Joe runs the study group Earth Regenerators
Derived from LinkedIn Profile:
Joe has a unique background in physics, math, philosophy, atmospheric science, complexity research, and cognitive linguistics. Awakened to the threat of human-induced climate disruption while pursuing a Ph.D. in atmospheric science, he switched fields and began to work with scholars in the behavioural and cognitive sciences with the hope of helping create large-scale behavior change at the level of global civilization.
He was an active member of the Center for Complex Systems Research at the University of Illinois studying pattern formation in physical and social systems before joining renowned linguist, George Lakoff, at the Rockridge Institute in Berkeley to analyze political discourse and reveal the structures of meaning in human language.
In 2008, Joe launched the research consultancy Cognitive Policy Works whose mission was to apply insights from cognitive science to social change efforts. It was here that he built up a global network of collaborators in the nonprofit, governmental, and social impact business domains.
He has spoken at many global conferences on the science of social change and the human dimensions of planetary sustainability. And has given workshops on three continents about the workings of the human mind and the strategic tools for designing and enacting positive change in the world.
Organizations
Primary
The Center for Applied Cultural Evolution was created to help communities guide their own social change efforts using integrated social science tools and frameworks. Our mission is to launch a series of Culture Design Labs around systemic challenges ranging from poverty and inequality to climate change and more.
Our unique model is to treat every place where practitioners seek to create positive social change as a field site for applied cultural evolution research — forging partnerships between scientists and change practitioners to analyze, monitor, and guide their efforts with the best scientific tools available. We do this by establishing Culture Design Labs for conducting action research that uses participatory approaches to include those who will be impacted by our programs and interventions.
Web Properties
Recent Content
Last 50 posts on own channels (YouTube, Podcast, Medium or Website/Blog):
Regenerating Cascadia in Lost Valley
Published on: 7 Oct 23 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
Regenerating the Willamette Valley of Oregon?
Published on: 28 Sep 23 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
Restoring Streams with Syntropic Agroforestry
Published on: 16 Jul 23 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
Join the Design School for Regenerating Earth
Published on: 16 Jun 23 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
What Will It Take to Regenerate Continents?
Published on: 9 Jun 23 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
Sacred Healing in the Colorado River
Published on: 1 Jun 23 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
The Greatest Weavers Are Rivers
Published on: 29 May 23 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
A Great Weaving of Landscapes
Published on: 27 May 23 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
Regenerating Watersheds in Colorado
Published on: 25 May 23 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
Dreaming of Regeneration at Continental Scales
Published on: 23 May 23 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
Where the Colorado River is Born
Published on: 22 May 23 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
Community Events in Headwaters of the Colorado River
Published on: 21 May 23 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
Join the Design School for $5 a Month!
Published on: 19 May 23 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
Restoring Trust Among Regenerative Leaders
Published on: 16 May 23 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
Bioregional Activations in the Colorado Basin
Published on: 12 May 23 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
Feeling the Patterns of a Continent
Published on: 3 May 23 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
Regenerating the Colorado River
Published on: 1 May 23 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
Living into the Design Pathway for Regenerating Earth
Published on: 23 Apr 23 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
Weaving the Bioregions of Earth
Published on: 27 Mar 23 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
How Earth Systems Brings Consilience
Published on: 9 Mar 23 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
How to Regenerate the Earth
Published on: 16 Feb 23 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
What is a Bioregional Learning Center?
Published on: 28 Jan 23 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
A Design School that Regenerates Landscapes
Published on: 26 Jan 23 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
A Design School that Regenerates Landscapes
Published on: 26 Jan 23 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
Bioregional Process and Workflows
Published on: 22 Jan 23 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
Join the Design School for Regenerating Earth
Published on: 21 Jan 23 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
Two Things Landscapes Need
Published on: 15 Jan 23 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
What IS A Landscape Fund?
Published on: 13 Jan 23 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
Exploring the Ozarks :: A Bioregional Journey
Published on: 7 Jan 23 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
Activating A Planetary Network of Bioregions
Published on: 26 Dec 22 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
The Survivors Will Be Bioregional
Published on: 24 Jul 20 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
Hey Glenn,
Published on: 13 Apr 20 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
Can the Coronavirus Birth the Regeneration of Earth?
Published on: 19 Mar 20 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
Yep, which is why it was so important to see this system fragility coming.
Published on: 18 Mar 20 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
Living Regeneratively in A Global Pandemic
Published on: 18 Mar 20 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
A “Regenerative Death Clause” for Coronavirus
Published on: 16 Mar 20 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
Hey John,
Published on: 23 Feb 20 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
Living A Regenerative Life
Published on: 22 Feb 20 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
Hey Jhon,
Published on: 14 Dec 19 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
Walking the Path of Regeneration
Published on: 13 Dec 19 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
Societal Collapse and Earth Regeneration
Published on: 3 Dec 19 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
What Can We Learn from the Evolution of Empires?
Published on: 30 Nov 19 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
Seeds of Bioregional Regeneration
Published on: 3 Nov 19 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
Family Seeking Life of Earth Regeneration
Published on: 28 Oct 19 in Joe Brewer – Medium
by Joe Brewer
Recent Videos and Podcasts where Joe Brewer has been interviewed
Jared Janes and Jason Snyder talk with Joe Brewer about the impact of conceptuality on perception & embodiment, the impossibility of understanding planetary collapse & what that means, getting lost in abstraction
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In this episode, I speak with Joe Brewer about the on-going collapse of our planetary system, the emotional and psychological difficulties of reckoning with this reality, and how we can
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Yesterday we experienced the feeling of Regenerate Cascadia being born as a social movement in the world. In the photo above, you can see me giving a talk at Lost
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Look at how massive the deforestation is in Oregon.This is the Willamette Valley that stretches from Portland to the north (left in this image) to Eugene in the south (on the right).What
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Say hello to Manuela. She is one of my dear friends and a powerful leader in Barichara, Colombia. It is largely thanks to her that syntropic agroforestry has arrived in
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We are excited to announce a new community membership that makes it even easier to join the <a href="http://I am excited to share that it is even easier to join
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This morning I am sitting with the emotions of what it will truly take to regenerate entire continents…Systems of globalized extraction are so pervasive and destructive. They will need to
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Our sacred journey through the Colorado River Basin has brought us all the way to Hoover Dam — and soon we will arrive at the Sea of Cortez in Mexicali. Along the
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It is really something to experience a tapestry of landscapes by the way a river runs through them… bringing water-giving life everywhere it flows.We are on a sacred journey following the
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We are on a sacred journey to awaken the dream of regeneration for the entire Colorado Basin. In the first week, we met with people of the headwaters up in
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We are on a sacred journey to regenerate the Colorado River and all of her tributaries across the mountains and deserts of the Southwest. In the last few days, we
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Imagine if regenerative efforts were organized around major landscape systemsTwo days ago, we visited where the Colorado River is born, as we embarked on a journey from headwaters in the
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Yesterday we visited the birthplace of the mighty Colorado River… high up in Rocky Mountain National Park where it begins at La Poudre Pass. We came here with a sacred
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For those of you following our trip to Regenerate the Colorado River Basin, there will be a series of community events that you can join if you happen to be
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We are inviting new members to join the Design School for Regenerating Earth at the affordable price of $5 per month. Just imagine it, you can learn how to heal
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I want to talk about a topic that quietly resides in the shadows — yet has significant consequences in the world as time goes by. As a visible leader in the regenerative
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On May 19th, we embark upon a life-changing adventure to awaken the dream to regenerate the Colorado River Basin…The Colorado River is probably the most conflicted and challenging body of water
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When we opened the Design School for Regenerating Earth, our dream was to weave patterns of ecological and social restoration across entire landscapes — until they emerge as continental tapestries of regeneration.
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I have a dream of bringing dead rivers back to life.Those among us who are ready to devote our lives to regenerating the Earth must dare to dream beyond what feels
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I’m not going to sugarcoat this. We are in ecological overshoot. All unsustainable human cultures on Earth are in the process of becoming compost for future generations.This statement is empirically
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The living systems of Earth are already interwoven. This simple truth should have profound consequences for how we as humans organize ourselves across the landscapes of our precious home planet.
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Everything is connected. This simple truth has profound consequences. It should be obvious that all knowledge is connected too — though this is clearly not the case. Simply look at any course
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This article is an invitation into the Design School for Regenerating Earth.People all over the world are gathering to learn how to restore landscapes, collaborate to achieve systemic outcomes, and
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It has long been known that the political boundaries of the world as they are today do not readily map onto the landscapes of challenges for ecological or social health.
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I spent most of my life looking for the school that didn’t exist. Nine years spread across three universities only confirmed that the challenges humanity faces will not be addressed
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I spent most of my life looking for the school that didn’t exist. Nine years spread across three universities only confirmed that the challenges humanity faces will not be addressed
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Growing trees with my loving hands…
We are pulling invasive grass, opening space for native species, and layering mulch to help the little plants grow.
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These are the first seeds I have collected from an important native tree in the bioparque. I was able to gather five of them and replant them in the food forest.
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Yesterday we visited the land of the Barichara Ecoversity to offer our blessings… this is part of the river that dried up in the 1970’s that we hope to restore in the years ahead.
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A little cactus garden I established this week from plants gathered along the path I walk between my home and the bioparque.
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My first scorpion in the food forest… welcome!!!
By the way, I am speaking at this awesome conference with the Ecoversity Alliance.
I am back at it pulling invasive grass and piling it up to make compost.
Sometimes I give cactus a break and collect succulents instead. Just planted this one in the food forest.
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