Regenerative Working Group: growth and evolution

Within the COVID pandemic-imposed severe-lifestyle shifts, then Elemental Impact hosted the inaugural Regenerative Working Group (RWG) monthly call in April 2020.

Along with Founder & CEO Holly Elmore, Elemental Impact Advisors Bernadette Austin, then UC Davis Center for Regional Change Executive Director, Brad Bass, a 30-year veteran at Environment and Climate Change Canada as well as a Status Professor at the University of Toronto, Tim Trefzer, then Georgia World Congress Center Director of Sustainability, and Ron Thomas, renowned urban planner, retired joined the inaugural call. Shortly thereafter, Simon Lamb, economist and Junglenomics author, joined the group.

Originally formed as the Global Regenerative Land Economics Initiatives (GRLEI) within the auspice of Lambda Alpha International, the RWG intentions were to broaden definitions of land economics to include environmental and social equity considerations and implications. The inaugural RWG members were LAI members.

LAI is the honorary global network for thought leaders in all fields related to the preservation and sustainable development of land.

To maximize impact, the GRLEI was moved under Elemental Impact's umbrella of initiatives and renamed the RWG. If not already member, new RWG participants accepted a LAI-member nomination. As Holly served on the LAI Executive Committee, an unofficial relationship between the RWG and LAI was maintained.

Early RWG Structure

The inaugural RWG Executive Team crafted the RWG Vision, the Focus Areas, and Commitment as follows:

Vision: to explore challenges related to stated focus areas from a holistic approach where the community, environment, and local economies benefit from commentary, discussions, and proposed projects.

The RWG seeks to be a thought leader in supporting complete and equitable communities.

Focus Areas:

• Infrastructure – explores the built environment including a city’s water & sewer systems, water-treatment plants, public utilities, as well as corporate, government, and educational districts | campuses. Additionally, focus is on the availability of and access to affordable housing within a community.
• Environmental Resources – explores the impact of existing and proposed projects and infrastructure within urban and rural communities on energy sources, soil health, local greenways, open spaces, waterways, and resident access.
• Social Equity – explores ways to promote complete communities that include equitable access to housing, transportation and transit, education, employment, human services such as healthcare and safety, and other amenities such as parks. 

These complete communities balance land uses focused on people, (such as commercial and residential land uses), with natural and working land uses such as open space, waterways, farms, and ranches.

Commitment: the RWG is committed to action, whether in the form of drafting educational documentation (articles, white papers, website copy), global webinars, and/or projects designed for community impact. RWG members must actively participate.

The Regeneration in ACTION (RiA) Magazine article, Global Thought Leaders Embrace Regenerative Land Economics, details the vision, scope, and challenges & impact for each of the three focus areas. Prepared by RWG intern Jahin Kahn, the RWG  PPT presentation was designed to support the introductory blog article.

Global Webinars. Interview, & Tour
On July 23, 2020, Brad joined the LAI Global Webinar Pandemic Awakening  featuring local and international authorities on epidemiology, the environment, and macroeconomics; Brad spoke on the environmental impact from pandemic quarantines and subsequent reopening of businesses, schools, and the community as a whole.

Ei Advisor Stephanie Barger, Green Building Council Director of Market Transformation, joined fellow Advisors and RWG members Tim and Simon for the May 25, 2023 Environmental Stewardship: the business perspective global webinar; the webinar was hosted by the Temple of Understanding's Eco Justice for ALL (EJFA) Dialogues and moderated by Holly.

The RiA Magazine article, Environmental Stewardship: the business perspective, gives a synopsis of the empowering webinar; the entire dialogue is available on YouTube at this LINK.

In addition, EJFA produced a 36-minute dialogue with Simon, Junglenomics: Nature’s Solutions to the World Environment Crisis, for their YouTube channel.

Effective January 2024, Holly accepted the position of LAI Global Water-Land Series Group (Group) Co-Chair. Immediately, Holly orchestrated the Introduction to Water and Land Economics Global LAI Webinar hosted on June 13, 2024.

Panelists included Professor Jay Lund, Ph.D., Vice Director, Center for Watershed Sciences & UC Davis Distinguished Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Steve Suau, P.E., Consultant at Carbon Life, and Brad. Jay is invited to join the RWG and at the time Steve was an Ei Advisor and RWG member.

The RiA Magazine article, Introduction to Water and Land Economics, provides an in-depth overview of the webinar; the entire webinar is available for viewing on the LAI YouTube page at this LINK.

On May 17, 2024 an entourage of RWG members visited the 4Roots Farm Campus (4Roots) in Orlando to learn about their innovative approach to food production and distribution as well as their recently launched Culinary Health Institute.

The RiA Magazine article, Ei Tours Resume with 4Roots Campus Tour, provides an overview of the inspiring tour; the Holly Elmore Images-photo gallery, 05-17-24 4Roots Farm Campus Tour, provides a pictorial recount of the 4Roots tour. 

Growth

After residing in Atlanta for 40 years, Holly returned to her hometown, Sarasota, FL in 2021. Simultaneously, the RWG embarked on an evolutionary process with global-thought leadership the predominant focus. 

May 17 RWG Tour Group

With the LAI Global Initiatives official launch in 2023, LAI addresses many of the original GRLEI / RWG focus areas within its various subcommittees; the Group Holly Co-Chairs is a Global Initiatives subcommittee. Thus, it was time for the RWG to reconvene within its global-thought leadership roots.

Upon discovering that they lived a mere hour apart in Florida, Table2Farms (T2F) Visionary & Founder Bridgett Luther and Holly reunited and rekindled their close bond. Bridgett and Holly originally met at the 2015 National Zero Waste Business Conference hosted in Los Angeles. In April 2023, Bridgett joined the the RWG as well as the Ei Advisory Council, and Holly serves as a T2F Principal.

Ringling College of Art & Design Professor of Environmental Studies and Planetary Ethicist Tim Rumage joined the RWG as well as the Ei Advisory Council in May 2023. Tim is instrumental in guiding the RWG evolution.

Era of Impact
On July 11, 2024, Holly signed the trademark-transfer documents and released the use of Elemental Impact to an independent third party. Signing the documents was Holly's final act as Elemental Impact Founder & CEO.

Immediately upon execution of the trademark-transfer documents, Ei stepped into an evolved persona, Earth Impact (Ei)!

With perfect timing, the Elemental Impact-trademark transfer marked the end of the Era of Regeneration and the entry into the Era of Impact!

Ei Eras flow within seven-year cycles: Era of Recycling Refinement (2010 inception - June 2017,) Era of Regeneration (June 2017 - June 2024,) and Era of Impact (June 2024 - June 2031.)

Thus, the Era of Impact emerged as the Ei business model evolved away from projects, pilots, and initiatives and to Ei Educates.

Within the Ei Educates-business model, Ei embraces three focus areas/concepts: Collective Consciousness, Soil & Water: the foundation of life, and What We Eat Matters.

RWG's global-thought-leadership roots align perfectly with the Ei Educates business model and the new focus areas/concepts.

The RiA Magazine article, Era of Impact, welcomes the Era of Impact and gives a synopsis of the prior eras.

Evolution
Once within the Era of Impact, the RWG Executive Team decided to cleanse membership of inactive members and embark on recruitment of diverse professionals eager to participate in global-thought leadership. The original RWG tagline remains exceptionally valid:

Global thought leaders supporting complete and equitable communities.

Charles & Durga at the
Nov 15 event

Within weeks of the decisions, the RWG and Ei Advisory Council welcomed Durga Poudel, Ph.D., Professor and Coordinator of Environmental Science Program, Director of Ag. Auxiliary Units, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Louisiana, USA. 

In January 2024, Durga published the acclaimed book, Asta-Ja for Prosperity, Pride, and National Integrity, as a compilation of his over-a-dozen articles and papers on the Asta-Ja Framework. At the October monthly RWG, Durga shared the Asta-Ja Framework with his fellow Ei Advisors. By popular demand, the November RWG meeting topic was a Q&A with Durga. At the December meeting, the RWG committed to supporting Asta-Ja via the 2025 formation of the Ei Asta-Ja Nepal Taskforce.

On November 15, 2024 Durga was inducted into LAI by fellow Ei Advisor Charles Reith, Ph.D., a LAI FL Suncoast Chapter member, at an impressive event hosted at University of Louisiana, Lafayette. After Charles' introduction and his induction ceremony, Durga gave a superb presentation on A Journey to Ecological and Environmental Sustainability based on the Asta-Ja Framework he developed over the past decades.

The RiA article, Asta-Ja: Nepal Vision 2040. celebrates Durga's LAI-member induction, gives an overview of his impressive presentation, and introduces Nepal Vision 2040.

For additional and in-depth information on development of the Asta-Ja Framework, view Durga's November 15 A Journey to Ecological and Environmental Sustainability recorded presentation; Durga's PPT presentation is available at this LINK.

In early November, LAI Madrid Chapter member Marina A. Olmos, a renowned architect who focusses on sustainable design and building practices, joined the RWG and Ei Advisory Council. 

As of January 2024, the Ei RWG Executive Team consists of the following members:

1. Bernadette Austin, CivicWell CEO
2. Brad Bass, Ph.D., Senior Policy Analyst, Employment and Social Development Canada
3. Bridgett Luther, Table2Farms Founder & Visionary
4. Durga Poudel, Ph.D, Professor at University of Louisiana at Lafayette
5. Holly Elmore, Earth Impact Founder & CEO
6. Marina A. Olmos, aLL Global Project Management Partner
7. Ron Thomas, renowned urban planner, retired 
8. Simon Lamb, economist and Junglenomics author
9. Tim Rumage, Ringling College of Art & Design Professor of Environmental Studies 

The RWG goal is 12-, yet no more than 15-, active members.

With renewed and evolved vigor, the Ei Regenerative Working Group is staged for tremendous successes within the Era of Impact.

__________________________________________

 Tax-deductible donations in any amount are greatly appreciated to support Ei's important work. 

DONATE HERE

About Earth Impact:

Earth Impact (formerly Elemental Impact) (Ei) is a 501(c)3 non-profit founded in 2010 as the home to the Zero Waste Zones, the forerunner in the nation for the commercial collection of food waste for compost. In June 2017, Ei announced the Era of Recycling Refinement was Mission Accomplished and entered the Era of Regeneration (June 2017 - June 2024). Focus areas included Nature Prevails, Soil Health | Regenerative Agriculture, and Water Use | Toxicity.

The Regeneration in ACTION Magazine articles, From Organic Certification to Regenerative Agriculture to Rewilding Landscapes: an evolution towards soil integrity and SOIL & WATER: the foundation of life, published to explain and substantiate the importance of Ei’s rewilding urban landscapes work within the Nature Prevails focus area. What We Eat Matters is an emerging platform that intertwines within the three focus areas.

As Ei enters the Era of Impact (June 2024 – present,) gears shift to a new business model, Ei Educates. Though education was always integral to Ei’s important work, the  primary focus was on projects, pilots, and initiatives supported by Ei Partners. The Regeneration Era focus areas carry over into the Era of Impact.

The Holly Elmore Images Rewilding Urban Landscapes-album folder documents two active pilots: the Native-Plant Landscape Pilot and the Backyard Permaculture-Oriented Pilot. The Ei Pilots serve as an educational program.

MISSION:

To work with industry leaders to create best regenerative operating practices where the entire value-chain benefits, including corporate bottom lines, communities, and the environment. Through education and collaboration, establish best practices as standard practices.

Ei’s tagline – Regeneration in ACTION – is the foundation for Ei endeavors.

The following mantra is at the core of Ei work:

Ei is a creator, an incubator.

Ei determines what could be done that is not being done and gets it done.

Ei brings the possible out of impossible.

Ei identifies pioneers and creates heroes.

For additional information, contact Holly Elmore at 404-510-9336 | holly@earth-impact.org.

Nature Prevails, a new Elemental Impact platform

Bigger than Us podcast 
promo graphic

Since inception in 2010 as the home for the Zero Waste Zones, Elemental Impact (Ei) embraced the "nature knows best" concept. Using a holistic approach, Ei assesses the broad ramifications of action taken including the impact on the essential microbial communities.

As featured in her May 2020 Bigger than Us podcast interview, Ei Founder Holly Elmore is known for the following quote:

In order for life as we know it to survive and thrive on planet earth, we must - absolutely must - get our soil and water microbial communities back to a healthy, balanced state.

Food-Waste Collection for Compost
During the Ei Era of Recycling Refinement, from inception through June 2017, commercial collection of food waste for compost was a primary focus. In 2014, Ei announced post-consumer food-waste collection for compost or a state-permitted destination other than landfill was the prime Sustainable Food Court Initiative focus.

The "Nature Knows Best" slide in the
World Chef's Sustainability Course

In 2015 Ei prepared the waste & recycling curriculum for the World Chef's Feed the Planet Sustainability Education for Culinary Professionals, a course currently taught in culinary schools across the globe. For the food-waste composting section, a "Nature Knows Best!" slide discussed nature's perfect decomposition system and the role it plays in soil and plant health. For example, a tree’s decaying leaves contain up to 80% of the nutrition required for the tree to thrive.

Though they can emulate nature's system, humans often do not duplicate it. As human-created food-waste destinations stray further from natural parameters, the end product contains fewer nutrients required by the soil’s microbial community. Thus, Ei embraced outdoor windrow-compost operations as it emulates natural decomposition; Ei opposed anaerobic digestion of food waste as the system strays from natural decomposition. Ei's perspective was based on the implications for the soil and water microbial communities related to food-waste destination options.

In July 2017, the RiA Magazine article, Soil Health: regenerating the foundation of life, announced the Ei Soil Health platform. Within the announcement, Ei evolved from a focus on recycling refinement and food-waste collection for compost to Soil Health and Water Use | Toxicity. Inherent within the Soil Health platform are focuses on Regenerative Agriculture, Carbon Sequestration, and Urban Carbon Sinks. Thus, Ei segued from the Era of Recycling Refinement and into the Era of Regeneration.

Carbon Crisis: simply a matter of balance
Within the Era of Regeneration, Ei's underlying premise is restoring balance to the Earth's five carbon pools: atmosphere, oceans, soils, biosphere, and fossil. Ei Strategic Ally Kiss the Ground's The Soil Story video explains the Earth’s carbon cycles in an easy-to-understand format where soil is the hero for regaining balance.

The RiA Magazine article, Carbon Crisis; simply a matter of balance, establishes carbon-crisis solutions that are grounded with two simple tactics: 1> align systems within Nature’s proven cycles and 2> rely on basic supply | demand economics. Regenerative-agriculture practices align with these two tactics and are integral to balancing the carbon cycles. 

In the November 2017 RiA Magazine article, Beyond Sustainability: Regenerative Solutions, Ei coined the term Urban Carbon Sinks where regenerative landscape and grounds maintenance practices are the protocol. Ei's Urban Carbon Sink Pilot $100,000 grant proposal was a finalist in the Ray C. Anderson 2020 NextGen Grant process. Due to COVID-related challenges, the 2020 final grant proposal was not submitted. An impressive Urban Carbon Sinks team is excited for the 2021 NextGen Grant request for proposals.

Holocene Extinction (sixth mass extinction)
According to the November 2019 Science Alert article, Are We Really in a 6th Mass Extinction? Here's The Science, current conditions indicate that the Earth's Holocene extinction, or sixth mass extinction, is well underway. From the article:

A mass extinction is usually defined as a loss of about three quarters of all species in existence across the entire Earth over a "short" geological period of time. Given the vast amount of time since life first evolved on the planet, "short" is defined as anything less than 2.8 million years. 

... The Earth is currently experiencing an extinction crisis largely due to the exploitation of the planet by people. 

The previously referenced Beyond Sustainability: Regenerative Solutions article establishes the building crisis of the diminishing food and oxygen supply.

According to a Global Agriculture Soil Fertility & Erosion Report:

Our most significant non-renewable geo-resource is productive land and fertile soil. Each year, an estimated 24 billion tonnes of fertile soil are lost due to erosion. That's 3.4 tonnes lost every year for every person on the planet. Soils store more than 4000 billion tonnes of carbon.

A dangerous dilemma is brewing with an increasing global population and a diminishing ability to produce food.

According to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) June 2020 How much oxygen comes from the ocean? fact sheet:

Scientists estimate that 50-80% of the oxygen production on Earth comes from the ocean. The majority of this production is from oceanic plankton — drifting plants, algae, and some bacteria that can photosynthesize. One particular species, Prochlorococcus, is the smallest photosynthetic organism on Earth. But this little bacteria produces up to 20% of the oxygen in our entire biosphere. That’s a higher percentage than all of the tropical rainforests on land combined.

Yet plankton is perishing at alarming rates due to ocean acidification and warmer water temperatures. 

Though life as we know it on planet Earth is endangered, Nature always prevails and will simply nurture and embrace new life forms if the existing species perish.

Nature Prevails

An elder tree thrives within a 
building in Old Havana
photo credit: Holly Elmore Images

Ei announces the Nature Prevails platform to complement the Soil Health and Water Use | Toxicity platforms. Within the Nature Prevails premise, the Earth heals herself and nurtures renewed life forms, no matter the calamity caused by humans, natural disasters, or extraterrestrial activities.

During the 2020 COVID-19 global pandemic quarantines, citizens witnessed an immediate impact of reduced human activity via clearer skies, orchestras of bird songs, and the roaming of wild animals in urban and rural parks. The experiences were a glimpse of how quickly the natural world resumes when human activity subsides.

With a commitment to align work with Nature, Ei defined The Principles of Nature with three broad categories:

• Diversity
• Dynamic Balance & Nutrition Cycles
• Necessity of Cover & Ability to Roam

Beyond the environment-related activity within in each category, societal systems including economic structures, financial markets, urban design to name a few also align within and are impacted by The Principles of Nature. 

In the recently published The Nature of Nature, Why We Need the Wild, author Enric Sala explains the fallacies inherent within using a country's Gross National Product (GNP) as the standard indicator for a country's economic growth and stability. According to The Economic Times, GNP is defined as follows:

GNP measures the monetary value of all the finished goods and services produced by the country’s factors of production irrespective of their location. Only the finished or final goods are considered as factoring intermediate goods used for manufacturing would amount to double counting. It includes taxes but does not include subsidies.

In Enric's perspective, the GNP is one of the worst indicators of human prosperity for three reasons:

1. It does not factor in the destruction of the natural world and externalizes devastating consequences in favor of manufacturing capabilities.
2. It assumes that the only value of a society is what can be measured as part of an official, organized market.
3. It does not measure well-being and happiness.

Within the current definition, forest-protection by an indigenous tribe would not be included in the country's GNP. Yet, clear-cutting of the forest for timber sales would be included in the GNP.

Simon Lamb's groundbreaking book Junglenomics published in late 2019 presents Nature's clear blueprint for reorganizing the current economic domain; the blueprint's intentions are to protect and benignly coexist with natural environments, halt species decline, and benefit the poorest. The result of 25 years of research and insight, Junglenomics provides a new vision for a future world rescued from decline, gained through an understanding of the profound forces at work in modern economies.

Future articles as well as Ei website content will further delve into The Principles of Nature and how they apply to environmental as well as societal phenomena.

Regenerative Working Group (RWG)

The opening slide in the RWG intro PPT
photo credit: Holly Elmore Images

Activities within Ei’s Nature Prevails platform are in partnership with the RWG.

On April 6, 2020 Ei Founder Holly Elmore hosted the inaugural RWG call to announce the initiative formation. With approximately thirty prominent land-economics professionals on the call, it was a milestone day!

The RiA Magazine article, Global Thought Leaders Embrace Regenerative Land Economics, launches the initiative and announces the prominent RWG Executive Team:

• Holly Elmore, RWG Chair (Ei Founder)
• Bernadette Austin, RWG Focus Area Lead (Acting Director of the Center for Regional Change at the University of California at Davis)
• Brad Bass, RWG Advisor & Industry Expert (30-year veteran at Environment and Climate Change Canada as well as a Status Professor at the University of Toronto (UT))
• Ronald Thomas, FAICP, RWG Adviser & Industry Expert (Ron Thomas & Co. President)

Many of the Ei Advisors are enthusiastic to serve as RWG Advisors in their respective areas of expertise.

RWG Vision: to explore challenges related to stated focus areas from a holistic approach where the community, environment, and local economies benefit from commentary, discussions, and proposed projects.

RWG Tagline:

Global thought leaders supporting complete and equitable communities.

RWG Focus Areas:

• 

  The FA slide in the RWG intro PPT
  photo credit: Holly Elmore Images

  Infrastructure – explores the built environment including a city’s water & sewer systems, water treatment plants, public utilities, as well as corporate, government, and educational districts | campuses. Additionally, focus is on the availability of and access to affordable housing within a community.
• Environmental Resources – explores the impact of existing and proposed projects and infrastructure within urban and rural communities on energy sources, soil health, local greenways, open spaces, waterways, and resident access.
• Social Equity – explores ways to promote complete communities that include equitable access to housing, transportation and transit, education, employment, human services such as healthcare and safety, and other amenities such as parks. These complete communities balance land uses focused on people, (such as commercial and residential land uses), with natural and working land uses such as open space, waterways, farms, and ranches.

With utmost generosity, Brad offered eight hours of student time from his UT research platform to assist with developing the RWG communication vehicles and researching content.

Beginning the week of May 25, Jahin Khan, a UT research student within Brad’s COBWEB platform, worked closely with Holly on crafting a RWG PPT presentation to support the introductory magazine article. Later in the summer, Ridhi Gopalakrishnan joined the UT-affiliated research team to study Urban Carbon Sinks and the impact of glyphosate on the soil ecosystem.

One of the initial Nature Prevails tasks is to classify each of the identified Focus Area Topics within The Principles of Nature's three broad categories.

Launching the Nature Prevails platform is an Ei Milestone and is destined to catapult Ei's important work into new dimensions of influence and impact.

____________________________________

About Elemental Impact:

Elemental Impact (Ei) is a 501(c)3 non-profit founded in 2010 as the home to the Zero Waste Zones, the forerunner in the nation for the commercial collection of food waste for compost. In June 2017, Ei announced the Era of Recycling Refinement was Mission Accomplished and entered the Era of Regeneration. Current focus areas include Nature Prevails, Soil Health | Regenerative Agriculture, and Water Use | Toxicity.

MISSION:

To work with industry leaders to create best regenerative operating practices where the entire value-chain benefits, including corporate bottom lines, communities, and the environment. Through education and collaboration, establish best practices as standard practices.

Ei’s tagline – Regeneration in ACTION – is the foundation for Ei endeavors.

The following mantra is at the core of Ei work:

Ei is a creator, an incubator.

Ei determines what could be done that is not being done and gets it done.

Ei brings the possible out of impossible.

Ei identifies pioneers and creates heroes.

For additional information, contact Holly Elmore at 404-261-4690 | holly@elementalimpact.org

Global Thought Leaders Embrace Regenerative Land Economics

On April 6, 2020 Elemental Impact (Ei) Founder Holly Elmore hosted the inaugural Regenerative Working Group (RWG) call to announce the initiative formation. With approximately thirty prominent land-economics professionals on the call, it was a milestone day!

RWG Executive Team
A first task within the formation stage was designating an Executive Team. Focused on guiding the RWG segue from a vision into a viable initiative, the team commits to making a difference in global arenas. The RWG Executive Team consists of the following individuals:

Holly Elmore, RWG Chair

Holly's eclectic career path includes multiple faucets ranging from the corporate arena (Arthur Andersen Auditor & Trammell Crow Controller) to the foodservice industry (owner of a corporate catering business & restaurants) to sustainability-industry leader (Zero Waste Zones & Ei Founder). In addition, Holly is an avid nature & documentary photographer and respected journalist with prominent articles and photographs featured in national publications.

Bernadette Austin, RWG Focus Area Lead: Ei Advisor

As Acting Director of the Center for Regional Change at the University of California at Davis, Bernadette brings extensive experience in community development praxis and public-private partnerships. She works to build bridges across disciplines and support research that is community-engaged, policy-oriented, and equity-focused.

Brad Bass, PhD, RWG Industry Expert & Ei Adviser,

Brad is a 30-year veteran at Environment and Climate Change Canada as well as a Status Professor at the University of Toronto. Brad led the development of COBWEB (Complexity and Organized Behaviour Within Environmental Bounds) in 1999. COBWEB, is now used by students to simulate the performance of vertical flow constructed wetlands, urban segregation, and retail locations.

Brad served on a team that was awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for Climate Change.

In 2012, Green Roofs for Healthy Cities awarded Brad the Lifetime Achievement Award for Green Infrastructure Research. Brad's most recent work on the cost of algal blooms was published in July 2019.

Ronald Thomas, FAICP, Industry Expert & Ei Adviser

For two decades Ron directed his planning firm located in Washington DC; and then became an associated principal with the landscape architecture and planning firm, Jones and Jones in Seattle. From 2000 to 2010 Ron served as the executive director of the Chicago regional planning agency, Northeast Illinois Planning Commission and then semi-retired to Athens, GA to serve on the University of Georgia faculty at the College of Environment and was chair of the Oconee Rivers Planning Commission from 2011- 2016.

Ron continues as a practicing consultant urban planner with the Community Design Exchange and is a Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners receiving over 40 awards for distinguished work in the broad field of planning. He has edited the APA Regional Planning Journal and has published frequently. He is working on a book on Arts & Crafts era planning, a subject of personal interest for over 40 years.

Tim Trefzer, Industry Expert & Ei Regeneration in ACTION Chair

Tim directs environmental and social responsibility for the Georgia World Congress Center Authority (GWCCA). Since 2010, Tim oversees improved campus operations, reduced impacts of events, and works with stakeholders to improve the well-being of the community.

As a LEED-Accredited Professional, Tim administered the GWCC’s LEED-Silver certification in 2014 and its LEED-Gold recertification in 2017; the GWCCA is the largest LEED-certified convention center in the world. In 2017, Tim guided the Savannah International Trade and Convention Center to LEED-Gold certification and was influential in the LEED-Platinum certification of Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

In 2013 Tim chaired the NCAA Men’s Final Four sustainability committee. Since 2015, Tim consults for the College Football Playoff and Super Bowl, managing various sustainability projects around these mega sporting events. For the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship and 2019 Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta, Tim is sustainability chair for the Atlanta Football Host Committee.

Tim is an instructor at Georgia State University and Faculty Associate at Arizona State University where he leads the Global Context thread of the online Master’s Degree for Sustainability Leadership program. Tim earned a Bachelor’s degree from Florida State University and a Master’s degree from Arizona State University

RWG Formation
With the Executive Team in place, the next task was to craft the RWG Vision and define the Focus Areas and Commitment as follows:

Vision: to engage the global thought leaders and explore challenges related to stated focus areas from a holistic approach where the community, environment, and local economies benefit from commentary, discussions, and proposed projects.

The RWG seeks to be a thought leader in supporting complete and equitable communities.

Focus Areas:

• 

  Focus Area slide on RWG PPT

  Infrastructure – explores the built environment including a city’s water & sewer systems, water treatment plants, public utilities, as well as corporate, government, and educational districts | campuses. Additionally, focus is on the availability of and access to affordable housing within a community.
• Environmental Resources – explores the impact of existing and proposed projects and infrastructure within urban and rural communities on energy sources, soil health, local greenways, open spaces, waterways, and resident access.
• Social Equity – explores ways to promote complete communities that include equitable access to housing, transportation and transit, education, employment, human services such as healthcare and safety, and other amenities such as parks. These complete communities balance land uses focused on people, (such as commercial and residential land uses), with natural and working land uses such as open space, waterways, farms, and ranches.

Commitment: the RWG is committed to action, whether in the form of drafting educational documentation (articles, white papers, website copy), global webinars, and/or projects designed for community impact. RWG members must actively participate.

Thanks to her brilliant editorial wand, Bernadette further defined the Focus Areas via respective Visions, Scopes as well as Challenges and Impacts.

Infrastructure Focus Area
Vision: The RWG Infrastructure Focus Area seeks to explore the development, improvement, and preservation of facilities that support an environmentally and financially sustainable built environment.

Sunshine Skyway Bridge
across Tampa Bay

Scope: This group explores the facilities that comprise the built environment occupied by people environmentally and financially sustainable. The infrastructure of these complete communities include municipal water and sewer systems, water treatment plants, public utilities (such as gas and electricity), as well as government, corporate or industrial parks, and educational districts and campuses.

Challenges & Impact: One of the greatest challenges facing this field is addressing environmentally and economically sustainable and resilient land-use practices. The Infrastructure Focus Area seeks to support this goal by focusing on the facilities that support the built environment. These facilities include the utilities and common areas required for land uses such as residential, retail, commercial, and industrial.

Utilities include wet and dry utilities, (such as water, sewer, and energy needs). In particular, this group seeks to understand the challenges and barriers to creating and maintaining such resources in environmentally and financially sustainable ways. As a necessary public benefit, challenges and barriers will be viewed through the lens of both institutions and public agencies responsible for this infrastructure, as well as the customers and stakeholders who depend on these services.

Environmental Resources Focus Area
Vision: The RWG Environmental Resource Focus Area seeks to explore the interaction of humans with environmental resources in urban and rural areas through the lens of land use.

Cover crops at the
Farm @ Cragmoor in South Carolina

Scope: This group explores the impact of existing and proposed projects and infrastructure within urban and rural communities. Topics include open space and natural resources. Open space topic areas include greenways, parks, waterways, coastlines, urban greening spaces, and agricultural and natural lands. Natural resource focus areas include soil health, water resources, air quality, and energy sources and generation.

Challenges & Impact: One of the greatest challenges facing this field is balancing growing population and economic demands with limited natural resources and open space. The Environmental Resource Focus Area seeks to support this goal by focusing on human interaction with and impact on natural resources, (such as water, air, and soil), and open spaces, (in both urban and rural areas).

Social Equity Focus Area
Vision: The RWG Social Equity Focus Area seeks to support the development of complete communities with equitable access to opportunity and amenities for all people.

Sleeping man on stream walkway
in Austin, Texas

Scope: This group explores ways to promote complete communities that include equitable access to housing, transportation and transit, education, employment, human services such as healthcare and safety, and other amenities such as parks. These complete communities balance land uses focused on people, (such as commercial and residential land uses), with natural and working land uses such as open space, waterways, farms, and ranches.

Challenges & Impact: Arguably, addressing sustainable and equitable land economics is the greatest challenge of our time. The Social Equity Focus Area seeks to support this goal by focusing on stakeholders who may lack the access or resources necessary to be involved in land economics decision-making. These often involve barriers stemming from community investment practices and socio-economic issues.

At the formation of this group, top focus areas are housing affordability, economic development, workforce development, urban agriculture and food systems, sustainable resource and waste practices, and environmental justice.

Focus Area Topics

Within the three focus areas, the Executive Team identified topics for further exploration. Most topics fall within the scope of two or more focus areas.

Below are the topics with designated RWG Industry Experts, who agreed to provide topic copy including: WHAT, WHY, Project Explorations, and On the Horizon.

Soil slingers at CompostNow's
food-waste composing facility
in the metro Atlanta area.

Infrastructure Focus Area

• Affordable Housing
• Biosolid Management Systems
• Broadband Network Communication: Fiber-to-the-door for all
• Circular Economy
• Waste | Recycling Management Systems
• Food-Waste Collection
• Food-Waste Composting
• Erosion Control
• Green Infrastructure  

Environmental Resources Focus Area

Carrots harvested on a regenerative
urban farm in Greenville, South Carolina

• Erosion Control
• Green Infrastructure
• Soil Health | Soil Restoration
• Regenerative Agriculture | Landscape
• Urban Carbon Sinks
• The Commons
• Parks & Public Accessible Greenspace

Social Equity Focus Area

• Affordable Housing
• Broadband Network Communication: Fiber-to-the-door for all
• Racial Equity

Additional topics will be added as new RWG Industry Experts commit to sharing their wisdom.

Ei Advisors 

Below are the Ei Advisors along with their respective along with their RWG Focus Area Topic leadership.

Brad Bass, PhD, Green Infrastructure

Brad's head shot and bio are provided in the RWG Executive Team article section.

Britt Faucette, PhD, Erosion Control, Food-Waste Composting, Soil Health, Regenerative Agriculture, Urban Carbon Sinks 

Britt is an Ecosystem Scientist, Certified Professional of Erosion & Sediment Control, and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional (LEED AP). Britt currently directs research, technical services, and regulatory approval programs for Filtrexx International and the organics recycling and storm water management industries.

Britt earned his PhD from the Odom School of Ecology at the University of Georgia where he researched soil-water-plant performances of various BMPs used in soil erosion and storm water management applications; served as a state specialist in storm water management, organics recycling, and pollution prevention programs in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering; and is an adjunct professor in the School of Environmental Design.

Over the years, Britt authored 20+ peer-reviewed scientific publications, over 100 popular press articles, developed federal (7) and state (nearly 50) specifications on organic materials used in erosion and sediment control and storm water management, worked with foreign governments, taught graduate students, consulted on organic materials management and storm water related projects in 15 countries, has been awarded approximately $500,000 in state and federal research grants, has conducted seminars and training sessions at over 100 national and regional conferences, and has published three books on research and design elements of organic materials used in erosion control and storm water management.

Holly Elmore, Food-Waste Collection, Food-Waste Composting, Urban Carbon Sinks

Holly's head shot and bio are provided in the RWG Executive Team article section.

Ronald Thomas, Broadband Communications Network

Ron's head shot and bio are provided in the RWG Executive Team article section.

Stephanie Barger, Circular Economy, Food-Waste Collection, Waste & Recycling Systems, Urban Carbon Sinks

Stephanie during a tour of
Georgia Tech's award-winning
waste & recycling program

As global director of market transformation & development for the TRUE Zero Waste Certification, Stephanie is responsible for the growth and development of the TRUE program. In 2017 Stephanie helped launch TRUE, which is owned and administered by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI). TRUE was acquired by GBCI in 2016 and was previously known as the U.S. Zero Waste Business Council, which Barger formed in January 2012. The GBCI is the certification entity within the U.S. Green Building Council.

Prior to forming the U.S. Zero Waste Business Council, Barger spent 15 years leading Earth Resource Foundation (ERF), a dynamic high school environmental leadership program. In 2009, ERF was awarded a Federal Stimulus Grant (the California Green Jobs Program in Orange County) to provide training for at-risk youth in zero-waste and career development.

Previously, as a certified trainer with California Resource Recovery Association (CRRA), one of the nation’s largest and oldest non-profit recycling organizations, Stephanie helped write and administer a $5 million Department of Labor grant. Under the grant, the CRRA training program expanded to over 500 unemployed and under-employed individuals. The grant also developed a recycling, resource management and zero-waste certificate and an associates degree program at three community colleges in Southern California.

Tim Trefzer, Circular Economy, Food-Waste Collection, Food-Waste Composting, Waste | Recycling Management Systems

Tim's head shot and bio are provided in the RWG Executive Team article section.

Wayne King, Biosolid Management Systems, Food-Waste Collection, Food-Waste Composting, Soil Health, Urban Carbon Sinks

Wayne with Kathy Kellogg Johnson
at the 2018 USCC Conference

Along with his son, Wayne is a principal owner of ERTH (Environmental Resource and Technology for Humanity) Products, one of the largest compost manufacturing facilities in the Southeastern United States. Over the past decades, Wayne served in numerous industry leadership capacities: U.S. Composting Council President and Board Member, founding President of the Georgia Composting Association, Georgia Recycling Coalition Board Member, Past Chairman of the Georgia Green Industry Association, and was a founding Board member of the University of Georgia’s Odum School of Ecology. 

Over the decades, Wayne and ERTH Products were the recipient of numerous prestigious state and national awards. Recently,  Wayne received the prestigious 2018 USCC’s Hi Kellogg Award for Outstanding Service to the Composting Industry. 

Upon graduation from Midwestern University, Wichita Falls, Texas, Wayne was commissioned as an army officer and served his country for 20 years as a Military Intelligence officer with a specialty in aviation. Wayne is an instrumented rated commercial pilot in both fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft.

RWG Communication

As the Formation Stage segued to completion, the Executive Team shifted focus to the RWG Communication Stage. With utmost generosity, Brad offered eight hours of student time from his University of Toronto (UT) research platform to assist with developing the RWG communication vehicles. 

Beginning the week of May 25, Jahin Kahn, a UT research student within Brad's COBWEB platform, worked closely with Holly on crafting a RWG  PPT presentation to support an introductory blog article.

The below RWG tagline was established:

Global thought leaders supporting complete and equitable communities.

Next on the communications agenda is the RWG website launch, complete with blog and newsletter functions. Holly will curate the website content; Bernadette will serve as the website editor to ensure the copy has a consistent, clear voice.

The RWG will host quarterly Zoom meetings filled with updates and tales from the action-packed initiative agenda. Quarterly newsletters are open to the public and may be used to court professionals interested in RWG participation.

Urban Carbon Sink Pilot Project
In partnership with the RWG, Ei seeks funding for an Urban Carbon Sink Pilot Project currently under development. Grant proposals and other potential funding sources are underway. The RiA Magazine article, Urban Carbon Sinks, provides details on the important Ei endeavor. 

The Regenerative Working Group provides an avenue for global thought leaders to embrace regenerative land-economics topics via dialogue, research, and projects. Ei is honored to take a leadership role in the initiative's formation and activation.

______________________________
Except for the head shots and PPT screenshots, the photo images in the article are courtesy of Holly Elmore Images.

 Tax-deductible donations in any amount are greatly appreciated to support Ei's important work. 

DONATE HERE

About Earth Impact:

Earth Impact (formerly Elemental Impact) (Ei) is a 501(c)3 non-profit founded in 2010 as the home to the Zero Waste Zones, the forerunner in the nation for the commercial collection of food waste for compost. In June 2017, Ei announced the Era of Recycling Refinement was Mission Accomplished and entered the Era of Regeneration (June 2017 - June 2024). Focus areas included Nature Prevails, Soil Health | Regenerative Agriculture, and Water Use | Toxicity.

The Regeneration in ACTION Magazine articles, From Organic Certification to Regenerative Agriculture to Rewilding Landscapes: an evolution towards soil integrity and SOIL & WATER: the foundation of life, published to explain and substantiate the importance of Ei’s rewilding urban landscapes work within the Nature Prevails focus area. What We Eat Matters is an emerging platform that intertwines within the three focus areas.

As Ei enters the Era of Impact (June 2024 – present,) gears shift to a new business model, Ei Educates. Though education was always integral to Ei’s important work, the  primary focus was on projects, pilots, and initiatives supported by Ei Partners. The Regeneration Era focus areas carry over into the Era of Impact.

The Holly Elmore Images Rewilding Urban Landscapes-album folder documents two active pilots: the Native-Plant Landscape Pilot and the Backyard Permaculture-Oriented Pilot. The Ei Pilots serve as an educational program.

MISSION:

To work with industry leaders to create best regenerative operating practices where the entire value-chain benefits, including corporate bottom lines, communities, and the environment. Through education and collaboration, establish best practices as standard practices.

Ei’s tagline – Regeneration in ACTION – is the foundation for Ei endeavors.

The following mantra is at the core of Ei work:

Ei is a creator, an incubator.

Ei determines what could be done that is not being done and gets it done.

Ei brings the possible out of impossible.

Ei identifies pioneers and creates heroes.

For additional information, contact Holly Elmore at 404-510-9336 | holly@earth-impact.org.