The Regenerative Real Estate Podcast

Jacob Deva Racusin is a natural building designer, builder, and educator. He is a longtime leader in the field of sustainable building and the co-founder of New Frameworks, a worker-owned cooperative committed to a “kinder sort of building.” Using natural materials such as native hardwood, clay, and stone, they are developing data-driven and scalable solutions for cost-effective, non-toxic, plant based building that can substantially impact our urgent ecological and health crises. Starting as a young person in the punk rock scene, Jacob got involved early on with forward thinking movements around sustainable agriculture and building, and he hasn’t looked back. Now, he is hopeful that the world is catching up and that healthy, natural building is poised to be a major solution to our global environmental crisis.  

In this episode, Jacob and show host Neal explore Jacob’s early transition from organic agriculture to pioneering sustainable building practices, highlighting his work in natural building and his path to becoming an advocate for ecological building materials. They delve into Jacob's innovative approach to construction, his early experiences with straw bale homes, his formative experience with Yestermorrow Design School, and his contribution to the BEAM tool with Builders for Climate Action. They also discuss the challenges of integrating sustainable and natural building practices into the mainstream, as well as the potential to encourage widespread adoption, especially as the world looks for ways to cut carbon emissions. For more information about his work, visit newframeworks.com (and follow them on IG) or buildersforclimateaction.org. 

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At Latitude, we're more than a real estate firm; we're your partner in the transformation of homes, communities, and habitats towards healthy, resilient, and thriving communities.

By combining specialized real estate consulting services with a creative agency model, we work with property stewards and developers on capital and fundraising strategies, team formation, branding, marketing, and sales.

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Are you a professional wanting to create transformational outcomes with your work? Join the Regenerative Real Estate Community to get access to workshops, regenerative real estate investment opportunities, and connect to other leaders and culture creators within the greater real estate industry to create the impact you seek in your work.

Paul Rabinovitch is an impact investor, sustainable developer, and entrepreneur. He is the founder of Net Positive Capital, a fund that seeks to build a channel for capital to flow into net positive real estate. He has decades of experience investing in healthy vibrant places and his career is built on the principle that social benefit and profit are not mutually exclusive. He’s been on the leading edge of the impact investing movement in the United States and is hopeful that the rest of the investment community is finally ready to catch up. Recently he put his years of wisdom and knowledge into a book, Investment Opportunities in Decarbonizing Real Estate, and launched his fund to put that knowledge into action. 

Paul and show host Neal trace Paul’s life journey and most formative professional and personal experiences. They discuss the influence of his mother, an architect who gave him an appreciation for the beauty of buildings and neighborhoods, as well as his early work with Nature Conservancy, where he learned about the biology of mature plant communities and how they relate to urban communities. They dive into his time as a brownfield developer and his experience managing a personal fund for an influential matriarch with a firm commitment to impact investing. Finally, they discuss Paul’s newly established fund as well as the state of impact investing the U.S. and abroad, and some of the obstacles to growth. For more information about Paul and his work, follow him on LinkedIn or download his book for free here. 

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At Latitude, we're more than a real estate firm; we're your partner in the transformation of homes, communities, and habitats towards healthy, resilient, and thriving communities.

By combining specialized real estate consulting services with a creative agency model, we work with property stewards and developers on capital and fundraising strategies, team formation, branding, marketing, and sales.

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Are you a professional wanting to create transformational outcomes with your work? Join the Regenerative Real Estate Community to get access to workshops, regenerative real estate investment opportunities, and connect to other leaders and culture creators within the greater real estate industry to create the impact you seek in your work.

Sean McLean is a visionary in the field of regenerative development. He is a managing partner of MPact Collective, an impact real estate development firm that takes an innovative, long-term approach toward place-based investing. Sean believes that the best way to build a resilient community is to spend months there full-time learning the issues and addressing them in a sustainable way, working on the scale of decades rather than years. He’s creating opportunities to support underserved and underinvested communities that offer impressive returns that can compete with and even exceed those of traditional real estate developments. 

Sean and show host Neal talk about Sean’s formative years in Nassau County, “the birthplace of the American suburb;” his education, which taught him about the history and psychology of real estate; and his early years in the real estate industry. Eventually, Sean had an epiphany that the frustrating rules and regulations that prevented more meaningful development could be challenged and improved, and he set about doing that. They discuss his more recent work creating innovative zoning codes and entitlement processes, his transition into regenerative development with MPact Collective, and their efforts to promote economic resiliency and climate-smart growth through their investments. They also dive into the critical role of deep community involvement in the development process and the challenge of attracting traditional investors to buy in to their projects. For more information visit mpactcollective.com.

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At Latitude, we're more than a real estate firm; we're your partner in the transformation of homes, communities, and habitats towards healthy, resilient, and thriving communities.

By combining specialized real estate consulting services with a creative agency model, we work with property stewards and developers on capital and fundraising strategies, team formation, branding, marketing, and sales.

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Are you a professional wanting to create transformational outcomes with your work? Join the Regenerative Real Estate Community to get access to workshops, regenerative real estate investment opportunities, and connect to other leaders and culture creators within the greater real estate industry to create the impact you seek in your work.

Analise Roland is an impact entrepreneur, neuroscientist, and movement leader in the field of regenerative development. She is the CEO of Anura, a real estate fund that aims to generate financial, social, and environmental returns. She has a deep belief that developments based on regenerative principles can produce substantial returns that benefit the investor, but also the local community and natural environment. With this mindset, we can foster a regenerative economy and a system of regenerative capitalism, that challenges the extractive capitalism which has dominated our era. 

Analise and show host Neal explore her diverse background, from her childhood spent in the Montana countryside, to her academic pursuits studying neuroscience at Brown University, to her early entrepreneurial ventures in sustainable farming and development. They talk about her experience investing, and communicating the advantages of regenerative economies to traditional investors. They also delve into her current work, including the hospitality fund which, through its various projects will support local communities and environmental projects, through the bioregional hub model. For more information about her work, visit anura.earth.

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At Latitude, we're more than a real estate firm; we're your partner in the transformation of homes, communities, and habitats towards healthy, resilient, and thriving communities.

By combining specialized real estate consulting services with a creative agency model, we work with property stewards and developers on capital and fundraising strategies, team formation, branding, marketing, and sales.

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Are you a professional wanting to create transformational outcomes with your work? Join the Regenerative Real Estate Community to get access to workshops, regenerative real estate investment opportunities, and connect to other leaders and culture creators within the greater real estate industry to create the impact you seek in your work.

Neal and Alissa Collins are partners in business and life, and are co-founders of Latitude Regenerative Real Estate. As Neal recently passed the milestone of publishing the 100th episode of the Regenerative Real Estate Podcast, he and Alissa thought now was a great time for some reflection. Four years after starting the podcast and starting to build the field of Regenerative Real Estate, Neal and Alissa have accumulated a wealth of knowledge from guests and have enjoyed building a community of like-minded change agents. That learning has fed into their own business and profoundly influenced their efforts at feeding the “quadruple bottom line”—people, planet, profit, and purpose. 

Alissa and show host Neal discuss the lessons they have learned in 100 episodes of the podcast, including the inspiring authenticity of their guests and their varied efforts. And they explain the recent evolution of their business, as they shift their focus from real estate to ambitious purpose-driven projects. They detail two of those projects, including building an agrihood near Vancouver, British Columbia, which includes a sustainable fishery, and restoring an historical oceanfront lodge and inn overlooking the Olympic Mountains in Washington. Both projects center community, connection to land, and regenerative practices—and care carry exciting challenges around raising capital. To learn more, visit chooselatitude.com. 

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At Latitude, we're more than a real estate firm; we're your partner in the transformation of homes, communities, and habitats towards healthy, resilient, and thriving communities.

By combining specialized real estate consulting services with a creative agency model, we work with property stewards and developers on capital and fundraising strategies, team formation, branding, marketing, and sales.

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Are you a professional wanting to create transformational outcomes with your work? Join the Regenerative Real Estate Community to get access to workshops, regenerative real estate investment opportunities, and connect to other leaders and culture creators within the greater real estate industry to create the impact you seek in your work.

Doug Davis is a conservation-based real estate developer, self-proclaimed adrenaline junky, and co-founder of The Farm at Okefenokee. It is a legacy project that Doug plans to work on for decades to come, one that combines development and conservation. The Farm is on 705 acres near Folkston, Georgia, and will ultimately have 250 sustainably-built cabins among crop fields and farm animals that will produce high-quality food for its residents. The development is based on principles of regenerative agriculture, conservation, and a belief that a vibrant community needs “body heat”—people interacting in a lively way with each other and the land. 

Doug and show host Neal talk about Doug’s youth as a “hellion” obsessed with the outdoors, and they detail some of his great adventures surfing, hunting, and hiking. They trace his career path which began in construction, then progressed into engineering and finally development. Doug’s foundational love for nature has always informed his work, especially his conservation mitigation bank projects, which restore large wetlands to their pre-industrial state. They also discuss Doug’s journey launching The Farm and his and his team’s big plans for its future, which includes a restaurant, extensive regenerative farming, community events and classes, a swimming pond and dog park, and a series of small “villages,” each consisting of 25 cabins. You can follow along with Doug’s journey of living at The Farm and continuing to develop it on his Instagram and The Farm’s Instagram. You can also check out okefarm.com for more information. 

———————-
At Latitude, we're more than a real estate firm; we're your partner in the transformation of homes, communities, and habitats towards healthy, resilient, and thriving communities.

By combining specialized real estate consulting services with a creative agency model, we work with property stewards and developers on capital and fundraising strategies, team formation, branding, marketing, and sales.

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Are you a professional wanting to create transformational outcomes with your work? Join the Regenerative Real Estate Community to get access to workshops, regenerative real estate investment opportunities, and connect to other leaders and culture creators within the greater real estate industry to create the impact you seek in your work.

Lindsay Baker is a movement leader, author, and podcast host. Currently, she is the CEO of the International Living Future Institute, and her path there has been surprising and impressive. She started her career working at the US Green Building Council developing early standards for LEED, subsequently she was a researcher at UC Berkley, global head of sustainability at WeWork, member of Google’s Real Estate Sustainability Team, and co-founder of a smart buildings company. Throughout her winding career, she has been driven not by a desire to have a particular role but by a desire to effect as much change as possible at the intersection of buildings, climate, and human health. She seeks positions where she can access “levers for disproportionate change,” where she can make a major impact. 

Lindsay and show host Neal trace Lindsay’s mission-focused upbringing and professional career, including her childhood in Atlanta, formative years in college, and first job working on the LEED certification. They talk about her experience in Silicon Valley, at Google and WeWork, exploring her philosophy behind enacting change most effectively. They also touch on her current position at the International Living Future Institute, her experiences leading the organization through a period of significant change, including the pandemic and social justice movements, and the group’s future goals. For more information about her current work, visit living-future.org.

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At Latitude, we're more than a real estate firm; we're your partner in the transformation of homes, communities, and habitats towards healthy, resilient, and thriving communities.

By combining specialized real estate consulting services with a creative agency model, we work with property stewards and developers on capital and fundraising strategies, team formation, branding, marketing, and sales.

---------
Are you a professional wanting to create transformational outcomes with your work? Join the Regenerative Real Estate Community to get access to workshops, regenerative real estate investment opportunities, and connect to other leaders and culture creators within the greater real estate industry to create the impact you seek in your work.

Greg Hale is an expert on high performance and carbon-neutral buildings. He is one of the developers behind the Catskill Project, a 90-acre carbon-neutral community in upstate New York with homes designed to all passive house standards. The community, which is envisioned to eventually have 25 homes, sees itself as exemplifying the “future of living.” Greg has long been a forward thinker in the area of carbon neutral construction, and the Catskills Project is the culmination of a lifetime of environmentalism and sustainable development. 

Greg and show host Neal discuss Greg's path to starting a passive house community, from his formative years in the Adirondacks to his time working as a real estate lawyer. They also explore Greg’s decade-plus experience working for the government of New York State, including at the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). There, he was a part of the force behind some progressive environmental policies that aim to make New York carbon neutral by 2050. Finally, they dive into Greg’s current efforts with the Catskills Project, the challenges that come with building and marketing a passive house community, and their end vision for the 90-acre site.  For more information about the Catskills Project, visit thecatskillproject.com.

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At Latitude, we're more than a real estate firm; we're your partner in the transformation of homes, communities, and habitats towards healthy, resilient, and thriving communities.

By combining specialized real estate consulting services with a creative agency model, we work with property stewards and developers on capital and fundraising strategies, team formation, branding, marketing, and sales.

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Are you a professional wanting to create transformational outcomes with your work? Join the Regenerative Real Estate Community to get access to workshops, regenerative real estate investment opportunities, and connect to other leaders and culture creators within the greater real estate industry to create the impact you seek in your work.

Peter Block is an author, organizational development consultant, and citizen of Cincinnati, Ohio. Among other books, he has written Flawless Consulting, Stewardship, The Answer to How Is Yes, Community, The Abundant Community, and An Other Kingdom. His work has centered around reclaiming our humanity in the relentless modern world. He has a deep belief in the central role that place and our relationship to it plays in our life—our happiness and our health.

Peter and show host Neal discuss Peter's career from one of his earliest and most formative sparks of inspiration, as a graduate student thinking about how groups work together. In the conversation, they explore how our spaces and dominate cultural narratives can divide us, and how they can be shifted to bring us together. Peter also shares his approach to designing effective community meetings that bring the public into the process of development in a way that is measured, inclusive, and productive. He also talks about some of the projects and developments that are giving him hope, such as dividend housing and pocket neighborhoods. To learn more about Peter Block's work, visit PeterBlock.com. 

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At Latitude, we're more than a real estate firm; we're your partner in the transformation of homes, communities, and habitats towards healthy, resilient, and thriving communities.

By combining specialized real estate consulting services with a creative agency model, we work with property stewards and developers on capital and fundraising strategies, team formation, branding, marketing, and sales.

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Are you a professional wanting to create transformational outcomes with your work? Join the Regenerative Real Estate Community to get access to workshops, regenerative real estate investment opportunities, and connect to other leaders and culture creators within the greater real estate industry to create the impact you seek in your work.

Nathan Helbach is a sustainable developer and the CEO of The Neutral Project. When he was in school working on a degree in sustainability, he came up with the idea to build carbon-neutral developments. Today, with The Neutral Project, he is working to make that dream a reality. Key to reducing the embodied carbon in these buildings was moving away from steel and concrete to mass timber. Currently, Nathan is behind the construction of what will be the tallest mass timber building in the world. 

Nathan and show host Neal discuss Nathan’s path to starting The Neutral Project, including his childhood experience helping his father with small projects in Madison and then in his early 20s, working for a traditional developer on hundreds of traditional stick frame buildings. Once Nathan got the idea to start a business dedicated to carbon-neutral construction, he started working against the inertia of routine and tradition. He had to learn how to acquire and build with mass timber, as well as follow passive house principles. Finally, they touch on the exciting future of The Neutral Project and the many developments they have in the works. To learn more, check out theneutralproject.com.

———————-
At Latitude, we're more than a real estate firm; we're your partner in the transformation of homes, communities, and habitats towards healthy, resilient, and thriving communities.

By combining specialized real estate consulting services with a creative agency model, we work with property stewards and developers on capital and fundraising strategies, team formation, branding, marketing, and sales.

---------
Are you a professional wanting to create transformational outcomes with your work? Join the Regenerative Real Estate Community to get access to workshops, regenerative real estate investment opportunities, and connect to other leaders and culture creators within the greater real estate industry to create the impact you seek in your work.