Today we’re going to kick off a month-long exploration of various community models that are focused on regenerating environments, communication, and healthy cultures. In the next three weeks we’ll be looking closely into regenerative social networks, ecovillages and cohousing configurations. As the regenerative movement builds momentum around the world, people are rethinking the communities and societies that either promote or disincentivize healthy development. Though I’ve never found a community structure that is perfect, the interviews this month aim to identify the innovative progress of the communal structures that I mentioned and unpack the successes, challenges, and lessons in the process of creating truly regenerative community structures.
My guest today, Magenta Ceiba, is the executive creative officer of the Bloom Network. Bloom Network is an in-person social network that uses online tools to collaboratively work on regenerating culture and life systems. Local Bloom chapters host skill shares, educational events and hands-on actions in collaboration with different social movements in their cities. Our online collaboration platform uses augmented intelligence, a wiki, and video calls to help different social good movements share best practices and pool resources so we can be stronger together. We produce a yearly conference to support regenerative innovation called Pollination.
In this interview we explore the three main focuses of Bloom. Namely, food security, alternative economic models and conflict resolution. Magenta also explains how branches of this network are formed and supported in their initiatives, and we even go into more personal topics such as how people of privileged backgrounds can help to promote the voices and perspectives of people who have been disenfranchised by society. This is a very nuanced look at the intricacies of community building and the aspects of regenerative culture, so you might want to grab a notebook
Resources:
AE podcast interview with Leah Penniman from Soulfire Farm
Bloom Network: http://bloomnetwork.org
Empowering Public Wisdom by Tom Atlee
Anti-colonial solidarity primer
Aragon digital governance
Dynamic Facilitation (community mediation practice
Local Bloom-related projects:
Proyecto Fe A.C. – Bloom Los Mochis crew
Bloom Network Resources:
Local Blooms and how to start one
Bloom Podcast RSS feed: https://pinecast.com/feed/bloom-podcast
Bloom Network Membership
Our conference, Pollination
Primarily people of color and indigenous led regenerative efforts listeners might not know about:
Bay Area specific: