Our Philosophy

“Co-evolution among humans and natural systems can only be undertaken in specific places, using approaches that are precisely fitted to them.”

Pamela Mang & Ben Haggard, Regenerative Development & Design

Regenerative development is the process of harmonizing the activity of human communities with the continuing evolution of life on our planet–a process that also grows and evolves our own potential as humans.

Regenerative development begins with the premise that human beings and activities have the potential to nourish the myriad ecological systems that they touch, and that realizing this potential is a pathway to regenerating the health and abundance of human cultures and economies. In order to make this a reality, we must commit ourselves to a process of inquiring into and deeply honoring the unique socio-ecological identities of the places we inhabit.

While regenerative development needs to happen all over the planet, the complex interface between human systems and natural systems must be studied, understood and navigated uniquely in each distinct place. This means there can be no simple template for regenerative work. Instead, practitioners from a broad range of different disciplines and community sectors must come together to engage in deep and sustained co-learning, inquiring together into how to practice the “art and science” of regeneration in that place.

Regenerative practitioners are those who feel called to intervene at the interface between human systems and the natural systems that support them, to create new potential for our communities and our planet.

This is inherently complex work, and a hallmark of the regenerative practitioner’s mindset is the understanding that our ability to be successful will require that we grow ourselves beyond the level of capability that we currently have. Regenerative practitioners are committed not only to valuing nature’s needs, but also to becoming fluent in nature’s language; to think like nature thinks so that we might work in co-evolutionary partnership with her. 

What we all learn on the journey is that this is not an external process. Co-evolution with natural systems is not about learning about nature as a force that exists outside of ourselves. It requires learning about our own nature to actively re-pattern how we think and how we work–and to enable that shift in others.

Our understanding of what’s required of us, and our commitment to take it on, deepens as our inner development as practitioners unfolds. We view that process as an iterative path that is unique to each of us. The aim of our education programs is to support practitioners in charting such a path, with the support of a community of fellow practitioners.