Peace With Nature | Regenerative Impact Fund

During a bioregional immersion in Barichara with Joe Brewer and The Design School for Regenerating Earth, I met Kelsey Faith and learned about Sun Nation and their bioregional work with the indigenous Arhuacos in the Heart of the World (Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta). Words can't fully express the resonance and alignment I felt - the vision and mission, the depth of care and commitment, the systemic perspective and holistic approach, the connection to nature and the indigenous culture, the ecosystem of projects and full stack of systems in development, and alignment with my personal path and purpose.

The past year I've been on a journey to experience regenerative projects on the ground (e.g. ecovillages, communities, gatherings), after many years of more intellectual exploration of our global crises (e.g. university work, student groups, effective altruism). I was especially looking for pilot projects and integrated approaches that could provide scalable solutions across the stack of systems in need of transformation. This inquiry led me to events like Regen Village Brüssels and the Gathering of Tribes in Portugal, as well as deeper time in innovative ecovillages like Traditional Dream Factory and Port du Graal. The journey revived my excitement and hope about the future - both from learning about and experiencing real solutions, meeting global communities of amazing people, and gaining more clarity into what is needed for transitioning to a regenerative civilization.

Fast forward: The bioregional immersion in Barichara left me with renewed inspiration and connection to the global movement, a deeper understanding of what bioregional regeneration looks (and feels) like in practice, and an invitation to continue the bioregional journey in Colombia to Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta - the Heart of the World - for a first-ever "Regen Agent Immersion" with Sun Nation.

This 10-day pilot program offered a transformative learning experience and insight into another reality, as well as deep connections with the cohort of regen pilots and Sun Nation's co-founders Tiamoesg & Kelsey Faith. In summary: nature connection, traditional spiritual work with the Arhuaco, cultural learning exchanges, wisdom sharing, cacao farm immersion, indigenous agroforestry, greenhouse work, tree planting, animal care, trash collection, river cleanups, bonfire nights, music circles, collective dreaming and envisioning of a regenerative future... After the immersion I got to spend more time with Tiamoesg & Kelsey Faith, to learn about Sun Nation's deeper vision and work, and sense into how this all aligned with my own path.

The outcome was more clarity than I've felt in a looooong while, both regarding my personal path and our collective path towards planetary regeneration. It begins with regenerating the Heart of the World and fully activating Bioregion 0, by supporting Sun Nation's ecosystem of projects, as a nested part of a larger network of bioregional collaborations. This work can be done in a way that both protects the remaining sources of health and wisdom on our planet (e.g. ecosystems and indigenous cultures), while also prototyping new systems that can be scaled and replicated other places (e.g. food & water systems, regenerative villages, land restoration, cultural exchanges, governance models, local economies, learning systems). 


This is both a testament to Sun Nation's work and an invitation to join the regeneration of our planet. This both requires funding and resources to support the people and work that is already here and happening, but also bringing in more of the right people to get involved <3