Future of Sustainability 2020: Has the disruption from COVID-19 accelerated the transition to a sustainable future, or made it more challenging?

This Forum for the Future

Future of Sustainability 2020: Has the disruption from COVID-19 accelerated the transition to a sustainable future, or made it more challenging?

This Forum for the Future webinar took place on 22 July 2020. We are in the midst of a historic moment that will shape society for decades to come. The COVID-19 crisis is having a devastating impact – both in terms of lives lost and economic disruption. The region’s informal, cash-based economies are particularly vulnerable. At Forum for the Future we believe this may also be a moment to re-imagine how we rebuild our economies.

We are therefore calling for business, governments, civil society and communities to seize this moment in helping to deliver a more just, sustainable and resilient world. Drawing on research and insights we gather annually to understand what is next for the fields of sustainability, impact investing and philanthropy, we will share a suite of futures trajectories we have been developing which help us understand possible ways forward as change-makers. We believe only one of these trajectories, which we are calling 'Transform', has the potential to create the just, resilient and sustainable systems we need. It is based on a mindset that recognizes the interdependent nature of the challenges we face today. The session included reflections from inspiring change-makers who are already driving towards this 'Transform' trajectory – aiming to shift our political, economic and social systems so that they work together in service of human and planetary health, justice and economic resilience. If there is ever a time to drive this transformative change, it is now.

Future of Sustainability 2020: How can we harness the radical disruption presented by the COVID-19 crisis to drive a truly sustainable, just and resilient future?

This webinar took place

Future of Sustainability 2020: How can we harness the radical disruption presented by the COVID-19 crisis to drive a truly sustainable, just and resilient future?

This webinar took place on 8 July 2020.

The COVID-19 crisis is having a devastating impact – both in terms of lives lost and economic disruption. At Forum for the Future, we believe that it would be tragic to go back to yesterday’s “business-as-usual”; moments of radical disruption like this provide unprecedented opportunities to reinvent the future. We are therefore calling for business, governments, civil society, and communities to seize this moment in helping to deliver a more just, sustainable, and resilient world.

Panelists: Host - Dr Sally Uren, Chief Executive Officer, Forum for the Future

Co-host - Hannah Pathak, Director of UK and Europe, Forum for the Future

Leslie Johnston, Chief Executive Officer, Laudes Foundation

Nick Cliffe, Deputy Challenge Director, Innovate UK

Keith Writer, Supply Director, Bettys and Taylors of Harrogate

Rebecca Marmot, Chief Sustainability Officer, Unilever

Wallace Black Elk emphasized that humans are inherently born with love, kindness, generosity, and a giving spirit. Connie Baxter Marlow, author of "Walking in Trust: Radical Childrearing,"

Wallace Black Elk emphasized that humans are inherently born with love, kindness, generosity, and a giving spirit. Connie Baxter Marlow, author of "Walking in Trust: Radical Childrearing," highlighted trust as fundamental to harmonious living and a new way of being. She asserted that each child inherently knows their path, advocating trust in a loving universe.

This philosophy aligns with a Native American approach to discovery, urging individuals to listen to circumstances and observe signs. Themes of healing separation and courage were also central to their discussion. These insights were shared by Wallace Black Elk, Connie Baxter Marlow, and Sally Ranney in Aspen, Colorado, on July 13, 1998, as excerpts from "REALITY CHECK!"

Wallace Black Elk teaches that doubt separates us from the Creator, shaping our reality. He advocates understanding nature's elements and for humanity to unite, restoring universal telepathic

Wallace Black Elk teaches that doubt separates us from the Creator, shaping our reality. He advocates understanding nature's elements and for humanity to unite, restoring universal telepathic language.

His insights, titled "Trust Brings Freedom 2 of 2," are available here.

Sally Ranney further explores "The Trust Frequency," a concept developed over 15 years in close association with Black Elk and other visionary elders. For more information, visit TheTrustFrequency.net.

This short video captures highlights from the 2014 American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. At the invitation of Nancy Foye-Cox and with support from

This short video captures highlights from the 2014 American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. At the invitation of Nancy Foye-Cox and with support from Sally Gutierrez, I moderated a wisdom circle of women ASPA leaders. I also attended the keynote by Dr. Bernice Sandler, "the godmother of Title IX," and celebrated Nancy Foye-Cox receiving the Marcia P. Crowley Award for service to the Section on Women in Public Administration (SWPA).

Our shared friendship—mine, Sally's, and Nancy's—exemplifies the power of women supporting women in the workplace, challenging the notion that they do not. The video features music, *Frammenti*, by Andrea Carri.