Design
The Hidden Cost of Bad System Design
Understanding the Failure of Poor System Design: The Consequences we continue to experience
Why Everything Feels Like It’s Falling Apart: The Hidden Cost of Bad System Design
By Chuck Woolery (not the TV guy) and Steven Jay
Every day, we’re hit with stories that make us feel overwhelmed—mass shootings, collapsing public systems, social media disasters. It can feel like the world is spiraling out of control.
But what if these things aren’t just random events or separate issues?
What if they’re all connected symptoms of a much bigger problem?
These ongoing crises aren’t isolated problems to be solved one by one. They’re consequences—outcomes of a deeper failure in how our systems are designed and how our society thinks.
After the Great Depression and World War II, something started to shift. The idea of the “common good” faded from public conversation. America turned toward individualism, competition, and fear of anything that sounded like socialism. This change went mostly unquestioned, but it shaped our politics, values, and priorities in powerful ways.
As time went on, technology made it easier to spread division and fear. Instead of working together, people became more focused on their own narratives. The result? We’re now living with the consequences.
Donald Trump isn’t the core issue—he’s a symptom. Climate change isn’t just a problem—it’s the result of decades of poor decisions and unchecked systems. The same goes for mass shootings, the opioid crisis, obesity, and suicide. These aren’t random or isolated—they’re all signs of something deeper that’s broken.
Even environmental disasters—like poisoned water in Flint, collapsing bee colonies, or Florida’s red tide—aren’t just “environmental problems.” They’re consequences of how we’ve structured our society and ignored the long-term impacts of our actions.
Look around the world at the violence in Afghanistan, Yemen, and Syria. These conflicts didn’t just happen—they’re the result of choices made without considering long-term consequences. The same goes for economic inequality, the rise of fake news, and the erosion of privacy. These aren’t new “problems” popping up—they’re the fallout from flawed systems.
Until we’re willing to step back and see the bigger picture—to recognize the root causes—we’ll keep spinning our wheels, treating symptoms while the real issue continues to grow.
The death of “sustainability” and the rise of “Regenerative”. Promoting ethical models for agriculture, design, and economics.
Learn about Systems-Thinking, Ecological Design, Permaculture Design, Regenerative Agriculture, Ecological Restoration, Self-Reliance, Relocalization, Decentralization, and Local Economic Design.
Presentation by Alan Enzo, Permaculture Education
Alan Enzo (known as “Enzo”) is an ecologist, economist, management consultant, and Permaculture Design teacher and consultant. He graduated from Ohio State University and holds a Ph.D. in Ecological Economics and an M.B.A. in Sustainable Business.
Enzo began his career as an Emergency Management Officer, leading and directing first responders on oil spills, train wrecks, chemical disasters, natural disasters, and environmental remediation projects around the US. He was intimately involved in responding to Hurricane Katrina and many other state and federal emergencies.
Enzo received his Permaculture Design Certificate from the Mollison Permaculture Research Institute (the original Permaculture Research Institute (PRI) in Australia founded by Bill Mollison). He has received advanced training in natural building, agroforestry, food forest design, ecological economics, and ecovillage/intentional community design. He is passionate about alternative local economic systems, appropriate technology, agroforestry, and helping students and clients start their businesses.
Enzo has over 30 years of experience in Permaculture Design, Ecological Restoration, Local Economic Design, and related disciplines.
How to design the ecologically-sensible sustainable city:
Tom Bosschaert, founder and director of Except Integrated Sustainability, is a rare opportunity to explore the intersection of regenerative design, systems innovation, future-proof development, and cross-sector solutions.
Tom Bosschaert, Director, Except.eco
Tom is the founder and director of Except, and the visionary force behind its development. He is also the chairman of the Environment Committee of the World Institute for Change Management and Innovation (WICMI) in Switzerland.
Tom founded Except at the age of 19 in 1999 with a mission to find systemic solutions for our societal challenges by combining science, business, design, and communication. In the past decades, he has developed several hundred projects globally, for groundbreaking sustainable cities, buildings, business, policy, and industry. Tom’s vision shows that we can flourish globally when we simultaneously integrate environmental, societal, economical, and technical aspects in our society. He is a frequent keynote speaker, and author of the Symbiosis in Development (SiD) framework and books.
Except projects:
- Company website: www.except.eco
- www.Orchidcity.eco
- Www.thinksid.org
Projects
Relevant articles;
Rethink X and The Stellar World: Our Future is in our Hands:
Disruption, Opportunity & Co-Creation
As we encounter the breakdown of antiquated, industrial-aged systems, James Arbib, co-Founder (along with Tony Seba) of Rethink X has spent over a decade diving into the biggest questions shaping our world today. If you’ve ever wondered why everything feels so chaotic right now, or what comes next for humanity, the new book titled “Stellar” is for you.
Our conversation with James, we will guide you towards to understanding the biggest transformation in history, and how we can all be part of it. It’s about the end of the old system, the rise of something new, and the incredible possibilities ahead.
If you’re curious about the profound changes unfolding right now and how they’ll reshape our world, Stellar breaks it all down — what’s happening, why it matters, and how we can shape what comes next.
- Website: RethinkX
- Rethinking Humanity
- Rethinking Energy
- Rethinking Transportation
- Rethinking Food and Agriculture
James Arbib, RethinkX
James Arbib is a London-based investor in technology. He is the founder of Tellus Mater, an independent philanthropic foundation dedicated to exploring the impacts of disruptive technology, and its potential for solving some of the world’s most challenging problems. In addition, Jamie oversees a London-based family office with a diversified portfolio, across all asset classes and a focus on the risks and opportunities of technology disruption.
A graduate in history from Trinity College, Cambridge, he has a Masters in Sustainability Leadership, also from Cambridge. He is a qualified chartered accountant and worked as an investment analyst covering utilities.
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