2025-Kate Seymour

---

Fostering Place-Based Ecological Literacy for Regenerative Management Education

---

Dr Kate Seymour (PI), Manchester Metropolitan University; and Dr Rosalyn Marron (Co-I), Manchester Metropolitan University - Fostering Place-Based Ecological Literacy for Regenerative Management Education

Grant Ref: 2023-MKE-580

Grant Amount: £5,976.10

Project Summary: Climate change and biodiversity loss are pressing issues requiring immediate action, yet it is still rare for business education to address the root causes of our ecological crisis (Mason et al, 2024). Ecological literacy (Orr, 1994) has begun to address this lacuna and empower the next generation of socio-ecologically conscious leaders. Yet recent research proposes a more central role for place in regenerative pedagogies to help address the profound disconnection in western thought between humans and the environments and communities that sustain us. Unfortunately, place-based ecological literacy (Woods et al, 2024) remains marginal and under-researched in management education.

This project addresses this gap by exploring how management educators might effectively practice experiential, community-based and contextual ecological learning to cultivate greater connectivity with(in) local contexts. Using co-created action research, we will develop a series of participatory, multi-stakeholder, interdisciplinary and inter-organisational workshops. These will explore how competencies such as critical, systems, futures and exploratory thinking can be fostered to support learners develop knowledge, skills, attitudes and imaginaries to drive positive change fit for uncertain futures. The project also considers how fostering place-based ecological literacy might, in turn, promote more responsible, regenerative management praxis.