https://www.themetanoia.com/new-blog daily 0.75 2026-05-18 https://www.themetanoia.com/metanoia daily 0.75 2026-05-18 https://www.themetanoia.com/metanoia/experiment monthly 0.5 2026-05-18 https://www.themetanoia.com/metanoia/exploring monthly 0.5 2026-05-18 https://www.themetanoia.com/metanoia/regenerative monthly 0.5 2026-05-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a087bfa8b34201b1a02ac7b/5e5c8ec7-5da1-4665-af32-ab8dd0703c1d/16a06f_91413ef72b6a491d83a4f86b9823438d%7Emv2.webp Metanoia - Regenerative Design: A Bioregion For Chichester What is Regenerative Design? Jenny explains that regenerative design addresses misalignments between ecological, economic, and cultural systems, exploring how we can realign and redesign human systems with the living systems that have created the conditions conducive to life for 3.8 billion years, to restore and create more stability in our world. The goal is to heal the story of separation, which includes the separation between humans and nature, as well as hierarchical divisions among humans, such as sexism, racism, classism, organisational hierarchy and so on. These hierarchical divisions keep us held in a non-regenerative mindset, which is, of course, bad news for our planet. When systems are redesigned, the promotion of renewal and wholeness rather than division and decline, can emerge. Regenerative Design Cultural Scaffolding There are challenges to implement regenerative design, not least addressing people’s readiness for change. When working in specific areas to affect regenerative change, the local community has to be open to embracing the shifts required. Cultural scaffolding to build trust and offer education is important and can strengthen any existing infrastructure for regenerative work. This is where initiatives like The Metanoia Series and Really Regenerative CIC’s learning journeys come in, helping communities to understand and engage. What is a Bioregion? Natural and Human Systems A bioregion can be described as a naturally occurring landscape where a whole system functions, like a rainforest for example. Bioregions are geographical areas or landscapes that integrate both ecological and human systems, defined by natural features such as watersheds, climate, soils, landforms and native plants and animals. Political boundaries do not define a bioregion and often don’t align with the bioregion boundaries. It is a landscape-scale approach to classifying the environment that promotes a deep understanding and connection between human communities and their local ecological systems. Bioregional work is about reconnecting human systems with natural systems to create a harmonious future. The Metanoia Series Regenerative Design Event The evening integrated with a series of prior community workshops that had begun to explore the concept of a bioregion. The Metanoia Series event began with an interactive exhibition which set the scene for the participatory nature of the event, sparking curiosity among attendees. There was a risk of overwhelming or traumatising people with the realities of planetary boundaries and the idea of separation of life systems. For Jenny and Ben, it was a real consideration; how do they bring reality into the room without causing more trauma? As mentioned earlier, shock can open doorways to potentiality and transformation. Part of the experience and journey of the evening was to move through that pain and shock, explore the possibilities and challenges and leave with a sense of potential and hope. As the evening unfolded, that initial shock evolved into something more constructive. People began fostering a sense of active hope and gained insight into their potential contributions. The event was set up to move away from the dynamic of a traditional speaker-audience format toward a more participatory approach, encouraging everyone’s involvement. This open style of discussion and group sharing created interaction, contribution, and a sense of “we can work together to affect change.” Regenerative Design and Festival Insights The main aspect of discussion and deep reflection centred around the planetary boundaries and doughnut economy. A doughnut diagram visualises this concept, which combines a social foundation (inner ring) with planetary boundaries (outer ring) to represent a safe and just space for humanity. The inner ring represents the minimum level of well-being that no one should fall below, for example, enough food, clean water, health and education. The outer ring represents the ecological ceiling, or the outer limit of the planet's capacity. Exceeding these boundaries risks destabilising the Earth's systems and causing irreversible environmental damage, such as, climate change, biodiversity loss and ocean acidification. The doughnut, the space between, is the sweet spot for sustainability, a space where everyone can thrive socially without exceeding the ecological limits. This discussion was brought to the local level, with participants engaging in dialogue about Chichester's future.There is power in using visual tools and they can help facilitate difficult conversations in ways that leave participants with a sense of possibility and potential for action. So a visual mapping exercise using a traffic light system on a doughnut diagram, was introduced to help participants visualise challenges in their community and explore Chichester’s complexity. Participants responded positively to being invited to contribute to the conversation rather than simply listening, and Jenny emphasised the importance of collective intelligence over the ‘sage on the stage’ approach. Water issues in Chichester were unanimously flagged as red on the diagram. It was also noted that there was an underrepresentation of young people and their opinions at this event, highlighting the need for more inclusive representation in future pathways. The Future of Regenerative Design in Chichester The framework used during this exercise helped move people’s energy from concern toward action. There was positivity in the doing and perhaps a shift from hopelessness to the feeling of “we can do something about this”, with the emphasis on the “we”. Out of these discussions came greater connection and togetherness; a success in melting the hierarchical divisions. However, more cultural scaffolding is needed to reach diverse communities and encourage people to look at the truth of planetary boundaries, regenerative economies and alternative future perspectives. Systemic change takes time, and no amount of urgency will cut through the red tape. One thing is for certain, regenerative design is imperative, not just an idea. Regeneration is both a practice and a process. The alternative of carrying on as usual and hoping everything will be okay, won’t heal the story of separation or save our planet. There’s an element of helping people embrace uncertainty rather than seeking false certainty in absolutes. Wherever we are in the world, we must embrace regenerative design and start thinking in new and better ways which is precisely what The Metanoia Series is all about. No concrete conclusions came from this event. This was to be expected within the time boundaries, yet people left with a sense of hope and a desire to know what comes next. There was excitement to explore the next best step. It’s still early days, though. If you’re local to Chichester and interested in joining in the discussion, you can contact Jenny at jenny@reallyregenerative.org (www.reallyregenerative.org) or Ben at ben@williams-ip.com https://www.themetanoia.com/metanoia/craftivism monthly 0.5 2026-05-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a087bfa8b34201b1a02ac7b/167308b0-f4ae-4ff6-bc14-8e23e41d2b8a/16a06f_14c02844bc714ce2b4c7543022bec5b8_mv2.png Metanoia - Craftivism: Activism through handicrafts Gentle Protest as a Way Forward There are many ways to use your voice to campaign against injustice. Craft and activism, when combined gently, can encourage critical thinking, deep engagement and human connection. Gentle protest; using your head, hands and heart, is strategic, thoughtful and unifying. Rather than demonising others, it brings people together to work in solidarity where possible, creating the ripples of change this world so urgently needs. To learn more and get involved in craftivism projects visit: https://www.craftivist-collective.com To learn more about West Dean College visit: https://www.westdean.ac.uk/ To read more articles from The Metanoia Series at the Festival of Chichester visit: https://www.themetanoia.com/ If you’re local to Chichester and interested in joining in the discussion contact Ben: ben@williams-ip.com https://www.themetanoia.com/home daily 1.0 2026-05-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a087bfa8b34201b1a02ac7b/4652cd21-c751-4c8e-8e65-39e51ff52588/16a06f_b9b219a6bc66410aa7e2aac04a5dcfb9mv2.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a087bfa8b34201b1a02ac7b/9b827b3a-320f-47a8-8955-74652626e9c0/16a06f_14c02844bc714ce2b4c7543022bec5b8_mv2.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a087bfa8b34201b1a02ac7b/1779129286153-KIMFISZ30LBCW3UMAE73/16a06f_3ac39ea0215c4aaa85e6c554b1d90f20_mv2.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a087bfa8b34201b1a02ac7b/1779137385901-7L6VM0FCPXZ8FNLWO53B/16a06f_f312071d0c6c492f87a081bb8461ee5e_mv2.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a087bfa8b34201b1a02ac7b/1779137308818-9ODP2Z4YENM03KHTFFN3/16a06f_82c8f28cb52745c7b4f5b1c296b1d635_mv2.png https://www.themetanoia.com/2026 daily 0.75 2026-05-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a087bfa8b34201b1a02ac7b/a08611b8-f1d9-449e-962d-3b732af35aba/Cathedral.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a087bfa8b34201b1a02ac7b/bb96406e-5670-46f6-8a91-c2501b8cb363/ms.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a087bfa8b34201b1a02ac7b/3e321eac-b740-4466-bab0-b2c7b943a789/my.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a087bfa8b34201b1a02ac7b/e1a96c35-1aeb-4ea7-a239-9d2317a26535/ma.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a087bfa8b34201b1a02ac7b/02553a14-5417-4258-8412-1e081f035bd6/md.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a087bfa8b34201b1a02ac7b/b084b860-5e5d-4aff-ab22-799a1d39f0b9/mw.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a087bfa8b34201b1a02ac7b/f4e2cdff-2de7-4794-a019-112afdd18f4f/mr.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a087bfa8b34201b1a02ac7b/2bbfad1f-786b-467b-9448-a1a5248df2fb/mt.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a087bfa8b34201b1a02ac7b/6b1c52ec-80b7-4f84-bf4e-7a6dee0401a7/mu.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a087bfa8b34201b1a02ac7b/c5acabd1-23fe-40da-a08c-1336522afd15/mn.png https://www.themetanoia.com/2025 daily 0.75 2026-05-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6a087bfa8b34201b1a02ac7b/baad8f58-a4c9-4d61-93fe-d2d39ad18219/Metanoia+2025+V2+%281%29.jpg