Suzanne Rosse
Several months ago I discovered a network of people established to regenerate the Earth. The group originally organized itself around a book study of the book “The Design Pathway For Regenerating Earth” by Joe Brewer. Over a period of a few years the group grew to several thousand people using an Internet platform called Earth Regenerators through which they could coordinate themselves. They have communicated through the platform by posting in various ways and by creating and attending meetings through Zoom. They have established groups by bioregion, delineating the different levels of regeneration: on the ground projects, methods of defining and mapping bioregions, effective communication as they learned together, discerning and discovering as they go. Joe Brewer said this about Earth Regenerators in the forward to the second edition of his book, “Thousands of people gathered to learn about bioregions, the state of the planet and what it will take to ensure human survival in the years ahead”.
As I became involved, Earth Regenerators reminded me of how I felt when I discovered the Alliance’s directory, which was originally called “Organizations That Promote Sustainable Communities”, the precursor of Sustainable Lehigh Valley. I discovered other people in my area through this booklet, each with their own projects approaching problems and solutions of sustainability, as we have called it, and regeneration, as I usually refer to it now, focusing not only on sustaining what we still have, but on bringing back to life that which has declined. I discovered how it felt to know that I’m not alone in my worries and in a sense of helplessness that can make moving forward very difficult. The Alliance’s directory, now Sustainable Lehigh Valley, has empowered me to reach out to others with shared aims to find solutions together.
Over the years, projects of sustainability and regeneration have proliferated worldwide. We don’t usually hear about them, unless we’re already focused on such things. And even if we are, it’s not unusual to miss them. It’s not unusual even to find that there has been something going on for years with a similar aim just a couple of miles away. Earth Regenerators has brought people in through their platform to map these projects across various landscapes around bioregions. These bioregions are defined by geologic and hydrologic aspects and the cultural patterns that grow up around these features. Information and learning exchanges have taken place and the online presence has helped to facilitate on the ground connections locally.
In the past year, this movement and the online platforming of this activity has shifted from Earth Regenerators to the platform called the Design School for Regenerating Earth with a membership structure. Earth Regenerators is closing down as the Design School emerges. One can become a member of the Design School for as little as $5 per month at this time. The learning exchanges continue and more people are taking part all the time from all over the world.
The movement has gone across this continent defining such bioregions as Cascadia, a region that stretches across Western Canada south into the Northwestern United States. Then there is the Colorado River Basin, The Great Lakes Basin, The Greater Tkaronto Bioregion, Genesee Fingerlakes and the Acadian North Forest Bioregion, which stretches from Maine down into New York, Vermont and New Hampshire. Then there is the bioregion Barichara, Columbia, where Joe Brewer himself has been working on the ground for some time.
So who are we here, in the Lehigh Valley, perhaps defined by our mountains, our valleys, the rivers as they cut through at Lehigh Gap, Wind Gap, Delaware Water Gap? What about the watersheds with the flow of rainfall and rivers as things come together? These features specific to our area direct our approach as we assess the needs of the land as good stewards. Many of us have already studied these things deeply. How do we start a conversation so that we can work and learn together? How do we find our place so that each one of us can contribute our skills to common goals? We need to “find each other and come together around shared identity and purpose” Joe Brewer suggests on the Design School platform. Ultimately, if we choose to follow guidelines being created in the Design School, we may develop Bioregional Learning Centers, educational hubs “for gathering and synthesizing knowledge about local ecology and culture” (Joe Brewer).
A few of us in this Lehigh Valley region are already working through the Design School for Regenerating Earth. I’m excited to work through a process which can both bring us together locally and regionally and connect us to others working worldwide to regenerate our planet. If you are interested, connect with us at the Design School platform or contact me by email. I look forward to meeting you!
Suzie Rosse has a background in Ecology and Philosophy. She actively participates in Alliance projects and is also engaged in work at Genesis Farm in Blairstown, NJ.
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