Re-introducing an old friend

The infectious obsession with financial growth is stifling life’s ability to thrive. Extractive systems, stock markets, shareholder interests, short-term politics, monopolies and monocultures are all barriers to life’s thrivability. Not unlike the tiles on a sidewalk they are blocking life.

Any five year old understands that if they want more sweet smelling flowers in the street the tiles need to be flipped out. Navigating the complexity of the meta crisis goes beyond aiming for 2050 targets and hopes of green futures. To give life a chance we need to flip the life blocking tiles of the systems holding human and more-than-humans hostage in business-as-usual.

The Green Growth Lullaby

The capacity and resources to change the world lie for a big part in the hands of businesses. This is a reality we need to accept whilst in parallel recognize the potential of grass roots communities, connected networks and individuals. We have been in the business of destruction for long enough.

The sustainability narrative, quickly co-opted by big corporations lulled us collectively with the hope that CSR, green growth, renewable energy and sustainable innovations would safe the future of our species. Sustainability in the purest sense of the world, on a global and ecological level means an equilibrium in which external forces are not interfering the balance. Corporate Sustainable Development is clearly not leading us to this balance. It is merely sustaining the ability to continue business-as-usual for a bit longer.

Instead of shifting horizons we seem to collectively sprint forward, fueled by renewable energy’s. Sprinting forward in the wrong direction is a fools errand. We need to stop, pause, unlearn, unravel and shift horizons. In the words of Bayo Akomolafe , “the times are urgent, let’s slow down.” Without slowing down we won’t be able to hold space for deep transformations. Understanding regeneration from within the Ratrace is a contradictory impossibility.

“The times are urgent, let’s slow down” Bayo Akomolafe

Reintroducing an old friend

Regeneration is an old familiar friend of life on earth. We, the humans of hyper commercial societies have lost her as close friend for a while. It’s time for us to reconnect and this requires slowness and patience. To pause, sit down and listen to her callings.

Most friendships start with a simple introduction. Regeneration is the earth's ancient dynamic of healing and bringing fourth life is as old as life. On the written documented human time scale the word regeneration dates back to the 1300s. How long and by who regeneration was deeply understood before the Latians worded it is hard to know. It’s not hard to imagine the likelihood that ancient indigenous ecological communities have understood and lived by the logic of regeneration long before the 1300s.

The written word ultimately comes from the Latin verb regenerāre, meaning “to bring forth again". Capturing what regeneration means isn’t an easy task. It holds a different meaning for many industries, communities and people. Ask someone in agriculture or plastic surgery to describe regeneration and there answers will differ as night and day. Farmers will speak about practices that build life, restore soil health, build water resilience, improve biodiversity and overall nourish life. Plastic surgeons most likely refer to regenerating (brining forth again) someones youth with botox or other ‘beauty enhancing’ techniques.

In the context of the regenerative movement focussed on systems change across all visible and invisible levels, regeneration is often described as “creating the conditions for life to flourish”.

“A regenerative human culture is healthy, resilient and adaptable; it cares for the planet and it cares for life in the awareness that this is the most effective way to create a thriving future for all humanity”.  Daniel Christian Wahl, Designing Regenerative cultures

You're healing and enabling a living beings ability to thrive. This can be anything from a coral reefs health, the oceans ability to store carbon, the diversity of a forest, an eco-systems ability to heal or someones creativity.

Living System Awareness

Regeneration requires living systems awareness. We can only design resilient community’s, businesses and societies when we understand how these systems interbe and interact.  A regenerative society is shaped by interconnected systems existing to regenerate ecosystems, living organisms, societies, wellbeing and overal thrivability of life. The pathways to realizing regenerative futures will not be without bumps and facing uncomfortable realities. Luckily we have a great guide, wider nature.

“Like a unicycle rider, regenerative systems are always engaged in this delicate dance in search of balance. Achieving it requires that they harmonize multiple variables instead of optimizing single ones.” John Fullerton, Capital Institute 

Rise out of the CSR Silo’s

The sustainable development goals made many businesses belief they would safe the day. Whole new roles and departments were brought into existence. The roles of CSR, ESG and sustainability managers were born. We all applauded the businesses who started these departments, took sustainability reporting serious and kicked of CSR programs.

Unfortunately in many cases, CSR managers struggled to reach change to the core of the business. Naturally one isolated CSR department within an organization isn’t going to change the whole mindset and culture of a business. But this is exactly what needs to happen.  It’s time for businesses to enable their impact driven colleagues to live up to their full potential and weave the regenerative lens throughout the whole organization. This time, without excluding the core invisible patterns, structures, systems and worldviews of the business. 

Luckily some businesses created room for deep transformations to go beyond the CSR Silo. They set out to fully embrace the regenerative principles.  Are they perfectly regenerative? No, as this is almost impossible within the limitations of the wider current business-as-usual paradigm. Nonetheless, they courageously adopted regeneration as a compass for all their decisions, showing the rest of the world these alternative ways of existing as a business.

Seventh Generation for is example on a mission to transform the world into a healthy, sustainable and equitable place for the next seven generations. This indigenous Iroquois narrative is embedded in the core of their business and drives all of their decisions and processes. 

"One of the most recognizable environmentally friendly companies, Seventh Generation is on a mission to make the world a more sustainable and equitable place for the next seven generations. Not only do they accomplish this through their plant-based products, but their mission is embedded in their company practices. From transparency to advocacy, thoughtful partners in sustainability, and an ever evolving commitment to waste reduction," - Carol Sanford

Within my bubble regeneration is almost more frequently mentioned than filler words as uhmmm and like. It feels sustainability became one of these meaningless filler words. To avoid that this will happen once again it is vital that we take the time, face the uncomfortable realities, listen to the callings of life, sit with the questions and truly create the space for regeneration to weave into every vein of our society.

How do we regenerate biocultural systems without reducing them to economic value and ecosystem services?

Unlearning hub for Regenerative Futures

Over the last couple of years I carefully documented my (Un)Learning journey. This is the overview that I would have liked to exist when I started my journey. It makes the exploration of the Regenerative Lens accessible, understandable and actionable and most importantly, exciting!

Find out more about the Unlearning Hub for Regenerative Futures