Our guest this week is Dr Deborah Benham, Biomimicry Educator, Transition Town Co-Lead Link and Deep Nature Connection facilitator - which puts her in a place to really unpick what it will take for us to depart the crumbling remains of late-stage capitalism and build a world based on connection, coherence and community.
From her early days as a Marine Biologist, through her PhD on sea otters (I am not remotely envious of someone who gets to study sea otters for 3 years!), to her time in a community near Findhorn and now in a co-housing community in Dorset, Deborah's life has been oriented towards holding a vision of humanity as a helpful species on this planet.
As you'll hear, she's the co-Lead Link for Transition Network, the charity which supports the international Transition towns movement; she's a trained Biomimicry Educator and with a background in Jon Young's Deep Nature Connection work, Deborah brings a practical, experiential lived and living toolkit that she shares and teaches - of how we can build thriving human societies, cultures, communities and businesses, designing with and as nature, creating mutual benefit for all life, using tech in life affirming ways, and uplifting justice, kindness and cooperation.
We often reach an impasse where we know roughly what needs to happen, but don't have the conceptual or practical tools to bring it into being. Deborah has both - she's fully grounded in the theory of how communities of support, practice and place can come into being and she's teaching and living the practice. In fact - she's one of the core team creating the Nature Connection Camp from 4th - 10th August near Bedford in the UK so if you're around and want to experience the many ways we can weave the four threads she talks about, please hit the link in the show notes.
Nature Connection Camp link for Tickets - https://natureculturenetwork.org/connection-camp/
USE THE DISCOUNT CODE MandaConnection - VALID TILL JUNE 14TH
Promo short video - https://youtube.com/shorts/924rR_uZtdA?si=DfbMMEIdg7PSNCwt
Video channel with testimonials from previous camps - https://www.youtube.com/@NatureCultureNetwork
Facebook event page - https://www.facebook.com/events/1338787930132432
Resource List
Connect with Deborah
Deborah's website www.deborahbenham.com
Deborah on Linked In
Deborah on Instagram - Nature’s Guide to Thriving
Websites
Biomimicry 3.8
Biomimicry Institute
Nature Culture Network - UK
Living Connection 1st / 8 Shields
Transition Network
Bridport Co-Housing
Events, Courses, Online materials
Introducing Biomimicry to your community
Biomimicry - Ask Nature
Learn Biomimicry Course
Capra Course
Gaia Education
Nature Culture Connection Camp August 2024
Nature-Based Village Building (enquire directly to Deborah to join the prototype 2024 membership)
Projects
Bonn im Wandel
Liege Food Belt
Research and Books
Aldrich, Daniel - social ties in disaster recovery
Bregman, Rutger (2021). Humankind: A Hopeful History
Macdonald, Miriam Kate (2022). Emergent: Rewilding Nature, Regenerating Food and Healing the World by Restoring the Connection Between People and the Wild.
Pedersen Zari, M.; Hecht, K. (2020). “Biomimicry for Regenerative Built Environments: Mapping Design Strategies for Producing Ecosystem Services.” Biomimetics 2020, 5, 18. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomimetics5020018
Young, Jon, Ellen Haas and Evan McGown (2009). Coyote's Guide to Connecting with Nature.
Zelenski, J.; Warber, S.; Robinson, J.M.; Logan, A.C.; Prescott, S.L. (2023). “Nature Connection: Providing a Pathway from Personal to Planetary Health.” Challenges 2023, 14, 16. https://doi.org/10.3390/challe14010016
Accidental Gods