The Regeneration Lab
Welcome to The Regeneration Lab. The podcast of the Regenerative Thinking research group at the the Mission Zero centre of expertise at The Hague University of Applied Sciences, where we conduct integrated research to come up with regenerative solutions for a more sustainable future. Each episode features a leading educator, activist, professor, or researcher who is already engaging in more regenerative forms of higher education. Join us on this journey as we discover how these educational innovations emerged, how they are practiced, and the beautiful futures that are envisioned for more regenerative higher education. Along the way we will explore the systemic and personal challenges, barriers and opportunities that our awesome guests are facing to do this. You can reach out through mission-zero@hhs.nl to respond or connect to any of the episodes!
The Regeneration Lab
How Do We Shift From Extraction to Contribution? A Conversation with Rob Lubberink
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Rob's research in Malawi on material arrangements and entrepreneurial behavior led to a profound insight: it's not just entrepreneurs who have agency—the everyday materials and systems around us shape what's possible. Using the metaphor of a football coach with a new team every year, Rob describes the challenge of creating learning experiences where students understand systems thinking, recognize their multiple roles in society, and most importantly, shift from asking "what's in it for me?" to "what am I contributing?" This episode explores how Rob uses the Doughnut Economics model, biomimicry sensory experiences, and work with practice partners to help students see that regeneration isn't just about agriculture—it's about fundamentally changing our relationship with all actants, human and non-human alike.
Key themes: Distributed agency, systems thinking, material arrangements, Doughnut Economics, shifting from extraction to contribution