Blue Dot Brief, Issue 3
For impact investors who are new to regenerative finance
July 28, 2024
Word count: 1,138.
Reading time: about 6 min.
ABOUT THE BLUE DOT BRIEF
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Twice monthly, we cover topics related to investing in regenerative culture and community.
Please visit this page for more on the goals and purpose of the Blue Dot Brief. The Blue Dot Brief is brought to you by the Blue Dot Project.
IN THIS ISSUE
Today we focus on the interests of impact investors who are new to the field of regenerative finance.
Words to Ponder: From Daniel Christian Wahl
Link to longer article: “Tip for risk-wary impact investors: Build healthy communities.” By Eduardo Esparza, founder of the Blue Dot Project. [Reading time: About 6 min.]
Blue Dot Podcast: How safe is our food? And what does it mean for the future of regenerative farming?
Friends and partners: The Club of Brussels and its Extrapreneurs team can help you plan and executive regenerative business projects.
In case you missed it: A new $100 million impact fund for regenerative real estate and A feminist anthem for our times.
WORDS TO PONDER
"I firmly believe that the multiple crises we are facing are symptoms of our pathological habit of understanding and experiencing ourselves as separate from nature, from each other and from the community of life."
–Daniel Christian Wahl. Designing Regenerative Cultures. 2016.
ARTICLE
Tip for risk-wary impact investors: Build healthy communities
By Eduardo Esparza, founder of the Blue Dot Project
Here’s my suggestion in brief: Think more broadly than the asset classes your office prefers. If a community isn’t healthy, all its assets will underperform.
If the community is healthy, all its assets are more likely to exceed expectations.
In this article I share eight ideas to invest in the health of regenerative communities.
Why it matters
Impact investors who are new to regenerative investing may not initially see opportunities to reduce risk by shifting the way they think.
Many seasoned investors are attracted to their tried-and-true asset classes, such as land, technology, energy, water, agriculture, and so on.
In regenerative finance, investing in asset classes isn’t wrong. But it’s riskier.
Dig deeper
You can read this full third article in the series here.
PODCAST UPDATE
How declining public trust in food safety will spur the growth of regenerative and organic farming
How unsafe is the food we eat? What social and health problems does our food cause?
And what do the current trends in U.S. farming mean for the future of regenerative farming?
These are among the questions posed in the Blue Dot Project Podcast, Season 2 Episode 6. Our guest is Zen Honeycutt, founder of Moms Across America.
Why it matters
A growing awareness of the adverse health effects of bad food is driving more consumers to demand better, safer, more nutritious food.
There’s opportunity here for investors.
Impact investors can benefit from understanding the need to change the way food is produced.
You’ll see the many health and social benefits of regenerative farming—especially when it’s linked to organic farming.
Dig deeper
Listen to this 23-minute episode after it’s published on or before July 29. You’ll find it here, along with other episodes of the Blue Dot Project Podcast.
Future episodes
Season 2, Episode 7. In August’s podcast episode, you’ll meet Nicole Reese, founder of Terrenity.
Nicole has spent about six years studying the factors that make regenerative communities successful.
Here she discusses her efforts to quantify those elements and to set standards for certifying regenerative communities.
She shares the benefits of certification for investors in regenerative projects.
PARTNERS AND FRIENDS
Club of Brussels’ Extrapreneurs team offers low-risk path to high-impact regenerative projects
For impact investors who want a low-risk entry to the world of regenerative finance, take 10 minutes to explore how the Club of Brussels can help.
The Club, founded by Belgian Michel de Kemmeter, has assembled a team they call the Extrapreneurs.
They are experts in entrepreneurship who help build and scale resilient, regenerative businesses worldwide.
Why it matters
Investors new to regenerative finance may prefer to start with smaller, lower-risk projects.
The Club’s Extrapreneurs can help you find ways to achieve acceptable levels of risk with guaranteed returns.
How the Extrapreneurs can help
The Extrapreneurs’ mission is to empower 10% of the world’s population to embrace regenerative practices by 2029.
They plan to do so by building and scaling what they call regenerative islands.
These islands are self-sufficient communities and businesses that create tangible examples of new ways of regenerative living and working.
The Extrapreneurs have projects on four continents and on hundreds of thousands of hectares. Hundreds of their teams are working on as many projects.
How it works
The Extrapreneurs will guarantee a specified return on investment if…
You follow their program step by step
You train your team properly
You adopt an entrepreneur’s bias for fast action.
The Extrapreneurs are available to consult on regenerative projects.
They’re open to partnering with local groups to develop regenerative projects almost anywhere and on projects of almost any size.
As a first step, Michel suggests you choose one or two business cases or challenges you want to tackle.
The Extrapreneurs will then work with you to create a test case and assemble a team they can coach.
Dig deeper
Discover publications and case studies on the Club of Brussels website.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Regenerative entrepreneur Analise Roland starts $100 million impact fund
Analise Roland is an impact entrepreneur, neuroscientist, and movement leader in the field of regenerative development.
She is chief executive officer of Anura, a new real estate fund that focuses on hospitality projects to generate financial, social, and environmental returns.
On the Regenerative Real Estate Podcast, Analise and show host Neal Collins talk about her experiences in communicating the advantages of regenerative economies to traditional investors.
(The one-hour episode aired May 6, 2024. The link here is to the episode on Spotify. You can also find it on other services.)
Key point: At about [27:50] and onward, Analise notes that funds like hers give investors a simpler way to invest in regeneration, without having to find and vet individual projects.
For more information about Analise’s fund and her work, visit anura.earth.
Brighten your day with a feminist anthem for our time
“Put a Woman in Charge” is a music video by U.S. blues singer and musician Keb Mo, with Roseanne Cash. [YouTube. Duration: 05:24. The lyrics, which are a treat to savor, appear in the notes to the video.]
WRAP UP
If you’ve enjoyed this issue, please share it with your friends and colleagues. Also consider subscribing so you don’t miss anything in future issues.
If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, I invite you to share them in the Blue Dot Brief chat at Substack. Or email me at editor@bluedotproject.com
See you in two weeks.
Best wishes,
David Vranicar, editor