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U4P Talks
U4P Talks bridges the gap between aspirational planetary stewardship and actionable steps. Real-world leaders showcase impactful projects, revealing unconventional future thinking, sustainable business models, and new leadership cultures, empowering us to co-create a "good" and sustainable future.
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U4P Talks: Cultivating Planetary Stewardship through Practical Innovation

Amidst the polycrisis facing humanity, a vital question hangs in the air: can we truly transition towards a global future of peace, decolonization, and sustainable harmony with the planet? How can we accomplish it, and who can shepherd us beyond the limitations of the current extractive and competitive system? This perceived disconnect between aspiration and action is where U4P Talks steps in.


U4P Talks showcases not lofty ideals, but real-world action. We present "new entrepreneurs" – social and technological pioneers – and "new institutional leaders" – politicians, financiers, and peacemakers – who are already growing the seeds of a sustainable future. These evolutionary leaders, driven by a deep commitment to planetary stewardship, demonstrate how to "do things differently" through impactful projects and initiatives. Each U4Talks meeting delves into a specific leader's journey, revealing:


  • Unconventional future thinking: How to break free from limiting paradigms and envision a world grounded in cooperation and shared resources.
  • Sustainable business models: How to establish innovative approaches that balance social impact with financial viability, ensuring long-term project success.
  • Evolutionary leadership: How to enact the new leadership philosophies and management cultures that empower change and foster planetary stewardship.

U4P Talks is more than just a series of talks: it's a laboratory for co-creation. We believe that by learning from those actively building a better future, we can collectively amplify the human qualities necessary for planetary stewardship – from ecological intelligence to collaborative problem-solving. Let's learn from those who are already paving the way, and together, build a world where "good" and "sustainable" are not mutually exclusive, but the very foundation of our shared future.

Previous Talks
Sustainable peace-building business
Mandar Apte was formerly a Shell's GameChanger program manager and is now a visionary social entrepreneur dedicated to peace. Drawing from his extensive work with the nonprofit peace consultancy Cities4Peace, Mandar demonstrates how peace can become a viable business offering. He showcases how businesses can transcend traditional CSR models to create shared value, enriching their bottom line and societal well-being. With insights gleaned from collaborations with the UN and diverse global stakeholders, Mandar illuminates the path toward catalyzing a movement of businesses committed to fostering peace worldwide.

The session has concluded with a peer-based lab exploring business models of peacemaking work. The results of the lab are summarized in the JamBoard slide
JamBoard
Future-proofing residental communities through integrated regenerative systems
James Ehrlich is a serial entrepreneur in the areas of technology, media technology, and cleanTech. James will speak about the decade-long work of creating the VillageOS software - a revolutionary AI-based tool to help communities, architects, developers, and manufacturers around the world to create inexpensive, safe, and resilient housing with surplus energy, clean water, and high-yield organic food.
Evolutionary renaissance assembley
Fostering Humanity’s Coming Upshift — A Sacred Mission
Ervin Laszlo explores the moment of evolutionary bifurcation that humankind is facing. It invites everyone to recognize the fundamental principles governing the Universe, and suggests that we need to rediscover the sacred mission of human species, moving with the evolutionary impetus to create the greater harmony within our species, with the biosphere, the planet, and cosmos.
Evolutionary renaissance assembley
Envisioning an Ecological Civilization
Jeremy Lent explains the need to transit towards an ecological civilization in the 21st century and covers dimensions of fostering such a civilization from economic, governmental, and cultural perspective.
Evolutionary renaissance assembley
From Bay Voice to Earth Voice: Choosing a Regenerative Future
Duane Elgin shares three key lessons from the four decades of personal journey to foster a regenerative future. First, there is a need to recognize that we are not facing a collapse - but a transition to the new stage of our species. Second, we need to undergo a paradigm shift, recognizing our species as a part of the living universe. Finally, we need to recognized that we are equipped with the tools for planet-wide collaboration - and it is the time to appropriate these tools for the benefit of all.
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