Mara Lehmann

Mara Lehmann

The economy has a diagram problem

The economy has a diagram problem

For most of modern history, we've drawn the economy as a box sitting outside nature, extracting from it, disposing into it, always with the mental model that we and nature are fundamentally separate. Sustainability, as it has largely been practiced, accepts this drawing. It asks us to do

Nature strategy needs a place: Why biodiversity strategy only works when it's anchored not in metrics but in location, history, and ecological systems.

Nature strategy needs a place: Why biodiversity strategy only works when it's anchored not in metrics but in location, history, and ecological systems.

Business case * Nature risk is systemic, not categorical; deforestation, water, biodiversity, and pollinator decline are not parallel tracks but a single cascade. * Siloed metrics miss the ecological relationships that determine whether a sourcing region remains productive. * A systems-oriented nature strategy can start at any level of data availability — country, commodity,

The jaguar in your coffee cup

The jaguar in your coffee cup

Why trusting the label isn't enough## The structural problem here is the profound opacity of global supply chains. Think about the journey of a coffee bean—from multiple smallholder farms, perhaps in a remote region, through local cooperatives, exporters, international shippers, roasters, distributors, finally to your cup. At

Your sofa & the planet: Tracing its deep connection to global biodiversity

Your sofa & the planet: Tracing its deep connection to global biodiversity

I want to bring biodiversity closer to home: right into our living rooms and offices through the products we use. For around 20 years, I've immersed myself in the composition and origins of materials and products. It's a journey that constantly reveals the intricate dance between

Learning to speak anew

Learning to speak anew

Does the tech being built around "nature risk" and "biodiversity risk" reinforce the fragmented thinking behind the crisis of collapsing ecosystems and vanishing species? A reflection on perception, responsibility, and the search for a different approach. We have always been namers, classifiers, and thus, dividers. We