LISTEN: The Importance of Systems Thinking and Biomimicry

| April 11, 2025

Ramon Mendiola smiles during an award presentation

Babson Trustee Ramón Mendiola ’86, P’20 ’21 ’23, a sustainable business leader and the former CEO of the Florida Ice and Farm Company, talks about systems thinking and sustainability on the “From Problems to Possibilities: Entrepreneurial Leadership in Action” podcast.

Listen

“The planet itself will go on, but the people on it are the ones who are going to suffer.”

The stark reality of the problem described by Vikki Rodgers illustrates the importance and urgency of finding sustainable solutions for humanity’s existence.

Rodgers is a professor of ecology, science director, and integrated sustainability director at Babson. She discusses how systems thinking is working to address the challenges in the third episode of “From Problems to Possibilities: Entrepreneurial Leadership in Action,” Babson’s new podcast.

The new episode, titled “Trust the System,” examines the role of systems thinking and biomimicry in creating sustainable businesses, featuring Rodgers; Ela Gokcigdem ’24, a blue economy specialist; and Babson Trustee Ramón Mendiola ’86, P’20 ’21 ’23, a sustainable business leader and the former CEO of the Florida Ice and Farm Company (FIFCO)

The episode is available on Apple, Spotify, and Amazon, and you can listen here:

Posted in Entrepreneurial Leadership, Insights

Tagged Alumni, Entrepreneurial Leadership, Faculty, Sustainability

Latest Stories

Babson Professor Jeffrey Shay ’87, MBA’91, sits at a table with professors from Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Babson Works with HBCUs to Boost Entrepreneurship Education A case-writing program, which teaches participants how to develop a hallmark of business education, is one of several Babson initiatives with Historically Black Colleges and Universities that aim to empower entrepreneurial leaders and the professors who educate them.

By John Crawford

Senior Journalist

John Crawford

A writer for Babson Thought & Action and the Babson Magazine, John Crawford has been telling the College’s entrepreneurial story for more than 15 years. Assignments for Babson have taken him from Rwanda to El Salvador, from the sweet-smelling factory of a Pennsylvania candy maker, to the stately Atlanta headquarters of an NFL owner, to the bustling office of a New York City fashion designer. Beyond his work for Babson, he has written articles and essays for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Notre Dame Magazine, The Good Men Project, and other publications. He can be found on Twitter, @crawfordwriter, where he tweets about climate change.

October 31, 2025

Tagged Faculty, Inclusive Excellence, Entrepreneurship Education

Posted in Entrepreneurial Leadership