#2 Exploring idea(s) of Regeneration & ReFi (with Maya Dentzel)

In this episode of the Light Forest we dive into the emerging concepts around Regeneration and its intersections with Web3/Crypto communities. You will notice ‘regeneration’ within Light Forest’s mission. According to the American Heritage and Cambridge dictionaries, definitions of ‘regeneration’ include: a change or improving through renewal, spiritual revival, rebirth, and retaining a sense of balance with nature. The etymology of the term has its roots in biology, but the concept has been extended to encompass a range of disciplines, and often used around improving the health of systems. Unlike the term ‘sustainability’ which implies sustaining the equilibrium or status quo paradigm, ‘regeneration’ hits closer to both the scale and form of paradigm shifts we’re interested in at Light Forest: 1. It involves a recognition and remembrance of ancient wisdom and practices forgotten. 2. It also allows for radical imagination for new perspectives, technologies, and ways of being that fosters a coming together on our planet in new ways. My introduction into this space has come through my interactions with Web3 (Blockchain, smart contracts, decentralised networks) communities. What i've seen is a meeting of people who recognise the need for regeneration and are trying to use these technologies to push the paradigm. Taking us on this journey into unpacking regeneration and the intersections with Web3 we have Maya Dentzel. Maya is a researcher and social entrepreneur passionate about building regenerative systems with emerging technologies. She has written about and organized events on Regenerative Finance aka ReFi. You can read her breakdown on the state of ReFi 2024 report, here. In this conversation we touch on the following areas: 9:45 Maya’s vision of a regenerative world: solar punk ,architecture, transport, energy, food, local governance, money, decentralised networks and smart contracts, community living, and open source. 22:40 understanding the ‘emerging’ concept of regeneration and working with nature's patterns. 30:40 Regenerative Economics through the work of ⁠John Fullerton⁠ & ⁠Kate Raworth⁠ 35:00 tracing the emergence of ‘ReFi’ and meeting of crypto and regeneration 39:20 emerging Crypto 'ReFi’ tools 49:00 Regen Network and biodiversity credits 54:20 the problem with measurement, incentives, and ‘tokenisation of nature’ 61:10 hanging out with the ReFi community in North America and Europe 62:20 Regenerative California initiative and its potential to take regeneration mainstream 65:30 Maya’s journey from the UN and Climate Activism, learning Yoga during the pandemic, to alignment between “inner” and planetary regeneration. 70:45 Coordi-nations and seeing the world as bioregions 74:18 Maya’s podcast on ReFi Connect with Maya • Website: https://www.mayazdentzel.xyz/⁠ • Twitter: https://x.com/mayazdentzel • Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayazdentzel/?miniProfileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs_miniProfile%3AACoAABeHn6kBYgcuHtOCL56xEGDp0xEztdEOLc0 Checkout her podcast: https://blog.refidao.com/season-4-refi-podcast-announcement/ Connect with Light Forest • Website: ⁠www.lightforest.world⁠ • Twitter: ⁠⁠Light Forest⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠devlewis18⁠⁠ • Instagram: @lightforestworld @daiyisi 🥁The music for the podcast is produced by me using a combination of Bandlab and original recording of a Hapi drum (a type of tongue drum) played be me.