Women’s Leadership is Key to Bringing Forward a Regenerative Future
By Seleyn DeYarus, Founder and Executive Director of Regenerative Rising, and Reilly Thomas, Content Coordinator at Regenerative Rising
In this co-written guest blog post, Seleyn DeYarus, Founder and Executive Director of Regenerative Rising, and Reilly Thomas, Regenerative Rising’s Content Coordinator, discuss how women’s leadership is key to bringing forward a regenerative future and how convenings like the upcoming Women Leading Regeneration Summit, May 3-5, help facilitate that process.
In 1974, French feminist Françoise d’Eaubonne coined the term “ecofeminism,” as “a branch of feminism that examines the connections between women and nature,” which posits women and the environment are often treated the same way. If a culture values and respects the roles women and femme-identifying individuals fulfill, that same culture is more likely to value and respect the gifts their surrounding environment offers. Alternatively, if a society regularly exploits and depletes the environment for capital gain, it is far more likely that women living in that society are devalued and othered, especially women who hold more oppressed identities.
Since the 1980s, the environmental justice movement has worked to show how the most socially disadvantaged in our society, such as the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) community, are far more likely to hold witness to and bear the brunt of the burden of environmental degradation.
The real regenerative movement melds these fields of social and environmental activism into a living-systems worldview that is situated in Indigenous principles. These foundational ideas guide us toward a future, where the Earth and all of Her beautiful creatures, co-create a world that facilitates mutual thriving. It is Regenerative Rising’s conviction that we must continually reaffirm a shared intentionality that every one of us must fulfill our duty, which is really a privilege, to serve as stewards of the Earth thereby ensuring wellbeing for future generations.
“As it becomes increasingly evident that we, as global citizens, are at a tipping point that will lead to varying degrees of climate effects,” said Seleyn DeYarus, Founder and Executive Director of Regenerative Rising. “It is more important than ever to ground ourselves in a living-systems worldview and facilitate opportunities for the too-often suppressed voices to share their stories.”
On May 3-5, 2022, Regenerative Rising is hosting the 3rd Women Leading Regeneration Online Summit centering women’s leadership as a key to planetary health. Women Leading Regeneration draws from a diverse community of contributors and participants, which includes entrepreneurs, executives, farmers and ranchers, activists, writers, academics, investors, and innovators of diverse backgrounds. We are a tapestry of women who celebrate the rising influence of women in our communities, as pioneers and leaders.
We aim to create a welcoming environment for all women to join our banquet. There are many seats at this virtual table and we hold as sacred the inclusion of any woman who has not felt welcomed in other contexts. We are growing a movement for the regeneration of how we define leadership and the means to positively impact our world so all life thrives. To realize this intention, we have created ticket options to empower any woman who wishes to attend to be able.
May 3, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. MDT, Leadership Day is our kick-off event to the online summit. This convening of women, femme and non-binary leaders from around the globe, brings us together to strengthen and inspire the brave pathway forward for women’s unique approach to leadership. We’ll hear from the Equal Rights Amendment Coalition and discuss the necessary change to political and institutional structures that are tantamount to securing women’s equal standing under the law.
We seek to strengthen our inner, outer and unique skill sets through a Regenerative Leadership Workshop that includes the aspiration of cultivating ongoing cohorts of women, who will continue their development by participating in the Regenerative Design Lab offered by nRhythm following the Summit.
As our programming is guided by a living systems perspective, we seek to convene individuals of all backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences to discuss and formulate a collective vision of a regenerative future. With a complexity of perspectives, we can co-evolve shared strategies for transforming agriculture, fashion, and policy to better serve the people and the Earth.
During this event, Regenerative Rising will be hosting a variety of panels complete with a diverse sampling of female thought leaders in the regenerative space. One such example is “The Women of the Land Panel with Q&A,” moderated by Bethany Davis, the Director of Social Impact, Advocacy, and Government Affairs at MegaFood, one of Regenerative Rising’s Amplify sponsors. Bethany will be joined by Jessica Chiartas, a Ph.D. Soil Scientist with the University of California, Davis; Karen Washington, Activist and Farmer at Rise & Root Farm; Kelsey Scott, Rancher & Owner of DX Beef and the Director of Programs at Intertribal Agriculture Council; and Donna Kilpatrick, Ranch Manager and Land Steward with Heifer, USA. This group of women will discuss their learnings, challenges, and how they see the wisdom of the land guiding us toward healing.
Summit participants will also have the opportunity to witness a collection of Regenerative Slams™ and Keynote talks between panels. Regenerative Rising’s own Founder and Executive Director, Seleyn DeYarus, will give her first-ever Keynote talk, entitled “Women and Mother Earth are Entwined” on May 4, at 10:20 a.m. MDT. Additionally, we are very excited to announce that author Tiffanie Drayton will be giving the Keynote, “Finding Purpose and Empowerment in a Struggling World,” on May 5, at 10:15 a.m. MDT.
We welcome the women of the Green 2.0 community to join us and enjoy a special partner discount of 15% on all full-price ticket levels, use code GREEN2.0. We also offer a tier of tickets to ensure all women who desire to join us, can do so regardless of financial circumstances.
Visit this link for the full program and register for the interactive online summit.
Women Leading Regenerative Summit Sponsors include Galvanize Level Sponsor: VF Corporation; Amplify Level Sponsors: MegaFood, GoodSam Foods; Elevate Level Sponsors: The North Face, Timberland; Spark Level Sponsor: HB Specialty Foods; and Inspire Level Sponsors: Naturepedic Organic Mattresses, Savory Institute.
Regenerative Rising is proud to partner with the following organizations to promote this Women Leading Regeneration program: Green 2.0, Mad Agriculture, Textile Exchange, Soil Centric, Intertribal Agriculture Council, Pleiades Network, Climate Collaborative, OSC, Land Core, J.E.D.I. Collaborative, Kiss The Ground, Inland Ocean Coalition, and SVI.
To learn more about Regenerative Rising, visit https://regenerativerising.org/. Follow Regenerative Rising on Instagram @regen_rising, Facebook @Regenerativerising, LinkedIn @Regenerative Rising, and Twitter @regen_rising.