Why One Resilient Earth?

Humanity is not prepared to live in a world of climate instability. Addressing the impacts of climate change is critical to the health and wellbeing of all the living, and is vital for the most marginalized. To reduce harm at scale, we need to tackle the root causes of today’s climate emergency, and the time is now.

For our team, the climate emergency is both the result and the accelerator of a deeper ecological crisis, which stems from a vision of the Earth as resources to tap. We need to transform that vision and all resulting practices now to limit, address and cope with this relational crisis. We propose to move away from exhausting ourselves, others and nature for some temporary gain, relief or satisfaction, and start protecting and regenerating all the ecosystems we host and belong to. Only then can we ensure that we cut down greehouse gas emissions and become more resilient to unavoidable climate instability. We do not have much time before damage to the Earth ecosystem becomes irreversible. And even if we had more time, the team has not found a more fulfilling nor joyful work than fostering resilience and regeneration.

We believe that a change has to happen within individuals’ minds and bodies, in how we relate to living beings, time, and space, to foster the transformation we need. We also believe that individuals are resilient, in the sense that they can recover from hurt and trauma, and have the ability to adjust to change easily. Last, we believe in creativity and daring actions to transform the way different groups think and act, and give rise to regenerative organizations, movements and cultures.

 

What do we do?

 

Our mission is to grow the resilience of individuals and communities to the impacts of climate change, so that we can enhance our agency despite climate instability, and are equipped to respond to the crisis through transformation and regeneration.

We support innovative cultural, scientific, educational, and community-led projects, that are transdiciplinary and foster belonging, so as to develop and share knowledge, tools and methods for resilience-building. We partner with cultural organizations, scientific institutions, international organizations, local civil-society organizations, and others. We enjoy co-designing projects with partners who are open to growing their inner resilience as they engage into the regeneration of communities and/or ecosystems through context-specific initiatives. We mobilize traditional ecological knowledge and modern science, work across disciplines and generations, integrate new technologies when impactful, and value art as a channel for transformation. Last, we build communities of support to grow our inner resilience together.

Our four main areas of work focus on: new questions & inspiration through Tero magazine; local action & global connection through the Tapestry programme for resilient local communities; open dialogues, responsible experimentation & life-long learning through our Resilience Nests; and collaboration for cultural & organizational transformation through our Waves of change programme.

You can check our annual reports (2022, 2021 and 2020) and see our introduction video below:

Who are we?

Laureline Simon

Laureline Simon has been working on climate change mitigation and adaptation at the international level since 2006. At the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat, she supported the setting up of the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples’ platform, a task force on population displacements related to climate change, and coordinated Resilience Frontiers, an inter-UN agencies collective intelligence process on long-term resilience, which brought together thought leaders in the fields of new technology and sustainability. She started her career with the Indian NGO SEWA, in the Kutch desert, whose women taught her a lot about resilience. She draws inspiration from nature and her two children, who help her daily take better care of the Earth. Laureline is the founder and executive director of One Resilient Earth.

Anshul Mathur

Anshul is a physician with a passion for mindful living and conscious consumption. Anshul was formerly a consultant with McKinsey & Company where he worked on issues of strategic planning and business operations covering large multinational as well as public sector and non-profit clients. Recently, Anshul has advised a variety of startup ventures and small businesses in the media, education and food spaces. Anshul’s current areas of interest include exploring the meaning of resilience as it relates to human psychology, food consumption, and interpersonal relationships. He has a MPH and Fellowship from Harvard University. Anshul supports and advises One Resilient Earth on strategy.

Sunniva Ferri

Sunniva Ferri studied Sustainable Entrepreneurship at the University of Groningen (the Netherlands), after a bachelor’s degree in economics, and her studies abroad at the University of Waterloo (Canada). She wrote her master’s thesis on art as a catalyst for transformative ways organizations can address the climate crisis and educate about it. She is passionate about the interactions between sustainability and regenerative practices, mental health, the transformative power of artistic practices, and organizational accountability. Sunniva is based in Berlin (Germany) and supports One Resilient Earth through project coordination, with a focus on our transdisciplinary learning journeys towards climate resilience and regeneration.

Niyanta Shetye

Niyanta Shetye is a graduate from the Brandenburg Technical University of Cottbus, Germany, in Environmental and Resource Management and has research interests in climate change communications, with an emphasis on social media. During his studies, he worked with the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat and the UNU-FLORES as a research cross-cutting communications intern, and he now works as a Scientific Assistant at the chair of Public Law, with a focus on Environmental and Planning law. Niyanta is also a passionate landscape and cityscape photographer, and is determined to explore the cosmos of digital photography. Niyanta supports One Resilient Earth in the field of communication.

Eliza Palter

Eliza Palter is a theatre artist based in New York City (USA). Having graduated from Georgetown University with a BA in Anthropology and Performance Studies, Eliza centers her work on environmental chaos and the complexities of our multispecies world in the shadow of the Anthropocene. Recently, she directed a production of An Acorn by Caridad Svich as a part of the Davis Performing Arts Center’s 2020 Mainstage Season and devised a performance called American Dream/Czech Nightmare which premiered at Švandovo Divadlo in Prague, Czech Republic. She has also served as an Assistant Director for artists at LubDub Theatre Co. (NYC), Theater J (DC), and Cherry Lane Theater (NYC). Eliza supports One Resilient Earth with graphic design and artistic curation.

Autumn Trainor

Autumn Trainor (they/she) is a mental wellbeing and climate justice advocate, researcher, activist from Mi’kma’ki and residing in Tiohtià:ke (Montreal, Canada). They have been active in the climate and social justice movements for over a decade. They have taken the knowledge they have gained from their studies and activism, and are working to raise awareness of the effects of the climate crisis on mental wellbeing. They hope to help foster a better understanding and expression of our emotions and enable a healthy progression to regenerative cultures through art-making and care. Autumn supports One Resilient Earth with the Youth Climate Circle, and with research on mental health and climate change.

 

Clare Celeste Börsch

Clare Celeste Börsch is an international artist whose immersive installations are evocative of our planet’s threatened biodiversity. She is endlessly fascinated by the connections between organisms, the intricacies of ecosystems, the complexity of nature and its resilience and beauty. Clare holds a Master’s in Public Policy from the Luskin School of Public Affairs, UCLA, and is dedicated to raising awareness and action around the ecological crisis. Her work has been featured by the Guardian, Deutsche Welle, Oprah Magazine, UNESCO, This is Colossal, The Jealous Curator, and My Modern Met. She lives and works in Berlin with her husband and son. Clare advises and supports One Resilient Earth with art, design and Tero Magazine.

Loes Damhof

Loes Damhof was elected Lecturer of the Year 2016 of all higher education in The Netherlands for her innovative practices and passion for teaching at Hanze University. As part of the UNESCO Chair on Futures Literacy in Higher Education, she consults and trains staff of UN organizations, NGOs and corporations on Futures Literacy as a capability to make better informed decisions. As a Futures Literacy Expert, she designs, develops and facilitates Futures Literacy Labs that raise fundamental questions on gender equality, migration, climate change and technology. Currently she is building The Emergence Academy; new school for new activism, that fosters a new attitude towards complexity, uncertainty and the future. Loes supports and advises One Resilient Earth on educational projects.

Leslie Davenport

Leslie Davenport works as a Climate Psychology educator and consultant, integrating social science insights into relevant resources for organizations often exploring the intersectionality of climate, economics, and policy. She helped shape the document by the American Psychological Association, EcoAmerica and Climate for Health: “Mental Health and Our Changing Climate: Impacts, Implications, and Guidance.” She is the author of four books, including Emotional Resiliency in the Era of Climate Change and All the Feelings Under the Sun: How to Deal with Climate Change, and serves as an advisor for the climate nonprofits Project InsideOut and the CO2 Foundation. She is on faculty with the Department of Professional Psychology and Health at the California Institute of Integral Studies. Leslie advises One Resilient Earth on the topic of climate change and mental health.

Who are our supporters and partners?

We are grateful for the support as well as for past and present collaboration opportunities with the following organizations and networks:

Where do we work?

We work all around the world with a network of inspiring people and partner organizations. One Resilient Earth is registered as a non-profit organization (i.e. gGmbH) in Germany and as a 501 (c)(3) charity in the United States. As of now, the team, volunteers and advisors are based in Europe and North-America.

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Art by Pierre-Emilio Gandini