Episode 33 - On Location in Colorado: Regenerative Ranch, Regenerative Economy

Photo by Norm Clasen

This mini-documentary chronicles the journey of host Alice Irene Whittaker in 2019, when she traveled pregnant with her third child to Colorado to interview acclaimed environmental economist and regenerative rancher Hunter Lovins. Around a kitchen table in her regenerative ranch, Hunter answers curiosities about a circular economy that is modelled on nature’s cycles, and envisions the large-scale transition to renewable energy and ecologically-responsible business. The role of cities and local food systems in caring for our environment are explored. Hunter reflects on her lived and professional experience in transforming landscapes and soil through regenerative agriculture. 

L. Hunter Lovins has been a leading pioneer in environmental economics for decades. An award-winning author, she has co‐authored over a dozen books and hundreds of articles. She has consulted for scores of industries and governments worldwide, from Patagonia to the United Nations. She has won dozens of awards, and has been decorated with such honours as receiving The Audubon Society’s Rachel Carson Award to being named a Hero for the Planet by TIME Magazine. Hunter Lovin’s book A Finer Future is a blueprint for an inspiring regenerative economy that avoids collapse and works for people and planet - and it was this book that host Alice Irene Whittaker had in her bag when she was on that airplane to meet Hunter in Colorado.

A moment in time between two women is captured in this thought-provoking conversation that unfolds surrounded by horses, the homes of herons, and wide open sky. This episode challenges economic growth as a concept, dreams of the demise of the fossil fuel industry, and encourages designing an economy that fosters happiness and well-being.