1. The Science and Science Fiction of Thriving with John Elkington Artwork

Thriving: The Breakthrough Movement

Join me, Prof Wayne Visser, for inspiring conversations with leaders in the breakthrough movement to regenerate nature, society and the economy. Thriving is about going beyond sustainability to a net positive agenda of innovation and regeneration. Each episode is a dialogue with thought leaders and pioneering practitioners, capturing their perspective on the six great transitions to thriving: how to go from degradation to restoration of ecosystems, from depletion to renewal of resources, from disparity to responsibility in communities and workplaces, from disease to revitalisation of health, from disconnection to rewiring through technology, and from disruption to resilience in infrastructure and institutions. We also explore what kind of leadership are needed to create a thriving future, and how organisations can take action to integrate thriving into their strategies, products and services. This is not about false hope or blind optimism, but we actively focus on innovative solutions and positive tipping points for change. The podcast builds on the foundations of my bestselling book "Thriving: The Breakthrough Movement to Regenerate Nature, Society and the Economy." I look forward to having you join the movement for thriving and welcome your suggestions for who I should feature as invited guests on the podcast. Credits: Host: Wayne Visser. Podcast music: Amil Raja

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Thriving: The Breakthrough Movement

1. The Science and Science Fiction of Thriving with John Elkington

June 05, 2022 • Wayne Visser • Season 1 • Episode 1

My guest in this week's inaugural episode, launched on World Environment Day 2022, is John Elkington, Founder and Chief Pollinator at Volans, author of Green Swans and widely hailed thought leader in the global sustainability movement. Listen to him talk about:
- Why he withdrew the triple bottom line (the 3Ps of people, planet, profit) 25 years after introducing it -- and then added 3Rs (you'll have to listen to find out what they are)
- Why he gave up science when he was 14 -- and then went on to write for New Scientist magazine
- Why he thinks we are still failing to grasp systems thinking -- and how nature may be our best teacher
- What he has learned about sustainability and thriving from science fiction -- and why Kim Stanley Robinson's "The Ministry for the Future" may be prophetic
- Why hope is our most precious commodity, and why sustainability has to be fun, engaging, educational and rewarding -- or else it's simply not going to work

In the episode, the following books are mentioned:
- Green Swans: The Coming Boom in Regenerative Capitalism, by John Elkington
- The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, by Thomas Kuhn
- Holism and Evolution, by Jan Smuts
- Dune, by Frank Herbert
- Mars, by Andy Weir
- The Ministry for the Future, by Kim Stanley Robinson
- The Water Knife, by Paolo Bacigalupi
- Thriving: The Breakthrough Movement to Regenerate Nature, Society and the Economy, by Wayne Visser

Key links:
John Elkington (LinkedIn)
John Elkington (website)
Volans (website)
SustainAbility (website)
Thriving (poem)
Thriving (book)
Wayne Visser (website)
Wayne Visser (LinkedIn)