Bioregional Carrying Capacity Sessions
In October 2024, after conversations with the Accountability Accelerator of the Global Commons Alliance (GCA), we drafted a research and piloting Proposal on Bioregional Carrying Capacity Measurement & Management. To explore this line of inquiry, we agreed to facilitate Themed Dialogues for the Design School for Regenerating Earth exploring aspects of bioregional carrying capacity measurement and management. After hosting 2 Themed Dialogues for the Design School, r3.0 and the Design School partnered to offer these sessions publicly going forward. You can find more information here dedicated to the series, and on our YouTube Channel. We will also announce these sessions in advance on our social media channels, and will post recordings / decks / Zoom chats afterwards.
We maintain a Living Resources Document as a repository for links to related resources in all of our Bioregional Carrying Capacities sessions — you can access it here.
2025
Bioregional Carrying Capacities Session 8: Regenerating Carrying Capacities Bioregionally
Joe Brewer, Penny Heiple
14 August 2025
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- Joe Brewer speaks on the need to regenerate earth systems — which are currently teetering on tipping points of collapse — through the process of regenerative prosocial dynamics.
- Penny Heiple speaks on the necessity of humans doing inner work to heal the traumas inflicted by predominant social systems, in order to support the manifestation of transformation in our outer work.
Bioregional Carrying Capacities Session 7: California Doughnut Economics Coalition
Franziska Raedeker, Alaitz Aritza, Indy Rishi Singh
3 July 2025Â
This session spotlights the work of the California Doughnut Economics Coalition (CalDEC), and explores with them applying their methodology at the bioregional level.
- Franziska Raedeker will introduce the work of CalDEC broadly
- Alaitz Aritza will share information on their methodology Indy
- Rishi Singh will reflect on applying their work at the bioregional level
Bioregional Carrying Capacities Session 6:Â Reviewing the Literature & Mapping the Planetary Boundaries
Emma Mintz & Daniela Senkl; Ruth Beeler, Dylan Nuckles Flinn& Nick Wicklund
2 June 2025Â
This session spotlights academic work by 4 early-career researchers (and 1 of their Advisors):
- r3.0 Research Intern Emma Mintz & r3.0 Research Advisor Daniela Senkl of the University of Guelph present on Emma’s literature review research on bioregional carrying capacities; and
- Ruth Beeler, Dylan Nuckles-Flinn & Nick Wicklund of the University of Washington present on their research project mapping the Planetary Boundaries to the Cascadia bioregion.
Bioregional Carrying Capacities Session 5: The Devon Doughnut
Isabel Carlisle
14 April 2025Â
The 5th Session in the r3.0 / Design School for Regenerating Earth Series on Bioregional Carrying Capacities features the Bioregional Learning Centre‘s Founding CEO Isabel Carlisle presenting on the Devon Doughnut, followed by her colleague Nick Paling, BLC’s Data Director & Evidence Lead, presenting on how they are now evolving the work beyond the Doughnut and where it is heading.
Bioregional Carrying Capacities Session 4: Context-Based Assessment of Bioregional Carrying Capacities
Mark McElroy
21 March 2025
Dr McElroy, who conceptualized the Context-Based Sustainability (CBS) framework for assessing carrying capacity thresholds across diverse scales, shares his thoughts on how to apply context-based assessment to bioregional carrying capacities.
Bioregional Carrying Capacities Session 3: Sweet Spots & Absolute Assessment
Avit Bhowmik, Anders Bjørn
11 February 2025
Our 3rd Session in the series, Sweet Spots & Absolute Assessment, features two prominent scientists whose work we deeply respect:
- Avit Bhowmik (who serves on our Steering Board) presenting on his 2020 Powers of 10 study that identified “sweet spots” of scale (that align with the bioregional scale) for climate action; and
- Anders Bjørn, presenting on his Absolute Environmental Sustainability Assessment (AESA) methodology that integrates carrying capacity assessment at its core.
Bioregional Carrying Capacities Session 2: Municipal Carrying Capacities
Bill Baue, Randy Sa’d
13 January 2025
This session, co-facilitated by r3.0 Senior Director Bill Baue and Flourishing Enterprise Institute (FEI) Executive Director, explores the measurement & management of carrying capacities at the municipal scale, focusing specifically on the application of Context-Based Sustainability (CBS).
2024
Bioregional Carrying Capacities Session 1: Bioregional Carrying Capacity Measurement & Management
Bill Baue
2 December 2024
This session provides an introduction to the concept of carrying capacity, as a bridge to hone in on the specific context of measuring and managing ecological and social carrying capacities at the bioregional scale.