Regenerative Design Workshop June 16, 2011

Regenerative Design is a process of shifting ourselves from being occupants of the land to becoming inhabitants - conscious participants in the co-evolution of life for the purpose of continually regenerating and healing the whole system. The leading edge of sustainability is moving beyond green design into regenerative development - the process of integrating buildings, communities, and their inhabitants into the design of the whole.

This two-day workshop explores the principles of Regenerative Design through a case study of the Appalachian region, including the consequences that mountain-top removal and coal mining has on natural and social communities of the southeast. We will look at how the energy grid of the east and northeast connects all of us to this story of industrial resource extraction, giving us a broader perspective on the interdependence of our communities. The class will explore how to take a whole-systems approach to restoring degraded landscapes, though the principles of regeneration design. Lots of hands-on design work and process is included in the curriculum.

Samir Doshi, a professor at Queen's University and adjunct at University of Vermont, works on issues of community empowerment and ecological design in Canada, India and Appalachia. Diane Gayer is an architect and planner who has engaged many communities in designing ecologically-based physical space and human patterns.

For full course information and to register, go to: www.yestermorrow.org