PORTFOLIO – Why the ‘Casnati for ESD’ project has become a model of regeneration

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At the Regeneration 20|30 Forum held at the Triennale Milano, among economists, entrepreneurs, researchers, and innovators, there was also a school: Centro Studi Casnati.

Not as a simple guest, but as a concrete example of how an educational institution can become an active component in the regeneration of its local territory.

During the institutional speech, the vision was clearly stated:

“A school must not limit itself to talking about sustainability. It must act as a regenerative agent within its own ecosystem.”

This is the foundation of Casnati for ESD, developed in collaboration with the Global Schools Program – UN SDSN. Since 2022, this pathway has provided an additional international framework for what Casnati has always embodied, enhancing an educational vision deeply oriented toward both territory and future.

A school that does not wait: it builds

Casnati for ESD begins with a simple yet radical idea: the skills needed to face the future are not learned only from textbooks, but through experience—by meeting people, building relationships, and engaging with real-world challenges.

For this reason, Casnati students “study sustainability” by engaging in dialogue with entrepreneurs, institutions, and foundations; participating in workshops involving three generations of stakeholders; designing environmental activities in local parks; collaborating with scientific institutions, companies, and universities; and stepping forward as young speakers in public forums at the national level.

These are not “extra” activities: they are part of the school’s core identity.

An ecosystem that grows together

The keyword of the project is regeneration. It means giving back more than one takes.

Casnati does this through three interconnected movements:

1. Internal regeneration

The school’s different educational paths—Art, Languages, Science, Aeronautics, and Hospitality—work together, generating a rare form of cognitive biodiversity: diverse competencies that interact, cross-pollinate, and foster innovation.

2. Territorial regeneration

More than 50 entities—including parks, associations, universities, and companies—collaborate with the school on a stable basis. Not as occasional contributors, but as partners within a system that grows together. Casnati also takes part in the activities of the Territorial School Network for Environmental Education coordinated by the Como Territorial School Office (UST), launched at the beginning of 2025.

3. Cultural regeneration

Over the past three years, the project has led to the creation of an ESD Manifesto co-written in 2024 with local stakeholders, a dedicated website with more than 40 articles, public events, and new pathways in civic and environmental education. This process has further clarified Casnati’s identity: not a school that “runs many projects,” but a school that generates public value.

An article published by the local newspaper “La Provincia” .
Measurable impact, but above all, human

The outcomes are tangible: environmental activities in partnership with parks and associations; solidarity initiatives such as food collections (+600 kg per year) and the Run Against Hunger campaign (€3,000 raised); a regional grant of €10,000; and significant media coverage.

Yet what stands out most—also highlighted during the Forum—is the human impact: the ability to create new, healthy, and generative relationships. This is where Casnati fully embodies the regenerative vision promoted by the Regenerative Society Foundation: wellbeing that emerges from connection, intergenerational collaboration, and the active participation of students.

A laboratory for the future

In its concluding remarks at the Triennale, Casnati shared a simple yet powerful reflection:

“All schools are ecosystems. But only a few become regenerative ecosystems.”

The Casnati for ESD project shows that this is possible. Above all, it demonstrates that when a school opens itself to its territory and places itself at the service of the common good, it can become a true laboratory for the future—capable of generating culture, hope, and new forms of value.

The official video clip of the Regeneration 20|30 Forum.

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