From the Soil Up: Regenerating the Economy
Not everything at DLD this year was on the growing US-European economic and technological divide. There were many speeches on the environment including from heavyweights like Kate Raworth. And I had the opportunity to catch up with my favorite advocate of regenerative agriculture, the managing partner at Acton Capital, Jan-Gisbert Schultze. According to Schultze, today's deepest problem is our spiritual disconnection from nature. We've lost 50% of our soil carbon, he notes, and with it the fertility that sustains us. We can save ourselves, he says, from the soil up — by embracing regenerative agricultural practices that prioritize local community activation and sustainable farming. Schultze is putting this into practice at Lake Constance, Germany's largest lake, where his Regenerate Forum is working to transform an entire county into what he calls a "climate landscape" — retraining farmers, rebuilding soil, and relocalizing the food system.
Keen On America is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe
Hunger, Loneliness and Misery at Work: Jon Clifton on the Global Rise of Unhappiness
This Is Not Who We Are: Zachary Shore on America's Struggle Between Vengeance and Virtue
No Longer Pale, Male or Stale: Valentine Low on How the British Royal Family is Transforming itself into a 21st Century Institution
Forget Generative AI: Margaret Heffernan on Why the Future is Up To Us
Say It Loud and Say It Proud: Natalie Lue on the Joy of Saying NO
Frank Vogl on the American Bankers and Politicians Enabling Kleptocracy Around the World
George McCalman's Illustrated Black American History: How to Honor Both the Iconic and the Unseen
What Will Become of Syria in 2023? Joby Warrick on the Future of a Catastrophe
Confessions of an Optimist: Publishing mogul Stephen Rubin on why he remains cheerful - even if 85% of books could have been written by a chatbot
Damian Dibben on the Venetian Renaissance, Color in Art, and why We Should All Visit Venice Once in our Lives
An Existential Healthcare Crisis? Dr Robert Pearl on how the U.S. Medical System is Now Deeply Resistant to All Innovation
A Peculiarly American Sickness: Paul Auster and Spencer Ostrander on BLOODBATH NATION
DLD 2023: Quantum computing, Auschwitz-Birkenau, designing living brains & ubiquitous AI