Toward Resource Self-sufficiency – One Region at a Time
by Philip Norton Loheed
As president of Earthos Institute, I have helped to create Bioregional Urbanism, a process to encourage changes back to “One Planet Living.” This is the seventh of 10 installments describing Bioregional Design principles.
A core question:
Gulf Transect
What investments, profitable now, will benefit resilience and self-sufficiency of our communities as negative feedback from natural systems occurs in the future?
Beyond Bioregional Urbanism in the Boston Bioregion, the Gulf of Maine Workgroup, lead by Glenn Page and Sam Matey, has connected a variety of far-flung thinkers who represent a wide range of concerns – Paul Hawkin’s so called “Blessed Unrest” cadre…
Geodesign by Carl Steinitz et al at Harvard, with Brien Orland and Dan Meehan. (BTW: The Earthos method of Bioregional Urbanism is a comprehensive form of Geodesign).
Creating City Portraits with Kate Raworth (a product of the Thriving Cities Initiative).
The Story of Place with Bill Reed, a co-founder of LEED rating system, and the concept of regenerative economics.
Three Dimensions of Transformations with Tim Strasser PhD, a researcher at University of Maastricht.
Transformations Systems with Steve Waddell, a leader in the SDG Transformations Forum.
Phases of Transformation with Per Olsson, of the Stockholm Resilience Center.
Principles of Blue Marble Evaluation with Michael Quinn Patton, aspects of change making.
IUCN Nature Based Solutions with Julian Colomer: Using nature for benefits to biodiversity and human well-being.
True Footprint with Fredrik Galtung, founder and CEO. True Footprint assists communities to determine real-world impacts of sustainability investments.
Future of Capital/Green Transitions Scoreboard with Gregory Wendt, co-founder of the Green Economy Think Tank, particularly concerned with transition to renewable energy.
Strategic Clarity with Luz Ma Puente, vice president. She is an expert in ecosynomics, the social science of collaborative principles.
Gulf Watershed
Equity, Inclusion and Decolonization Frameworks with Suzanna Bowles, CEO of Cattail Strategies, to broker catalytic partnerships through equitable design.
Earthos and many other systems oriented and design skilled people as listed here are curious and “future oriented”, exploring many new ideas and techniques…
Unfortunately, studies show that only about 5% of humans are willing to consider new ideas. The other 95% recoil due to perceived threats to existing beliefs they may have from religion, prejudice, ostracism, etc. Thus the urgency identified by science and design strategy is lost in a world of political gridlock, legal jurisdiction and denial…
This makes a clearly artistic footing, based on a wide variety of practical needs and realities, with large helpings of fun, excitement, fellowship, inclusiveness and wealth building on the agenda. Plain talk and practical motion as understood by farmers, fishermen, woodsmen – as the community of thought along the “transect” evolves – we will need an updated, multicultural, iteration of the Foxfire, and Salt projects to go with our progress in environmental science and design innovation.
Governance, although a clear need, will likely evolve out of shared experience and independent actions rather than providing leadership.
Please tune in next month…
Philip Norton Loheed
Phillip Norton Loheed is a principal at Design Partnership Plus.
