Beyond Sustainability

Striving for a sustainable livelihood is the first step in moving away from the sort of “shop and toss” consumer culture that most of us grew up with. However, the word “sustainable” leaves us with the feeling of just getting by. We don’t want to just get by. We want to live in abundance, celebrating the beauty flourishing in all things! We want to see a world where the actions we take not only “do no harm”, they leave a place better than we found it! Regenerative Design gives us the tools to create these visions.

What is Regenerative Design?

re·gen·er·ate (adjective)

1: formed or created again
2: spiritually reborn or converted
3: restored to a better, higher, or more beneficial state

Regenerative Design is a solutions-based approach to creating vibrant ecologies and exuberant cultures that continue to generate a surplus of fertility and vitality for generations to come. Rooted in deep observation, understanding, and knowledge of place, these systems are not only restored to a better, higher, or more beneficial state, but they continue to improve over time.

In practicing Regenerative Design, we acknowledge the many relationships that make up life and the interconnections between them. We look for ways to enhance those relationships to benefit the present and future generations, while also honoring generations of the past. In Regenerative Design we consider humans as a keystone species, and as such the lines between human settlements and the natural world begin to fade.

The Role of Permaculture
Regenerative Design is heavily based in the Permaculture lineage. Permaculture is a practical set of ecological design principles and methods which enable us to establish highly productive environments that provide for food, energy, shelter, and other material and non-material needs. Permaculture models the resiliency, stability and abundance of the natural world. It can be applied to urban, suburban and watershed scales, to all climates and to many cultures, from indigenous to technological.

Regenerative Design in RDNA

In the RDNA Program, we strengthen our relationships with the natural world, begin to understand it, see our place in it, and witness how our actions can negatively impact or enhance it. This developed sense of Nature Awareness fosters a deeper intuition and ability to apply principles of Regenerative Design and create systems that enchance ecological health. In the RDNA Program, we understand humans to be a keystone species in the ecosystem, playing an important role in maintaining balance, health and vitality.

Encompassing all aspects of what we do at RDNA (cultural mentoring, permaculture, nature awareness, etc) Regenerative Design gives us the tools we need to put our plans into effect and our dreams into reality.

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