The 2nd Regenerative Organization Summit
Something unique is happening in Denver. The movement for regeneration is emerging in the form of a powerful network of new enterprises spanning a broad range of fields in finance, business, nonprofit management, agriculture, government, and higher education.
On January 16, thanks to the very capable coordination of Beth Caniglia of the SEED Institute at Regis University, thirty-plus thought-leaders and entrepreneurs came together at the second Regenerative Organization Summit at The Alliance Center, formerly The Alliance for Sustainable Colorado.
Keynote speakers included world-renowned Natural Capitalism Solutions' Hunter Lovins, Regenerative Business author and consultant Carol Sanford, Regenerative Leadership educator and consultant John Hardman, and a panel of remarkable change makers in impact investing, academia, renewable energy, business, and nonprofit management.
A number of core ideas emerged from an intense day of talks, contemplative practice, and generative dialogue, only a few of which are summarized below:
- Our emerging understanding of regeneration cannot - and should not - be reduced to a definition. We need to allow the construct to expand along with our growing comprehension of living systems and the underlying structures of the universe that sustain them.
- We must acknowledge that most and perhaps all human-designed systems are obsolete and no longer serve us or our planet. In keeping with Buckminster Fuller's well-known saying, it was acknowledged that we 'never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, we must build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete'.
- These new models offer viable alternatives if they are developed from a holistic perspective that transcends the rational paradigm that has brought us to our increasingly unsustainable condition as a species. They will therefore emerge from fully conscious individuals and communities who work deliberately to include the full and empowered participation of people from all sectors of society, particularly those marginalized by gender, color, income, beliefs, or education.
Sample participants:
For more information on how to redesign your organization for regeneration, whether this is a business, a nonprofit, or higher education program, visit Regenerative Organizations, or contact John Hardman directly.
