Roisin Markham

How is it the end of the week already?

Hi there if you are new here, welcome this is the part of my ecologies of practice where I look back across my week of work, activism and attention. A space of gathering, reflection and documenting my week not just for prosperity but for multiple benefits beyond what might be initially apparent. I reflect and write these notes to surface interrelated things – ideas, work, synergies and insights, open and offer a question to you the reader and share resources. It’s a cultivation space that offers a regenerative process, a completion, making, yield, consumption, composting reseeding and perhaps a redistribution…

As the land returns to its cycle of Spring growth in this part of the northern hemisphere garden metaphors abound.

I don’t use AI to write or edit these notes. That would be pointless, I’m after the mess and my own sense making across all the spaces I show up. They are of course multitudes in work, the place I live in and call home, where I play & relax, and the spaces I lean into for learning.

Reflection

This is the 13th weeks of my 52 week commitment, I see a change already. I sense an increase in confidence to write, thread and refine my own story. The perspective I offer in the world, the added value I bring and share. Sometimes I forget that.

This week I showed up in different kinds of spaces

• I’d a full on delivery day Thursday with Irelands biggest GHG emitter, that organisation spends 11% of Irelands total public procurement. Topics included sustainable supply chains, procurement and circular economy.
  I specialise in next day application of knowledge, systems thinking & experiential learning. The prep for this takes time. I really enjoyed working with subject matter experts from the business. This concludes my involvement with this cohort of learners but I look forward to meeting them next year for year 2 of the program.
• as part of WEN, Wexford Environmental Network I joined a study group of Dublin based university students observing local coastal erosion

• meet with Carol Power of UCD who researches and lectures on COOPERATIVEs. I have been thinking of a Coop structure for IDEN, Irish Doughnut Economics Network, for about 2 years. I really appreciated Carols time. It quickly became evident through our conversation that it’s not a suitable model.
• I joined 3 DEAL, Doughnut Economics Action Lab Community Grassroots sessions
  • Sustainable Grassroots Funding – hot topic for most groups trying to work with communities
  • What is a doughnut portrait – this tool is getting a deep dive and making it much more accessible. I’m so excited to test it out with a local community soon, let me know if your community wants to explore Doughnut Economics or how to make a local portrait?
  • Communal land ownership – interesting topic based on recent conference with DTNI and workshop at Lough Neagh.

It was amazing to hear all the global perspectives, challenges and opportunities across the globe – Brisbane Australia, Nairobi Kenya, London UK, Wales, Brazil, Vancouver And California USA.

Insights

Systems thinking, learning about systems through embodied sensing are all ways to build knowledge and relationally to understanding the complexity of Net Zero ambitions. This is a gap in leadership and teams, it is also an opportunity. Within doughnut economics, 7 ways to think like a 21st century economist – getting savvy with systems is #4.

A question for you

Are you savvy with systems?

Resources

FEEDING OURSELVES and annual event brought in partnership with Cultivate, Talamh Beo, Open Food Network and so many other partners working g the area of Irelands local food economy.

This is so worth the read, Dialogue as the Living Core of Regenerative Ecologies by Dave Pendleton, catching up with his most recent work.

This was shared within Rachel Dempsey’s singing group and it gave me great joy to read it, from Mark Nepo The book of Awakening:

Shifting Tides Podcast, Ireland great telling of The Invisible Tree story in Carlingford Lough.

Thanks for being here.