Sustainability in Action: How CS Studies Shape Ramboll’s Regenerative Design Approach

Driving Change Toward Sustainability Within an Organization

When Katri selected her master’s thesis topic, regenerative design was an emerging field, but she still chose it. Regenerative design goes beyond minimizing harm; it aims to restore and regenerate natural systems. After graduating, Katri introduced her ideas to Ramboll using a bottom-up approach: she found like-minded colleagues, influenced sustainability leaders in different market areas, and successfully formed a new team dedicated to the cause. Her role involves substantial "internal marketing," including creating training programs and promoting sustainability initiatives within the company. According to Katri, regenerative design and systems thinking are key to adopting a holistic approach to sustainability instead of improving one element and unintentionally damaging another.

Ramboll applies systems thinking and regenerative design to various projects. One example is the Living Breakwaters project in New York City, which added oyster shells to concrete structures to form a living ecosystem that prevents flooding while also improving water quality and biodiversity. Similarly, the Finnish Oulu 2040 Development project pioneered urban planning by considering a multispecies perspective in future city growth scenarios, which goes beyond the traditional Triple Bottom Line. The approach was so innovative that the city of Oulu declared that if Scenario 3, involving population decline, were to occur, they would halt further housing construction. 

Be the Change You Want to See

While Ramboll’s application of regenerative design is inspiring, there is still much to be done. Challenges such as the lack of data and standardized measurement systems hinder the integration of biodiversity considerations into company actions. Overall, the excursion gave students a unique demonstration of how CS study concepts are implemented in Ramboll’s sustainability strategy. It also sparked meaningful discussions about how students can best prepare for careers in sustainability and create positive ripple effects, much like Katri has done.

CS alumna Katri Einola

Can you give a short introduction of yourself?

I’m a sustainability generalist with a passion for steering our future towards regenerative development and life-centered design. I work as the Lead of Regenerative approach in Ramboll, trying to support our global teams with regenerative thinking in our transport market (including mobility, urban development, and infrastructure). I also work as an expert in regeneration, especially in urban development projects from strategic to detailed planning and design levels. My work is a lot about challenging the current mindsets, facilitating the processes in projects, and asking questions. I’m also part of various Regenerative thinking networks in Finland and globally, and I also facilitate trainings and do speeches about regenerative design and development.

The latest venture for me is that we bought an old villa with a garden with my partner a few months ago, and it definitely needs regeneration. It will basically be a living lab to test how we can bring regenerative principles into a building renovation. We do not want to use the current construction practices – that are often not sustainable – but we want to restore the villa to its old glory with traditional Finnish building methods and natural materials, supporting local entrepreneurs and community, giving the local schools a place to learn more about the practices and, of course, eventually it will be a place for us to regenerate and live a slow, self-sufficient life.

What were the most useful skills you learned during your studies? How do you apply them today?

The most useful skill – which I’m still learning every day – was definitely systems thinking. We had a few courses about it, and I had sort of been familiar it with previously, but within a few years, the theme of wicked problems that need a more systemic approach has been getting very relevant. At the moment all the projects I do from organizational models to strategic urban development are very much about systems thinking and how we can find the most impactful points on the system to support the positive impacts and mitigate the negative ones.

I also think that the whole idea of CS being an interdisciplinary and international program taught me much about teamwork and communication and how to work from different knowledge bases, even from different paradigms. Ramboll is a global company, with experts from different fields working sometimes in transdisciplinary ways. It’s all about teamwork.

What did studying Creative Sustainability change about your approach to work and life?

Everything! Before my studies in CS, I had studied and worked in design, marketing, sales and horticulture. I was looking for something to connect all these but hadn’t just figured it out. During my CS studies, I bumped into regenerative design in one of our courses and everything clicked. It combined all my thoughts, values, knowledge, and skills. I realized that my knowledge of nature and design thinking are actually valuable in bringing sustainability to another level, towards regeneration. It requires creativity, facilitation skills, empathy, and the ability to stop to question and listen. All the things that we also practiced in CS studies. When I decided to do my master’s thesis about regenerative approaches in urban environments, I realized I wanted to work with that also after graduating. And then I got an internship at Ramboll and continued from there. So the studies created a clear path for my career.

What career advice would you give to CS students?

Listen to your own gut feeling. Ask yourself: What inspires me? What is my passion? The world is crazy and sustainability is a huge topic consisting of many specific fields. When I started to do my master’s thesis in regenerative design, many people questioned my choice as too “out there”, an impossible concept for urban environments, etc. I did not get any funding for my thesis from companies or other places, because the topic was so unknown and difficult to comprehend. Now, many industries are starting to see the point in it, we are working on many projects that specifically focus on it, and my main job is regenerative thinking! So stay true to yourself and keep going. It will pay the price, and you will feel comfortable with yourself doing what you feel is important. But also remember to keep the boundaries (no passion is worth sacrificing your whole personal life so find the balance).

What is your favorite memory from studying in CS?

The whole CS community and the warmth, support, and feeling of safety in all the difficult discussions as well. I felt it created another family for myself, and with many, we still stay in touch. They are also your future colleagues, and career networks. So you will have a security network within sustainability forever.