If there is one thing we are all united on recently, it’s that our world is in a sad state in so many ways. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the many issues we’re facing, and I’m sure many of us are wondering what we can possibly do on our own to help improve the situation.

I love the idea of regenerative living. It’s positive, proactive — and we can each start with simple steps and build on them to make a positive change.

Regenerative living is a step past mere sustainable living. If being sustainable is doing no harm, then living regeneratively is making an improvement. Sustainable living is making an effort to maintain our current resources so they will last forever. With the current state of our environment, this is hardly adequate. To live regeneratively, we are actively working toward restoration and revitalization. If we can accomplish this in our own lives, we can even compensate for shortfalls elsewhere. If we each do our part for improving what we’re responsible for, we can heal the earth — and in doing so, ourselves.

It might seem daunting, but taking daily steps in the right direction can make a difference. Encouraging others along this path and joining together in our efforts will make a positive change in our world. What does that look like on a day-to-day basis?

Creating a Regenerative Food System

Regenerative living is about working with nature to become more resilient. A simple step in this direction can be made by growing our own food. How we go about this can make all the difference. Here is how to approach it from a regenerative standpoint…

Regenerative Agriculture Goals:
If we focus on revitalization, rather than just preservation, we can create a more resilient and healthy food system. Soil can store a huge amount of carbon if it is healthy, but when we disrupt this natural process, it can have global consequences. There is an important connection between the soil, plants, and water in relation to the health of our environment. The following principles touch on the basics and will be explored in greater detail in other posts:

• Soil improvement
  Start by testing the soil, then work to revitalize it. No-till growing will minimize soil and microbe disturbance and result in healthier plants that don’t require synthetic fertilizer or pesticides. Regenerative techniques like amending the soil with compost and cover cropping can build healthy soil which sequesters carbon. Learn more about soil improvement.
  
  
• Biodiverse Planting
  Monocropping, or monoculture, is the practice of growing one crop in a field so farmers can use machinery to plant and harvest on a large scale with a focus on profit. Modern agriculture practices rob nutrients from the soil, making food more difficult to grow and less nutritious. Raising a single crop increases the need for pesticides and herbicides. Planting a variety of food plants and creating guilds or using companion planting attract beneficial organisms which will improve soil and the plants growing in it.
  
  
• Water Management
  Efficient water use is crucial in regenerative agriculture. Mulch reduces evaporation and helps soil retain moisture. Rainwater can be collected to water plants. Even greywater from a washing machine can be used to water outdoor plants. Gardening on contour and using swales are also great techniques for water retention. Learn more about water management.

Other ways to support regenerative agriculture:

• Buy local produce from small farms, CSA programs, or farmer’s markets.
  Seek out local regenerative farmers and buy from them as often as possible. This also reduces the carbon footprint resulting from the long-distance transportation of food.
  
  
• Buy organic.
  Organic soil contains higher levels of nitrogen, carbon, and organic matter. This will not only improve our own health but that of the earth.
  
  
• Participate in educational programs.
  Search for regenerative living seminars or farm tours to learn more and connect with this community.
  
  
• Donate to regenerative organizations or invest in regenerative projects.
  

Creating Regenerative Health

The health of the earth is directly connected to our own wellness. If we nourish the planet, it will nourish us in return. In addition to improving our health through regenerative agriculture and wise food choices, we can also…

• Grow medicinal plants and learn how to use them.
  Watch for future posts on this topic!
  
  
• Nurture a connection to nature.
  Spending time in nature boosts our physical and mental health in so many ways. It reduces our stress, improves our mood, and has even been found to lower blood pressure. With exposure to the sun, our bodies produce vitamin D. Spending time in natural light helps us get better quality sleep.

Creating a Regenerative Lifestyle

This won’t happen overnight, but it can be applied to every aspect of our lives. Start with small steps and try to change something for the better every day. Explore options for:

• Attempt zero waste.
  It is difficult to achieve zero waste, but if we make it our goal it will at least help us lower the waste we produce significantly. Learn more at sites like zerowaste.com or zerowaste.org
  
  
• Recycle and reuse.
  Not all areas offer recycling and even those that do don’t always follow through as we’d expect by handling it responsibly. The sad truth is that much of what we’ve put in recycling bins ends up in landfills anyway. Be sure to research what your community is able to do (or not do). Our small rural town does not offer recycling pick-up, but there is a drop-off site. Our area also doesn’t recycle glass, so I try to only buy bottled products in glass that I will reuse for food, dried herb, or seed storage. I even made garden edging out of wine bottles. Get creative!
  
  
• Buy Quality. Buy Less. Use what you have and repair it instead of replacing it. We’ve developed a disposable mentality with modern convenience items and cheap products. Too often, we buy things we don’t even need on a whim. Limiting our purchases to items that last will make a difference in the long run.
  
  
• If you must buy it, spend wisely.
  Use your buying power to shape the world. Vote with your dollars. Buy low-profile packaging or bulk goods whenever possible (then store dry goods in those jars you’re reusing). Search for zero-waste stores in your area that allow customers to bring their own storage containers to fill.
  
  
• Simplify your life.
  Not only will you decrease the amount you need to clean, maintain, or store — you can supply a friend with some of their needs. I’ve found adapting to a more simple life has lowered my stress greatly as well. We just don’t need a fraction of the stuff we accumulate. When we moved a few years ago, we decided to downsize. We bought a home with half the square footage and half the land. Now we have half the work to clean and maintain it! In the process, we were able to give younger friends with growing families furniture and home goods that we no longer needed. Decluttering is not always easy, but it’s ultimately rewarding! (So if you don’t use it, lose it.)
  
  
• Wear natural fabrics.
  Synthetic fabrics contain microplastics that are dangerous to the world and our bodies. When I earned that clothing made from synthetic fibers releases microplastics into the water when we launder them and even into the air we breathe I was horrified. These toxic particles can be absorbed through our skin, ingested, or inhaled, and end up in our lungs and blood. They also end up in our soil and food, often polluting our environment for decades or even centuries.
  
  
• Positively influence the next generation. We and our parents—and in some cases, even our parents’ parents—played a part in our rapidly declining environment. What is done, is done, but we can make sure we learn from and correct our mistakes. We can also help our children and grandchildren not only learn from these mistakes but discover how to avoid them in the future. We can mentor young people: garden with them, teach them to value and take care of what they have (how to repair things), use their money wisely, and live with less. If future generations are brought up with these values, it will be natural for them to want to protect the earth.

Our ancestors lived without much of the dangerous modern conveniences we’ve come to rely on and were much healthier for it. In western cultures especially, we have begun to exploit our resources. We have a long way to go to come up with viable solutions for the environmental mess we’ve made, but as individuals and community groups, we can work towards a regenerative outcome.

Let’s make a positive regenerative impact every day, in every way we can!

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