A Knowledge Commons for Regenerating Our Land, Water, and Local Communities
1) What it should mean for GFL to be a “node” in a planetary bioregional network Practically, a node is not a branding claim; it is a reproducible operating system for place-based intelligence that can interoperate with other bioregions. For the Genesee Finger Lakes (GFL), I would define “node” as having four things working […]
Restoration Investment Trust (RIT) A Regenerative Finance Model for the Genesee–Finger Lakes Region Overview The Restoration Investment Trust (RIT) is a blended-finance vehicle designed to channel public, private, and community capital into ecological restoration and community resilience projects. RIT treats natural systems—forests, wetlands, soils, and watersheds—as productive assets, generating measurable ecological, social, and financial returns. […]
We begin by acknowledging that we gather on the ancestral lands of the Haudenosaunee and other Indigenous peoples who have cared for this land for countless generations. We acknowledge the suffering and displacement they have endured, and we recognize the ongoing challenges they face. At the same time, we celebrate their wisdom, their deep relationship […]
Bioregionalism as a Pathway to Transformation: A Genesee Finger Lakes Perspective Bioregionalism may offer the most integrative and generative framework for imagining and building a better future, but it is not a simplistic or one-size-fits-all solution. Rooted in the recognition that every place has its own ecological, cultural, and historical identity, bioregionalism calls for deep […]
The Design School for Regenerating Earth (“the Design School” or “DSRE” for short) has implemented a new feature designed to help members with their local / bioregional organizing. Bioregional Hubs can now have their own dedicated community spaces, accessible for free even to nonmembers. Membership in the Design School is not expensive—you can become a […]
The framework we have described for assessing the health of the Genesee Finger Lakes Bioregion was developed and enhanced using AI — ChatGPT, Gemini, and Grammarly, to mention a few. Is this legitimate? Is it useful? This article uses AI to address these questions. To begin with, ChatGPT alerts us to something that a wise […]
We’re bringing grassroots bioregional organizing to the GFL — to increase resiliency, self-sufficiency, and local food and economic sovereignty. We seek to link many organizations together, to weave a tapestry of regeneration across the Genesee Finger Lakes. We’re not asking any of these organizations to change what they are doing, but rather bringing a holistic, […]
[From the Genesee Finger Lakes Ecopedia, 12/22/2023] The Seneca people have a rich history that spans centuries. Here are some key events in their history: Pre-Contact Era: 1000-1400 AD: Seneca ancestors are believed to have lived in the Ohio River Valley before migrating to the Finger Lakes region of present-day New York. Contact and Colonial […]
From Arch Merrill, Land of the Senecas (n.d., but appears to be from the 1950s): “In 1677 a Dutch trader, Wentwork Greenhalgh, set out from Albany with a party on horseback and visited the four Seneca towns. Here is how he described them: ‘Canagaro lies on the top of a great hill and contains 150 […]