Current State of Regenerative Technologies (2023 Update)

Hello, fellow eco-travelers! Buckle up as we delve into the cutting-edge world of regenerative technologies. The year 2023 has been nothing short of transformative in this regard. Let's kick off this exploration!

Regenerative technologies, for those uninitiated, are systems that hinge upon the principles of renewal, restoration, and growth. Taking cues from Mother Nature herself, these solutions don't just stop at reducing harm or maintaining the status quo. They aim to restore, to revitalize, and to resurrect. Imagine not just slowing down the damage we're doing to our environment, but reversing it. Doesn't that sound like a sweet deal?

So, what are these innovative technologies doing in 2023? They're doing nothing less than rewriting the rules of the game.

Firstly, let's talk about regenerative agriculture. The agricultural sector, historically, has been a significant contributor to environmental degradation. However, our eco-heroes aren't taking this lying down. Scientists and farmers alike are exploring techniques that don't merely reduce harm but actively rehabilitate the land. These methods include permaculture, agroforestry, and holistic grazing, among others.

The Three Sisters

Our trip doesn't stop at agriculture. We have groundbreaking innovations in energy production that redefine 'power'. Renewable energy technologies such as solar, wind, and geothermal have been around for a while. But in 2023, these systems are more efficient, more accessible, and, frankly, more ingenious than ever. The cherry on top? Emergent forms of energy storage are making renewables a viable option for even the most industrial of uses.

Wave Power!

In the realm of waste management, the regenerative principle of 'waste to wealth' is gaining momentum. Novel technologies are helping us convert what we used to discard as garbage into valuable resources. From transforming organic waste into biofuels to repurposing plastic waste into construction materials, there's plenty to be excited about!

No Food Waste

And speaking of constructions, regenerative design in architecture and urban planning has taken flight. Picture buildings that generate their own power, recycle their own water, and incorporate green spaces that encourage local biodiversity. It's like each building is a self-sustaining ecosystem!

Yet, as we progress, let's not forget that the road to true regeneration is not without hurdles. For instance, shifting to these technologies involves restructuring our existing systems, which can be economically and logistically challenging. But don't lose heart, because every revolution faces resistance before it prevails.

The good news? Momentum is on our side. More and more businesses, governments, and individuals are waking up to the power of regeneration. The possibilities of these technologies are not only acknowledged but also embraced globally.

In a nutshell, 2023 is a remarkable year for regenerative technologies. It's a year of realization that we can strive for more than just 'sustainable' – we can aim for regenerative. So here's to the ongoing revolution, and to our collective efforts to create a world that is not just surviving, but thriving.

As always, stay tuned for more updates from the frontline of the regenerative movement. And remember, every small step towards regeneration counts. Let's keep moving forward, together!

The Atmosphere

As I experience the brown covering the mountains here in LA and hear perpetual dry coughing at school and on the bus I thought I'd write a bit about the atmosphere related to Regeneration.

__________________________________________________________

 The essential issue with the atmosphere is that it is one of the main reasons life in general can exist on Earth and all natural and industrial processes increase the burden on its’ ability to provide life to humans and nature as we know it.  The atmosphere acts as a storage facility for all of the positive life giving gases we as humans enjoy. Our actions on the ground ultimately affect the reactions in the atmosphere. The more energy and resources we consume the more byproducts of those processes float up into the air. Unless we find a way to curb consumption of those products or at least sequester those harmful byproducts we will quickly find that the atmosphere is not so positive for forms of life that require more oxygen and nitrogen rather than carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and methane. 

Considering Nature as Both the Model and the Context

To remediate the damage done to the atmosphere we need to consider how the atmosphere operates and our place within the natural processes. The atmosphere sequesters and takes in our natural byproducts like co2 from respiration and provides them to life forms that need it like plants and vice versa. 

From that example provided by nature we can extrapolate that it would be beneficial to treat industrial processes like the atmosphere treats nature and repurpose our byproducts that could be harmful to the atmosphere into something safe and even beneficial. One example, using co2 again, would be to pump waste co2 from coal burning facilities into algal bio-reactors, this is “robbing Peter to pay Paul” in a sense because co2 would be formed as an inevitable byproduct somewhere along the line, but at this point we need to explore all beneficial avenues. 

The atmosphere in cooperation with plants also fixates nitrogen into the ground for storage and use as a plant nutrient, in the same we can begin to fixate chemicals that are undesirable in the atmosphere into forms that are benign to the atmosphere, although expensive in the Peleotechnic context this would be an invaluable process in a Neotechnic future. 

Managing Storage as the Key to Sustainability

           In order to save mankind from its’ own destruction we need to come up with novel ways to store our harmful byproducts. For too long we have used the atmosphere as a means of sequestering and spreading out pollution in a way that is slightly harmful to all instead of very deadly to some. In order to continue forward with human progress we must come up with more novel ways of managing what we put into the atmosphere.

           As mentioned above the atmosphere is itself a storage facility of many beneficial and harmful gases, when a tipping point is reached, or before that point, we must find a way to sequester gases harmful to the atmosphere in novel ways. The oceans sequester co2 as well as the forests and plant life on Earth. 

           A current Paleotechnic solution is to begin pumping carbon back into oil wells as a way of increasing yields and reducing the levels of co2 in the air. This solution may take care of a part of the problem in the short term however there is no plan for preventing a calamity such as a rupture. Therefore what is necessary is a system of careful GHG storage combing all of the natural faculties on Earth. Co2 exists as a natural byproduct of natural processes on Earth it is necessary for life and can not be destroyed so the only solution is management.

Energy

The essential challenge in Energy is that demand will always be higher than supply. Currently we harvest most of our energy cheaply, in the form of fossil fuels like coal, natural gas, and petroleum. These forms of fuel provide for most societies needs and are great replacements for the cost of physical labor even when accounting for the cost of the machines that use these fuels. As the globe becomes more technically advanced we will need more factories and machines that run on these fuels directly and indirectly. New forms of regenerative energy are emerging but they are proving uneconomical and reliant on the petro-industrial infrastructure to be produced. The infrastructure changes required to incorporate fully regenerative energy systems would be unfathomable requiring massive cuts to energy consumption as well as large capital investments. 

Here are some solutions with a regenerative approach:

            Letting Nature Do the Work

There is no greater force known to man than nature. Before the industrial revolution animal power and human labor were harnessed by mechanical contraptions to magnify their output. Today we use machines which give us the ability to process large amounts of data and connect us with information that was not available in the 19^th century. 

Coupling our current knowledge and informational capability with Lyle’s concept of letting nature do jobs that we currently employ machines for such as: using the sun to generate heat and light in buildings, harnessing the sun’s energy for PV electricity generation as well as harnessing geothermal energy, using animals for labor rather than petrol consuming machines, and using mills along rivers in a sustainable way. By harnessing the laws of nature and the natural machines provided by the earth we can begin to provide a framework and a plan for weaning ourselves off of destructive energy consumption habits. The methods described would entail a great deal of careful consideration and thought that our society is not used to, but it is a better trade off than the alternative: running out of fuels with no back up plan.

Aggregating Not Isolating

The problem with industrial society is that a great deal of energy must be expended due to inefficiency and overspecialization of purpose. For example in cities like Los Angeles we see large amounts of sprawl and compartmentalization of business, industrial, and residential districts. It does not make sense that a large proportion of the city’s workforce must commute 30-60 minutes to work each day in traffic and even longer wait times on the way home. It is estimated that “Angelinos” spend roughly 70 hours a year in traffic according to FastLA with 38% of greenhouse gasses emitted due to transportation. If our communities were aggregated and labor and jobs were decentralized and community based with interconnectivity between businesses, industry, and residences we would very possibly see a dip in our energy consumption while curbing GHG emissions and stress levels in the population.

Principles of Regeneration - Introduction

The essential challenge in Regenerative studies is changing an entire system that functions perfectly well for society’s immediate needs and purposes. 

Industrial processes focus on a linear method that streamlines the withdrawal of materials from the Earth as if there were an inexhaustible supply. Once material is refined it incorporates them into products and services in a specialized manner, distributes the final product, service, or societal benefit in a production centric way, and then disposes them in a fashion that is quick and economical in only a short term perspective.

 Regenerative processes on the other hand operate in a circular, systemic method. The focus is on utilizing only the surplus of what nature provides, finds the most effective manner for using that surplus for the optimal societal benefit (given the assumption that improving the environment and nature benefits society), and then focuses the distribution of those benefits on a micro scale with community based distribution channels. 

The goal of Regenerative Studies is making a complete 180 degree turn on one path back down the path we came from. The choice society made to take the so-called "Paleotechnic route" was a misdirection or wrong turn and the potential "Neotechnic society" of the future is the appropriate path.

Zorthian Ranch in Alta Dena

Today I took a tour of the Zorthian Ranch.A 40+ acre ranch located in Alta Dena. The picture below is a view from the patio.

This future eco-village is particularly interesting because the structures, designed by renowned artist Colonel Jirayr H. Zorthian, are made nearly entirely from "trash". Junk railroad ties, telephone posts, broken up concrete, old tire rims, and all kinds of other stuff. It might sound strange to you but the genius of Col. Zorthian and the power regeneration through re-using "waste" really shines through.

Recycled Chair Artwork

Walls of Recycled Concrete for Erosion Control

Horse Pen with 4 horses

The opportunity for sustainable growth is incredible here. They have plenty of clean and undeveloped land. The land, fed by springs, produces 20,000 gallons of clean water per day...

I couldn't get over the sweet ass artwork everywhere. The structure below is actually made of recycled telephone poles, pretty neat!

Tons of junk = tons of opportunity!

They have a pretty large area for planting crops right now. Raised beds with lots of salad greens and green onions. Notice that this is a multiculture which helps attract a variety of helpful organism and in the event of disease prevents a total loss of crops. This is important for helping the ranch become self-sufficient!

This area was actually the old horse stable so the land is incredibly fertile. The horses and gardens will be switched around to put that "black gold" horse manure to use.

Beautiful Recycled Concrete

View of Alta Dena

Since much of the property is built on a slope they incorporate many techniques of controlling erosion. Can you say regenerative?

Incomplete wall built from railroad tires and recycled concrete. Shaweezy!

Check this cool deck out. It over looks one of the very first pools in Southern California. 

Behind this wall lies one of the first pools in Southern California...I didn't get a picture of the pool however...=(

The resident llamas, Dolly and Lama.

Well that's about it. It was a fun tour and a great day. I will be posting updates about the progress of the ranch's transformation for every one to read. If anyone is interested in volunteering or helping out hit me up!

A little bit about myself..

Sorry guys/gals I probably should have started this with a little intro. on me, the person writing this blog! Well here we go...

My name is Sustainable Steve. I try my best to do my part to live within my means, protect the environment, and support socially just causes. I am an International Business and Marketing major at Cal Poly Pomona and I'm studying Science, Technology, and Society for my minor. I have done a lot in the business world for my age, I was the president of the largest social club on campus, Ridgerunners Ski and Snowboard Club, this past Summer I worked with NASA on two development projects reviewing the viability of a couple UAV technologies, and currently work for Cal Poly as a technology and innovation screen, I am also starting a business. I am learning though, just like you! One of the reasons I am so excited about sustainability is that there is so much we have yet to learn. It is a burgeoning field and developments are made every day. Some cool projects I have been involved in and concepts I have learned include:

Solar Water Heater- Heats 3 liters of water in 15 minutes using solar energy

I made this myself. You can see the light rays bouncing off of the parabolic mirror (made of mylar) and onto the copper pipe. All that is needed is a container for the water and a pump (electric or manual) to circulate the water. It will heat water up to 150+ degrees in 15 minutes (+/- 5 minutes depending on the temperature) it WILL work on cold days and wind is NOT a factor. How cool is that?!

Watershed Restoration- 3 Month Project on Restoring Big Dalton Creek 


Yes! Surprisingly enough we do have streams and rivers all throughout Southern California. Unfortunately many of them are walled up in concrete culverts or dammed up to provide water for the region and allow for more suburban development. There are many problems with these practices because the water supply is often contaminated with fertilizers and pesticides which then runs to the ocean..It's such a tricky issue otherwise known as a "wicked problem".

Here is a picture of Big Dalton Creek in Glendora ,CA near Glendora Mountain Road, which is a majorly fun ride, whether in a car, on a bike, or longboard ;).

Low-Cost Tijuana House

This is a Master's thesis project for the Lyle Center of Regenerative Studies at Cal Poly Pomona. All rights belong to them and I did not build this house but it is a great representation of the philosophy of the center and sustainable practices overall.

It is currently fully built and the features include: custom built for the Tijuana climate and environment which is very steep and hilly, being built into a hillside also provides free additional insulation, and speaking of insulation the design features walls that are built with re-used plastic water battles full of water to provide more thermal mass.

In Summer having a high thermal mass is advantageous because it takes longer for the house to heat up and  the bottles can be removed at night to allow for cool air to flow. In the Winter time the bottles hold in solar heat and then the plastic bottles can be removed to bring heat to other parts of the house.

The house incorporates other cool features like a roof top garden, inexpensive retractable awnings, and inexpensive interior shades, but I think the coolest feature of the house is that it is made of papercrete.


Papercrete is a relatively new innovation in construction material. It is essentially news paper mixed with concrete. It is a crucial innovation because in desert like climates like TJ there is a need for insulation from heat and especially the cold desert winters. Papercrete keeps people warm when it's cold and cold when it's warm for a fraction of the price of regular insulation AND it gives new life to what is currently perceived as a "waste product". Now that's what I call regenerative! Another cool thing about papercrete is that it's incredibly light weight for the amount of stress it can withstand. Check it out!

Imagine the decrease in shipping costs and building costs if we all used papercrete! The only issue is that research has not be fully explored on the effects of moist climates, so for now papercrete is best suited to very dry climates, which most of Mexico and Southern California is comprised of. Good news for So-Cal housing markets!

Anyways, until next time everyone!

Thanks for reading!

-Sustainable Steve


My Source for the information on papercrete and the Tijuana house: http://www.csupomona.edu/~pmlaroche/rdocs/LaRocheTijuana126P.pdf
It's a quick read and will give you a lot more details!