In the fall semester, we Climate Scholars took a customized first-year experience class with Dr. Dana Veron. One assignment had us research different climate solutions and present one to the class. To find these solutions, we turned to Paul Hawken’s Drawdown project. Hawken, a big voice in the environmental movement, refers to the term “drawdown” as the point where greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere stop increasing and start to decline. He presents different categories of climate solutions, from electricity to land sinks. Hawken and his team of 200 researchers and advisors worked together to model 100 possible climate solutions for a better future. And we can learn a lot from these models. However, his newest project Regeneration goes one step further.
Hawken always wanted Regeneration to be Drawdown’s sequel. Regeneration is a step-by-step manual for all of humanity to tackle the climate crisis. He outlines how everyone can step up to their role—as individuals, groups, companies, and governments. Regeneration describes the action items needed by everyone to regenerate life on earth. And to do so in a way that concerns social justice, biodiversity, climate, and human rights.
In one instance, the project outlines certain action items needed in the clothing industry. In a very organized and concise manner, he lists these calls to action. Hawken encourages individuals to buy second-hand clothing, join the slow fashion movement, swap clothes, etc. He then encourages farmers as a group to grow natural fibers by engaging in certain regenerative farming practices. He then encourages companies to ensure livable wages and fair labor practices for their workers, among other things. He then calls governments to legislate the fashion industry, providing a set of recommendations to implement into policies.
In this age of environmental crisis, people everywhere are asking “What can I do?” We want to help, but we don’t know how to. Project Regeneration effectively answers this question. And according to Hawken and his team, the answer does not rely on high-end technologies. In his words, “It relies on reverence, respect, compassion—for ourselves, for all people, and for all life. This is regeneration.”
