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
The Phoenix Economy: Felix Salmon on work, life and the price of lobster rolls in the new not normal
The Cult of Celebrity: Landon Jones on how America has devolved into a culture of fans and followers
Why Night Vision is the Right Vision: Mariana Alessandri on how the natural human condition might might be to live in darkness, anger and pain
Decision Sprint: Atif Rafiq on whether innovation is an art or a science
A Scientific Theory of Complexity: Neil Theise on Connection, Consciousness and Being
:Why Smart Machines Know Us So Well: John Borthwick on how today's AI revolution is being built upon social media data
Can the GOP Win the Independent Vote? Carl Delfeld on how Republicans existential challenge of reaching non-aligned voters
We Plan, God Laughs: Emma Nadler on how good and bad luck, like laughter and tears, are often inseparably connected
That Was The Week in Tech: Keith Teare explains why all this week's King Canute style talk about regulating AI is equally absurd and impractical
Why Asian Start-ups Outside China Matter: Bernard Moon on innovation in South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam
The Traffic Drug: Ben Smith on the Internet's fatal addiction to viral traffic
Andrew Tate, Mr Beast, KSI and a Viral Flood of Toxic Masculinity: Henry Mance on what it means to be a boy online in 2023
Remembering the Beginnings of our Social Media Age: Julia Angwin on her earliest memories of the blogging "revolution"