Bioregional Catalysts: Weaving Together Towards a New Paradigm
[the following will appear in the Spring 2022 issue of Green Horizon Magazine]
This article is a bit unusual, by intention. Instead of having a single author, it is the product of a collaborative effort by seven individuals, all living in different places around the world, who are part of a group called the Bioregional Catalysts [BCs]. This composition is a living exercise for the BCs, who are actively experimenting with how to approach tasks and objectives as Commons, thus minimizing emphasis on individualized ownership of the work. Another anomaly is that while this article has a beginning and an ending, with several points of interest in between, the discourse it contains is far from complete. Like an old-fashioned Polaroid picture where shapes and colors materialize from a blank frame so that ultimately a recognizable image can be discerned, the story of the BCs is still emerging and awaiting full definition. That said, it very clearly begins with a singularly pressing issue: planetary collapse.
Regardless of the forum in which it is raised, planetary collapse is always a complex and disturbing subject. Just saying those words can trigger strong emotional reactions — or even social and political turmoil — caused by the many differences in understanding and acceptance of what is actually occurring on Earth at this time. These differences run the gamut: from those in denial, to the wide middle range of those who believe that life on earth is at risk but there is still time to change and avoid collapse, all the way to those who consider themselves “collapse aware.” The latter small but growing contingent, when presented with compelling narratives — such as Joe Brewer’s book The Design Pathway for Regenerating Earth — understands that collapse is already underway. This understanding, which acknowledges the complexities of our biosphere and the fact that we aren’t separate from nature, comes with the hope of a sobering-but-plausible path to restore planetary balance and health.
Bioregionalism, as a movement, invites all humanity into a new paradigm where social, economic, and decentralized governing structures prioritize ecosystemic interdependence with land, water, and living systems. It is at this end of the perspective-continuum that the BCs live, learn, and find their purpose. They are answering the call to create the cultural scaffolding of relationships and resources necessary for establishing a world-wide network of bioregional hubs for sharing wisdom and learning. And, like any pioneering process, it has started with more questions than answers.
REGENERATORS AND WEAVERS
Currently, Bioregional Catalysts is a 77-member subset of a larger group called Earth Regenerators, a decentralized ecosystem of people and activities held together by a global platform comprising more than 3,400 members world-wide. Earth Regenerators is two years into a discovery process that begins with building productive, equitable and collaborative groups through prosocial gatherings based on evolutionary science. According to Joe Brewer, prosocial behaviors revolve around “the sentiments and social capacities for working together toward common goals.” He cites the writings of David Sloan Wilson (Does Altruism Exist?) and Peter Turchin (UltraSociety). Prosociality combines insights from such psychological and behavioral foundations with the political economy of writers such as Elinor Ostrom, who showed what the design criteria are for effectively managing common-pooled assets — things like shared pastureland, waterways, and forests.
On this basis group configurations have been forming organically within Earth Regenerators around a variety of common interests and innovations. Out of these groups, capacity for regenerative leadership is evolving and inspiring new strategies for living and working in this transitional time when existing systems and structures will be giving way to emerging bioregional alternatives.
Bioregional Catalysts is one such evolving group. Initiated and stewarded by Benji Ross of Monterey Bay, California, it is attracting a growing number of bioregional “Weavers,” another descriptive label for those who are exploring and engaging in this living laboratory. Beyond the labels, establishing comprehensive definitions for the people and activities of this movement is an ongoing challenge. To understand what BCs are, we need to look at what they do. Some close synonyms might be network builders and/or community organizers. However, those common terms are associated with transactional relationships contextually familiar to us from the marketplace, non-profits arena, and political activism where groups are separate with constrained opportunities or incentives for generative collaboration. As such, they don’t adequately reflect the relational aspects of interdependence, decentralization, and the fostering of prosocial Commons that are essential aspects of effective bioregionalism.
TRANSITIONING INTO A BIOREGIONAL WORLDVIEW AND WAY OF LIFE
As a learning cohort, Bioregional Catalysts come together from around the world for weekly Zoom meetings, exploring subjects and ideas proposed and chosen by the participants. The process of bioregional weaving that is central to BCs’ purpose involves reaching out and making contact with well-aligned people and projects in various locales. The development of “curriculum” for the BCs’ learning journey has served as a living model of certain aspects of the work itself. This has been especially true with The Story of Place, a key subject area that has included presentations like Isabel Carlisle’s Bioregional Learning from the Devon Doughnut and Glenn Page’s COBALT (Collaborative for Bioregional Action, Learning and Transformation). Other areas of particular interest for the group include the history of bioregionalism, prosocial governance, conflict resolution, social system mapping, and conscious finance.
Aside from structured meetings, there are also frequent opportunities to connect informally in Zoom sessions called Campfire Talks. These gatherings are inspired by Aboriginal Australian yarns as described by Tyson Yunkaporta in his book Sand Talk. Yunkaporta explains that every person’s story must be heard because the truth exists in the aggregate of all stories, even the outliers. In order for this to unfold, the stories spun into the yarn are overlapping and dynamic, and the process unfolds naturally. Although the BCs’ context is quite different from the cultures that evolved through deep-time on the landscapes of Australia and surrounding islands, the intention is to honor the origins and protocols of the yarn that provide access to group wisdom. During the Campfires, members build trust and coherence by supporting each other in open conversation around subjects that arise organically. Discourse ranges from specific bioregional experiences to frank exchanges about the more personal experiences of transitioning into a bioregional worldview and way of life.
During a BC session in early January, the subject of aspirations for the new year was raised and received a variety of fulsome responses. Among them were many expressed intentions for deepening relationships within the BCs as well as for reaching out to potential collaborative partners and opportunities outside the group. There was general agreement that the BCs want to develop more confidence in articulating and promoting the concepts of bioregionalism as well as promoting the benefits that Bioregional Weaving offers their respective communities and the world at large. There have been several energetic conversations about vocational development for Weavers through the creation of a guild that would coordinate internships and apprenticeships for bringing new people into this work, as well as provide the structures for engaging with public and private funding sources. It is agreed among the group that developing social and economic support for this work, and for the people who are blazing a trail forward, is at the top of the current priority list.
It is an exciting time to be part of this burgeoning movement, but it is not without considerable challenges. There is no tried and true template, no assurances of outcome, nor any reliable gauges to measure how our work will be received. The Bioregional Catalysts are learning by doing and evolving as they learn, which is arguably the most relevant and important attribute of the group to date.
[for more information about Bioregional Catalysts and Earth Regenerators visit … https://earth-regenerators.mn.co/]
