EARTH CARE – (Regenerative over Extractive)
We believe healthy soils make healthy plants which make healthy people
Our current economic system is degenerative in that it promotes excessive extraction from the environment, hoarding and taking more and more life to create more and more money in the belief and pursuit of endless financial growth.
Use and value renewable resources and services
We choose to value the ‘natural capital’ in the natural wilderness that surrounds us, respect its right to life and restore and maintain biodiversity on the land especially in the indigenous forest and wilderness zone and through the farming practices we use. We choose to pour our energy into creating a generative – sharing – and collaborative economy in order to thrive rather than expand endlessly.
Our food systems are degenerative in that for almost 2 centuries now industrial agriculture has been promoting the use of fertilizer to grow bigger crops faster. This has led to a consequence of weed growth for which herbicides have been promoted to kill weeds, and pesticides have been promoted to kill and control insects that are in fact crucial pollinators.
Use small and slow solutions
We choose to regenerate natural capital, be guided by the natural landscape and use local resources (e.g invasive wood for furniture and cooking, local manure to regenerate the soil). We choose to work with controlled fires to enhance fynbos diversity, with animals to reduce invasive tree species . We slow down intentionally and practice patience to move forward together.
Obtain a yield
We choose to replenish and regenerate the soil, grow food forests, organic food and build a local food-network in order to: (i) be self-sufficient (ii) reduce our consumption and packaging waste (iii) nourish ourselves and others (iv) maintain our health through healthy food and lifestyle
Use of fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides have been contaminating our water systems, have contributed to an increase in greenhouse gases and plants have gradually lost their fertility, thus we are no longer eating nutritious food but rather a chemical experiment. This has led to major health concerns, as the quality of food primarily degenerates our immune system.
Catch and store energy
Our energy systems are extractive in that we still heavily rely on fossil fuel which is rapidly being depleted and coal which is not renewable and harmful to the earth.
We choose to retain water run-off by creating swales that water the food garden. We strive to harvest rainwater from rooftops and capture rainwater & grey water in dams and wetland areas. We strive to shift to solar /wind energy in order to preserve fossil fuel reserves and use clean energy.
PEOPLE & CREATURE CARE – (Look after self, the collective and all living creatures)
We believe if people’s needs are met in compassionate and simple ways, the social field surrounding them will prosper.
The digital transformation and remote work lifestyle has been catapulted by COVID. People have either been excluded from this economic system due to no access to technology or limited digital literacy, or people are sitting on average 8-10 hours a day in front of a screen and have decreased their range of movement with respective increases in mental health and physical health challenges. While the remote element can bring freedom in how and where work gets done, COVID has minimized the freedom of mobility to a certain extent and has dramatically increased social isolation.
Observe & interact
We choose to be a learning landscape and approach our surroundings and the ecosystem with a beginner’s mind, with curiosity and wonder using a range of regenerative practices and approaches including permaculture and biodynamic farming methods.
Learning landscape means we choose to:
- experience nature as our teacher
- learn from and with each other
- learn by doing in context and in relation
- create intentional learning spaces and forms
Use & value diversity
We choose to connect to self, neighbours in the collective and in the area and to the surrounding wilderness by appreciating each and every creature’s unique value and giving each creature space to live and let live (whether it be baboons, snakes, spiders or honey bees).
We choose diversity in our collective as a key to resilience.
Diversity means we choose:
- intergenerational living – including children and elderly.
- economic diversity – of skills, knowledge, energy, finances
- ethical -, cultural -, philosophical-, educational – and spiritual diversity of background
- to be inclusive and tolerant
Design from patterns to details
We choose to understand the underlying patterns and relationships in natural systems, and use that understanding to guide the design of our own systems.
This principle encourages us to start by looking at the big picture and understanding the patterns and relationships that exist in nature and our collective. For example, in our garden, we started by observing the way the sun moves across the sky, the flow of water through the land, and the patterns of plant and animal interactions. For the collective we notice what patterns exist in our collaboration and collective and how our practices and activities might support what personal and family self care needs exist. We choose to enable and create spaces and practices that are required for the collective and for the growth of each individual.
Collective means we choose to:
- proactively communicate and participate in collective planning
- contribute regularly to collective matters & projects
- show an interest in the other members
- actively interact and build trust with the other members
- next to private space, family, work, learning space and friends, there are shared spaces of working, learning, eating & celebrating together
- help & support each other
- regularly harvest, express joy, gratitude and celebrate the yield
- look for and work with synergies
- hold regular collective moments of reflection promoting conscious connection
- integrate and balance economic, ecological and social aspects of living
- take time to look after and care for self
- support personal growth and individual initiatives
- provide space for family time
- provide space for extended family & friends
Creatively use and respond to change
PROVERB: Vision is not seeing things as they are but as they will be. How we view things is important.We choose to use our imagination to vision our lives and the world we would like.
We choose to be open to new ideas and approaches, and actively seek out ways to adapt and improve our systems and practices. We constantly observe and learn from the natural systems around us. We work with the resources we have, and we build resilient systems that can adapt and thrive in the face of change.
FAIR SHARE – (A spirit of abundance over a spirit of scarcity)
We believe Mother Earth is a diverse, living and holistic ecosystem that teaches us how to live in the spirit of abundance.
The globally dominant capitalist economy is geographically visible in the disconnect between global North and South. At the same time the global North’s heavy dependence on the South is evident when it comes to natural resources and fresh produce. Added to that, SA’s history is geographically visible in every town. The unequal distribution of land perpetuates the social segregation and sharp contrast of poverty and wealth. Land can be owned by individuals, is paid for with money, may be subdivided into parts and can thus be subject to speculation.
We draw inspiration from the community land trust model to protect land from speculation and choose the legal owner of the land to be the BEDROCK TRUST.
Integrate rather than segregate
Providing a foundation for diverse collective life means we choose to:
- see and value the relational when integrating (e.g. we choose to integrate chickens into the food garden where the mutual value in preparing the beds by adding manure and taking care of pests is harnessed).
- be custodians of the land, to preserve and maintain the biodiversity of the land in Trust and prevent it from being owned by any individual, used for speculation, divided or used for industrial purposes or housing development.
- initiate and carve out space and time for hard conversations that shape economic forms that are regenerative and distributive by design.
- consciously be in search of alternate economic forms that provide accessibility and possibilities of widespread economic flow for all socio-economic lived experiences.
Use the edges and value the marginal
We recognize the potential of areas that are often overlooked or considered unimportant. These areas can include the edges of our property, the areas between different ecosystems, or the spaces that are too wet or dry. We choose to see the “marginal” areas as valuable resources that can be used to increase productivity and biodiversity. For example, the edges can be used to create a food forest, a diverse collection of edible plants that can provide an abundance of fruits, nuts, and berries.
Produce no waste
Think about the tremendous waste one supports when buying ready made food or going grocery shopping in the supermarket and noticing the incredible amount of plastic and packaging that is merely brought home unwrapped before consumption, perhaps reused once or twice and then thrown away. Do you know where materials are taken and what value comes out of all the energy that goes into recycling? What if we designed products, services and sold fresh produce in such a way that there is no waste?
We choose to design systems that minimize the amount of waste generated and maximize the efficient use of resources. This principle is based on the idea that everything has value and that waste is simply a resource in the wrong place. One way we strive to do this is to design and use closed-loop systems, where waste products from one process are used as inputs for another. For example, composting is used to turn kitchen waste, yard trimmings and other organic materials into a nutrient-rich soil. Or food scraps may be used to feed chickens, and their manure can then be used to fertilize the garden.
Apply self-regulation and accept feedback
We choose to seek feedback by inviting people from outside and learn from their questions. We draw inspiration from other examples to self-regulate and adapt over time. This principle is based on the idea that all living systems have the ability to regulate themselves, and that by observing and understanding these processes, we can create more resilient and sustainable systems.
One way we strive to do this is through the use of monitoring and feedback systems. For example, in our food garden, regular observation, monitoring and measurement of soil moisture, insect and animal activity and other factors provide valuable information about how the garden is functioning. This information can be used to make adjustments and improve the yield of the garden.
We choose to have moments of celebration and reflection, to be open to feedback and to learn from our previous experiences. By accepting feedback and learning from our experiences, we can make adjustments, plan and improve over time.