This foreword of The Regenerative Enterprise, a practical book on business sustainability, is written in the spirit of radical collaboration and intergenerational leadership by Christiana Figueres, Rajiv Joshi and Xiye Bastida.
Over many centuries, and in many parts of the world, we have lost touch with the sacred and interconnected nature of all forms of life on this planet, as we have deepened our addiction to reckless extraction, unbridled markets and a paradigm of ‘compete and consume’.
We have normalised the ill-treatment of animals, as well as humans, decimated forests, and degraded land and oceans. We have sacrificed our historical responsibility as planetary stewards on the broken altar of short-term thinking and acting. Hence, today we face the daunting threat of catastrophic climate change and mass extinction, combined with rampant inequality and a growing mental health epidemic - all of which are costing millions of lives.
And yet, in this decisive decade, we have a small window of time to turn things around.
We have the ability to mitigate unintended consequences through deep discernment and compassion, and to support those on all sides facing difficult decisions, to advance definitive and long-term solutions. The Regenerative Enterprise provides sparks of hope, illuminating the path to a bright and peaceful future, one where we live up to our highest potential and give rise to a new way of being, as the basis for an economy that works with and for life - not against it.
The book reflects the work of one, amongst many collectives forming around the world, to organise climate action, while planting seeds for deep Earth healing.
A seismic shift is already taking place in the human spirit. Many at the frontier of the sustainability agenda, who had already adopted the mindset of ‘cooperate to conserve’, have now glimpsed beyond that horizon, moving toward the co-creation of a future based on the transformational principles of ‘regeneration’.
Inspired by the prospect of a ‘regenerative economy’ - where we give more than we take from people and planet - entrepreneurs, investors, economists, business leaders, policymakers, indigenous communities, cooperatives, activists and educators, are transforming our system to be in ‘right relationship with nature’. This approach has come from reconnecting with the practices of our forebears and envisioning a future where we no longer live from nature but rather live as nature. It has come from the original knowledge that is woven into every fibre of our DNA, found in every tree, and expressed in every heartbeat.
Understanding how to use knowledge is wisdom. And so we must ask, what would the world look like if we were wiser? If we let our soil regenerate? If we embrace the cycles of Mother Earth that prevent waste? If we mimic the harmony of the ecosystems upon which all life depends? If we truly accept that we are an intricate part of nature?
Seeing the world this way unleashes our ability to imagine a flourishing future and bestows collective power on us all to make it a reality.
That’s why this book is seminal.
It profiles practical examples of conscious enterprises demonstrating that a regenerative future is within reach. Droves of entrepreneurs embodying deep connection, stubborn optimism and boundless creativity are creating value while restoring our world, from replenishing underwater forests to reinventing ownership and democratising the workplace, whilst turning waste into input material.
Through their commitment and practice, these innovators inspire us to adopt a living systems worldview, sourced from nature’s own design principles and those of our ancestors. With love and passion, they show business can be grounded in the fundamentals of reciprocity, humility and reverence for nature.
It is time for us to integrate the wisdom that has allowed land to thrive, birds to migrate, and the ocean to become a teeming home to millions of species. This book is an invitation for intergenerational evolution. It has been said time and time again that we don’t inherit the land from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.
Fellow travellers, we are the stewards of this borrowed planet. We are the ancestors of generations to come.
We can build systems that outlive us and reflect the best of who we are. We can restore rivers, lakes and oceans. We can replenish degraded ecosystems so that they thrive again. We can regenerate the world and most importantly, trust that, with our care, Mother Earth can regenerate herself. We can dare ourselves to imagine and we can dare ourselves to create and co-create.
Now is the time to choose the future we want and it starts at home, leading by example, creating new models and radically collaborating to change the rules for good.
Together we can ‘Be the reGeneration’.
Let’s go…
Get your copy of The Regenerative Enterprise: https://theregenerativeenterprise.com/
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