Improving our Planet … one Community at a time.
Pine Cones, Abundance, Playbook, Social Housing, Materials for People and Planet,
Welcome to Regen/ Notes
… a newsletter of regenerative news, stories and more, with a sideways focus on the built environment, curated by Martin Brown and Anna Williamson. It is a companion to our Regen/ Zoom activities where we connect the spaces between regenerative dots, sharing ideas, themes and individuals that invigorate and inspire.
Hiking recently through the mountain and forest areas in the Spanish Pyrenees I was struck by the abundance of pine cones covering the forest floor. Each is a package of seeds, resilient, able to defend against climate extremes yet ready for the optimum conditions to burst out and break into growth.
Walking gives great time for thinking, and in this case reflection on the stylised cover image of a pine cone on our Regenerative Playbook. The playbook is also a package of of seeds and ideas, gifted to the reader, to share, to enable regenerative growth and flourishing, when the time is right. And given the climate, health and ecological crisis we are facing that right time is now.
(See here for more on the symbolism of the Pine Cone)
Abundance and Place
Is your organisation degenerative or regenerative when it comes to sustainability?
Improving our Planet … one Community at a time
We are excited and privileged to be delivering the Regenerative Sustainability 2022 programme for your Echelon members and organisations.
This is a new offering for the social housing sector, triggered by Martin’s Echelon 2021 Conference keynote that asked ‘are you degenerative, or regenerative’ and the responses highlighted that a call for visible, transparent and regenerative practice in leadership has never been more relevant.
Martin and Anna support organisations on their Regenerative Journey in these transformational times - challenging ‘business as usual’ and showcasing what is possible in community building, new building design and facilities and asset management and leadership.
The programme will take you on a journey from the business as usual and a focus on the individual, where you’ll have the opportunity to reflect on who you are and how you show up in your organisation, through to the ‘we’ aspect when you will think about the impacts you have on your teams and networks dealing with the pressures that come with how sustainability might affect you in your role, through to an ‘us’ perspective where you will have a grasp on transforming a ‘sustainability’ remit to a ‘regenerative’ one, influencing wider change in your organisation and beyond.
The Echelon Regenerative Sustainability programme consists of:
A Welcome and Introduction webinar where you’ll meet your cohort and Anna and Martin. If after today’s overview you decide to join us, we will ask you to bring a project or problem you have - don’t worry, you don’t need to share if you don’t want to - and you will work on this problem over the sessions throughout 2022. Each gathering will employ Chatham House Rules so whatever is spoken about can be shared but not attributed to anyone outside the cohort.
We will hear from inspirational guest speakers about their regenerative practice.
A number of regenerative development days will constitute the core of the Regenerative Sustainability programme, will stimulate your thinking and equip you with skills essential when working in and around fast paced leadership, management and procurement.
We have a second introduction session on the 10th June at 9:30
To find out more secure your place on the introduction session and a place on the programme, email Echelon regenerativesustainability@echelonconsultancy.co.uk
Zoom Regenerative: Designing for People and Planet.
What a wonderful session we enjoyed recently. Anna round’s up from ZR 46 - Designing for People and Place …
Thank you to Rachel Fowler for sharing her #regenerative and #biophilic journey from paediatric nurse questioning windowless working conditions and vinyl paint finishes to #wellbeingcoach and #sustainablematerials #entrepreneur.
We also heard from Victor Montero-Dien on the development of a #masstimber #valuechain developing in Costa Rica, to offer viable and local solutions to cement and steel. Links here: https://lnkd.in/esHrmWtChttps://lnkd.in/e3336Yjx
Which led to questions and thoughts from Philippa Birch-Wood about #supplychain and #specification from the architect's perspective - including #circularity and #deconstruction.
#zoomregen regular Debbie Mauger highlighted the research being undertaken by Alliance for Sustainable Building Products (ASBP) where the Timber Accelerator Hub has just issued a report on enabling mass timber and overcoming barriers, especially insurance issues: https://lnkd.in/e5JkzmzH ....prompting Ann Vanner LFA FCIAT ARB RIBA SFHEA to say 'It should be 'tagged” (Internet of things etc) and then we can share the history of these materials!'
And so we were straight into #supplychain provenance with Raquel Guerra Aragonés highlighting the ways in which 2050 Materials are dealing with that level of enquiry from users and Patrick Folkes highlighted the multiple routes to the appropriate #certification.
Tamma Carel (PIEMA, MSc, BSc) and I talked about how this all feeds into #ESG and the #SDG in #transparency and #governance - third party verification and auditable value chains being key.
Great to hear from Walter Lourie Product Category Expert LEED AP BD and C who has experience of this journey - mafi - walk on art sponsors Mindful Materials with over 40 products in the library. 'They are crucial to our North American market as well as 2050 Materials for the European market'.
And Terry John gave us an update on the world of lighting and sunlight that he and Neina Sheldon are collaborating on.
Thank you to all who joined - it's such a stimulating space for me.
See you on 14th June for ZR47
and then 12th July for ZR48 before we take a break for the summer.
Living Future Europe events of interest:
Digital Crash Course: An LFE crash course on digital tools to implement a regenerative design approach following the Living BuildingChallenge, the most ambitious sustainability standard for the built environment. June 16th. Details and Registration here.
Breakfast at K51' A workshop in Brussels on June 9-10th within the framework of the #NewEuropeanBauhaus Festival. 3 teams x 5 university students and professionals will work using the #livingbuildingchallenge to design a revitalisation proposal of an abandoned building in Keyenveld St. Brussels
