economic problems, regenerative design is inspired by living ecosystems. As such, it embraces diversity, interconnectedness, and resilience. At its core, it is grounded in a worldview that all life should thrive.
A regenerative perspective sees complex challenges as interlocked, requiring not only “outer” transformations in policies, economics and technology, but also “inner” transformations in the way we see and understand ourselves and our world. With its early uptake in regenerative agriculture, regenerative design is increasingly being embraced by economists, educators, businesses, political scientists, and others to address wicked problems like social inequality, economic disparity, climate change, and more.
Why Praxis?
Praxis is the sustained interplay between interdisciplinary academic theory and practice, a core skill for enabling a regenerative future.
By continuously connecting thinking (theorizing, learning, critiquing) and doing (applying, implementing, acting), praxis significantly accelerates and sustains lifelong learning in a fast-changing world.
We believe that praxis should be democratized. Anyone with the openness and willingness to engage with praxis has the potential to understand and do it. While they may not recognize it or use the same term, many individuals already engage with praxis, usually on an ad hoc basis. Lively Worlds seeks to amplify praxis, drawing from a range of interdisciplinary fields such as regenerative agriculture; living systems and complexity theory; systems change; critical race, feminist, and decolonial studies; political ecology; and more.
Our Values
Integrity - We strive for moral integrity, courage, and solidarity in our work as we confront injustice in the world and promote socially and ecologically resilient communities.
Respect - We work earnestly and in good faith with our colleagues, collaborators, and comrades to establish equitable, regenerative environments safe from extraction, exploitation, and oppression.
Critical Optimism - We adopt the mantra: "optimism of the will, pessimism of the intellect," and insist on a critical yet affirmative stance as we collectively strive toward positive social and ecological change.
Self-Reflection - We recognise privilege and its influence on the way we interact with the world; we encourage openness and humility by seeking to foster systems that understand and uphold the perspectives of others.