Diving in to find a way out of the climate crisis
Introduction to my learning journey on Systemic Change
I remember feeling this immense awe for the infinitude of the Universe and the miracle of being part of this extraordinary Planet since I was a kid. I had conversations with close friends as we walked by the ocean in southern Brazil, trying to figure out what could be the largest space that contained IT all. The inability to arrive at a source was mind-blowing, I could feel myself breaking through the limits of my physical body unable to find anywhere to land.
Later in life, I moved to Europe and became a User Experience Designer, looking for ways to make the relationship between people and their daily tasks, entertainment, shopping, education, career progress, finances, etc., a fun, frictionless and intuitive experience. But the growing desire to align my skills and values to help protect our natural environment led me to a journey of self-discovery and evolution. And I could not look back.
After a transformative retreat in Bali in 2023, I was inspired to pursue ways to be in service of Nature. The search for knowledge brought me to the School of Systems Change, founded by Forum for the Future. A fascinating portal opened right in front of me as I connected to other aspiring leaders and change-makers willing to embrace complexity to bring about hopeful futures.
As we nurtured each other’s curiosity, we dove deep to diagnose vast and complex systems, learning to listen deep, zoom in and out, and capture emerging patterns on life’s uncertain dynamic relations and feedback loops.
I found myself gradually surrounded by knowledge sources related to Consciousness and Sustainability. Inner Change theories, such as the MIT’s Presencing Institute ‘Theory U’ and the Inner Development Goals. My personal Vedic meditation practice, aligned with the blissful wisdom shared by Eckhart Tolle and Deepak Chopra in the fields of consciousness and quantum physics. The dissemination of environmental awareness through gamified practices offered to individuals and organisations: Climate Fresk, Biodiversity Collage, The Week, Doughnut Economics. The growing interest from designers, engineers, and businesses to embrace the Circular Economy and Regenerative practices. My professional experience with a research project commissioned by a global energy company to understand the adoption of Renewable Energy amongst small and medium businesses in Europe and North America. And a plethora of podcasts, articles, and books.
It sparked the idea to investigate ways in which a positive energetic field could potentialise individual action to nurture the Planet. So, this was my first attempt to define a (broad) inquiry question within my sphere of concern:
“How might we scale environmental awareness and action by tapping into the collective consciousness?”
Where do you even start? Using the new frameworks and skills developed throughout the course, I went on to map the meaning of this vast and almost ethereal concept understood as consciousness. In this first instance, I observed how my personal experience connected me back to nature and brought a sense of belonging after struggling with anxiety.
I looked at the challenge from different perspectives, expanding and contracting boundaries with Systemic Thinking frameworks, such as the Iceberg Model, Cause and Effect Mapping and the Multi-level Perspective. Looking to expand my views and knowledge gaps, I connected with people in my network that could offer their perspective on behaviour change, inner connection and sustainability action. I spoke to Psychologists, Meditators, Athletes, Holistic Health practitioners, Ecopreneurs, Authors and Activists.
I’ll shed some light on the inspiring learnings from these deep conversations in the coming articles.
My role as a Pollinator, trying to bring light and inspiration into this inquiry.
Graphic presented on Basecamp Europe 2023 / 2024 at the School of Systems Change.
I felt compelled to carry on with the research but re-learned the importance of running experiments and starting small and local. An interesting pattern observed during my research on Renewable Energy is the imperative need to make it relatable to people.
Global challenges are often too vast for individuals to feel empowered to act upon them.
When working with Systemic Change, it’s crucial to consider our sphere of influence and imagine ways in which we, as individuals, can take action. Consequently, I began exploring opportunities to integrate ‘collective consciousness’ into the communities I engage with.
The first endeavour was a webinar about Regenerative Business Design co-facilitated with the C-Collective, a sustainability consultancy I collaborate with. Aiming to share our knowledge and passion with the attendees, we we sparked the interest of a few individuals to collaborate and support our vision.
If you’re an entrepreneur or work for an organisation interested in diving into a Regenerative Business Design workshop, we’re offering a half-day session to test our pilot program based on the Doughnut Economics Action Lab framework. Get in touch here.
Crafting these articles serves as a means to employ journaling techniques to organise the wealth of information gathered, visualise my insights, and sense the path forward in this deeply personal exploration.
Please feel free to comment below and share your opinion, resources, or anything that might support this journey. I’ll see you in the next chapter!