FAQ

The concept has long roots. In agriculture, it goes back to the practice of fallowing and more recently to concepts like permaculture, while in city planning there is a long history of urban regeneration. Among the pioneers Volans has spotlighted is Sir Tim Smit of the Eden Project, an inaugural winner of the Green Swan Award. But the concept has gained new urgency because of the sheer number and range of resources we have undermined since the first Industrial Revolution, including our climate, soils, forests, wetlands, coral reefs, fisheries and the like. For insights into the degenerative impacts of our civilization, a useful start would be the Planetary Boundaries work of the Stockholm Resilience Centre.

One of the most consistent business champions of regeneration has been Yvon Chouinard, founder and owner of Patagonia, Inc. He was the first interviewee in our series of Meet the Regenerator conversations. Other major companies referring to the regeneration agenda include Procter & Gamble during the 2020 World Economic Forum meeting. At the smaller end of the spectrum there are companies like Vivo Barefoot. Perhaps the most startling recent voice on the theme has been that of Walmart CEO Doug McMillon, referenced above. Interestingly, a key influence on Walmart’s commitment and the phrasing of McMillon’s speech was Paul Hawken, whose book Regeneration is due for release in September 2021.

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Drawing on evidence to date, including Green Swan sessions we did with SOCAP Global and with Toniic, the answer would be the nexus of soils, water, agriculture, food, nutrition and health – one of the four sectors we are focusing on via the Observatory.

If the Regenerative Economy takes off as we expect, all sectors will be impacted, directly or indirectly. And among the other sectors that will be drawn in well before the end of this decade will be public policy, investment and education. All three will be covered in future iterations of the Observatory, with the financial world already covered under our Sector Scans, and the educational world covered under Education.

Too few is the inconvenient truth. But growing numbers are showing interest, notably those already involved in Green Swan Education program – so far covering Japan (Shizenkan University), the UK (Exeter University, Imperial College and UCL) and the USA (Bard College). Early student projects are covered in our Education section.

It’s often forgotten, but markets are social constructs – heavily shaped by governments and public policy. If the Regenerative Economy is to take off, politicians, policy-makers and the public sector generally will need to be actively involved over extended timescales. Given the greater freedom that cities and urban regions often have when compared to national and international government agencies, that’s a key reason why we are focusing in on cities as part of our Sector Scans. The scale of public sector recovery plans and budgets is another reason for paying attention to the political sphere, with the most obvious examples including the EU’s Green Deal and the Biden Administration’s stimulus plan (sometimes called the “Green New Deal“) in the USA. The politics will roil for some time to come, but the direction of travel is increasingly clear.

We would love to hear your suggestions under each of the following headings. To kick off the process, here are some of the sources we have found most useful. First, some of the books that have powerfully shaped our thinking. And one way we track relevant books is by convening the regular Green Swans Bookclub.

One voice warning of the misuse of the terms regeneration and regenerative is Joel Makower, Editor-in-Chief of GreenBiz. He notes that such terms can be the equivalent of “comfort food” for business leaders sensing the need for change – but uncertain as to what to do next. GreenBiz does us all a service by publishing critiques of regeneration alongside more upbeat articles and updates. And, whatever happens, we need to learn lessons from the front line of regeneration, in countries like China.