Zoe Rasbash

Innovation is a complicated word. It has been co-opted by economic systems that prize constant growth, often at the expense of planetary and social wellbeing. For me, true innovation is about reorganisation: re-rooting societies in ecological balance, reimagining value beyond profit, and reorienting technology and culture toward collective liberation.

I am interested in how the Global North can live within planetary boundaries while investing in cultural transformation—one that values participation, shared infrastructure and community resilience. Drawing on Kate Raworth’s Doughnut Economics, I see the ecological ceiling and social foundations as the boundaries within which meaningful innovation must exist.

My work is inspired by frugal and convivial technologies—tools designed, built and governed by the communities who use them. I explore how these systems can be regenerative, democratic and participatory.

Currently, I’m researching the role of culture in enabling a post-growth society: how grassroots media supports ecosystems of change, how technology can serve social and climate justice movements, and what a post-growth cultural sector could look like in the UK.

I want to move beyond “innovation” as a measure of economic expansion, towards transformation as a measure of shared wellbeing. The task is to nurture the seeds of alternative futures already sprouting within communities—innovating not for growth, but for connection, regeneration and collective thriving.

Zoe Rasbash is a researcher, writer and producer working at the intersection of creative industries and climate justice. As Climate Action Researcher at Watershed, she has co-designed practical frameworks for cultural organisations, including the widely adopted Creative Climate Action Toolkit. Through projects like Alternative Technologies: A Just Transition, Zoe has redefined how cultural policy can centre rest, equity and care, making her a vital emerging voice in sustainable innovation.

Furaha Asani

Watershed

 

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