59 The Nature Positive Manifesto: a paradigm for circular education Haruka Takagishi @ Class Earth When, in 2023, Haruka Takagishi founded Class Earth in Tokyo’s Chūōku district, the vision was lucid: to make children’s education the fulcrum of a systemic evolution capable of re-weaving the fractured relationship between humankind and planet Earth. The conceptual framework is that of the emerging Nature Positive paradigm which has introduced, within the international biodiversity debate, an ambition that goes beyond traditional notions of sustainability: that of regeneration. Within just a few years, Class Earth has taken shape as a rapidly expanding educational and cultural ecosystem, operating through programmes, content, partnerships and transdisciplinary formats. To date, it has developed a total of 19 projects, 8 implemented in 2025 and a further 11 scheduled for 2026. In 2024, Class Earth achieved B Corp certification, with a score of 126.1 out of 200 in B Lab’s B Impact Assessment, placing it well above the minimum threshold required, and among organisations demonstrating high performance in terms of social, environmental and governance responsibility. At a time when Nature Positive too often risks remaining an abstract formula, Class Earth stands as a concrete application of the paradigm within the educational sphere: a future-oriented laboratory of regeneration. 58 Prologue _ The rise and significance of Nature Positive Education In recent years, climate change and the loss of biodiversity have accelerated to a degree that threatens the very survival of human society. In response, the international community has long sought balanced development across economic, social, and environmental dimensions under the concept of sustainability. Today, however, a new paradigm beyond sustainability is emerging: the idea of being Nature Positive. Nature Positive does not merely mean protecting nature, but rather restoring what has been lost, and setting the planet’s life systems back on a path of recovery. This idea represents a critical turning point in education as well. Whereas traditional environmental education assumed an external relationship – humans conserving nature – Nature Positive Education is based on an internal relationship in which humans are part of nature and regenerate together with it. It calls for a transformation from learning about environmental issues as knowledge, to embodying them as a way of life. This paper focuses on Nature Positive Education and explores the significance of nurturing the next generation as Earth Savers. It also examines the role of entertainment as an educational tool that sustains children’s curiosity and engagement, analyzing how stories and animation can convey the philosophy of Nature Positive through lived experience. Finally, it considers the potential for a global educational network that connects children across regions, nations, and cultures. Nature Positive Education is not an extension of environmental education; it is a philosophical movement that redefines the relationship between humanity and nature. Its purpose is to shift our perspective from seeing the environment as something to be protected, to seeing it as a partner in co-evolution. Education stands at the frontline of this transformation – the only force capable of reshaping the future from within.
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