Embedded Files
Helpful prior knowledge and learning objectives
Helpful prior knowledge and learning objectives
Helpful prior learning:
Section 1.1.1 The economy and you, which explains what an economy is and how it is relevant to students’ lives
Section 1.1.2 The embedded economy, which explains the relationship between the economy and society and Earth’s systems
Section 1.1.4 Regenerative economies, which explains how circular, distributive and caring, needs-based and sufficient economies can meet human needs within planetary boundaries
Section 1.2.5 Ecosystems: interactions, energy and stability, which explains the basic functions and interactions in ecosystems and the factors affecting ecosystem stability.
Section 1.2.6 Biogeochemical cycles, which explains how the water and carbon cycles support all life on Earth.
Section 1.3.3 Human needs, which explains the distinction between needs and need satisfiers
Section 1.3.4 Doughnut Economics model, which explains a model for considering meeting human needs within planetary boundaries
Section 1.3.5 Provisioning systems, which explains how the physical and social parts of economic systems mediate between biophysical inputs and social outcomes.
Section 1.4.1 Biomimicry for economic design, which explains how Nature’s Unifying Patterns provide principles for regenerative economic design
Section S.1 What are systems?, which explains what a system is, the importance of systems boundaries, the difference between open and closed systems and the importance of systems thinking
Section S.2 Systems thinking patterns, which outlines the core components of systems thinking: distinctions (thing/other), systems (part/whole), relationships (action/reaction), and perspectives (point/view)
Learning objectives:
describe relocalisation and bioregionalism
explain how businesses can support relocalisation and bioregionalism
discuss the balance between local and global networks for meeting human needs within planetary boundaries and building resilient social and ecological systems
In 2006, the small town of Totnes, England, sparked a global movement that has inspired communities worldwide. Faced with the increasing ecological, social and economic challenges, Totnes residents looked for ways to strengthen the ability of their local economy to meet human needs within planetary boundaries.
By creating a local currency, the Totnes Pound, they encouraged local spending, which kept money circulating within the community and supported local businesses. Moreover, the movement’s emphasis on local food production through farmers' markets and community gardens connected residents more closely to the land. They began to see themselves as stewards of their bioregion, taking responsibility for the health of the soil, water, and ecosystems that sustained them. By using regenerative agricultural practices, the community worked to restore soil fertility and enhance the ability of the local land to support future generations.
These initiatives are part of a larger global movement called Transition Towns which focus on increasing self-sufficiency of local communities within the ecological limits of their regions, which are known as relocalisation and bioregionalism. These two concepts are an important part of building resilient, regenerative economies.
What role do businesses and markets play in this vision?
Figure 1. The UK town of Totnes started the global Transition Town movement
(Credit: Robintransition, CC BY-SA 4.0)
What are relocalisation and bioregionalism?
What are relocalisation and bioregionalism?
The last 500 years has seen increased globalisation, the increased movement and influence of humans, products, money, technologies and culture across borders. Globalisation has lowered the prices of some products for many consumers, provided employment, and access to goods and services not available locally.
As discussed in Section 3.2.1, capitalism has been driving much of this globalisation as profit-maximising businesses seek cheaper energy, material and human resources. This has often led to ecological destruction, human exploitation, the decline of local economies, and weaker social cohesion. Globalisation weakens local-social and local-ecological connections that involve strong social norms of responsibility and care for people who have direct relationships with one another. Networks where the people we rely on are more distant and unknown to us are more fragile.
Globalisation can also make local communities vulnerable to ecological, social and economic shocks far away. For example, the war in Ukraine disrupted gas and grain supplies around the world. Drought in Central America lowered water availability for Panama Canal, disrupting the shipment of goods from far away (Figure 2).
Figure 2. The Panama Canal is a major route for international trade which has suffered disruptions due to drought conditions
(Credit: Ssgt David A. Cornwell, public domain)
Relocalisation is the process of shifting economic activities closer to where people live, focusing on producing and consuming goods and services within the local community rather than relying on distant, global supply chains. This strengthens relationships in local communities, increasing social cohesion as people have more everyday contact with one another and realise how dependent we are on other human beings for our survival and wellbeing.
Bioregionalism takes relocalisation a step further by encouraging communities to meet human needs within the ecological limits of their local ecosystems, or their bioregion. A bioregion is a geographic area defined by its natural features, such as watersheds, climate, soil, and native plant and animal species. The idea behind bioregionalism is that each community should orient on the resources of their local area to avoid living beyond what the Earth can sustainably provide. Bioregionalism encourages a better understanding of local-ecological systems, creating closer human-nature connections to encourage conservation and regenerative practices.
How can businesses in markets support relocalisation and bioregionalism?
How can businesses in markets support relocalisation and bioregionalism?
Businesses in markets are a key part of relocalisation and bioregionalism efforts. Along with households, the commons and the state, businesses in markets work to meet human needs. Their choices about what, how and for whom to produce their goods have an impact on the strength and resilience of local human and ecological systems.
First, businesses can orient around real human needs (Section 1.3.3) in the local community. Like all living organisms, humans have essential biological needs like energy and hydration for survival, alongside protection from harm such as weather (Figure 2), diseases, and threats from other organisms. Social needs, while harder to define, are vital for community participation. Social needs include positive relationships, understanding the world, leisure, creation, identity, and freedom, all of which support a sense of agency, belonging, and purpose (Section 1.3.2).
Businesses create need satisfiers, the goods and services that meet human needs. It is important that businesses understand which needs might be unmet in the local community, and develop goods and services that meet them. For example, there may be a need for more child- or eldercare in the community; affordable, healthy food; housing or education. Local communities may have multiple businesses working to meet the same need, or there may be redundant or overlapping goods and services offered by other provisioning institutions (households, commons, state), which build resilience in times of disruption.
Businesses can also serve multiple roles in the community. For example, a local farmers' market (Figure 4) might also serve as a venue for community events, workshops on sustainable living, or discussions about local policy, further embedding the market in the social fabric of the community.
Figure 4. Farmers’ markets bring people in the local community together and can be a venue for many types of interactions
(Credit: Tony Wu, Pexels licence)
Second, when planning production of their goods and services, businesses can aim to use local energy and material resources. For example, a restaurant can use solar energy and buy ingredients from nearby farms. This ensures that the food is fresh and seasonal, while also supporting local agriculture and reducing the carbon footprint associated with transporting goods over long distances. This supports bioregionalism by using resources that are abundant and sustainable within the bioregion. By focusing on local production, businesses help create more self-reliant economies that are less vulnerable to global ecological, economic or social disruptions.
Entrepreneurs can help design regenerative economies by having a local or regional focus, helping to strengthen human relationships through collaborating on local or regional initiatives. This often requires innovation, as businesses adapt to the unique characteristics and resources of their bioregion.
What’s the right balance between local and global networks?
What’s the right balance between local and global networks?
While relocalisation and bioregionalism offer many benefits, it's important to consider them in the context of the global economy. Globalisation has brought significant advancements in technology, communication, and access to diverse goods and services. Many human societies have developed under conditions of global access to resources and goods. It may not be possible for some bioregions to provide what their large and diverse populations need.
Relocalisation and bioregionalism do not seek to eliminate global trade or isolate communities from the wider world. Instead, they aim to balance local and global connections by strengthening local systems while still engaging in fair and sustainable trade with other regions. By focusing on what can be produced and consumed locally and reducing dependence on distant supply chains, communities can become more resilient to global disruptions while still benefiting from global exchange. At the same time, relocalisation and bioregionalism strengthen values around social and ecological responsibilities, which have global impacts.
Figure 5. Some bioregions may be less well suited to support human settlements
(Credit: Ivan Larin, Pexels licence)
Relocalisation and bioregionalism are not just about changing where we buy our goods. They require that we rethink how we live, work and interact with each other and the rest of the living world. Businesses in markets, like the other provisioning institutions, can take an active role in the transitions we need by considering local-social and local-ecological conditions in their planning and practices.
Activity 3.4.3
Activity 3.4.3
Concept: Regeneration
Skills: Thinking skills (transfer)
Time: 40 minutes
Type: Individual, pairs or small group
Option 1: Learning about your bioregion
Use the interactive map at One Earth to find your bioregion.
Identify the bioregion where you currently live, or another region that you have a close connection with.
What are the characteristics of that region? What resources seem to be abundant there? What might it be missing that human communities need to survive and thrive?
How might the people of this region need to adapt to live more in line with the limits of that bioregion?
Option 2: Local networks
In many communities there are networks of people working to relocalise, focusing on sharing resources and making better use of the local community wealth. There are also digital networks like Peerby to support them.
Do some research on local initiatives in your area and/or platforms that support them. What can you find? Who might be working on this? Can you help?
Ideas for longer activities and projects are listed in Subtopic 3.5 Taking action
Checking for understanding
Checking for understanding
Further exploration
Further exploration
Reconnecting to Place for Planetary Health with Daniel Christian Wahl - a Great Simplification podcast interview with Daniel Christian Wahl, expert in regenerative cultures, relocalisation and bioregional transitions. It’s a long interview, with some very interesting nuggets. The difficulty is in the length, and some parts involve technical language and references to events and people that are not likely familiar for students. Difficulty level: medium/high.
Transition Network - The website of the Transition Town movement with lots of information to explore: what it is, why people do it, how the movement started, and what types of things people are doing to relocalise their economic lives. Difficulty level: easy/medium
Bioregions: Nature’s Map of the Earth - interactive maps with information about different bioregions around the world. Difficulty level: medium
Fab City Global Initiative - In 2014, Barcelona challenged all cities to produce what they consume by 2054. The call to action has grown into the Fab City Global Initiative, a sustainable cities network focused on the digital transition, localisation, and regenerative economy. Difficulty level: medium
Offers and needs markets - a description of a process to help develop locally-focused exchanges between people and organisations. Difficulty level: medium
Sources
Sources
Esteban Ortiz-Ospina, E.(2017). “Is globalization an engine of economic development?” Our World in Data. https://ourworldindata.org/is-globalization-an-engine-of-economic-development
Hagens. N. (Host). (2024) (Host). Reconnecting to Place for Planetary Health with Daniel Christian Wahl [Audio podcast]. Great Simplification. https://youtu.be/L3zTAv-JWi0
Transition Network. (n.d.). https://transitionnetwork.org/about-the-movement/what-is-transition/inspiring-enterprises/
Terminology
Terminology
Link to Quizlet interactive flashcards and terminology games for Section 3.4.3 Relocalisation, bioregionalism, and business - in order of appearance
planetary boundaries: the limits of Earth systems to absorb the impact of human activity and continue to function
local currency: a currency that circulates at a local level and may be different from a national currency
steward: to manage or look after something
bioregion: a region defined by characteristics of the natural environment rather than by human-made divisions
ecosystem: the interaction of groups of organisms with each other and their physical environment
regenerative: making something grow strong again
self-sufficiency: a situation where an individual or a group can meet all their own needs themselves
relocalisation: the process of shifting economic activities closer to where people live
bioregionalism: encouraging communities to meet human needs within the ecological limits of their local ecosystems
globalisation: the increased movement and influence of humans, products, money, technologies and culture across borders
capitalism: an economic system where capital is privately owned, markets dominate, there is competition between businesses and the function is to earn maximum profits for owners of capital
profit maximisation: the strategy where a business tries to achieve the highest profit possible
energy: the ability to do work or cause change
exploitation: using and benefiting from resources; the term is often used negatively to imply using power to take advantage of a situation
social cohesion: the extent to which people in society feel connected to one another and share common values
norm: a social rule for accepted and expected behaviour, can be stated or unstated
watershed: a ridge of land that separates waters flowing to different rivers, basins, or seas
climate: the weather conditions that are normal for an area over a long period
species: a group of organisms with similar characteristics, where the individuals are capable of interbreeding
conservation: preventing the wasteful use of a resource
household: a system where people living together care for each other and do domestic work, often termed the 'core economy'
commons: a system where people self-organise to co-produce and manage shared resources.
state: a system that provides essential public services, and also governs and regulates other economic institutions
biological need: conditions that the human body requires to survive and thrive
social need: conditions in society and relationships that people need to survive and thrive
agency: the sense of control that people feel they have in their lives
need satisfier: a specific way that people meet their needs
redundant: something that is repetitive, not necessary under normal circumstances, but useful in unusual circumstances
provisioning institution: a group of people and their relationships as they try to meet human needs and wants
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