“Regenerative culture” doesn’t have a single definition, but includes a basic commitment to care and sustainability: care of each individual, care of the group, the community, the place they reside in and the planet as a whole so that all life thrives. Within this broad brush stroke concept, details that are meaningful to any one group emerge out of understanding what care—in the moment of consideration—means to them.
For the folks in our Portland-based chapter’s Regenerative Culture Working Group, this means we are looking at how we’ve been impacted by the pandemic and the separation of what was once a unified extension of the UK model of Extinction Rebellion into two US-based movements.
In addition, the establishment of XR America as a separate movement from XR US has forced us to rebuild and reorganize. The national XR US group circulated a survey in late March to gather feedback on what members consider vital to co-creating a movement that honors the 4 Demands (https://xrpdx.org/demands/) and 10 Principles (https://xrpdx.org/our-principles/). Completed in early April, the results of the survey will be published to members soon.
As more people become fully vaccinated, our ability to interact in small groups will become safer and more prevalent. We’ll once again enjoy actual meetings in which members can see smiles of recognition up close and personal, and laugh loudly together while making kick-ass plans. Singing together at the top of our lungs will bond our spirits in lively, powerful actions that build awareness and influence.
XR PDX Regenerative Culture Working Group members are focusing on a plan to host an outdoor smaller group retreat in May. Aside from simply enjoying time together in a relaxed, safe setting, we need time to consider the many changes we’ve undergone in the last year and how to best integrate the survey feedback.
Accepting and integrating feedback is fundamental to any regenerative process, like the sky accepts feedback from the sea in an eternal dance of elemental exchange and like those who exploit the land must accept feedback from the environment that responds to such use…you know, like the message of climate chaos.
In the meantime, please consider learning the words and tune to a lovely, powerful song brought to our attention by a local activist musician: MaMuse’s “We Shall Be Known”.
We hope to sing it with you very soon.
The XR US-PDX Regen Culture Group
