Belonging & Place

avoiding language that contrasts "human" and "natural" systems; removing language that frames humans as outside, above, or managing nature; challenging conservation or sustainability models that exclude humans from ecosystems; designing policies that treat ecological systems not as “contexts” but as kin; orienting staff and partners through teachings or experiences that centre belonging in nature; resisting assumptions of dominion, ownership, or extraction in decision-making.

offering space for staff or community members to explore their roles in the web of life; creating moments in meetings, gatherings, or learning journeys for people to reconnect with their inner and outer nature; hosting reflections or storytelling circles that explore our bodies’ origins in earth, water, and ancestral cycles; reflecting on how human cultures contribute to ecological richness through practices like seed sharing, prescribed burning, or tending biodiversity; replacing narratives of damage and control with ones of participation, reciprocity, and repair; uplifting examples of regenerative human roles in ecosystems and applying them to programme design, partnerships, and operations; designing policies and practices that assume humans can cocreate abundance, not just limit harm.

practicing deep listening to land and waters through silent observation, seasonal walks, or noticing ecological signals and letting these relationships guide evolving values and culture; invite elders, tradition holders, and ancestors (local or from your team’s backgrounds or traditions) to share stories and teachings, weaving lineages into collective activities, language and priorities; adapting meeting and reflection rhythms to echo the seasons, weather, or migrations in your different locations; dedicate regular sessions to learn about and reflect on the local land and living systems around each member or office; create channels for sharing seasonal signals, nature stories, or local ecological news; make regular space for all members (across sites or virtually) to notice and share stories, signs, and changes from the landscapes they inhabit so that your shared culture becomes a living extension of many places and relationships.

supporting or sourcing from local or bioregionally rooted producers and food systems; prioritising artisanal methods, cultural practices, or crafts grounded in place; cocreating, supporting, or sourcing from circular economies and resource-sharing networks such as seed banks, local currencies, or food co-ops; using, supporting, or funding projects and enterprises that return value to people, land, and more-than-human kin; organising or joining forums, festivals, and exchanges that celebrate regional arts, knowledge, and forms of governance; partnering with local, regional, or movement-based organisations to restore land, water, and food systems.

researching and naming historic injustices or ecological harms tied to land and community; supporting land return or ecological regeneration initiatives; building partnerships with indigenous and displaced peoples for shared healing and repair; hosting ceremonies that honour grief and acknowledge past harm; integrating practices of apology, forgiveness, and mutual support into working culture; creating policies or programs that redistribute resources towards reparative justice for both human and more-than-human kin.

facilitating transparent conversations about harm or conflict; integrating circles of apology or restorative justice into group practice; supporting staff or members to make amends; creating year-end rituals dedicated to forgiveness, recommitment, and relational resilience between humans and the more-than-human world.

adapting timelines, delivery models, and work rhythms to fit local climate patterns, harvest seasons, or festival calendars; using local languages, imagery, or stories in communications and facilitation; modifying policies and technologies to reflect traditional governance, customary land-use, or local resource cycles; choosing tools and technologies that are low-impact, easy to repair, and accessible to the community; collaborating with local partners to develop or adapt solutions that suit regional needs, such as water-saving practices in drought-prone areas, or integrating indigenous ecological knowledge into project plans; consulting widely to ensure each new initiative is right for the people, land, and cultures it touches.

sourcing materials, software, or suppliers locally; applying traditional or innovative design adapted to place; consulting environmental cues (e.g., water, pollinators, weather) in planning; elevating site-responsive or bioregional systems over one-size-fits-all models; integrating local food, water, or energy networks, whether in office operations or virtual/local partnerships.

getting to know the local people, species, habitats, living systems, water sources and groups where we live and work, discovering and mapping who depends on whom, and what care is needed; showing up for local stewardship days, neighbourhood aid projects, biodiversity monitoring, or seasonal cultural events; dedicating staff or volunteer time to join or support local resilience initiatives, from food sharing to habitat restoration; using organisational resources like space, communications platforms, or funding to connect, train, or amplify these networks.

surfacing, learning and amplifying skills vital to ecosocial thriving and local resilience in specific places, such as food and seed growing, water care, habitat restoration, repairing and building, care work, first aid, mediation, and knowledge of local species and cycles; maintaining a living map of who holds these skills and connections and where there are gaps, and inviting or organising skill-sharing, peer learning, or mentoring so they become widely held; supporting local knowledge holders to teach and mentor others; encouraging teams to volunteer, shadow local experts, or participate in local resilience workshops, and providing paid time or recognition for those efforts; using communication channels to spotlight and share practical resilience lessons and skills; supporting local seed banks, watershed care, or mutual aid networks through participation, publicity, volunteering of financing.