About the episode:
Some kind of collapse of our natural systems is imminent. Every empire and civilization in history has collapsed, and the current civilization is showing signs that it's well into collapse, states Joe Brewer. The planetary Boundaries framework identified nine self-stabilizing processes of the planet that maintain the Holocene period. However, we have crossed several of these interrelated boundaries.
Sustainable human cultures are organized into entire landscapes, and they treat nature as sacred, personifying and having a kinship relationship with it. They honor relationships with non-human people and act pro-future towards the ecosystems they depend on for survival. The approach to sustainability is identifying bioregions and landscapes to integrate humans and form deep relationships with the ecological functions for survival. Being pro-future requires intimacy and familiarity with the landscape to know the health of the river, soil, and forest.
In this second episode of a two-part series, we discover a million-acre living laboratory, in Barichara Columbia, for watershed restoration, building of soils, protecting native species, building a local economy with indigenous traditional practices, preserving cultural knowledge, and building sacred relationships with the land and nature.
Planetary Boundaries Framework
Joe Brewer is a complexity researcher, innovation strategist, experience designer, and social entrepreneur who has earned three bachelor's degrees in physics, mathematics, and interdisciplinary studies and a master's in atmospheric sciences. He has extensive experience in promoting sustainable solutions at a cultural level.
Joe has achieved many notable accomplishments in his career, including creating an undergraduate degree program in Earth Systems, Environment and Society, and being the founder of Earth Regenerators and co-founder of the Design School for Regenerating Earth.
He was also an active member of the Center for Complex Systems Research, where he studied pattern formation in self-organizing systems.
As a social entrepreneur and cross-disciplinary scholar, he brings together his expertise in open collaboration, interactive design, and empowered civic action to drive change toward greater resilience in our turbulent world. Joe's diverse skill set is an asset to any team focused on sustainability and social innovation.
