Light Forest

EP 23. Educating for Peace (Qamaruzzaman)

We talk about finding peace and peace building, as individuals and as a planet. What does peace really mean? What are the conditions that it may arise? In this episode we go on a long walk and a yarn about Peace from many dimensions: inner, social, and global, and the role of education in fostering it. Q has been an educator, a ‘physics geek’, and guitarist for many decades specialising in educating for peace. He works with schools and organizations across Asia and globally, including communities navigating violence and trauma, helping learners explore fundamental questions of identity, planetary well-being, and what it means to be human in the 21st century. In this conversation he opens up on his own journey, growing up as a Malay Singaporean, moving to Canada for High School and experiencing the power of education to bridge worlds, helping young Burmese navigate violence in their upbringing, and navigating a mental breakdown in his 40s, all which contributed to a deeper knowing of how we may create conditions for peace it to arise in our world. We recorded this together at Light Forest Studios in Chiang Mai. Thank you for listening! Projects and Resources Mentioned - CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning)- Organization focused on social and emotional learning frameworks - **United World Colleges (UWC) - International network of schools promoting peace through education - UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Books and Frameworks Referenced - Integral Theory by Ken Wilber - Johan Galtung’s peace theory - Myth of Normal by Gabor Mate

EP 22. The Power of Metaphor to Transform our Future (Sohail Inayatullah)

What if we understood the future as an open space, co-created by us in this moment. A reality that we actively shape, but driven by myths and metaphors we unconsciously hold about ourselves and the world. To live your authentic future, to help guide policy change, uncover the existing story and metaphor, and find a new one. From Dark Forest to Light Forest. We are joined by Sohail Inayatullah, a futures studies pioneer who has spent decades helping students, world leaders, and organizations navigate complexity and actively transform their futures, integrating Eastern and Western approaches. Sohail is co-founder of metafutures, educational think tank which explores futures-oriented issues, co-founder of the Asia-Pacific Futures Network, is the inaugural UNESCO Chair in Futures Studies, and holds several roles with universities around the globe, including Tamkang University (Taiwan). * 00:00:00 Introduction to Future Studies * 00:03:15 The Six Pillars Framework * 00:10:45 Causal Layered Analysis (CLA) * 00:18:30 Personal CLA and Metaphors * 00:25:00 Spirituality and Future Studies * 00:32:00 Health and Microvita * 00:40:00 Concluding Thoughts on Future Studies

EP 21. Redesigning Money and Moving Away from GDP growth as Paths to a Regenerative World (Stephen DeMeulenaere)

We’ve been told a story that human society evolved from primitive barter to superior modern money. That linear story flattens thousands of years of value exchanged through reciprocity, mutual aid, and gift economies. Systems that nourished people and ecological relationships. Modern (fiat) money and its associated systems have a valuable role to play but it has become a de-stabalising force in our culture, one that is at the root of all our planetary challenges today. Redesigning money is a core pathway away from GDP growth to a more regenerative, Light Forest World. Today, we’re joined by Stephen DeMeulenaere, who has spent over 35 years helping communities design financial tools that strengthen local economies, support small businesses, and build resilience in times of crisis. Stephen lives in Bali and is the co-author (with Scott Morris) of a recent book Pathways to Regeneration: Hope and Resilience Through Anticipatory Design [https://www.allo.capital/resources/pathways-to-regeneration] His life’s focus has been on using local currencies, digital payments, and regenerative economic models to help communities thrive—whether in rural villages, urban neighborhoods, or entire regions. He has worked with community currencies, emergency currencies, and credit unions during the Asian Monetary Crisis in Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Indonesia, and East Timor after their independence. He led Indonesia’s first non-profit stablecoin and continues to bridge the worlds of community currencies and blockchain technology, collaborating with commons-centric communities to ground crypto in real-world regeneration.chain technology, collaborating with commons-centric communities, to ground crypto in real world regeneration. In this walk through the forest, Stephen takes us down many paths: * The history of money, economy, and anthropology to explain how our current system is on the verge of collapse. * A range of approaches from his book, drawing on leading thinkers, such as Kate Raworth and John Fullerton, and EF Schumacher, to redesign currency and economies. * His first-hand experience working with communities in Thailand and Indonesia designing community currencies in the late 90s A sharp assessment of the potential of blockchain to enable decentralised forms of currencies, and the practical challenges working with crypto space and the technology and rooting them in local communities. Chapters 02:16 Introduction to Stephen DeMeulenaere 04:39 The Problematic Design of Economic Systems 08:49 Extractive Economies and GDP Critique 14:37 Anticipatory Design Framework 19:10 Understanding Currency and Community Currencies 33:49 Practical Applications of Community Currencies 36:41 Designing Local Economies: Lessons from Indonesia 39:34 The Role of Credit Unions in Community Economies 40:40 Rethinking Money: From Barter to Relationships 44:09 Crisis as a Catalyst for Monetary Innovation 45:00 Community Resilience in Times of Crisis 47:32 Exploring Forms of Capital in Local Communities 49:29 Blockchain and Community Currencies: A New Frontier 52:38 Bridging Community Currencies and Blockchain 01:04:31 The Future of Community Currencies and Blockchain Integration 01:07:56 Building Trust in Governance 01:11:13 The Role of Blockchain in Community Governance 01:15:24 Local Communities and Collaborative Economies 01:20:03 Future Pathways and Financial Crises 01:30:32 Taking Action and Building Resilience Visit https://lightforestworld.substack.com/for book references & connect with Stephen.

EP 20. Regenerating Soil & Food in Thailand (with Avika & Abhi)

60+ years of industrial farming has left us with degraded soil, farmers on the brink of ruin, nutritionally hollow food, and a disconnection from how our food arrives to our homes. Here lie the roots of the health crises we experience today. In this conversation we get a root-level understanding of this picture from Avika & Abhi, co-founders of Living Roots, on a mission to help regenerate the soil and food production in Thailand. Avika Nerula and Abhi Agarwal are co-founders of Living Roots, an agricultural technology company building climate-resilient futures through biological innovation. Based in Thailand, they’re working with farmers across Southeast Asia to revolutionize food production by prioritizing soil health, farmer profitability, and improving crop yields. Before becoming farmers and entrepreneurs, Avika and Abhi were software engineers working in New York. They left their tech jobs, moved back to Thailand where they grew up, and started a farm, Sunshine Permaculture. Today they open up on their journey. Chapters 04:54 The State of Soil in Thailand 09:41 The Impact of Chemical Fertilizers 14:56 The Nutritional Deficiency Crisis 19:40 The Disconnect Between Farmers and Consumers 24:51 The Role of Living Roots in Regenerative Agriculture 29:30 Innovations in Soil Health and Farmer Profitability 34:27 The Future of Food Systems and Consumer Choices 01:03:09 Building Trust in Agriculture 01:06:07 Navigating Business Challenges in Regenerative Farming 01:09:12 The Shift Towards Regenerative Practices 01:16:40 Personal Journeys and Life Perspectives 01:21:02 The Reality of Farming and Its Challenges 01:27:57 Community and Connection in Agriculture 01:36:14 Envisioning a Regenerative Future 01:40:09 Practical Steps for Consumers 01:43:40 Resources for Understanding Regenerative Agriculture 01:48:03 Understanding Crop Burning and Its Implications Resources: * Dirt: The Erosion of Civilization [https://archive.org/details/dirterosionofciv0000mont_w9u4]s by David Montgomery * Braiding Sweetgrass [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17465709-braiding-sweetgrass] by Robin Wall Kimmerer * For the Love of Soil [https://integritysoils.com/products/for-the-love-of-soil-strategies-to-regenerate-our-food-production-systems] by Nicole Masters * Will Harris [https://bittersoutherner.com/will-harris-white-oak-pastures-farm] - White Oak Pastures Farm (regenerative agriculture authors) Connect with Avika & Abhi * Spend a night at their Farm stay [https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/899537684186038858?source_impression_id=p3_1760430190_P3pdjHeSyOSi0h5h] * Panya Seeds [https://panyaseeds.com/] - buy heirloom Seeds & organic compost for your garden * Living Roots [https://roots.ag/] * Abhi LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/abhimagarwal/] * Avika LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/avika-narula/]

EP 19. Reimagining Citizenship (Lauren Razavi)

Your passport determines where you can live, work, and travel—based purely on where you were born. The document is only 100 years old, and someone’s actually redesigning it from the root up. Lauren Razavi is working with tech companies and Web3, UN, and governments worldwide to build alternatives to the passport, and in this conversation, she reveals how it’s happening. Lauren is the Executive Director of Plumia [https://plumia.org/?ref=lraz.io], a global network rethinking migration, citizenship, and borders for the 21st century. Lauren is also the author of a book called Global Natives about the digital nomad subculture and the rise of borderless work, and she writes the Substack newsletter Borderless. She is an investor in new media platforms, and has her finger on the pulse of one of the most fast-growing cultures changing our relationship with work and place. Why you should listen * Learn about Lauren’s Plumia vision for the future of mobility and identity and how she’s actually building a re-designed passport from the ground up. * Put you finger on the pulse of the future trends of digital nomadism, travel, digital culture, and how you can actively engage with these movements. * Hear Lauren's experience bridge building between cutting edge tech & nomad movements and national governments, trying to create something fundamentally new. Chapters 00:45 Passport Discrimination 06:42 Experiencing Inequality as a Digital Nomad 11:26 Bridging Old and New Systems 17:40 Communicating Across Cultures 25:03 Engaging with Ascending Nations 29:14 Building a New Digital Nomad Identity 29:14 The Genesis of Plumia 35:21 Plumia’s Ongoing Initiatives 41:08 Rethinking Citizenship and Identity 46:13 The Future of Governance and Community Engagement Connect with Lauren * Borderless Substack [https://borderless.substack.com/?ref=plumia.org] * Lauren’s website [https://lraz.io/] * Plumia [https://plumia.org/] * Global Natives [https://www.amazon.com/Global-Natives-Digital-Innovation-Migration-ebook/dp/B0BV7DMNQ5]