Sustainability, Creativity and Art for Transformation
ESG, Excel, CO₂ calculations. Yes.
But what if sustainability felt like a cultural event — a night at a concert, a piece of beautiful art, a walk through a garden? What if you were embraced by it?
Sustainability is often reduced to data and metrics, yet its heart — the reason it matters — is deeply cultural. It can inspire enthusiasm rather than remain a purely rational exercise.
I am Sonja Schenkel, a trained filmmaker, textile artist, and sustainability specialist. While grounded in the metrics of transformation — impact assessment, life cycle analysis, and footprints — my work focuses on creating change through joy, connection, and meaning.
I facilitate multidisciplinary collaboration between the arts and sciences, and between art, science, and the private sector, co-designing projects that open new pathways for collaboration and transformation. Alongside completing a PhD on creativity and social change, I have worked hands-on in diverse international projects, translating ideas into practice and navigating real-world complexity.
As an entrepreneur and consultant, I have founded and led the company Storytex and co-initiated The Library for a Happy Future. I have also served on the board of an international organisation and of a foundation, and taught at Swiss universities and abroad.
The creative process brings people closer to innovation — they begin to feel and dream.
Transformation begins with experience.
By building cross-cultural, transdisciplinary partnerships, I connect those offering alternative ways of seeing and engaging with the world—through art, science, and storytelling—with those working on the ground in business, policy, and NGOs, who can test ideas against the realities of the current system. The goal is not only to imagine new possibilities but to confront the status quo and explore what it truly means to create change, guided by a mindset of joy, curiosity, and enthusiasm.
