1. The 2021 Conversations Program – starts Jan 21st
Our Conversations in 2021 will be focusing more on imagining and starting to design and create a One Planet Region, exploring what local and personal and actions are needed and the policy changes needed to support those actions. We will organise this around Bioregional’s 10 principles of One Planet Living, which are the basis of the work of One Planet Saanich, and the concept of a Just Transition.
Our series is inspired by the ‘Seeds of Good Anthropocenes’ project – https://goodanthropocenes.net/ Seeds “can be social initiatives, new technologies, economic tools, or social-ecological projects, or organisations, movements or new ways of acting that appear to be contributing to the creation of a future that is just, prosperous, and sustainable”. This will be linked to our plans for a ‘Seeds of a One Planet Region’ online catalogue – see below for more info.
We will bring in people and organisations – we might call them the ‘One Planeteers’ – who are actually creating the programs or taking actions that take us towards a One Planet Region. They are the seeds of a One Planet Region. To that end, we will start on January 21st, 5 – 7 PM with a discussion of One Planet Saanich and a One Planet Region
Speakers: Mayor Fred Haynes, Rebecca Newlove, Cora Hallsworth
Topics and speakers for February onwards are still being developed, but will be based on the 10 One Planet Principles. So if you have suggestions for speakers or Seeds we should profile, let me know.
2. Initial feedback on survey
Thanks to all those who participated, we have not yet had a lot of time to analyse this, with the mid-winter break, but there is clear interest and support for the several different ideas we are developing to expand and deepen the Conversations, which is encouraging. So stay tuned.
3. Plans for the Planning Group
From early in the now 4-year history of the Conversations we have had an informal group that have helped us develop the whole approach of the Conversations, and especially the programs. With the creation of a Society and Baoprd, and the challenges of Covid, that has fallen a bit out of practice, but we now want to revive it as an Advisory Council that will meet every 2 months, alternating with our bi-monthly Board meeting. Half-a-dozen people expressed interest in the survey in beoing part of planning and research, so stay tuned. And if others are interested in the Council, or assisting in other ways, let me know.
4. Board recruitment
We are a small Board, but active, and don’t plan on being too large. But we want to expand our representation to be more inclusive of the IBPOC community (Indigenous, black and people of colour) as well as youth. So if you are a member of those groups and would be interested in the Board or the Advisory Council – or if you know of suitable candidates – please contact me.
5. Plans for ‘study circles’
Some of you expressed interest in some sort of follow-up to our series of Conversations on values and transformational change. We are working on this, although it had taken longer than we had hoped, and as our first foray into this, we want to get it right. We may have identified a facilitator for this participatory learning group. Again, stay tuned.
6. ‘Seeds Catalogue’ project
The original idea of the Seeds program theme for 2021 comes from an international project, as noted above. We are working with a volunteer to develop a proposal for an online ‘Seeds of a One Planet Region Catalogue’ that would showcase local innovation and action by people, groups, businesses, communities and others that are taking us towards a One Planet Region. Obviously it will include – but go well beyond – the Seeds’ we profile in our Conversations this year. If you would be interested in assisting with this project, let me know.
7. The ‘Bildung’ approach
We have been interested in the ‘Bildung’ approach that developed in the Nordic countries in the 19th and 20th centuries (see the book ‘The Nordic Secret’) and what that looks like at a regional level and in the 21st century. How do we raise the consciousnesss of an entire region/nation and create changes in core values and a transformational shift towards a One Planet Region? A small group of us have been exploring ‘partcipatory learning’ as a key part of this approach, and the various projects we have in mind (featured on our website and in our survey) will build on that understanding. Again, stay tuned, and let me know if this interests you.
8. Funding
We are at present unfunded and operate on a shoe-string. In some ways, this models what it means to operate efficiently and at low/no cost, but we are also consciousness that for many people, there is a need to earn a living and be rewarded for their work. The various projects we are hoping to develop will require funding, and obviously we are planning to apply for grants. But if people have ideas for how to fund our operations, without creating financial barriers to accessing and using our work, we would be happy to hear from you.
9. Jeremy Lent webinar series – ‘An Ecological Civilization: Vision and Practice’
Gertie Jocksch at Earth Literacies is offering this four-part course on 4 Tuesdays in February. More details are in the attached. We used Jeremy Lent’s ideas about core values shift (in his book ‘The Patterning Instinct’) to frame our Conversations on values in the Fall.
You may want to watch 1.5 hour conversation on Ecological Civilization with Jeremy Lent, Fritjof Capra and Alice Hughes at
Each class will consist of presentations, full group discussion, and small group exercises.
Class 1 | Ecological Civilization in Historical Context
Class 2 | Ecological Civilization: Worldview and Values
Class 3 | An Ecological Civilization in Practice
Class 4 | Pathways to an Ecological Civilization
Date: Tuesday, Feb 2, 9, 16 & 23, 2021
Time: 2:00 – 4:00 pm
Cost: $50
Registration: http://www.earthliteracies.org
Email: programs@earthliteracies.org