Local Adoption Pilot Projects

Assigned to: Fabi

Tyler (4/18) just edited the 2nd sentence, but also would like to note that the last chunk of text at the bottom around Database seems like it's either in the wrong place or needs assistance making its home here. Currently has no context and is confusing. 

Page status (temporary)

 

Anchoring the global vision and purpose of SEEDS in local communities

Most of us were drawn to SEEDS because we care a lot about the future of life on planet Earth, and because we feel a calling towards regeneration. In and beyond SEEDS, this cultural movement that is inquiring how to build a regenerative and thriving civilisation is often called the Regenerative Renaissance.

SEEDS, at its core, is about exploring, co-creating and gifting humanity – as steward of this amazing Earth – a diversity of tools, systems, resources, and cultures designed to joyfully co-create thriving civilizations ^[1]. 

A core purpose of Samara is to support make these tools, systems, and resources for a Regenerative Renaissance accessible and useful to leaders of the regenerative movement. As a decentralized community we foster and support grassroots movements, local initiatives, indigenous communities and all people and groups on this shared path. Samara is here to support and empower change makers and regenerators by creating a supportive and nurturing 'home' for SEEDS Ambassadors and leaders of the 'Regenaissance' – not only in the form of a mutually supportive community and a focus on self-care, but also by providing an integrated set of tools, resources and trainings that empower change makers to build local regenerative ecosystems and establish their own (regional) DHOs. 

What is our understanding of a Pilot Project?

One of the essential ways we envision supporting regenerators is via supporting local 'regenaissance' adoption pilots.  A  pilot project is defined as «an activity planned as a test or trial» [2]. As such, local adoption pilot projects aim at experimenting and testing out strategies and different approaches to activating local communities and plugging them into the SEEDS ecosystem – spreading both Seeds and SEEDS to support the Regenerative Renaissance. Initially, the pilot projects we support will be preparing fertile soil for SEEDS to grow and manifest its abundant regenerative potential. Eventually, we would like to demonstrate effectiveness and trustworthiness so that Samara is invited to co-explore the solution space for the pressing problems communities face (hot spots) in their transition towards a regenerative civilization. Both approaches will require flexible, powerful, and trustworthy methods for evaluating impact. 

Pilot Projects are initiated and led by SEEDS Ambassadors in their own context where they are active as change makers and regenerators. We listen and learn from the people on the ground to find the appropriate tools and approaches that deeply resonate with them and their needs.
We are asking the questions: What can we offer? How can we support local regenerators and change makers? How can we contextualize and adapt the available tools to make them accessible and useful?

Pilot projects come in all shapes and sizes whether you're in a small community or in a large city; if you have an idea how to spread Seeds and regenerate our Earth, then you're welcome to launch a pilot project. 

Pilot projects can be about...

• weaving together local businesses to adopt Seeds as a transactional currency
• helping regional incubators to form their minimum viable organization or decentralizing existing organizations
• establishing a market platform to connect local producers, shops, restaurants and consumers to provide healthy and nutritious food
• making sustainable & regenerative products and services (including educational offerings) more visible and accessible
• making (non-monetary) value flows visible and attributing and distributing value to contributions
• creating a knowledge sharing platform / stakeholder mapping / database
• supporting regenerative finance – providing participatory and decentralized investment, crowdfunding, and budgeting mechanisms
• creating and using local tokens to strengthen the local economy
• enhancing mutual support and collaboration in an existing regenerative network
• building mechanisms for local investment in ecosystem services (schemes that link individuals and orgs to the regenerative projects in their community that are offsetting CO2, reforesting, restoring watersheds, etc.) 

The insights and knowledge gained from the work in Pilot Projects are fed back to the global SEEDS ecosystem to further support and cross-pollinate local adoption pilots. We continuously ask the question: What are we learning about how we can effectively and joyously support this Regenaissance?

I feel the inner transformation and human development is missing here. Perhaps someone can add? (@Drigo? Justin?) "Supporting local regenerators includes providing a framework for personal practice for inner transformation, leadership and growth. A regenerator needs to first and foremost take care of self, of intimate relationships, before he or she is empowered to regenerate society and beyond...." - FV

Drigo: Excellent and important point - this will come in the 'approach to successful pilots' section. 

Objectives of Pilot Projects

Pilot Projects will have a variety of different objectives according to the local context, local needs, and the shared purposes of those who come together to initiate them.  Even as such, there may be some common themes which will often include objectives such as to:

1. Serve humanity and the planet with love, in practical and enjoyable ways
2. Support the local sustainability / regenerative movement 
3. Support regenerative organizations, social enterprises and grassroots movements
4. Provide easy and joyful ways for people to coordinate and collaborate towards positive impact 
5. Introduce a wider audience to better financial and governance systems, recognizing that many of our major problems come from today's dominant financial and governance models
6. Finding ways to collaborate towards building long term, decentralized, democratic, and dynamic platforms 
7. Link local movements to an international movement and global network of regenerators
8. To provide meaningful jobs / livelihood for regenerators and SEEDS Ambassadors 

Food as the foundation for regenerative life

We see food that is nutritious and healthy for the people and the planet as a foundation of this Regenerative Renaissance. (Alan want to edit and reword? think we're all on the same page, and the sentence could be much clearer)  

We have come to a very clear realization that the fundamental way we interact with Earth and practice self care is via the way we produce and consume food. Our diets play a key role in the impoverishment of our environment and at the same time in healing ourselves and our planet.

It is for this reason that we prioritize supporting pilot projects connected to the food system – making local regenerative food accessible to the local population and supporting producers in transitioning away from extractive practices

[1] see SEEDS Constitution V 0.1.0 

[2] https://www.webster-dictionary.org/definition/pilot%20project