In this Brown Rice Hour, Konda Mason welcomes Paul Hawken for a conversation about his new book, Regeneration, and how it offers a visionary new approach to climate change.
Paul Hawken is an environmentalist, entrepreneur, author and activist who has dedicated his life to environmental sustainability and changing the relationship between business and the environment. He is one of the environmental movement’s leading voices, and the founder of Project Drawdown, a non-profit dedicated to researching when and how global warming can be reversed. Paul’s latest book is Regeneration: Ending the Climate Crisis in One Generation. To learn more about him, visit paulhawken.com.
Head to regeneration.org for the world’s largest, most complete listing and network of solutions to the climate crisis.
Living in a Miracle
Konda begins by opening up sacred space and asking Paul about his comfort food as a child. They discuss how they both have altered their diets over the years to better align with the needs of their bodies, and Paul talks about how he came to start the natural foods store, Erewhon. Paul details how his first book on climate change, Drawdown, came together.
“When you really find out where you live, you discover you’re living in a miracle.” – Paul Hawken
Jack Kornfield and Paul Hawken talk about ‘Drawdown’ and climate change on Heart Wisdom Ep. 107
Regeneration (31:15)
Konda and Paul dive into his new book, Regeneration, and how it offers us a new approach to climate change. For Paul, Drawdown is about what can be done about climate change, and Regeneration is about how we can do it. Konda and Paul discuss how the very core of the climate crisis is a profound disconnection between people, and between people and nature.
“I just feel like regeneration is the default mode of life, and we are life. And so, what does it mean to heal the future instead of steal the future? What would that mean? Well, let’s figure it out.” – Paul Hawken
Come Together (52:00)
Konda shines light on how we need to bring truth and reconciliation to the equation in order to come together and regenerate our planet. Paul is optimistic we still have time to come together, and that the future belongs to those who are going to heal it. We can see climate change as an opening, rather than a curse. Konda and Paul end the show by touching on the concept of keystone species.
“I see regeneration as actually a joyous thing, a celebratory thing, as a thing that brings people together.” – Paul Hawken
Mirabai Bush and Bidisha Banerjee explore devotional ecology on Walking Each Other Home Ep. 2
