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

Radical Woen

John Hopkins' research

Dynamic Facilitation (community mediation practice

Local Bloom-related projects:

Long Beach Fresh

Proyecto Fe A.C. - Bloom Los Mochis crew

Mushroom City Art Festival

Bloom Network Resources:

Local Blooms and how to start one

Wiki

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:

Climate Justice Alliance

La Via Campesina

All My Relations podcast

Ujima Project

Bay Area specific:

Resilient Wellness

Blockchain for Social Justice