Elementally Sustaining People & Planet: Earth, Fire, Water, Air.
A bit of context…
This is one of (7) overarching societal impact coalition themes that Unstitution is proactively targeting.
Each coalition theme is multi-layered and multi-faceted, catalyzing and building upon — in supportive synergistic ways — many initiatives that are already doing important work.
With overlapping synergies between and among us all, we can spawn wide and deep, connecting additional coalitions and initiatives — a pattern already underway and observed.
Unstitution’s own driving theme is a linchpin for the others. A reciprocal and symbiotic interdependence is at play. Multiple coalitions and initiatives, over time— and beyond our own work and lifetimes — will collectively contribute to rebooting society’s operating system. Activating an abundance mindset toward flourishing on a finite planet needs us all with gifts differing reconstituting the commons in a variety of ways.
The regenerative and resilient health of Unstitution, in turn, contributes to the integrity and resilience of all coalitions and initiatives within and across our nested and interconnected ecosystems.
Theme descriptions are not carved in stone. Since coalitions and initiatives spawn organically and by design, we’re always balancing strategy thinking with co-creative emergent learning. As people co-catalyze and engage, they will help to shape and adapt the trajectory in more granular and tangible context-based and place-sourced ways that bring it to life.
Overview…yeah it’s complex and complicated…but we gotta cut through…
There are many overlapping and layered issues, challenges and opportunities supported by extensive scientific research and longstanding Indigenous wisdom that concern the regenerative health and biodiversity of the planet for human survival and thriveability. Sustaining people and planet requires significant change in how we attend to all the elements: earth, fire, water and air. While there is growing convergence on the relevance and gravity of many issues and excellent promising strategies and methods that already exist with initiatives underway:
📚 The range and magnitude of issues and challenges are vast
📚 When scientists, academia, advocates, activists, and interest groups focus on decontextualized parts of the elephant, no definitive consensus is reached among and between them, on the most viable (trans)contextual pathways forward
📚 Polarization persists even among many of those who share concerns, regarding the climate crisis and mitigation priorities
📚 Labelling and binary debate dilute efforts and greatly sub-optimize the impact and momentum of initiatives actively or potentially pursued
📚 The scientific, social, economic, cultural, Indigenous and political factors that make up the whole picture [elephant] — easily become siloed in echo chambers, if not warring factions
📚 Divisiveness perpetuates policy and predatory industry delay and green washing — e.g. when the experts disagree, stall tactics persist
📚 Strategies and solutions must be tailored, adapted and right scaled to address context-based and place-sourced bioregional ecological, cultural and socio-economic needs and differences
📚 Greater awareness, education, active participation and support among the general public — citizens within and across communities — are needed to make meaningful, tangible progress
Initiatives that cut across and build bridges within this overarching coalition theme
We work collaboratively and co-creatively with several global and local/bioregional and civic organizations and initiatives who bring overlapping and differentiated perspectives, expertise, capabilities and lived experience. These span multiple elemental aspects of sustainability, regeneration and climate. Coalition initiatives potentially bring together and build upon any and all of the interconnected elements. These are examples:
🌳 Earth: soil health; regenerative agriculture; eco-restoration; land use; crops; carbon storage and sequestration; agroforestry; forestation; earthquakes, volcanoes
🔥 Fire: forest fires across the globe; fire management (Indigenous methods), burning fossil fuels
💦 Water: biotic pump function of climate, water quality and availability; drinking water; pollution of rivers and streams, watersheds, lakes, coastal regions, oceans; clean-up; ocean temperature; flooding
💨 Air: air quality; fires making air quality dangerous; pollution from burning fossil fuels; improperly managed waste; weather and geological events — tornadoes, hurricanes; earthquakes and volcanoes
Connected to -
🌏 Biodiversity: loss connected to climate issues, food systems; wildlife protection; endangered species and consequences
🌍 Energy Transition: solar; wind; hydrogen; innovation; new technology
🌎 Food Security and Sovereignty: food systems; nutrient density; healthy nutrition sources; food waste; food less travelled; farm-to-table
🌏 Circular Economy: shift away from consumerist society; bio-regional place-sourced regeneration; nature-based materials and solutions; accounting for externalities; end-to-end supply-chain value models; zero waste
🌍 The Built Environment: reimagining, revitalizing, repurposing and retrofitting urban centres towards regenerative design/architecture, nature-based products, sustainable buildings and infrastructure, healthy communities, work systems, social cohesion; sense of belonging; wellbeing economies and planetary flourishing; involves affordable housing, healthy commercial buildings, land use/ownership, green spaces and community place-making etc
Linking to Justice-Led Social Wellbeing through -
Initiatives that address food poverty and sovereignty, community, infrastructure and social services, employment decline, rise in social inequality, othering and belonging, migration, mental health, healthcare, aging well, etc.
Linking to Amplifying Youth-Led Social Change through -
University, school and community projects that support youth leadership, agency, learning and creative activation, address eco-anxiety, build cross-generational collaboration etc.
Linking to Shifting Economics for Societal Value through -
Developing, assessing, experimenting with alternative multicapital models, initiatives that advance commons-based ecosystems for regenerative development, establishing alternative funding, value exchange and flows, rewarding positive regenerative sustainable impact etc.
The afterthought that’s NOT an afterthought
Having recognized that Education and Learning and Arts and Culture are fundamental multimodal building blocks that can extend the reach, inspire, develop capabilities and foster social change — they are woven into all coalition themes and the functions that make up our Living Operating System.
We welcome people who are especially poised to enrich coalition work and help to embed and embody learning, culture and creativity — to participate.
Yeah, we know. It all sounds rather grand as described.
The good news…it’s underway. With 8 billion people on the planet, we gotta step it up in a variety of interconnected ways.
Together, working collaboratively — you and we can all be unstitutional. Reconstituting the commons is an ongoing humbling learning journey.
*This article was lightly updated January 2024, reflecting ongoing action research and additional links, as we continue to observe, listen, assimilate, curate and adapt.
Unstitution was birthed as a collective creative commons and nested ecosystem. We (co-)catalyze collaborative communities, initiatives and coalitions where people from across sectors, disciplines, cultures, generations and walks-of-life work together on mission critical issues. From readiness through to regenerative progress — moving beyond polarization — is how we roll. The links embedded throughout this article are a warm invitation to go a bit deeper, at any time. For more insights reflecting our ongoing journey, our suite of Unstitution articles are published on Medium. They portray a small sample of the ways we are adapting and contributing among ever-expanding commons-based communities and initiatives inspired and fuelled by citizens — perhaps better described as denizens — anywhere in the world — living into the principles and spirit that govern our collaborative work.
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