Doughnut Economics + Strategic Doing

Where are we going? How do we get there?

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Regen Brisbane started as a small group of people who’d met at various events and talks about sustainability and climate change but were frustrated that the talk never seems to lead anywhere. People want change but they don’t know how to make it happen.

In May 2024, we decided to start Regen Brisbane based on Doughnut Economics and Strategic Doing.

Doughnut Economics provides us with a big overall goal. It tells us where we want to go.

Strategic Doing is a discipline for managing innovative collaborations with loose networks where nobody can tell anyone else what to do.

The first thing we did was to define and agree on our group’s common purpose. It’s a localised version of the Doughnut Economic’s goal.

This is Regen Brisbane’s common purpose. It is on the about page of our substack website and in the footer of our email newsletter.

What would it be like if the Greater Brisbane area transitioned to a Doughnut economy - staying within the planetary boundaries while meeting the needs of all the people within? What would that future look like? How might we contribute towards making that happen?

Our common purpose is an affirmative question and uses prospection to imagine the better future we are aiming for.

That method of setting a common goal to keep the group working together towards an agreed future is the first step in Strategic Doing.

We chose that language carefully. Whereas words like sustainability and regeneration mean different things to different people, referring to a Doughnut Economy makes it clear that we are aligned to the Doughnut Economics framework.

Contributing to a future means we are playing our part - not attempting to solve an overwhelming problem. Nobody, no organisation or sector, no government can tackle the challenges alone. But we can all contribute by doing what is doable, and what is worth doing.

We remind ourselves of our common purpose often, and can adjust it if things change. It informs our meetings and our choices for activities. If you’ve ever been in a group and wondered: Why are we here? or Why are we even doing this? the common purpose should answer that question.

Next Slide: Hierarchies and Networks