Guiding Principles

The Regeneration Land Commons project is founded on the principle of Right Relationship… with each other, with society at large, and with the Land. The project is an ongoing process of learning and moving towards right relationship in all that we do. To this end we aspire to embody the following overlapping values. 



   Respect

  • We seek enthusiastic consent in all of our dealings. We refrain from coercion and/or abuse of any kind.
  • In the rare instance which finds us in unresolvable conflict either within the organization or between the organization and others, we aspire to maintain the perception of one another’s humanity, and to enforce boundaries skillfully. 

 Reconnection

  • We value interconnection and intimacy between humans and other life.
  • We seek to cultivate deep and meaningful human experiences, a reconnection to the sacred.
  • We value concreteness and a lack of abstraction in all of our relationships (including people, food and other resources, etc.)
  • Our organization is outward facing (avoiding exclusivity and cultiness) and engaged with society at large, in honest and meaningful ways.
  • We strive towards independence (from coercive power structures) through interdependence (community). 

 Reciprocity

  • We aim for reciprocal (mutually beneficial) relationships with each other, other human beings and human institutions, as well as the Land. 
  • We aspire for all of our relationships to be win-win-win.

 Regeneration

  • We acknowledge the damage that has been inflicted on people and Land through colonization, and we aim to foster healing.
  • We invest in our commonly held wealth/resources (material, living, social, cultural, spiritual, experiential, intellectual, financial) rather than extracting them in a non-renewable manner for short term monetary gain.
  • We recognize that individual and collective trauma recovery is an integral part of ecological healing. In order to help the Land to heal we must also heal ourselves and our relationships.
  • We take inspiration from the principles of Permaculture:
    Earth care – Caring for the Land and all that live within
    People care – Caring for people, particularly the vulnerable
    Fair share – Generating a surplus and distributing it equitably
    Future care – Doing this all in such a way that it can continue indefinitely

Reconciliation

 

  • We recognize that Reconciliation between Indigenous and settler peoples is a vital aspect of ecological healing. Neither can happen fully without the other.
  • We aspire to begin to bridge the gap between Indigenous and Non-indigenous people. We aim to create spaces for mutually beneficial collaboration with Indigenous folks at individual and community levels.
  • This could include, but is not limited to: knowledge exchange projects, maintaining a minimum ratio of Indigenous members/directors, providing Land access to Indigenous farmers/youth, etc.
  • We honour the autonomy of Indigenous peoples and seek to engage and collaborate in respectful, meaningful, and reciprocal ways.