Accidental Gods

Rachel Donald, host of Planet: Critical podcast, discusses the global crisis, challenging carbon credits, navigating power dynamics, revolutionizing systems, and legal challenges with ISDS. She emphasizes the need for systemic change through collaboration, sustainability, and building a transnational Green Party.

Our guest this week is Hugo Spowers, Company Architect of Riversimple, whose purpose is 'To pursue, systematically, the elimination of the environmental impact of personal transport.' Modernity demands that we have personal transport and the thought of giving it up is one of the many sticking points when people try to imagine a way through to a regenerative future: nobody wants to be limited to their immediate vicinity for work, leisure or social connection. At the same time, we're becoming increasingly aware of the limitations of electric vehicles - Simon Michaux has explained in detail the logistical limitations to rare earth batteries, and the environmental catastrophe created by their miningWhich is what makes the Riversimple's hydrogen fuel cell car so transformative. They've gone right back to the basics of what makes a car in the first place and then how could it be made better - not just lighter and more efficient and fuelled by something that doesn't create greenhouse gases - but how could it be made so that the aims of the manufacturer and the customer are aligned - and both are aiming for a habitable planet. On its own, this would be inspiring - but Riversimple doesn't stop there. The company is structured with the innovative - and I genuinely believe transformative - 'Future Guardian Governance model' - Hugo describes this in near the end of the podcast so I won't go into it here, but it seems to me that if every company in the world shifted to this model tomorrow, by the day after, we'd be on our way to healing many aspects of the meta-crisis. So with this in mind, sit back and prepared for a fundamental shift in how we see our role in the world and how we could move towards the future we need, with Hugo Spowers of Riversimple. Riversimple https://www.riversimple.com/RIversimple Subscription model https://www.riversimple.com/subscription/Riversimple Future Guardian governance model https://www.riversimple.com/governance/Invest in Riversimple here https://www.riversimple.com/investment/Paul Hawken 'The Ecology of Commerce' https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-ecology-of-commerce-revised-edition-a-declaration-of-sustainability-paul-hawken/883510?ean=9780061252792

Words have the power to change worlds.  Powerful words, powerfully written can open doors to the future.  Beautiful words, beautifully written, can give us hope . Richard Wain's new collection of poetry is doing all of these, with panache, and heart and soul.We all know by now that we need total systemic change - and a central thesis of this podcast is that we'll get there best by creating narratives that build this - both highlighting the need for it and exploring possible paths through.  What's becoming clear is that this is an emotional and spiritual journey long before it's a logistical one.  So we need to find ways to reach beyond people's head-minds into their heart-minds and spirit-minds.  With this in mind, our guest this week is a poet, an entrepreneur and an artist.  Richard Wain is founder and director of the digital marketing agency Vu Online, and of the Positive Nature Network, both committed to creating networks of businesses that can support each other in the move towards a regenerative, flourishing future.  He is also a poet with a commitment to celebrating openness and vulnerability and he has now written a beautiful, generative book of poetry called Beyond the Brink is the Beginning.I met Richard when he came to our 6 month Thrutopia Masterclass back in May of 2022 - and was struck by his capacity to grasp the big ideas.  Then I began to read the poems that arose out of our classes and was really in awe of his capacity to take these big, complex ideas, find the emotional spark at their core and weave it into something that could open hearts and help others to understand what really matters.  We've been planning this podcast for ages, but his book is coming out soon, so now is the time - though in the end, as always happens, we roamed far and wide beyond the book, to the positive nature network and how small businesses and their owners, who are often their founders and may well be the sole employee, can begin to be part of the solution.  As ever, we approached our own edges, which, a bit like poetry, is what this kind of medium is all about.  Richard's book will launch on 27th November 2023 at The Barrel House in Totnes.  Go along if you can!Here's the event link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/beyond-the-brink-is-the-beginning-book-launch-tickets-74349440076Buy the Book here: https://www.beyondthebrinkbook.com/Positive Nature Network https://www.positivenaturenetwork.co.uk/Vu Online https://vuonline.co.uk/Richard on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@richardwainpoet

Sophia Parker, Emerging Futures Director at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, discusses exploring paradigm shifts, challenging late stage capitalism, and supporting regenerative alternatives. They delve into trauma culture versus initiation cultures, address urgent poverty issues, and emphasize the importance of engaging the wider population to create a regenerative future. A call to action for immediate change is made.

Alnoor Ladha and Lynn Murphy, authors of "Post-Capitalist Philanthropy: Healing Wealth in the Time of Collapse," discuss the transition from trauma culture to initiation culture. They critique capitalism, explore wealth concentration, and emphasize the need for decolonization. They also delve into the mind-body connection, the importance of reclaiming history, and choosing our role in this crisis. The episode ends with a suggestion for a transformative book and gratitude towards the production team.

Join Josiah Meldrum, co-founder of Hodmedod's, as he passionately discusses reviving indigenous grains and pulses in the UK. He highlights the significance of sustainable farming and community support for biodiversity and health. The conversation delves into creating resilient food systems by connecting local farmers with consumers, fostering collaboration, and encouraging circular economies. Josiah also critiques traditional corporate practices in agriculture, advocating for a future where food systems focus on sustainability and local engagement.

We all know the climate and ecological tipping points are terrifyingly close. What can we do - as individuals and collectively? Simon Oldridge has ideas that answer both of these.  Simon first joined us back in episode #182 when he joined his colleague Anthea Simmons and they spoke eloquently about the strategies of the South Devon Primary group which are aimed at raising one progressive candidate in borderline constituencies in the UK, so that the hard right doesn't swan through the middle on a minority of the votes because the anti-Tory vote has been split (again).  Getting progressive politicians into power is their primary aim, but they also want to make sure the candidates who become MPs understand the concerns of their constituents and are prepared to act as independent-minded individuals in the House of Commons, not simply lobby fodder.  So that was a fun and sparky conversation, but it seemed to me at the time that we could have delved down a lot more deeply into SImon's broader work to find politically viable ways to address the climate and ecological emergency, particularly his work with Zero Hour, the campaign for the Climate and Ecology Bill and which has produced a number of detailed and fascinating reports, including one about the Ambition Gap we have as we head for Net Zero and another entitled, 'Creating a Nature-Rich UK'.  Hence, we came back for another conversation  - because apart from anything else, it's so enlivening to talk with someone else who spends their entire life thinking about these things: and if I can't have fun on the podcast, what's the point? I am well aware that many of you listening are not in the UK  - and that politics is a very siloed space: we all have our own rules to work within and our own levels of bureaucracy and kleptocracy masquerading as democracy that we're trying to reform.  So I hope that some of the ideas we explore, particularly the bigger ones of global power systems and routes to net zero and nature-based solutions strike home far outside the boundaries of this island.  And yes, I still have Covid, so I apologise in advance for the state of my voice.  Target Seats suitable for replicating South Devon Primary https://www.politicalprimary.org/target-mapSouth Devon Primary on Twitter https://twitter.com/sdevonprimarySouth Devon Primary on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/sdevonprimary/Simon on Twitter https://twitter.com/SiOldridgeSimon on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-oldridge-17207a206/Zero Hour:  https://www.zerohour.uk/Zero Hour Reports https://www.zerohour.uk/reports/Zero Hour on Twitter https://twitter.com/@CEBill_nowCREDS - https://low-energy.creds.ac.uk/ Stanford study: https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/3539703-no-miracle-tech-needed-how-to-switch-to-renewables-now-and-lower-costs-doing-it/ Oxford study on how Decarbonising the Energy system could save $Trillions https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2022-09-14-decarbonising-energy-system-2050-could-save-trillions-oxford-studyClimate and Ecology Bill:https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/2943Episode 182: South Devon Primary https://accidentalgods.life/primary-strategy-growing-a-new-voting-paradigm-in-the-south-devon-primary/

Indy Johar, co-founder of Dark Matter Labs, discusses the choice between human destruction and the potential for a new paradigm of interconnectedness. Topics include the future of ecosystems, the shift from individualism to entanglement, the role of events in societal transformation, self-agent technology, the influence of capital and the need for reform, the role of money in a future of autonomy and agency, and expanding the definition of capital.

How can we, as parents, grandparents and anyone who cares about the fate of future generations, live our lives in such a way that when our children ask us why we didn't do more,  we can say with honesty that we did all that we could? How do we help them to build resilience, to feel safe in a supportive community and in connection with the natural world so that as they grow, they can face the truth about the world they have inherited?And how can we use our role as parents to create conversations that matter, not only with people with meet in our daily lives but also with those in positions of power. These are some of the core questions that prompted environmentalist and movement-builder, Rowan Ryrie to co-found Parents for Future, a fast-growing group of parents who have come together to support each other in navigating the climate crisis and trying to secure a safer, fairer world for children everywhere. Rowan says, 'Together, we can be much more courageous than we can alone,' and she's brought this understanding to their latest project, 'Courageous Conversations'.  It's a pilot project just now, but when the results are in next year, it will be spread out around the UK and then, if there's funding, around the world, to give us emotionally literate tools to engage with the people we encounter in our communities of place, purpose and passion. This feels to me to be right at the cutting edge of the emergent future we need to create. It's grounded in a theory of change that makes sense in the realities of overall systemic change, while at the same time, understanding that shift happens one courageous conversation at a time, and that we all feel better if we can share our fears and build hopes that work for everyone. Rowan specifically wanted me to assure everyone that Parents for Future is not only for those with young children - or any children - if you care about the world we're leaving to the generations that come after us, human and more than human, then do join. There are 28,000 members and rising, all around the world - and if there's not a physical, location-based group near you, and you want to set one up they'll help. Parents for Future https://parentsforfuture.org.uk/Larger Us https://larger.us/Climate Psychology Alliance https://www.climatepsychologyalliance.org/Climate Parent Fellowship https://ourkidsclimate.org/climate-parent-fellowship/The Week https://www.theweek.ooo/The Britain Talks Climate research paper https://climateoutreach.org/reports/britain-talks-climate/ Social Media linksRowan, LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/rowan-ryrie/Rowan Instagram @rowanryrieTwitter https://twitter.com/rowanryrieParents for Future LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/parents-for-future-uk/Instagram https://instagram.com/@rowanryrieTwitter https://twitter.com/parents_4futureMastadon: https://climatejustice.global/@Parents4FutureUK FB: https://www.facebook.com/ParentsForFutureUK/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/@parentsforfuture_uk Mastadon: https://climatejustice.global/@Parents4FutureUK FB: https://www.facebook.com/ParentsForFutureUK/ 

How much do you know about AI, blockchain and Web 3.0? If you're like us, the answer is probably very little. But these techs are going to change our world out of all recognition and while there is the potential for catastrophe, in the right hands, the same technology has the potential to help us shape the future we'd all be proud to leave behind and this is what this podcast is about. Monty is one of the founders of ReFi DAO.  Monty is working deeply and effectively at the cutting edge of emergence, a change-maker working on many different scales to build a future we'd be proud to leave behind. He is helping to build a global network of regenerative communities and start-ups and then taking those ideas out into the world as a public speaker and evangelist for ReFi & Regeneration. His public work includes a TEDx talk titled 'Can Crypto Regenerate the World?'. He has an undergraduate and Master's degree in Management & Innovation, with specialism in sustainability, digital technologies, blockchain, and design & systems thinking.This conversation ranged across landscapes from the nature of greenwashing to the potential for borderless nations, from the way financial markets currently underpin the existing structures, to how they could be tilted to  underpin a whole new regenerative paradigm. We explored the difference between what's sustainable and what's regenerative - and discovered what's actually happening now, that you could be involved with in your communities of place, purpose and passion.  I say the word, 'inspiring' way too often in this podcast, and I apologise in advance, but it's true: knowing that this is happening is one of the bright points of this year and I am genuinely thrilled to be able to share it with you.ReFi DAO https://www.refidao.com/ReFi podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/refi-podcast/id1609683147ReFi blog https://blog.refidao.com/Monty's TEDx 'Can Crypto Change the World?'  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-4HW3iPtfoEcological Benefits Framework https://canyouchangethefuture.org/Toucan https://toucan.earth/Celo https://celo.org/Cosmolocalism explained https://www.cosmolocalism.eu/publications/Julia Hailes MBE https://juliahailes.com/