When it comes to sustainability, academic research is at the heart of moving ideas forward, creating innovation and generating effective policy.

Seeking to maximise the positive impact of the research in this area, in 2022 the University of Surrey launched the Institute for Sustainability.

Exploring topics such as green living, net-zero energy and environmental prosperity, the institute promotes an interdisciplinary approach and focuses on contributing to a future where people’s lives are both sustainable and fulfilling.

The rallying cry from our guest today is: “For too long, we have perceived sustainability negatively, as a sacrifice. But it actually means achieving a better life”.

So, how does that work? And how will Surrey’s Institute for Sustainability help us get there?

Join the conversation – take part in Sustainable Food Week

Professor Lorenzo Fioramonti, Founding Director, Institute for Sustainability

Lorenzo is the Founding Director of the Institute for Sustainability at the University of Surrey (UK) and a former member of Parliament and Minister of Education, University and Research in Italy.

He is passionate about sustainability education and research and his books include: Wellbeing Economy: Success in a World Without Growth (MacMillan 2017) and The World After GDP: Economics, Politics and International Relations in the Post-Growth Era (Polity 2017), which have been featured, among others,  by Bloomberg and the Financial Times.

His opinion pieces have been published by The New York Times, Financial Times, The Guardian, Foreign Policy, Harvard Business Review, TruthOut, Die Presse, The Conversation, Das Parlament, Der Freitag, The Mail&Guardian, Business Day and www.opendemocracy.net.

He is also a sought-after public speaker on issues regarding sustainable wellbeing, governance innovation and purpose-driven business.