About Us
Sara Schley and Joe Laur are the creators of Seed Systems, an international consulting company established in 1994. Seed Systems takes a systemic approach, integrating sustainability from the inside out in people and organizations to create a regenerative, inclusive, and kind world. Pioneering in the field of sustainability in business, Seed Systems has served over 50 enterprises and 1000s of individuals in corporate, non-profit, government and academic sectors, including such luminaries as EILEEN FISHER, Nike, MIT and Ben&Jerry’s. Versatile and innovative with expertise refined over 25 years of practice in designing, facilitating, teaching and coaching, Seed Systems is your go to partner for leading with integrity and impact.
Sara and Joe are the co-authors of numerous articles and the book The Necessary Revolution: How Individuals and Organizations are Working Together to Create a Sustainable World.
What We Do
Here’s our vision: abundant health, prosperity, food, water and energy for 7 billion of us as well as all the inhabitants of this magnificent planet that gives us life. We created Seed Systems in 1994 to accelerate bold change in pursuit of this audacious vision. We do this by using the tools and methods of systems thinking and organizational learning — now honed in over two decades practice — to create sustainability. We have worked with leaders and organizations at every scale of human enterprise, in every sector, consulting, coaching, and capacity building, speaking and authoring several books.
Our signature offering is “sustainability from the inside out” — radical renewal for our clients to catalyze the missions they serve.
Consultants and facilitators
Sara Schley
Sara Schley is the co-founder and CEO of Seed Systems, an international consulting company established in 1994. Seed Systems takes a systemic approach, integrating sustainability from the inside out in people and organizations to create a regenerative, inclusive, and kind world. At the core of Sara’s work is the teaching of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel: “Radical Amazement at the Mystery, Wonder and Awe of Creation.” Revere all life, respect, protect, celebrate. In a career that spans three decades, Sara has worked in over 50 enterprises in business, non-profit, government and academic sectors; creating, designing, facilitating, teaching and coaching initiatives all aimed at healing ourselves and our planet. Sara is co-founder and convener of WeTheChange a movement of over 200 B Corp Women CEOs creating a radically inclusive and richly regenerative global economy She is currently – and for the past 7 years — a consulting partner to Eileen Fisher in sustainability, personal growth and women’s leadership. She is the author of several works including, The Necessary Revolution: Working Together to Create a Sustainable World co-authored with Joe Laur, Peter Senge and more, as well as Secrets of the 7th Day: How Everyone Can Find Renewal through the Wisdom and Practices of the Sabbath. Sara has her MBA from the University of Massachusetts and BA from Brown University. Sara lives with her husband Joe Laur, creator of the B Corp Maple Mama, their twin teens, and one aging yellow lab, in the hills of Western Massachusetts. Come on by for some home-made Maple Syrup.
Joseph Laur
Joe Laur is a founding partner of Seed Systems. Joe also serves as Executive Director for Aleph: The Alliance for Jewish Renewal, bringing his skills in organizational learning and effective action to this thriving religious community.
Previously, Joe was Director for Content and Senior Manager for Community Engagement and Development at Waste Management’s Greenopolis.com website, providing information and tools for conservation, recycling and transforming waste to resources. In partnership with the Society for Organizational Learning (SoL), Mr. Laur co-established the SoL Sustainability Consortium, an active group of industry leaders in learning and sustainability. He still serves as steward of this consortium, leading collaborative projects among the members as well as coaching individual member projects. This consortium includes members from BP, Ford, Coca Cola, Harley-Davidson, UTC, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Nike, 7th Generation, Waste Management and more. Mr. Laur was the Executive Director of the Mankind Project (formerly New Warrior Network) from 1992-1996, expanding the organization into Canada and Europe, tripling training facilities, leadership capacity and revenues during his tenure. He has spent the last decade as a consultant to organizations in all sectors, focusing on organizational learning, personal effectiveness skills and sustainable development. He studied with Dr. Karl Henrik Robert of The Natural Step and has facilitated learning courses and conferences with Amory Lovins, Paul Hawken, William McDonough, John Elkington, Janine Benyus and Michael Braungart, and others. Mr. Laur has worked with whole systems change for over 30 years and is a certified practitioner of Structural Integration, an applied physiology practice invoking whole systems change in human body structures. He received his BFA in 1975 from the University of Wisconsin. He is the father of 5 children.
Our Circle of Co-Creators
In addition to our core faculty, Seed Systems collaborative is composed and co-created by an awesome network of highly accomplished professionals in the B Corp, Systems thinking, Learning and Development, and Shadow Work worlds. Our colleagues are the best in the world at what they do: together we are a powerful team at your service!
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