Dear reader…this is a different kind of blog. Consider it an update of sorts for the Regenerative World Quest. What is it, what have we been up to, what are we doing next and what do we hope to accomplish?
All great questions and I am glad you asked…. please read on to find out more!
What is the Regenerative World Quest?
Humans are creatures of narrative. Our cultures are shaped by the stories we tell ourselves and raise our children on. For years we have been told that human nature is cruel and competitive, that the future is apocalyptic and bleak. This is shaped by a lack and scarcity story where I cannot “get mine” if you “get yours”. It is a human constructed narrative, and it has shaped the systems that govern our lives. But the truth is that humans are vessels of love, full of compassion, deep wisdom, and intricately connected to all things. The polycrisis is a design flaw. Guess what, we built it, so we can rebuild it. We can regenerate it. But can we do it in time?
We need a better narrative for the future of humanity and a pathway to get there.
That is what the Regenerative World Quest is.
After nearly two decades working in systems level change from large corporations, to hospitality, to impact investing, climate science, public private partnerships, policy and nonprofit leadership I realized that instead of fighting every day to change the systems” out there” I needed to “live the change I want to see in the world”. So, we launched the Regenerative World Quest. It is a three-year, international, immersive research project to identify, study, and uplift communities all over the world that are living in a regenerative way. Through this work we will cultivate a network of change agents supporting each other in living solutions and implement the best practices through demonstration projects in Colorado and beyond.
Since launching this project summer of 2024, we have toured 12 projects and have dozens more planned. Finding and learning from regenerative communities is one thing, but how can we apply the best solutions locally? How can we design our communities to solve the wicked problems we face today (biodiversity loss, inequality, crime, climate change, political turmoil, the economy, fragile supply chains, how we feed people, education, health care, youth and elderly care etc.)? How can we increase regional resilience and self-sufficiency in our communities? These are the main research questions we ponder and live daily through the quest.
Regenerative living is actually an ancient and indigenous way of living. It is not a new concept, yet we must find ways to apply it in a modern context. By honoring indigenous wisdom, and modern innovations, the Quest seeks to uplift and replicate best practices globally to craft a blueprint for shared prosperity on a healthy planet. The project is fiscally sponsored by Savory International as a 501c3 and is supported by an international (all female) advisory panel.
2024 Quest:
2024 took us to a 100-acre farm outside of Lyons Colorado: Yellow Barn Farm. We lived on the land, farmed as a family and learned a lot about living in community and connecting deeply with land. One key lesson learned was the importance of good governance structures; from conflict resolution, new member vetting and onboarding to decision making frameworks- governance is an essential ingredient for any successful project or community.
Over the last several years we have been deeply involved with Drylands Agroecology Research (DAR). As we mapped the sites for Quest ahead, it became very apparent that before we travel the world meeting and learning from experts, we needed to learn from the best of the best in our own state.
DAR is a living example of regeneration in action. Their work is centered in reconnecting people to land, where land regeneration leads to cultural regeneration– living solutions for climate and social justice. DAR is a key partner on the quest and will be essential in any local implementation or demonstration in Colorado.
2025 Quest:
The first international chapter took us to Costa Rica for three months in early 2025. We had the honor of learning from 10 different projects in the Alajuela, Guanacaste, and Puntarenas Provinces. You can read more about what communities we visited, and what we learned- from common threads to unique solutions in one of my past blogs here. The community on the right is Shift Esperanza near Nosara.
The projects ranged from wealthy-expat-gated communities that have a garden and call it regenerative, to cults (eek), to the real deal gold standard of regenerative living. The one pictured here is from The Ark, a wonderful example of regenerative community near Santa Teresa!
There are five case studies in the works to highlight the replicable solutions from the remarkable communities we visited. They will be done this summer so stay tuned for more on those. We have also been making short videos about each of the projects, and you can watch them on our YouTube Channel here. The rest of 2025 will take us to 7-10 projects in the U.S. The following list is not 100% set in stone and there are many communities we are vetting from over 450 in the U.S. alone!!!
- Rooted in Washington
- Occidental in California
- White Buffalo Land Trust in California
- White Oak Pastures in Georgia
- Haven Village Tennessee
- Common Ground in Hawaii
- Rainbow Bridge in Hawaii
- Nyland in Colorado
…. And a few more we are considering, let me know if you have any we should check out.
What is Next:
For summer 2025 the focus is to finish the case studies and documentary for the Costa Rica chapter while gearing up for the next leg of travel fall-winter 2025. We have a 10–15-minute video about the entire Costa Rica chapter in the works and will be showing it at a house party later this summer.
The U.S. sites will likely take us through March of 2026. The next international leg will be Australia and New Zealand summer of 2026. After that, if funding and international politics allow, we hope to visit several places in Europe, then Africa and finish with South America. We seek to learn deeply from each project, weave together a tapestry of international communities to support each other and implement the solutions here locally.
Impact:
A central focus is and will continue to be implementation of the best solutions in local (Colorado) demonstration projects. While the strategy is still being developed there are six main areas for local replication:
- Partnering with Boulder, Lyons, and Longmont counties for regional implementation with municipal planning.
- Mobilizing state legislators for regenerative development policy for Colorado.
- Working with real estate developers to implement solutions across their portfolios.
- Collaborating with regenerative farmers across the region for food resiliency.
- Working with Drylands Agroecology Research as a key implementation partner across agriculture, water, education, and community building.
- Connecting with communities, HOAs and neighborhood associations for implementation within current/developed areas (i.e. how do we implement this in urban and suburban areas).
In addition to local demonstration projects, the Quest also has been building a library of content from podcasts, to case studies (coming soon), interviews and videos. Ideally, we aim to write a book about the entire project, the key findings and a replication model for regenerative living. Small community events, and dinner parties are helping to spread awareness now and the hope is to work with a web of partners to increase the reach and impact of the work.
Financials:
To date, the RWQ has brought in just under $50,000 in funding, the goal is to raise another $150,000 in 2025 and an additional $200,000 through 2027 to support the work outlined above as well as the immersive research and content production. All funding is made to a 501(c)3 and is tax deductible.
How can you get involved or help?
- Share ideas for quest sites with Brenna.
- Engage in our social media, like the content and help share with your network.
- Work with Brenna on demonstration ideas, projects, host sites.
- Host a dinner party to invite your friends too (think 6-8 people).
- Host a larger partner party (need space for 30 people).
- Consider a financial gift.
- Donate United Airline miles.
- Introduce Brenna to any potential partners or funders.
Thank you for tuning in and congrats for making it to the end of this blog/update. I would love to hear from you and learn about what you are doing and how we can partner for a regenerative world! The times will get worse before they get better and how we come together as community will make the difference between collapse and regeneration!
With Love and Light,
Brenna
Awesome, acutely needed globally. Powerful.