
DEAL’s first webinar on ‘Downscaling the Doughnut’
Changemakers in Berlin, Brussels, and Cambridge shared their experiences bringing the Doughnut ‘City Portrait’ to life

On 25 November, 2020, the DEAL Team hosted a webinar, entitled ‘Downscaling the Doughnut: what’s cooking in Brussels, Cambridge and Berlin?’. It was a big moment for us because it was the first DEAL-hosted webinar, and we were excited (and nervous!). We were also amazed and humbled to be joined by more than 500 people from all over the world.
The webinar put into practice one of DEAL’s core visions of how change happens: we believe that people are often most inspired by people like themselves who are already doing things that they hadn’t considered or thought were possible.
It was the first webinar in an ongoing series that DEAL will be hosting to bring together people with a shared interest in translating the global Doughnut to many smaller scales, from neighbourhoods to nations, in both the global North and global South.
Our aim was to host a space for members of the DEAL Community to learn from the work of changemakers in three global North cities, Berlin, Cambridge, and Brussels, to take inspiration from their diverse approaches, and to feel even better equipped to put Doughnut-thinking into practice in their own contexts.

We were delighted to welcome Georg Wagener-Lohse and Sebastian Wolf Siebzehnrübl (Berlin), Councillor Katie Thornburrow and Clara Todd (Cambridge), and Laure Malchair and Tristan Dissaux (Brussels) to share their distinct experiences bringing the Doughnut ‘City Portrait’ tool to life in the context of their own cities.
Watch the 2-hour recording of the session below. If you want to jump to sections of the session:
- Introduction to Downscaling the Doughnut by DEAL (first 15 minutes)
- Presentation from Berlin initiative (starts at 15 minutes)
- Presentation from Cambridge initiative (starts at 38 minutes)
- Presentation from Brussels initiative (starts at 1 hour)
- General Q&A with all panelists (starts at 1 hour and 21 minutes)
Future webinars in DEAL’s series on Downscaling the Doughnut will feature changemakers putting the Doughnut into practice in the global South, as well as those working at the neighbourhood, district, regional or national level.
We welcome you to join us and take inspiration from the wide range of countries and contexts in which this work is happening. Or maybe you have ideas for future sessions or feedback? If so, please do share them in the ‘comments’ below.
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Member
Roxy Piper
Teignmouth, Devon, England, United Kingdom
Will update properly later.... I work with the Devon Doughnut Collective, New Prosperity Devon and Action on Climate in Teignbridge- doughnut economics plays an important part of this work. We are looking for new members to join our emerging 'Devon Doughnut Collective' group!
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Member
Sarah R. Filley
Whitehall, Michigan, United States of America
As an artist and social entrepreneur, I contribute to projects and collaborations committed to catalyzing inclusive, equitable, and strategic climate solutions for the future of regenerative cities. Incorporating Strategic Foresight and regenerative models at various scales of civic, policy, government, and community is an emerging area of praxis for a new venture, Regenerative Futurists, to engineer civic strategies for prosperity. Previous roles include Co-Founder of the internationally recognized Popuphood in Oakland, CA, a social impact firm, and Senior EDI consultant and advisor co-lead Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion strategies in transformational organizational change in Los Angeles, CA. Prosperity Forest is a 1 acre West Michigan pilot on the shore of Lake Michigan prototyping climate solutions at neighborhood scale while befriending foxes, building hugels, planting Native pollinators, and contributing to local climate initiatives.
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Member
Kevin Shea
Baiting Hollow, Calverton, New York, United States of America
Founder of Effective Altruism Rationality To Help (e.a.r.t.h.) 501c3; Designer, builder, resident of Long Island Green Dome and Gardens; Steward of O Parks, Wildlife and Recreation in Nicaragua; Just a general all-purpose terra-sapien
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Member
Natália Machado-Flood
Wicklow, Leinster, Ireland
Economics is life
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Member
Margaret Booker
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Member
Justin Tuohy
Galway, Connacht, Ireland
Consultant Sustainability Strategist
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Member
Hillary Waters
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Member
ELENA PIANI
Firenze, Toscana, Italia
Sustainability facilitator, specific areas include circular economy, diversity & inclusion, soft skills, marketing communications event and campaign development, internal communications and employee engagement, identity (vision, mission, values - developing purpose), stakeholder engagement, sustainable cities & communities, health & wellbeing, corporate social responsibility.