Watched pots do boil. Try it. With patience you will see little bubbles form as water is heated and then, eventually, a rush of movement as the water begins to boil, changing state from liquid to steam.

Okay, fine, don't try it. Take my word for it. (Perhaps I spend too much time watching water boil...)

But I like that "phase transition" is a useful metaphor for understanding some social movements. Social phase transitions are sudden, discontinuous, changes in social norms.

Society is in one state - perhaps where gay marriage is illegal almost everywhere, but pressure is building - and then, very quickly, changes state - gay marriage becomes not only legal, but generally accepted by most of the population. The #MeToo movement may be another example. Society is mostly oblivious to widespread sexual harassment and very quickly changes state so that harassment is recognized and even punished.

Extending the physics metaphor, are there social "nucleators" -- catalysts that stimulate the shift from one state to another? For example, the SCOTUS decision for marriage or the #MeToo hash tag for harassment.

The role of nucleator may be a reason social phase transitions are different from mere "tipping points". A few thoughts on that in the next issue of The Wave.

Of course, the key question is "can this help accelerate movement making?" How do we build pressure? What is the nucleator that will stimulate a regenerative future?

We'll (finally!) be launching a podcast series, Designers of Paradise Hosted by Erik van Lennep, next week. We've got the teaser up and could really use your help.

Please,

1. check to see if you can find "Designers of Paradise" through your favorite podcast application. We want to make sure we've covered the directories.
2. Subscribe!  You'll be glad you did.
3. Give us 5 stars to help get things moving.
4. oh, of course, give it a listen too!

thanks!

A positive sign that momentum for a regenerative society is building comes from the increase in number and prominence of related events.

RASA is pleased to be a partner for Regen18 in San Francisco from May 1 to May 4.  This is going to be a good one - nice sweep of topics (agriculture and beyond), a strong organizing team, and a really interesting set of presenters.

Register with this link and get a 30% discount.

If you are going to attend, let me know so we can be sure to connect. Would you attend a RASA happy hour?

We are very early in the process of defining what it means to build a regenerative society. While the terminology will continue to evolve, we're convinced the ideas are directionally correct. Now we are studying, testing, plotting, and building interest, support, and resources.

Thus this newsletter, which will come out every few weeks with information about RASA - narrating our work - along with brief observations and links to related materials exploring innovation and the regenerative economy.

With effort, and a bit of luck, we hope support for these concepts becomes a wave sweeping the world! Check out the archive to see if this newsletter is right for you (or a friend).

If you find this email valuable, please share with a friend. If you don't, please unsubscribe (link at the bottom.) We also much appreciate comments, advice, and suggestions for links to highlight.

Thanks.

      Dave 

PS's:
1. To subscribe to this weekly newsletter please go here > https://the-wave.ongoodbits.com/
2. Don't call us spam bro! But you can unsubscribe (with the link at the bottom)
3. This newsletter is a service of RASA, the Regenerative Agriculture Sector Accelerator.
4. Please send questions or suggestions to David Witzel