In this thought-provoking episode, I sit down with environmental strategist, filmmaker, and systems thinker Joshua Harrison to explore what the hospitality industry can learn from indigenous wisdom, generational thinking, ecological restoration, and the power of storytelling.
Joshua shares his remarkable journey from growing up in a family of environmental artists to becoming a leading advocate for regenerative thinking and long-term stewardship.
Together, we challenge the hospitality industry’s obsession with quarterly results and explore what it means to build hotels that create value not just for guests and investors, but also for employees, local communities, and future generations.
The conversation explores:
- Why hospitality should think in generations, not quarters
- The difference between growth and evolution in business
- What indigenous communities can teach leaders about trust, place, and reciprocity
- How hotels can become active agents of environmental restoration
- The role of hope, storytelling, and meaningful guest experiences in driving positive change
- Why community engagement may be one of hospitality’s most underutilized assets
- How regenerative tourism can help reconnect people with nature and local culture
- What the hotel of 2050 might look and feel like
Joshua also explains why “you can only move at the speed of trust,” why facts alone rarely inspire action, and how small actions, what Buckminster Fuller called “trim tabs”, can help create transformative change at scale.
In the Off The Mic segment, Joshua reveals how recycled Styrofoam inspired one of his most innovative environmental solutions, discusses humanity’s relationship with waste, and answers a fascinating question about what single object he would give to aliens to explain humanity.
This episode is essential listening for hotel owners, developers, hospitality leaders, sustainability professionals, and anyone interested in the future of regenerative travel, climate resilience, and building businesses that endure for generations.
Connect with Joshua Harrison:
📧 Joshua Harrison, Director of the Center for the Study of the Force Majeure, can be contacted at centerforforcemajeure@gmail.com
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