A regenerative economy grows one small, value-driven business at a time when rooted in mutual abundance and interdependence.
By Bear Belle, Young Adult Advisory Council Member
Key takeaways:
- A business is not just a way to make money, but a structure for living your values. Purpose provides resilience when facing burnout, crisis, and uncertainty.
- The Young Entrepreneur Academy is designed to provide real-world entrepreneurship skills in a free, self-guided resource.
- The Young Entrepreneur Academy features 10 learning units, including branding and marketing, to help you tell the story of your business.
Howdy! My name is Bear. I am a Permaculture Engineer, the co-founder of earth benders cooperative, and member of the Young Adult Advisory Council for the Young Entrepreneur Academy. I hold much gratitude for this experience.
Picture an old growth forest. Typically, what comes to mind is tall trees, moss, and ferns growing on the forest floor. Ancient forests started from weeds. Specifically, pioneer species plants that pop out of the ground that might not be considered much at all.
Just like our forests are struggling with pollution and deforestation, we too, are faced with the compounding catastrophes and burnout. How can we succeed in a world where we are navigating the housing crisis, racism, colonialism, and so much more?
I ask this question to the pioneer species, the fox gloves, nettles, and fireweed. They would tell us that disruption can be an invitation for new beginnings.
I like to think of young entrepreneurs as the resilient pioneer species creating life out of scraps.
Indigenous peoples have taught us that fire is an asset to building stronger, more resilient forests. This same lesson can be applied to the succession of our businesses. A business is just a method of creating a life plan. Having a clear purpose for our businesses will set us up to face the “fires” of the world.
This is what inspired the birth of earth benders: a permaculture cooperative. We support our community in their gardens; with death care and permaculture designs that bridge the sanctuary of the home with the nature that surrounds it.
Coming into the landscaping and gardening industry, I didn’t expect to become a death worker. Where I live, over 60% of the population is over the age of 55, which means many folks in my community are entering the end of their life and many experience dis/ability. I saw a need for our young people to reconnect with older people.
earth benders cultivates this by showing elders care through their gardens and supporting our clients in cultivating connection with nature.
Destroying the planet is an unwise business plan.
Contributing to and shaping the next iteration of the economy is a big responsibility. There is a call for our economy to become a regenerative one rather than what it is now where products and services are degrading our bodies and planet.
How will we create a product if we have mined every mountain? How will we provide a service if we don’t have access to clean food or water?
The harsh truth is that we are living in a trash economy. We make, sell and eat trash, and it is killing us and our planet. As young entrepreneurs, we have the opportunity to decide that we will no longer participate in a extractive society. I want to create a legacy and a business that can be passed down and that feeds the land, water, and people.
I dream of entrepreneurship that centers a culture of respect, mutual abundance, and interdependence.
Our ancestors have been overcoming war and natural disasters for millennia. It is in our blood to endure hardship and transform the hardships into growth. There are abundant and valid reasons to feel deeply overwhelmed by the work required.
Just like the garden or a forest, there is always something to attend to. The work doesn’t end; it is passed on. This is what we call a succession. I invite us to start small, as no single person can take on the whole world. We are meant to do the work together. We can start by taking care of ourselves.
What do our bodies need and what do we want to do with our lives? If we all start small and take care of ourselves first, we create a ripple effect that will care for the earth, and in doing so, generations to come.
We can and will grow a regenerative economy—one small business at a time.
About YEA
The Young Entrepreneur Academy was developed in partnership with the Washington State Department of Commerce, the Washington State Employment Security Department, and the Young Adult Advisory Council.
Provide feedback and get involved
For questions or feedback on YEA or the WIOA Youth Program, please contact the Youth Initiatives Manager at ESDGPWorkforceInitiatives@ESD.WA.GOV.
Visit the Young Entrepreneur Academy (YEA).