Ecosystem Restoration Communities offers a profound solution to land degradation, ecosystem destruction and the disconnect between humankind and nature. We do this by building naturally constructed communities on land that is highly degraded, and welcoming people to stay at the camp and learn how to restore land back to fertility. The communities also focus on teaching people skills in how to be radically sustainable, such as how to grow their own food, how to live zero waste, and how to … Read more
Vision Quest Rites of passage for personal transition
Vision quest is a rites of passage usually undertooken by native americans and brought into a modern context. It is a very powerfull time for people to prepare for transistion (or confirmation), go out into solitude & wilderness and then come back into a community to share their gifts. Usually it is hosted by experienced guides or elders and in its full length it consists of 4 days preperation, 4 days/nights of solotime in nature and 4 days of integration. But the basic flow and the … Read more
Reconnecting to Society Reconnecting ones Ideas with the “reality” of the society around us.
Creating situations where people can reconnect their ideas with the existing reality still in a “safe surrounding” is an important feedback loop and supports them and helps to clarify their ideas. To really start up a project and create something in our world it always needs both parts. Our ideas and idealism need to be connected with the frames and possibilities of our world. This feedback loop can be a “controlled failure” where we see what resonates and what not. References: no … Read more
Presenting your Project show your gifts and learn
Presenting your project is a great tool for many things: ● It helps you become more clear within yourself because you have to think about what you want to tell ● You can get great feedback from others and learn ● It is an important part in giving birth to your project: by talking the world starts to see it. So do it. This can be done in many ways (and is a fine art) here are some: ● create a poster (with premaid topics) and speak about that in front of one person, a group or an … Read more
Systems Blindness Overcoming blind spots in planning for sustainability : spatial and temporal systems blindness
The first problem is exacerbated because problems like atmospheric pollution are increasingly cause by millions of small, incremental damaging contributions to the biosphere (eg aerosols, car exhausts) rather than large scale, more obvious ones (like oil spills, factories). It is a death from a million tiny cuts. We see the parts but not the hole: out of sight is out of mind. This is spatial blindness The second issue, temporal systems blindness, is caused because problems are often … Read more
Shadow Work Dark and light are part of us.
Human shadow is often seen as ‘negative’, because we tend to reject or deny or suppress or disown the less desirable aspects of our personality. But on the other hand: in these shadows are fundamental energies of ourselves that are supporting us to become ‘whole’. Shadow work is the conscious work to look on what we “are not” or “dont want to be”: on those parts of ourselfes that we cut off from ourselves. But: if we cut off a part, it still stays part of us and is lived unawarely. … Read more
TERRITORIAL APPROACH Rooting a project to strengthen its power
The territorial approach is part of a local development strategy, usually designed by a group of stakeholders. The territorial approach is used worldwide in a diversity of situations and sectors, such as Rural development, Food security and nutrition, Climate change, etc. The main elements of the method can be useful for entrepreneurs to design meaningful activities and work in the long run: - Assess material and immaterial resources available on the territory; - Identify needs, which are … Read more
Systems Leverage Points Places to Intervene in a System.
Donella Meadows proposed a list of suggestions to consider as likely areas for systems change. Her list is not, by her own admission, a definitive one and should be viewed as a guide. By considering the possible leverage points we can more easily consider carefully where we might intervene. Caution must be exercised as complex systems are often counterintuitive in their reactions. References Donella Meadows Institute, Leverage Pointsplaces to intervene in a … Read more
GeoRelations and Design Where places, spaces and people meet
GeoRelations and Design where we explore and work with the relationships within specific places and spaces of different scales, from countries, regions and cities, to villages, buildings and rooms. There is also online space and our inner space. Together, we then prepare and design these places and spaces so that they can receive the seeds of the new/ the next that wants to be planted and emerge there. Preparing the soil is a metaphor for preparing and clear our systems to receive … Read more
Empowered Fundraising Raising funds through building relationships
See the need to fundraise as an opportunity to build community. In asking someone for money, we are actually offering them the opportunity to engage with a meaningful project and with us personally. Who is really giving here? The aim is to build diverse networks of support and ongoing engagement. We also see that even when we receive a ‘no’ there is an opportunity to gain new information and to build our networks. References: ● Twist,Lynne The Soul of Money: Reclaiming the Wealth of Our … Read more
