Paul Hawken: A Regenerative World

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September 25, 2018

Paul Hawken: A Regenerative World

Paul Hawken — September 25, 2018

Paul Hawken is an author, entrepreneur, and environmentalist whose books include Natural Capitalism, The Ecology of Commerce, and the New York Times bestselling Drawdown. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon speaks with Paul about the spiritual origins of his lifelong devotion to the natural environment. They talk about Project Drawdown—Paul’s far-reaching plan to reverse global warming—and the fact that climate change is an alarm bell telling humanity it needs to transform itself. Paul explains that dealing successfully with climate change won’t just involve phasing out fossil fuels, but also reorganizing the systems of labor, culture, and economics that led us to this point. Finally, Paul and Tami discuss why life regenerates life and how we as a species can rise to the challenge of our present crises. (73 minutes)

Tami’s Takeaway
Most of the time, when I hear people talk about climate change, I feel some combination of fear, helplessness, and resignation. Listening to Paul Hawken, I felt activated and turned on. As he says, it’s not about “game over” for the human race, but “game on” . . . and how this is a time when we are called to step forward into our greatest human capacities and possibilities. Paul Hawken transmits the beauty, flow, and regenerative power of the natural world in a way that is contagious. When the interview was over, I felt like everything around me was in a shimmering fluid state, in unstoppable regenerative flow.

Paul Hawken is an environmentalist, entrepreneur, and bestselling author who is one of the leading voices calling for the regeneration of nature and humanity. He has authored and edited eight books published in thirty languages in over fifty countries that have sold over two million copies, including “Drawdown,” “Blessed Unrest,” and “Regeneration.” He is a renowned lecturer who has keynoted conferences and led workshops on the impact of commerce on the environment and consults with NGOs, governments, and corporations worldwide.

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Founded Sounds True in 1985 as a multimedia publishing house with a mission to disseminate spiritual wisdom. She hosts a popular weekly podcast called Insights at the Edge, where she has interviewed many of today's leading teachers. Tami lives with her wife, Julie M. Kramer, and their two spoodles, Rasberry and Bula, in Boulder, Colorado.

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Paul Hawken: A Regenerative World

Paul Hawken is an author, entrepreneur, and environmentalist whose books include Natural Capitalism, The Ecology of Commerce, and the New York Times bestselling Drawdown. In this episode of Insights at the Edge, Tami Simon speaks with Paul about the spiritual origins of his lifelong devotion to the natural environment. They talk about Project Drawdown—Paul’s far-reaching plan to reverse global warming—and the fact that climate change is an alarm bell telling humanity it needs to transform itself. Paul explains that dealing successfully with climate change won’t just involve phasing out fossil fuels, but also reorganizing the systems of labor, culture, and economics that led us to this point. Finally, Paul and Tami discuss why life regenerates life and how we as a species can rise to the challenge of our present crises. (73 minutes)

Tami’s Takeaway
Most of the time, when I hear people talk about climate change, I feel some combination of fear, helplessness, and resignation. Listening to Paul Hawken, I felt activated and turned on. As he says, it’s not about “game over” for the human race, but “game on” . . . and how this is a time when we are called to step forward into our greatest human capacities and possibilities. Paul Hawken transmits the beauty, flow, and regenerative power of the natural world in a way that is contagious. When the interview was over, I felt like everything around me was in a shimmering fluid state, in unstoppable regenerative flow.

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Give a listen to their conversation on: why the climate is never really in crisis (and who is); the narratives of disconnection that perpetuate a sense of separation from life; why “the only way forward is regeneration”; how humanity’s “othering” in order to get ahead just puts us all behind; the concept of flow in the natural world; the extraordinary complexity of life and the trillions of creatures communicating with each other every day; tapping into the power of curiosity and wonder; overcoming the overwhelming inertia of the existing capitalist system; why our grief is a measure of our love; embodying the timeless qualities of compassion, cooperation, and respect; the connection between the loss of Indigenous languages and species loss; apocalypse—the revelation of that which is hidden; how the discovery of fire impacted human evolution; mystical experiences in nature; leadership—listening to all the voices; and more.

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