This workshop will introduce our conceptualization of Resilient Communities and facilitate a collective inquiry into some of the critical requirements for bringing them into being. The purpose of Resilient Communities is to create and enjoy a convivial, equitable, and sustainable way of life through small cooperative communities that: • live in simple, affordable, low-impact dwellings in town or country • regeneratively produce much or most of their own food and other basic needs • nurture the healing and well-being of their members and the wider community • rejuvenate ecosystems while sequestering more carbon than they emit Ecovillages have been aspiring toward something like this for decades with only limited success. The Resilient Communities Project is innovating a systematic new approach to bringing the right combination of people and land together supported by a roadmap illuminating requirements and safeguards for achieving their vision. At the workshop we will provide a brief overview of the approach we are developing and then lead a collaborative investigation of some of the most important requirements for creating successful Resilient Communities.

Inspired by Vandana Shiva’s vision of Earth Democracy and empowered by the emerging digital systems of blockchain governance, a federated planetary network of bioregional congresses is now possible. In this short talk, Benjamin Life will share more about the collaborative framework of the OpenCivics Consortium and its work to create a space for non-rivalrous research and development on the technological and social foundations of a federated planetary network of bioregional congresses.   I seem to be a verb… Benjamin Life is a civic innovator, community organizer, and artist focused on anti-rivalrous decentralized organizations as a mechanism for systemic and cultural adaptation. His work weaves together both the mythos and practical actualization of a more beautiful world, a world in which all human beings are empowered as agents to co-steward communities, cultures, and ecologies that are thriving, resilient, and participatory. Leveraging a large network of systemic innovators, his work as a co-founder of OpenCivics catalyzes a decentralized research, design, and coordination body able to address the root drivers of civilizational collapse. As a cultural leader, Benjamin produces writing, video, and experiences that express the cultural code of a life-affirming civilization.

Let’s mingle and connect over lunch. This is a great space to share community announcements.

Come meet other Regenerators from around the Cascadia Bioregion in this quick series of one-on-one breakout introductions. Want to meet other folks from the Cascadia Bioregion? Then, come join this pollination session where you’ll meet other Regenerators from around the Cascadia Bioregion in this quick series of one-on-one breakout introductions. More about Regeneration Pollination Regeneration Pollination hosts free online networking events each month where folks from around the world connect, share ideas, exchange resources, cross-pollinate, and strengthen each other’s work building toward a regenerative future.  Join their events at www.regenerationpollination.earth https://www.facebook.com/RegenerationPollination/  https://www.linkedin.com/company/regenerationpollination/      

Many of us engage activism through our passion projects. Permaculture farms/gardens, cultural work, housing, social justice and equity issues are examples. Collectively, Paul Hawkins called this “Blessed Unrest” the largest movement in the world. While all of these projects are important and necessary front line activities, siloed projects do not have the power to drive a transformational shift. The bioregional organizing strategy gives us a practical handle for integrative efforts that have the ecological complexity to build new systems. We are challenged to move out of siloed project orientation towards integrated systems design. This workshop will facilitate mapping systems relationships in participants’ projects. This is a step toward mapping regional assets. Permaculture teaches the importance of edges, and systems theory points out the critical location of interstices – spaces between units- for evolution. What are the environmental, economic and social ecologies that your work is embedded in? What projects are adjacent to yours in terms of values or objectives? What resource flows are up stream and down stream? Where are you located in the geography of community? Where are points of complementarity for collaboration? Participants will break out into pairs or small groups to map out the systems interdependent with their project to evaluate how robust their project’s resilience is and where they need to develop relationships. This work is a step toward regional mapping. If time allows we will tease PROUT’s dynamic asset mapping project that is not yet ready for prime time.