Michael Ben-Eli is founder of The Sustainability Laboratory, established to develop and demonstrate
groundbreaking approaches to sustainability practices, expanding prospects and producing positive, life affirming
impacts on people and ecosystems in all parts of the world.
Prior to launching The Lab, Michael pioneered applications of System Thinking and Cybernetics in management
and organization. Over the years, he worked on synthesizing strategy issues in many parts of the world and in
diverse institutional settings, ranging from small high technology firms to multinational enterprises,
manufacturing companies, financial institutions, health care and educational organizations, government agencies,
NGOs, and international multilateral organizations including the World Bank, the United Nations Environment
Program, the Global Environment Facility, and others.
In recent years, he has focused his work primarily on issues related to sustainability and sustainable development
and has been working to help inspire leaders in business, government, community, and youth accelerate a
peaceful transition to a sustainable future. Michael is the author of the widely acclaimed five core sustainability
principles. He has been the driving force behind developing The Lab’s current flagship project, Project Wadi Attir,
and is leading development of The Lab as a world-wide network of advanced research, development, and
education centers, based at different ecological zones.
In 2016, Michael was inducted into the International Green Industry Hall of Fame and recognized with the
organization’s Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2019, Michael received the prestigious Cosmic Fishing Award by
the Synergetic Collaborative of the Rhode Island School of Design. The award is given to individuals “who
demonstrate a dedication to advancing the use of Buckminster Fuller’s Design Science strategies in helping
humanity better understand complex connections with natural systems.” In 2022, he received the Environmental
Hero Award from the International MY HERO Project. In 2024, The Sustainability Laboratory was recognized for its
accomplishments as an organization and inducted into the International Green Industry Hall of Fame.
Michael graduated from the Architectural Association in London and later received a Ph.D. from the Institute of
Cybernetics at Brunel University, where he studied under Gordon Pask. He was a close associate of R. Buckminster
Fuller, with whom he collaborated on projects involving research on advanced structural systems and exploration
of issues related to the management of technology and world resources for the advantage of all.