Greetings!
I had the good fortune to attend a presentation by Paul Hawken in New York the other week. He talked about Project Drawdown which offers “the most comprehensive plan ever to reverse global warming.” (He humbly notes he can give it this title because there isn’t another comprehensive plan to reverse global warming.)
Something struck me as I listened to the many solutions of Drawdown, encompassing industries as diverse as architecture and agriculture and concepts as complex as education and urban design. Sure, the positive and inclusive nature of his message is always a tonic. But it was more than that. In that moment, I could see that the new, regenerative order is emergent. I first read Drawdown when it came out 18 months ago, and have perused it many times since. I suddenly saw it as more than a theory, and that there are proof-points all around.
For example, I recently watched a documentary, Break From the Herd which features three remarkable individuals who are applying the principles of regenerative agriculture in diverse ways, and living to tell to the tale in spite of what their detractors say. My latest blog post gives more details on the film—I strongly you suggest you find where it’s playing near you, or better yet, host a screening!
A characteristic of this new economic reality is the emergence of business models that create a virtuous cycle of benefit including more resilient, diverse and healthy communities. One example of such a business model is Nori, a blockchain-based market for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. As part of developing this new voluntary carbon market they host the Reversing Climate Change podcast with guests speaking about regenerative agriculture, soil microbiology, carbon pricing mechanisms and more. I was a guest on episode #44 during which we explored everything from corporate sustainability to Joni Mitchell. This conversation with several Norinauts was further evidence of radical innovation towards regeneration.
I’m pretty sure my awareness of emergent regenerative realities is about to be expanded even further as I prepare to present at a conference entitled “Climate, Biodiversity & Survival: Listening to the Voices of Nature” taking place in Cambridge, MA on November 17/18. I am one of over a dozen speakers who will explore the idea of “civilized humans falling in love with the wonders and beauties of the natural world once again.” I feel my own sense of self regenerating at the very thought.
These are but a few tiny nodes of a much larger network in a new order. There are likely some uncomfortable patches ahead (heck, it’s an uncomfortable patch now). But if I imagine the perplexity and complexity through which the caterpillar passes to metamorphose into the butterfly, then I think the butterfly has in fact already landed. There are still some sticky cocoon bits to slough away, and a few stodgy old caterpillars are hanging on by the little hairs on their heads. But there is a sequence to this evolution and it is already here. It’s up to us to notice it and step into its light.
Yours in connectedness,
Lorraine
