N Use recycled, renewable, or locally sourced materialO N Buy energy efficient appliances and fixtureO N Think about passive solar in your design if you are in a cold country 96 How To Bring Water Back Retriev’ Rainwater collection # Groundwater well # Air-to-water distillers Retain # Buffer vats # Retention ponds # Swales Reduc’ Water-saving showerheads # Run-off reduction # Recycle # Greywater recycling # Blackwater recycling 97 Local energy production Wind turbines Geothermal Biogas (from food waste) Biofuel Water turbines Solar (water & power) The progress in the quality of human life can best be understood as the increase in energy available to the human being to perform the tasks they want. For a well-functioning regenerative village, energy input is just as vital as food production or water management. Although it’s nearly impossible to continuously satisfy all energy needs sustainably within a neighbourhood (i.e. being “off-grid”), recent advancements in decentralised energy technologies like solar panels, heat pumps, and batteries allow for a high degree of sustainable self-sufficiency. This democratisation of energy production not only helps save the environment, it literally puts the power back in the hands of people. 98 Holistic System Design 99 Chapter 5 Regenerating Nature 100 Part 1 we are part of nature 101 Humans in the Context of Nature Formation of Earth Start of Life Complex Organisms Humans To put things in context, we can visualise the entire timeline of the planet Earth with our arms. Let’s do a little exercise! First, hold out your arms (go ahead, try it). Now if we think about the following: Formation of Earth: 4,600 Million years ago Start of life: 3,800 Mya Dinosaurs: 225 Mya Humans: 0.15 Mya Then, the entire story of the human-centric world takes place only at the tip of your fingernail. Give it a wiggle and see! 102 Be Nature, My Friend You are not separate from nature; you are a part of nature. STEP 1: Commit to change your mindset STEP 2: Take action to become one with nature 103 Layers of Connecting with Nature We are all in relationship with living beings. Likely, there are some other creatures who you especially care about: your grandma, best friend, perhaps a pet cat. If you feel connected to something, you care for it out of simple instinct. You see that creature as a reflection of yourself. Connecting with “nature” is no different. If you’re connected you’ll feel the drive to take actions that are supportive of life, full of genuine care, and loving. To care deeply, you must connect deeply. There are four layers of cultivating your connection with nature: 1. Nature information: learning (e.g. reading books, watching documentaries, cognitive informational awareness). 2. Nature experience: engaging in activities with nature in the background of your awareness (eg. hiking, walking your dog). 3. Nature connection: Coincidental moments of feeling deeply connected and clearly alive within nature. For example, seeing the Milky Way and sensing that you are a tiny speck of stardust floating on a giant rock through infinite space. 4. Deep nature connection: deliberate moments of deepening your connection with nature and building the knowledge of place. These can be designed and facilitated, using the major attributes of connection: curiosity, motivation, focus, relaxation, celebration, reflection, wisdom, and regeneration. 104 How To Connect With Nature Observ/ > Walk in natur- > Get to know the land around yo< > Close your eyes and listen to the sound9 > Sit down in stillness and observe the nature around yo< > Meditate in nature Merg/ > Hug a tre- > Build a sacred space or altar for the lan’ > Create rituals using materials from the lan’ > Use plant medicine Regenerat/ > Accelerate your microbiota with kimch3 > Recycle grey water, organic waste etcC > Plant food forest and sequester carbon 105 Natural Learning Cycle All of nature changes in cycles: sunrise to sunset, the seasons, a plant lifecycle, a human lifecycle. In order to cultivate deep nature connection and lasting, embodied learning, you can follow the natural learning cycle: 1. Sunrise (East): Start with building inspiration. 2. Midday (South): Harness the energy and focus the attention. 3. Sunset (West): Celebrate and share stories of what happened. 4. Midnight (North): Process the insights and share the inspiration. Wisdom What is this teaching me? (Midnight) Focus + hard work (Midday) Build inspiration (Sunrise) Celebration What happened today? (Sunset) Reflection What is this telling me? (Evening) Give thanks + plant seeds for new possibilities (Pre-Dawn) Orientation + initial success (Morning) Take a break (Afternoon) 106 Lunar Alignment For Starting and Completing Projects Our current way of living has separated us from the cycles of nature. We now use an arbitrary calendar that has less to do with what’s happening around us. In our effort to realign ourselves with natural patterns, we can use the lunar cycle to synchronise our efforts on a planetary scale. You can use the moon cycle to time arrivals and departures in your village to avoid disrupting your personal and communal flow. We can work together in Moon-phase-long sprints and allow time for dreaming, planning, doing, and finally to harmonise, integrate, and celebrate our accomplishments. Any co-creation framework can be mapped on the four lunar phases. For example: – Dragon Dreaming – Agile / Scrum – Wisdom Wheel – Appreciative Inquiry If we work under the lunar cycle together, by looking up at night sky you will see the natural progress bar of co-creation, remembering that we’re all in a cycle of co-creation and connected by natural cycles. 107 Solar Alignment For Starting and Completion Of Projects Maturity Birth Creative Destruction Renewal Poverty Trap Rigidity Trap Drawing inspiration from the natural cycle of seasons, we can design and experiment with the seasonal rituals and lifecycles in our village. Spring Birth / Development. New beginnings. Inviting new energy in. Expansion. Onboarding, fundraising, launching projects. Summer Maturity / Conservation. Action and doing. Ripening the fruit and grounding potential. Local and bioregional activation. Festivals, Gatherings and other inreal-life connection and regeneration activities. Fall Creative destruction. Harvest. Reflection. Letting go of the old systems and processes in your village. Well-being activities. Winter Renewal / exploration. Integration. Co-creation. Evolving your systems, governance protocols, organisational structures etc. Making space for new iterations. 108 Outer = Inner Regeneration Regeneration on the outside CAUSES regeneration on the inside too! Intellectual Challenge Physical Enhancement Gut Biome Higher Cause Fullfillment 109 Food As Medicine For Personal Regeneration Happy soil – Happy human Take care of the soil:6 / Compost soil 6 / Good regenerative practices 6 / No pesticides 6 / No fertiliser Healthy and happy living soil with lots of microbes Take care of the microbiotaW / Eating a versatile diet with a lot of fibeg / Fermented food^ / Different, seasonal vegetables Happy human with a healthy microbiota!6 / Strong immune syste| / Physical strengt / Better brain functio{ / Happy thoughts by increased serotonin and dopamine levels 110 The Values You Embody Seen Beyond Your Body If a tree spoke the same language as us, we would find that we have a lot of common values. friendship fun freedom stability diversity support “But why are trees such social beings? Why do they share food with their own species and sometimes even go so far as to nourish their competitors? The reasons are the same as for human communities: there are advantages to working together. A tree is not a forest. On its own, a tree cannot establish a consistent local climate. It is at the mercy of wind and weather. But together, many trees create an ecosystem that moderates extremes of heat and cold, stores a great deal of water, and generates a great deal of humidity. And in this protected environment, trees can thrive and grow.” 111 Magical Folk And Critters Of The Land We wish you the best of luck connecting to the magical creatures around you! Do you know the history of your own ancestors and the stories of the Land you grew up in? For thousands of years different folk groups around the world have told stories of landcreatures and magical beings that lived upon these lands. We all have a unique way of connecting to them and it is something fun and revealing to consider when building your Village. Start with where you grew up – the connection to your own roots are often the strongest. Then start exploring the lands around you to see what ancient wisdom and traditions it has to offer, and how you and your community can connect to that. 112 Part 2 How To Regenerate Nature 113 Regenerative Frameworks Regenerative agriculture aims at increasing and maximising the amount of biodiversity in your land. To the contrary, the so-called “traditional methods” supported by petrolchemical pesticides, fertilisers and fuels, have been devastating biodiversity. Have the courage of going against the grain of the so-called “experts” of degeneration. How? Consider that the land you are working with is unique. Get to know its characteristics, and find the combination of principles and practices that are the most suitable for your context. There are numerous frameworks to work with the land in your regenerative village. While each of them has its own unique perspectives and applications, you might find that they all aim to work with nature instead of against it, fostering bio-diversity in plants, animals, and micro organisms! The methods and frameworks are too many and too complex to discuss in this book, however in this section we will discuss a few ideas and encourage you to deepdive and experiment with some of these frameworks and methodologies- PermacultureB Syntropic Agricultur6 Agroforestr( Biodynamic Agricultur6 No-till gardeninY Key line gardeninY Swales 114 Permaculture Ethics & Principles Catch & Store Energy Observe & Interact Design from patters to details Earth Care People Care Fair Share Creatively use & respond to change Use edges & value the marginal Use & value diversity Obtain a yield Use small & slow solutions Apply self – regulation & accept feedback Use & value renewable resources & services Integrate rather than segregate Produce no waste Permaculture is a land and settlement design framework, based on principles observed in thriving natural ecosystems. The three core ethics of permaculture – care of the Earth, care of people, setting limits to population and consumption – guide its twelve design principles, which can also be applied to our personal, economic, social and political reorganisation. Each principle can be thought of as a door that opens into whole systems thinking, providing a different perspective that can be understood at varying levels of depth and application. 115 Permaculture Zoning 5 4 3 2 1 N” Visit daily e.g. salad & herb garde( 1″ Visit Frequently e.g. vegetables, chickens, ponds, small fruiG ” Visit Occasionally e.g. orchards, bees, animal: ” Visit Infrequently e.g. woodland, foragin< ” Observe & Learn e.g. Natural unmanaged areas Permaculture zoning is a useful tool to map your land and design your living environment for optimal energy efficiency. Depending on various characteristics, such as frequency of use and maintenance required, activities are placed into different zones. For example, if your salad garden requires daily weeding, you might want to place it in zone 1 or 2 (visit often), so it becomes effortless for you to do. Permaculture zones can be applied to your land, but it can also work as a framework to map your social network, your projects, your village, bioregion and so on. We can also add a Zone 6 to the usual 5 permaculture zones: the internet! That’s where you go to find knowledge, strategies, and solution you can use in the other zones 116 The Permaculture Lens Manure Pond Food (fish, plants) and water Food, feathers and methane (for fuel) House Food (fruit, nuts, insects) and shelter Fertilizer, pest control, mulch spreading, tillage, harvesting Garden Food Receives Gives Pest control, sanitation and fertilization Orchard Food (fruit, nuts, insects) and shelter Cuttings and fertilizer Yard Food (grass, works, insects) Pest control, manure, fire control Forest Food The permaculture lens is a framework that helps you evaluate any element in a complex system. Using this permaculture tool, we can examine its Needs and Yields, as well as its behaviour and characteristics. This helps us get to know each existing or potential element of a system better. And most of all, we can link the needs of one element to yields of another, in a way that we can stack as many functions as possible. You are aiming at the most interconnected network of relations, as they create a symbiotic and resilient “dynamic stability” of your system. The permaculture lens can be applied to anything, from a single plant to a group of animals, a greenhouse, a pond, a house, a project, a person, a community, or even an entire bioregion! The yields of one element in a system can meet the needs of another element in the system. Just list its needs, its yields, its behaviours and characteristics, and seek out symbiotic connections to other elements in your system. Because permaculture is about co-creating a WEBWORK of relationships, and we can get there through Needs & Yields analysis. 118 The Food Cycle As we start combining needs and yields we realise that everything in nature is part of a cycle. One of the most important is the food cycle. Unfortunately, in our current system, the food cycle is broken. Reframing our thinking to create no waste and seek yield from every activity, allows us to redesign the food cycle back into a closed circle. Grow Eat Excrete Return to soil (compost) Intact Chemical Fertilizers Grow Eat Discard Waste & pollution Broken Creating a sustainable local food system is one of the most important components of designing your village and neighbourhood. 119 Resilience Through Diversity Biodiversity is a critical factor of a thriving ecosystem. A diverse system is more likely to have elements with multiple functions, and will thus be able to handle and adapt to greater complexity, while creating synergies that encourage the entire system to thrive. An example of a healthy and diverse system can be seen in the different layers of a food forest: 1. Canopy (large fruit and nut trees) 2. Low tree layer (dwarf fruit trees) 3. Shrub layer (currants and berries) 4. Herbaceous layer 5. Rhizosphere (root crops) 6. Soil surface (ground cover crops) 7. Vertical layer (climbers, vines) A multi-layered forest creates a thriving ecosystem through numerous symbiotic processesf c improves the soil through nitrogen fixing and preventing erosioh c creates balanced water drainage and retentioh c provides necessary shadp c creates natural mulch, compost and fertilisen c provides high productivity and yielr c attractes wildlife and controlling pests 120 Restoring Natural Water Cycles Water is life. The way we treat and move water is fundamental for how ecosystems, the climate, and human culture develop. Most global water-related crises, such as water scarcity, drought, desertification, flooding, rising sea levels, and climate change, are symptoms of a long-term mismanagement of rainwater and vegetation, resulting in global disruptions to natural water cycles. The New Water Paradigm provides a regenerative model of water management, designed to restore ecosystems and climate. The key components are decentralised natural water movement, local rainwater retention, and reforestation – each of them contributing to restoring natural water cycles, and thus addressing global ecological challenges from the ground up. 121 Living Soil 87% of life forms on this planet – microbes, worms, insects, birds, animals, human beings, plants, trees and every other vegetation is sustained by an average of 39 inches of topsoil. –Sadhguru Ensuring that our soil is alive, rich, and fertile is vital to avoid an ecological disaster. Thriving soil comes with a wide range of benefits, from growing naturally nutritious food, supporting the flourishing of biodiversity, to restoring natural water cycles. How to build healthy soil? 7 Make compost part of your routine: vermicompost, thermophilic, bokashi.., Avoid tillage, pesticides and fertilisers 7 Protect bare soil with mulch 7 Chop & drop to create hummus 7 Use Biochar and mycelium to supercharge your soils 7 Eat less meat: 77% of agricultural land is used to raise animals and their food 122 Activating your community Your community can be the greatest asset to help you regenerate the land. Here are a few examples of community initiatives9 Start a community garde1 Planting actions, reforestation gathering Seed exchange day and/or start a seed ban Regenerative agriculture knowledge exchange day Guerilla operations (seed bombing, painting cycling lanes on roads at nights, magical transformations under the cover of darkness Garden / forestry workshops for schools and kindergarten Regenerative festival Initiatives to raise awareness (eg. documentary screenings, talks, workshops, etc. Working with traditional farmers to encourage transition to regenerative agricultur& Environmental cleanups 123 Chapter 6 Beyond Your Village 124 Part 1 past Artificial Borders 125 Your Village belongs to a bioregion If Nature were to draw a map of the world what would it look like? A biogeographic division of Eath’s land surface identifies 8 distinct biogeographic zones, further subdivided into 185 bioregions. A bioregion is a geographical area defined by ecological system and cultural relatedness, rather than political boundaries. Which one do you call home? “our economies need to be grounded in the physical flows of material and energy at regional scales. In a word, the future of humanity (if there is one) will need to be bioregional.” – Joe Brewer 126 Ecoregions And Watersheds World’s bioregions can be subdivided into 867 smaller areas called ecoregions. These are ecologically and geographically defined zones with a distinct combination of natural communities and species. Another useful natural boarders to consider are watersheds – areas where all flowing surface water converges to a single body of water, such as a river mouth, lake or ocean. TDF’s water basin in the Iberian peninsula is Sado-Mira River Basin 127 Greater Whole The source of a project’s regenerative potential does not lie within the project itself, but in its relationship to the larger systems within which it is nested. Project Dynamic Relationship Proximate Whole Greater Whole Proximate whole is the project’s “place”. It is coherent and bounded, usually by natural features of the landscape and cultural agreement. The greater whole is a larger system in which the proximate whole is embedded. Places are alive. They are complex, dynamic living systems, just as our projects are. They are the source of potential that a project can realise. This implies we shift our emphasis from the project onto the larger whole and living context in which the project is embedded – it’s place – and find the unique contribution the project is called to make to the greater Whole. 128 Mapping Actors, Values Exchange & Relationships System mapping allows a village to build deep understanding of its unique context, with its driving forces, network of relationships between various nodes, and potential systemic shortcomings. A B C D E Nodes Connections In order to map multidimensional interconnected and dynamics systems, a village has a variety of system mapping tools at their disposal, providing practical ways to explore the system, identify knowledge gaps, find intervention points and cultivate insights. Behaviour over time graphs Iceberg Model Casual Loop Diagrams a b c d e Connected Circles 129 Your Village DNA In The Context Of Your natural Defined Region Once you mapped out all the actors, relationships, synergies and ecosystem of your natural surrounding region, you can come back to your vision. It is a good moment to narrow down your focus and become an artful participant into the greater whole. A balanced way of revising your village DNA in the context of your bioregion (or the river basin region if that is more suitable for your context) is finding the sweet spot between holding on to your village vision and purpose while aligning with the needs of the region. You can do anything, but can’t do everything! It’s the combination of projects with their unique contributions that creates a rich, diverse and nourishing environment, meeting various needs of the region and its inhabitants. Here are a few “niche” villages in the Sado-Mira Water Basin in Portugal Tamera – Peace Research Village F Traditional Dream Factory – Regenerative Playground for Living & CoCreating F Monte Mimo – Regenerative Farming F Espaço Nativa – Integrative & Experimental space for cooperation 130 Interdependent Clusters Of Nearby Communities There are numerous potent ways to create value adding relationships between villages and communities, based on proximity, reciprocal exchanges, and shared needs. Build inter-village infrastructure: – Water storage – Roads – Green Corridors – Working Groups (Inter-village circles) – Education Exchange and/or share resources: – Tools & machines – Labour – Expertise – Food – Products – Energy – Seeds & seedlings Build Alliances: – Legal structures – Lobbying – Activism – Regional grants applications 131 Part 2 Culture Shift 132 Shift In Cultural Mindset New Earth New Culture Old Paradigm Mechanistic Top Down Linear Control Cometitive Shareholder value Financial wealth New Paradigm Natural/ Living Ecosystemic Circular/Spiral Cultivation Interconnected/Cooperative EcoSystem Value Multi capital value New Earth Needs New Culture From the Old Paradigm Mechanistic Top Down Linear Control Competitive Shareholder value Financial wealth To the New Paradigm Natural/ Living Ecosystemic Circular/Spiral Cultivation Interconnected/Cooperative EcoSystem Value Multi capital value At the intra-psychic level: ² ¤ From fear to trust, ² ¤ From more to less, ² ¤ From hustle mentality to flow state, ² ¤ From a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset, ² ¤ From fragmented consciousness to biosphere consciousness ² ¤ From suppressing to integrating your emotions, ² ¤ From deriving your self-worth from how much money you make to how much you contribute At the interpersonal level ¤ From independence to interdependence, ² ¤ From hiding things to radical honesty ¤ From wearing a mask to being your true authentic self, ² ¤ From blaming others to taking radical responsibility At the societal level: ² ¤ From competition to collaboration, ² ¤ From hierarchies to horizontal leadership ¤ From blindly following authority to deep inquir® ¤ From a punitive justice to a compassionate and supporting one, ² ¤ From Closed to Open (see the open movement), 133 Growing the Movement Through Storytelling Sci-fi was a driver and inspiration for the technological innovation we see today. There is a need for new narratives to drive inspiration for the regenerative movement. Books are no longer the most common form of media. How can we create and use the new, cutting edge, immersive forms of media to inspire the next generation to live regeneratively? 134 MEMES Memes are a great ways to spread a message. The stronger the memetic gene is, the further the message travels. Perhaps we can shift from bombarding people with fear-based climate and social justice doomsday preaching, towards bringing more lightheartedness, humorous and sarcastic memes. Never estimate the power of comedy – it can travel far wider than fear. 135 The Magic Of Gatherings Cultivating high trust healthy relationships, reprogramming degenerative behaviours, and practicing effective collaboration is way more effective in a shared physical space. Gatherings catalyse culture change – on a collective and individual level* : Data loss via digital means (no subtle body language! : Physical proximity and touch cultivates belonginB : Uninterrupted coordinated attention increases group efficienc& : Spontaneous context exchang6 : Effective marketplace for matching needs and offer9 : Behaviour modeling capacity Gatherings to experience0 : Rainbow Gathering9 : Burning Man (US), Afrika Burn (South Africa), Nowhere (Spain), and Regional Burns> : Re:Buil3 : Gathering of the Tribe9 : ReFi Spring > : Primal GatherinB : Being Gathering 136 Valuing Wisdom Of Our Elders Amplifying the transgenerational lens Until recently, multiple generations were living under the same roof. With the rise of suburban areas and the push for young, successful adults to have their own homes, we moved away from multi-generation homes. This means that older folks are often put into nursing homes and much of their wisdom is not readily available to the younger generations and eventually gets lost. In a regenerative society where we value the vault of experiential capital that older people possess, we can build structures to placing thriving elders at the centre of our communities, and support healthy, happy and long life. 137 Part 3 Regenerative economics 138 The great Transition to a regenerative economy Conventional Green Sustainable Restorative Regenerative LESS energy & materials required Holistic Thinking Mechanistic Design Patterns Reductionist Thinking Natural System Design Partx REGENERATING DEGENERATING MORE energy & materials required Transitioning to a regenerative economy means moving away from extractive business models and unlocking the potential for positive contributions for nature and society. Regenerative economy applies to institutions, businesses, and communities that create conditions for regenerative living systems—people and nature—to thrive in perpetuity. This is the only viable solution to the myriad problems facing us socially, environmentally, and economically today in a world increasingly out of balance. A regenerative economy will not emerge through some purely technocratic or top-down process. It will not come from a government mandate or simply by accruing market share from the conventionally unsustainable sector and calling it growth. A regenerative economy can be distinguished by the positive and progressive contributions it makes to society, while striving to use the minimum amount of resources. 139 Beyond money: a Resource-Based Economy A Resource Based Economy (RBE) is a forward-thinking socio-economic system in which all our planet’s resources are declared as commons, and are managed in a decentralised, but uniform way. It represents a fully fledged proposal on how a regenerative economic system might function. The ultimate goal of RBE is optimisation of resources rather than profit. Our current paradigm incentivises illogical and wasteful practices such as sending salmon that has been caught in Norway all the way to China for packaging, and then send it back to Norway for distribution. This occurs because it will generate more financial gain, regardless of the wastefulness of resources in the process. RBE suggest the opposite approach – finding the most efficient use of resources, without the use of money, barter, credits, or any other system of debt or servitude. The concept of RBE is based upon the premise that Earth is abundant and contains enough resources to grant clean water, food, shelter, clothing, energy, and other essential needs, to every member of the population, beyond the current highest standards of living. The problem is that these resources are currently not efficiently accessed and managed. In a RBE, appropriate technologies (Automation, the Internet of Things (IoT), A.I…) would help manage resources efficiently and allocate them based on needs rather than artificial scarcity intended to prop up marketplaces. 140 benefits of a Resource-Based Economy There are many potential benefits of using a RBE compared to the current scarcity-based systemS s Higher degree of species and civilisation sustainability through circular design, waste optimisation and efficient management of resources, s The eradication of poverty resulting in a massive increase in wellbeing and happiness – numerous studies agree that income inequality is an important predictor of happiness, s A world without wars. Most wars are started because nations-states compete for access to resources. In this new paradigm, the incentives to start an armed conflict become moot, s A sharp reduction in violence. crime rates and inequality are positively correlated, hence by eradicating inequalities, violence should plummet and may even become a thing of the past, s Increased human fulfilment and happiness thanks to utility free living; liberation from the rat race. People can focus on the upper echelons of Maslow’s pyramid of needs and work on what truly excite them (intrinsic motivation). By valuing resources instead of money, in a RBE “economising” means finding way of obtaining the same output by using less resources. This leads to the circular economy and regenerative loops to be embedded into the economic system by design, instead of being a trendy thing to do for the environment (and often a greenwashing practice). 141 Transition to a post-scarcity Society It could be possible that in order to get to a post-scarcity society, our current capitalistic socioeconomic system might first have to collapse. However, many of the conceptual, technological and physical infrastructure that a RBE would require to function already exists in the world today. Many concepts and trends aligning at least partially with RBE functionality are already getting momentum, such as access vs ownership, antifragile systems (eg. blockchain technology), and automation (eg. artificial intelligence). Here is a list of movements and projects advocating for a RBE; 9 The Venus Project 3 9 The Zeitgeist Movemen, 9 The Resource Based Economy Foundatio1 9 The Auravana project 3 9 SharebaC 9 The Holistic Earth Operating Syste. 9 Moneyless Society 142 The Open Movement Open Source Open Science Open Data Open Access Open Govenment Open Peer Review We find ourselves at a critical moment in time where who owns information controls the future. Today’s closed digital economy leads towards growing inequalities, and power becoming more and more concentrated into a handful of tech monopolies who control how we think and vote. The digital revolution can either usher in digital dictatorships or digital democracies. If we want an equitable and innovative future, we need an open revolution where information is freely available to anyone. Open source has become a movement and a way of working that reaches beyond software production. It encompasses open data, open government, open science, and much more. The Open Movement uses the values and decentralised production model of open source software to find, share and improve on solutions to many of the world’s most pressing problems in a spirit of transparency, collaboration, re-use and free access. 143 Towards The Gift Economy Although the world around seems to mostly operate using global currencies, most human economic activities are actually rooted in the gift economy. Instead of monetary gain, gift economies often rely on intangible rewards like a sense of contribution, community, honor or prestige. What would happen if as a society we would seek to satisfy our needs as gifts in our closer circles of trust? What if we would be giving primacy to relation and trust building across economic participants, instead of continuosly falling back into the markets? Rare Metals FIAT Currency Crypto Tokens Asset Backed Mutual Credit Smart Barter Reputation Accounting Gift Relationship & Trust Sustainability 144 Gift Bins what if everything that goes into the Trash bin was a gift? food waste Thriving soil Stuff Circular flow & Deconsumerism Packaging The art of multifunctional packaging 145 Part 4 Towards Connected Networks 146 Towards A Network State It is extremely hard to reform deeply ingrained and corrupt structures. We need a fresh start, a clean slate without historical constraints. By designing new governance models that are more fair and truly democratic, we can peacefully overcome existing structures as people will naturally leave the old world behind to gravitate towards fairer ways of organising. “To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete” – Buckminster Fuller Through developing synergies for collaborations at larger scales and levels of complexity, we can become a networked state gaining more and more influence and political power, thus allowing us to offer an alternative to the current economic system. The larger commons-oriented networks of communities grow, the greater the likelihood that this new way of living and coordinating can become the new attractor for our civilisation. 147 Global Village Operating System As a networked community, we can choose how to economically interact with each other and with the planet. Based on web3 technologies, an ecology of digital systems and tools are emerging, aimed at the facilitation of the flow of resource, people, expertise, ideas, knowledge, services, goods, tools and resources across the regenerative villages and initiatives. These technologies allow us to embed our value systems directly within our accounting and economic system, beyond what the monetary system, taxation and legislation have been able to achieve so far. Besides mapping the flow of where the needs and the resources are, these planetary operating systems can be designed to incentivise behaviours which regenerate rather than deplete our common resource pool and our planet. Examples: The Holistic Earth Operating System, Economic Space Agency, Re:Source 148 Closer Closer is an example of a digital interface that bridges regenerative landbased projects with blockchain technology. It is an open source, collectively crafted and co-owned by the projects that use it. Closer allows regenerative land-projects to deploy their own ERC20 token to give their members access to utilities, such as for example access to coliving places and governance influence (Proof of Presence and Proof of Sweat). It also has flows for projects to onboard their members, to list their events and sell tickets and to do accommodation / stay bookings and management. Closer is now working on building its own designing system, which includes designing a Liquidity Pool for land-based projects token exchange and a methodology to have projects on Closer collectively deciding on the userjourneys to be built. 149 Building the Global web3 village As the network of regenerative villages around the world grows, we can apply web3 principles to create more interdependence and foster a collaborative economy. Token swaps between villages Swap tokens with villages that are aligned with your values, and create incentives to support each others success. Index pools for holding multiple village tokens Simplify investment into a range of villages. Can be created through funds like index.coop or accelerator/DAOs, such as Regen Civics. Cross village DAO teams (guilds) Allowing guilds of special crafts (design, permaculture, architecture etc) to support multiple projects to increase efficiency in the entire ecosystem. Village tokens decentralised exchanges Creating portals providing liquidity and transferability between villages. 150 Chapter 6 Epilogue Core Aspects of A Regenerative Paradigm By Lennart Henning 151 Core Aspects of a Regenerative Paradigm Entering a regenerative paradigm requires a profound shift of perspective in regards to the fundamental aspects of life. These aspects include: 0. 1 – Cyclicality 0.2 – Integration 0.3 – Embracing of trauma and shadow 0.4 – The self as relationship 0.5 – Embodiment The current paradigm of extraction, separation and scarcity is the result of a partial relationship with life and vitality. It is an overemphasis of creation coupled with a denial of death. In a regenerative paradigm the reaction of judgment and exclusion is replaced by the response of inquiry through the nurturing of calm, curious, compassionate, courageous, confident, clear, creative, and connected selfleadership. It is a radical reorientation towards our fears and discomforts, becoming intimate and related with what we avoid the most. 152 Cyclicality Regeneration is not a fancy new word for “environmentally conscious” or “sustainable”, regeneration is a total recognition of the waves and cycles life is constantly engaging in: Birth, Maintenance, and Death. These three fundamental qualities represent the fullness of life, the possibility of vitality, the dance of syntropy and entropy, the breathing of the living cosmos, evolution and involution, the lovemaking of light and dark, the perfection of life. Regeneration is not a purely creative process, it is a cyclical process. A regenerative culture overcomes separation and ceases the denial of death as an elementary part of this cycle and recognizes its regenerative and life affirming essence. Death, destruction and disintegration are creating the fertile soil life is rebirthing itself within continuously. Honoring the seasonality of vitality with conscious time for regeneration, pause and hibernation as communities and individuals honors this cyclicality. 153 Integration One of the core capacities necessary for the manifestation of a regenerative paradigm is integration. Integration isn’t an act of fixing or manipulation, it is a total recognition of the interdependent and undivided nature of everything. This recognition invites a new perspective of humility, where every aspect of life, however dark and uncomfortable, is embraced as vital and valuable partial truth that has to be included in our identity, sense of self, knowledge, values and collective agency. Integration is the capacity for dialogue, it transcends contradiction (thesis and antithesis) with inclusivity (synthesis) through the application of curiosity, humility, courage, self-sourced safety and compassion. Beyond this, integration also acknowledges the continuous developmental journey humanity is on, including the awareness of its current collective adolescence and the transitory nature of everything we think to be true. 154 Shadow & Trauma A regenerative culture is a shift in our relationship to collective and personal trauma and shadow. Trauma is a phenomenon that arises in a dissociated state of an overwhelmed nervous system, leading to a fragmentation of our memory. These fragmented memories revisit us as flashbacks from the past, that without our awareness merge with our present moment experience and create disproportionate or inappropriate reactions to the present based on survival instincts and coping mechanisms that drastically limit our ability for creativity and compassion and perpetuate states of victimization that strip us from our agency. Shadows are the parts of our personality and values that we have willfully disidentified with from an innocent need for belonging and being accepted in our communities. They lead to judgments, projections and denial, disconnecting us from our true creativity and our original innocence. In a regenerative culture these disintegrated parts of our collective and individual memory and personality are neither denied, nor overcome, they are embraced and appreciated as the untapped resources and perspectives they are. They are recognized as our original innocence that hold tremendous gifts within the forgotten underworld of our collective humanity that have value and are a portal to wholeness and deep ecology. 155 The self as relationship A regenerative paradigm recognizes the transitory nature of the self and its constructed identities. Who we think we are is an idea that we attach to and identify with, it is not substantial or subjective per se. Understanding this, allows us to become aware of the relationships that create this transitory experience of the self. It makes room for fluidity and flow, for continuous expansion of identity, not getting fixated on ideas of who we are, and replacing the reflex of self with a surrender to the alive cyclical process of an ever expanding identification more and more of what is alive. Within that process-awareness, we can practice compassion with our current limitations of identification and create the resources to continue letting go and grow into more of who we are, every day, again and again. This attitude is the fertile ground for profound intimacy with each other, the planet, the parts of ourselves that still create discomfort, and life as such. 156 Embodiment A regenerative culture isn’t possible merely through cognitive inquiry and knowledge, by answering scientific questions in our collective minds, it can’t be met by reason, by ideas, by technology, by politics, by supranational agreements, by words or by merely cognitive approaches. It requires a profound and humble, direct, embodied, reciprocal relationship with the whole living ecology, with our hands and hearts deeply immersed in the soils and the waters of this alive earth, with reverence, attention, dedication, and devotion. It needs us as a collective to ground abstract concepts through embodied experience, relationally, within our bodies, between our bodies and in touch with the living soils. We need to feel, smell, taste, and breath-in the soil that is birthing us every moment, listening to its music, and also let it breathe us and fill us with its profound primordial wisdom, as it already knows the answers we are looking for. 157 Chapter 6 Epilogue Regeneration At Sea By Raissa Teles and Christoff Brockhoff 158 Regeneration at Sea creating an autonomous zone on a sailboat While this book is focused on building regenerative communities at land, this section is dedicated to anyone thinking about building a regenerative community at sea. A sailboat is an autonomous zone surrounded by water, disconnected from the constant availability of resources of life on land, such as energy, fresh water and even food. For some, this might be challenging, for others, a wonderful invitation to put in practice a series of real sustainable practices to live healthy, simple and in harmony with the ocean and ourselves. Here a few key considerations and resources for regenerative pirates: Water Living on a boat certainly helps to develop a higher awareness of water consumption and conservation. If you are not a sea crossing sailor, finding natural ponds to fill your tanks is always a good adventure and opportunity to meet local communities. Collecting rainwater is also a very important practice aboard. Once having a good battery bank together with a clean energy production, having a watermaker aboard is a good solution, transforming seawater into sweet water. It is important to remember that the water used aboard usually comes with other products, may it be for showering, washing dishes or cleaning the deck. Even with the appropriate grey water treatment aboard and the usage of holding tanks, it is primordial to ONLY use biodegradable and environmentally friendly products, which leads us to the next point. Products and Trash A sailboat is like a floating island: everything you do, goes back to the water. That means that all cosmetic and cleaning products have to be 100% biodegradable. Ideally, you can even make your own products yourself, with some natural ingredients such as coconut oil, vinegar, lemon and herbs. Another very important point to remember is the fact that on a boat, you simply don’t want trash. By the way, the term “trash” does not exist in nature – this is a human creation. So keep your sailboat plastic free, reuse glass bottles, be creative to upcycle and have only what you need. There is no room for excess. 159 Energy & Propulsion Renewable energy is one of the main pillars to consider for creating a regenerative community on a sailboat. Reducing the need for electronics and choosing manual handling of the ship as much as possible is the first step. But still, energy is needed. One common way to produce energy on a boat is, of course, through solar panels and wind turbines. However, for bigger sailing vessels, this is not enough. A hydrogenerator is the only renewable power source that can provide a large sailing ship with enough energy for the use of modern technology on board. Hydrogenerators are attached underneath the hull and work in the opposite way as a ship’s propeller. Instead of the propeller powering the ship, the ship powers the propeller, which turns a generator that produces electricity when the ship is sailing. You may also consider using a biodigester to convert human and kitchen waste into gas for cooking. Another brilliant idea is to use human power to produce energy in the ocean through rowing machines coupled to generators. Late studies have shown that one of the most sustainable battery options are saltwater batteries, which are non-flammable, non-toxic, easy to recycle, have wide temperature-tolerance, and can last for more than 15 years. Ideally, a regenerative boat does not use any kind of fuel engine, however, some people might consider it important to have an engine for entering harbours and avoiding dangerous situations. There are a few solutions for electric engines that are able to regenerate their batteries while sailing – making operations carbon neutral and completely silent. Food and Health Living in the ocean is magical, but also rough. Wind, salt water, constant movement, physical stress and constant exposure to weather changes requires vibrant health and a flowing vital energy. If you get hurt or sick there, you can not call your doctor. You can only rely on yourself, your fellow crew members and of course, Mother Nature. In order to keep your physical, mental and emotional bodies happy and strong at sea, it is important to have an organic, nurturing kitchen, with as little packaging as possible. This also comes together with working on a smart food provisioning and the ability to stock and ferment food aboard. Growing food aboard is challenging, but possible. Hydroponics systems are definitely one option to consider. Sprouting is also a wonderful way to eat healthy and living food without the need of a fridge (which many boats don’t have). Growing mushrooms is another possibility, although a bit challenging due to the need of certain equipment and the control of temperature and moisture. However, there are mushroom kits for indoor production that were already tested on boats. We could also see the ocean as the liquid land around us, where instead of harvesting vegetables, we can practice conscious fishing. That means: artisanal fishing methods that are aligned with moon phases and the fish breeding timing. We only catch what we eat, and for every fish we kill, we give back to the ocean supporting marine breeding associations around the seven seas. 160 Once you get organic fresh veggies and fruits from ports or local farmers, there is a need to find smart and easy solutions to stock your food and keep a happy crew. Some of the possibilities are: sun drying methods to dehydrate food, fermentation methods such as sauerkraut, kimchi and other pickled vegetables. This is also a great way to eat healthy without the need of a fridge (which consumes lots of electricity aboard). Governance Pirates are known to have been some of the most democratic, fair and liberal communities of its time. However, in times of attack, they installed a temporary dictatorship, in order to move fast, coordinate and guarantee safety of all. Coping with the dangers of the open sea requires experience and leadership. A community at sea therefore needs to employ a dualistic power structure: a mixture of holocracy and democracy, where the leader (captain) can be chosen from time to time according to experience and trust. Last, but not least Living on a sailboat is an invitation to rethink life on Earth. It disconnects us from the noises of modern society and attunes us to nature and it’s cycles, connecting us to our own human nature. The lack of space aboard makes us rethink consumption and live a life where less is more. Sailing is the art of navigating with the winds and waves, and is the best teacher to turn rush into presence. Once aboard and miles away at sea, there is no way to run out. Therefore, conflicts need to be solved right away, conscious and non violent communication needs to be practiced between all crew members, and mental and emotional health need to be cared for and treated as priority. Regenerating ourselves and our relationships aboard is a matter of survival. They say that the one who sinks a boat is not the sea, but the crew. I guess that’s what has been happening on our spaceship earth: the wrong crew is in command, and it’s time for a mutiny. Creating intentional communities at sea can be one of the solutions for shifting from the old to a new paradigm, where we can practice a regenerative culture based on love and spread new possibilities for building the New Era throughout the seven seas. 162 Chapter 6 Epilogue Find The Others 163 Find Your Village There are many regenerative villages emerging all around the world. They are waiting for you to become involved! How to find the right village for you? 1. Inner exploration. Tune into yourself to understand what are you looking for. Visualise your ideal village experience. 2. Research. Ask around. Explore the New Earth Ecosystem Database from Gaianet and the Map of Meaningful Communities from Agartha. 3. Feel which village calls you. Start there. 4. Immerse Yourself. Visit. Volunteer. Meet people. Become a part of the culture. 5. Explore and expand. Finding your village might feel like finding a soulmate. There’s a lot to choose from and it takes time to get to know each other. Take your time and explore. Once you find it, you will know. 165 Find Your Support Network you are not alone If you’re building a village, find a community of village builders. Peer support + Relational thinking +Belonging Communities ] Microsolidarity Network – community of community builder[ ] Global Ecovillage Networm ] Re-build – community of village builder[ ] Regen Networm ] Regen Civics Alliancb ] Regen Tribe 166 Resources And References This book weaves together a vast and constantly expanding ecosystem of knowledge. Use the QR code to access all the links, and feel free to add missing pieces! This book weaves together a vast and constantly expanding ecosystem of knowledge. Use the QR code to access all the links, and feel free to add missing pieces! 167 Chapter 6 Beyond Your Village PAGE INDEX 168 Book Cover About This Book Welcome To Version 0.9! Authors A Wave of Gratitude Table Of Contents 1. Personal Regeneration 1.1. Self Define Your Future Vision Start Where You Are Choose Your Dogmas Have a Tea With Your Personal Moloch 1.2. Self + Community Everything That Lives Grows Inside of Something Else Microsolidarity Tools For Cultivating Intimacy Orientation and Cycles How to Embody Superorganisms Artful Participation And Celebrating Boundaries The Downward Spiral of Degenerative Behaviour Reenacting Old Patterns From The Collective Shadow 1.3. Community People Before Projects Define the DNA of Your Village Turn Culture Into An Object How Permeable Is Your Community Membrane? Find Commonalities, Respect Differences Make Space For Privacy and Self Time How to Address Conflict The Intangible Art of Holding Space If You Want to Change the Group, First Change the Subgroup Embrace Realistic Level of Engagement Create Rituals To Nurture Your Village How To Start A Sharing Circle The ARC Process Make Space For Play Chapter 6 Beyond Your Village PAGE INDEX 2. Legal and Governance 2.1 How To Make Decisions Together Who Decides, How To Decide And How To Decide How To Make Decisions? Consent or Consensus? Fractal Community The Flow of Power Liquid Delegation The Advice Process Nurturing Participation Reward Mechanisms Motivation Design Principles For Managing Common Resources Biomimicry 2.2 Building Decentralised Autonomous Villages How We Got Here Legal Entities Do You Need a DAO? How To Make a DAO IRL DAOs Pros and Cons of Various Legal Jurisdictions Choose Your Legal Representation Legal Pirates The Pirate Chest of Alternatives Land Based Projects And Governance Examples 170 Chapter 6 Beyond Your Village PAGE INDEX 3. Funds and Capital Money Moloch Healing the Money Shadow 8 Forms Of Capital Funkonomy Library of Things Human Capital Accounting And Resources Management Systems Resource Event Agent Open Value Networks Alternative Value Networks Beyond Accounting – An Earth Resource Management System Business Plan Income Streams NFTs Example Communities – How They Raised Capital Originally Exit Strategy 170 Chapter 6 Beyond Your Village PAGE INDEX 4. Infrastructure 4.1 Vision Visioning Draw Your Dream Village Your Village As A Living Being No Template Fits All 4.2 Observe and Plan From Cloud To Ground What Not To F**K Up! What if You F**Ked up? Village Design Lenses Your Needs Inform Solutions 4.3 Build Balance Temporary or Permanent From Camp To Utopia Village in A Box Building Methods And Materials How to Bring The Water Back Local Energy Production Holistic System Design 171 Chapter 6 Beyond Your Village PAGE INDEX 5. Regenerating Nature 5.1 We Are Part Of Nature Humans In The Context Of Nature Be Nature, My Friend Layers Of Connecting With Nature How To Connect With Nature Natural Learning Cycle Lunar Alignment Solar Alignment Outer = Inner Regeneration Food As Medicine For Personal Regeneration The Values You Embody Seen Beyond Your Body Magical Folk And Critters Of The Land 5.2 How To Regenerate Nature Regenerative Frameworks Permaculture Ethics And Principles Permaculture Zoning The Permaculture Lens The Food Cycle Resilience Through Diversity Restoring Natural Water Cycles Living Soil Activating Your Community 172 Chapter 6 Beyond Your Village PAGE INDEX 6. Beyond Your Village 6.1 Past Artificial Boarders Your Village Belongs To A Bioregion Ecoregions And Watersheds Greater Whole Mapping Actors, Values Exchange And Relationships Your Village DNA In The Context Of Your Natural Defined Region Interdependent Clusters Of Nearby Communities 6.2 Culture Shift New Earth Needs New Culture Growing the Movement Through Storytelling Memes The Magic Of Gatherings Valuing Wisdom Of Our Elders 6.3 Regenerative Economics The Great Transition To A Regenerative Economy Beyond Money – A Resource Based Economy Benefits Of A Resource Based Economy Transition To A Post-Scarcity Society The Open Movement Towards the Gift Economy Gift Bins 6.3 Towards Connected Networks Towards A Network State Global Village Operating Systems Closer Building the Global web3 village 173 Chapter 6 Beyond Your Village PAGE INDEX Epilogue: Core Aspects Of A Regenerative Paradigm Core Aspects of a Regenerative Paradigm Cyclicality Integration Shadow & Trauma The Self As Relationship Embodiment Epilogue: Regeneration At Sea Regeneration at Sea Epilogue: Find The Others Find Your Village Find Your Support Network Resources And References Page Index 174
