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Reusing water in times of drought As the climate and nature crises worsen, drought will continue to play a more regular role in all of our lives. In times like these, we need to make every drop of water count. In the summer of 2022, the UK and many other European countries entered drought. Many water companies have issued restrictions on the usage of water, like hose-pipe bans. While this might feel new to many people living in the Global North, many of Re-Alliance’s partners in the Majority World have faced similar issues for a long time, living in dry and precarious conditions or in refugee settlements and with limited supply to water. What solutions have our partners developed? In 2021, Re-Alliance partnered with SOILS Permaculture Association Lebanon, Syrian Academic Expertise, and Malteser International to develop a set of instructional guides for using recycled household water, or ‘grey water’, in vegetable garden settings. Grey water is water that has been used for activities such as laundry or dishes, where no harsh chemicals have been used. It is not water that has been contaminated with sewage (black water). There are many benefits to using grey water for small farming, vegetable gardening, and irrigating fruit trees. It can help to reduce water usage in irrigation, saving growers money and other resources. Grey water can be used for different purposes. For example, it can be used to water plants, clean equipment, or flush toilets. Learn more in the visual guide created in partnership with SOILS Lebanon here: Explore more in the publication written in partnership with Syrian Academic Expertise and Malteser International: Black and white printable format:

Rooting our crisis response in ethics and community solidarity In times of crisis, which by nature are volatile and uncertain, it might seem unusual to promote a response inspired by a movement whose name is a portmanteau of Permanent Agriculture or Permanent Culture. Why encourage permanence when only more impermanence is certain? Permaculture as a name and a movement emerged in the 1970s and ‘80s in Australia, coined by Mollison and Homgren. Originally, Permaculture was developed as a holistic design framework to approach ecological agriculture, but has since been applied to other areas of life beyond agriculture - from human settlements and eco-building, to social cohesion, art and culture, and landscape restoration. What began as a movement to help communities meet their food needs in a way that replenished ecological health, soon grew bigger, deeper and wider. But how can Permaculture relate to people who are displaced and living in refugee camps, or those affected by extreme weather and disasters? These situations are impermanent, so are permanent solutions appropriate? In her book Cultural Emergence, Looby Macnamara explores how our cultures and institutions are ever evolving and reshaping. Even in seemingly stable and wealthy contexts, our surroundings are always changing. Acknowledging this, as Permaculture and Cultural Emergence practitioners our aim is then to facilitate space to meet our needs within our ever shifting environments (Macnamara, 2020). The ‘Permanence’ in Permaculture, then, could refer to the permanence not of the systems we are designing, but permanence of the abilities to meet our needs. A notable feature of Permaculture, and one that is relatively unusual for a design methodology, is the inclusion of ethics. In times of crisis, the three ethics of Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share can be a guide for practitioners. In his book The Politics of Permaculture, Terry Leahy describes Permaculture as a grassroots social movement (Leahy, 2021). It is the inclusion of People Care and Fair Share that takes Permaculture out of the realm of individualistic response, and into the communal. Indeed, we know from those who have experienced displacement, war or disaster that it is often only because of other people that they are able to meet their needs. We often cannot be self-sufficient on our own, but when we invoke the power of Mutual Aid, of humans caring for other humans in a way that also cares for the living, ecological resources upon which we rely - this takes Permaculture into the realm of the political and the social movement. The ethic of Fair Share, by nature, feels anarchic. It is caring for our communities outside of conventional economic means. We distribute resources freely. We provide for our communities free of monetary charge, because our communities are the source of our own nourishment. This might seem in opposition to the neo-liberal agendas of some development agencies, which seek to mould and model every country in the Global South in the image of Western capitalism. Instead, Permaculture offers pathways to community resilience that live outside of conventional, capitalist culture. In some contexts, this requires some deep, transformational work to overcome conditioned individualistic wealth-hoarding, though in many cultures a sense of communality still remains. Permaculture is participatory. In times of crisis, the core ethics of Permaculture guide us to collaborate and meet our needs communally. This might be by mapping needs, distributing resources and offering Permaculture training like Green Releaf in the Philippines after natural disasters. It might be building Treebogs in refugee camps which meet people’s sanitation needs while also growing food - like Farming and Health Education in Kenya. It might be growing perennial crops, fruit and nut trees in public spaces so all locals benefit from free food, like the Incredible Edible network. It might be peace-building and community wellbeing after conflict and war, like Green Kashmir. While our solutions might have to be adaptable in times that are becoming more volatile and impermanent each year, Permaculture can offer us a framework and a way of thinking for us to respond to crises. Would you like to learn more about Permaculture and how you can apply it in your work? Re-Alliance can facilitate introductory webinars or in person courses tailored to you and your organisation, or connect you with a local Permaculture practitioner. Re-Alliance specialises in trainings for humanitarian and development organisations and agencies. Contact us here to discuss this with us.

Why is rooftop gardening needed in Gaza? In recent years there has been substantial urban expansion in Gaza at the expense of agricultural land. Current urban development policies and land use classifications have failed to protect and provide land for agriculture within Gaza, leading to densification and a loss of open green spaces. The rapid population growth has also caused significant water shortages, with the current annual need of 160 million cubic metres double the capacity of the Gaza aquifer. Heavy pollution of the coastal aquifer has left over 96% of water in Gaza non-potable. Bombings and other threats on Gaza’s singular power plant mean that over 2.1 million people live with only a few hours of electricity a day. The lack of land fit for agriculture, usable water, and an unreliable supply of energy has resulted in food insecurity for the population, with most donor agencies focusing more on food imports and donations rather than Palestinian-led food sovereignty, prompting dependency on international assistance and a vulnerability to market food price fluctuations. For these reasons, the agricultural sector could play a prominent role in poverty alleviation and securing the population's basic food requirements. To meet these needs, the Gaza Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture Platform (GUPAP) supports Gaza refugee families and local farmers to grow food within Gaza, using the limited resources of space, water and energy to their most efficient capacity. When there is no space left to grow on the ground, the gardens are moved up to the rooftops. The Project GUPAP are working on a pilot project creating rooftop food gardens made from recycled materials and low-cost local resources. Local seeds will be grown, saved and swapped, reconnecting the community with the heritage it has been disconnected from since the 1948 war. The first rooftop garden, for a refugee family in Burj Refugee Camp, will implement innovative techniques to save water and reduce the costs and environmental impact of production. Growing areas will be constructed from recycled rubber, up-cycled plastic bottles, reused wood, and locally produced compost and crops will be irrigated using drip irrigation and grey water. In Gaza, the role of women is estimated to amount to 71% of the population economically active in agriculture. In light of that, GUPAP is harnessing this experience to offer a training opportunity for their Women’s Agripreneur Field School. Furthermore, the creation of rooftop gardens helps to meet the need for green and socialising spaces by creating an area available to a section of the population that would otherwise not have access to it: women, elders, and children. The learnings and the outcomes of the pilot will be documented and to form an urban agriculture guideline to be shared with GUPAP local partners and UWAF notable members of House and Rooftop Gathering. Re-Alliance will also share learnings through the production of a series of guidelines showcasing different regenerative tools and technologies appropriate for situations of disaster and displacement. To find out more, visit GUPAP’s website here: https://gupap.org/en/ Resources B’Tselem, Water in Gaza: Scarce, polluted and mostly unfit for use, Aug 2020 (here) EcoMENA, Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture in Gaza: Perspectives, Feb 2021 (here) Efron S. et al., The Public Health Impacts of Gaza's Water Crisis - Analysis and Policy Options, 2018 (here) FAO, Country profile – Occupied Palestinian Territory, 2008 (here) ICRC, The Impact of the Electricity Crisis on The Humanitarian & Living Conditions in the Gaza Strip - Survey Study, Nov 2020 (here) Oxfam, Failing Gaza: undrinkable water, no access to toilets and little hope on the horizon (here) OCHA, Electricity in the Gaza Strip (here) World Bank, Agricultural Land (sq. Km) - West Bank and Gaza (here) About the author: Zoe Spanodimitriou is a researcher at Re-Alliance. She is a graduate in International Relations of Asia and Africa, with a deep focus on the MENA area. She has previously worked for the Italian University Network for Development Cooperation and has co-funded two cultural organizations.

This story begins at times of deep crisis. In 2013, Greece was experiencing a financial collapse. Almost half of the country’s population became unemployed. Poverty and homelessness exploded, while social support services together with most public services were breaking down. “It was like waking up from a life full of dreams, into a hopeless never ending nightmare.” -Michalis Challenged by poverty and food insecurity, and as a way to fight depression, a small group of people who lost their income from the financial crisis started to grow food in empty plots of public land around their neighbourhood in Thessaloniki. They called themselves Pervolarides (Gardeners). Gardening brought many neighbours closer. They started cooking together, forming supportive relations and a spirit of solidarity for helping those around who were most vulnerable or homeless. In 2015, another crisis began unfolding in Greece on top of the growing financial crisis. Thousands of refugees fleeing the war in Syria were now among the homeless in the city. The massive emergency needs also generated more solidarity, and Pervolarides were increasingly collecting food that markets couldn’t sell and cooking hot meals for vulnerable families and the homeless. By 2016, several groups of locals and refugees were coming together for cooking, gardening, beekeeping, food waste reclamation and redistribution, as well as production of sauces, marmalades and pickles. Since then, Pervolarides have evolved into a strong community and a local network for support and social cooperation; they maintain a collective multi-space where they cook, collect, process and redistribute 15 tons of food to people in need every year, and regularly organise environmental regeneration activities and ecological trainings for children, young people with special needs and for the wider community. So how does a small group of people growing food in empty land around the neighbourhood, lead to community regeneration? Filippos, one of the initiators of Pervolarides explains: “Following the evolution of our relations that form through embracing the food cycle - from seeding, cultivation, collection, processing and cooking, to reclaiming, reprocessing and redistributing food that would be wasted - we collectively grow our community and empower a holistic vision of social and environmental regeneration. "Through food collaborations, people learn about themselves and how to care for others and for mother nature. Through democratic and open horizontal decision-making processes, individuals and small groups become communities that regenerate their social and natural environment, take responsibility for their decisions and actions, and taste the fruits of their successes. "For 10 years we are an evolving grassroots voluntary movement for social mobilisation and cooperation, supporting and uniting people under collective solidarity actions. Our vision is not only to regenerate nature and our living environment, but also our relations and our community. We come together in democratic hubs where people of all ages, ethnicities and social status can connect and express freely and equally; empowering everyone to overcome exclusion and discrimination and to heal divisions and inequalities. "As we seek to become empowered and self-sufficient, we promote equality and fair redistribution of resources and inspire synergies that respond to common needs. We co-create activities and spaces where abilities, ideas and resources unite and shape dynamic social movements and strong supportive communities. Our holistic approach is extremely successful and easy to adapt based on activating small and flexible groups under a common umbrella, collectively forming a greater community. In this way, we foster social and environmental regeneration, and nourish resilient and responsive communities.” The experience of Pervolarides, highlights the two main factors that enable the regeneration of a community. Solidarity and social cooperation. And the way to achieve these, by expanding our social awareness of our common needs and by following the examples of nature. Nature always teaches us how to cooperate on the basis of sharing needs. Every crisis, (financial, refugees, health pandemics, war) brings people closer to a greater understanding of our shared nature and common needs. And as we join together on our collective need to regenerate our environment, as we become more aware of the interconnections between ourselves and our planet, we begin to understand the numerus ways nature can inspire our spiritual renewal, our social revival and the regeneration of our communities. “Our greatest ability as humans is not to change the world; but to change ourselves.” - Mahatma Gandhi

A Community of Practice for Regenerative Practitioners Working in Challenging Environments We are thrilled to announce the launch of a new series of community of practice gatherings for regenerative practitioners working in contexts of disaster, displacement and development. Re-Alliance is dedicated to advancing, promoting and showcasing regenerative practices in response to some of the world's most pressing challenges, and this community of practice is an important step towards achieving this goal. The online community of practice will provide a platform for Re-Alliance members across the world to come together and share their experiences, knowledge, and insights. By connecting with others in the field, members will enjoy a supportive environment, expand their knowledge, and stay up-to-date on the latest developments and best practices in regenerative work, and in particular how it can be applied in contexts of development, disaster and displacement. Each bi-monthly community of practice gathering invites you to join the network in congregating around a guiding theme. Ask questions, showcase your work, share your knowledge and expertise, discuss your challenges, and receive inspiration and practical tips from the wisdom of the network. The schedule and guiding themes for these sessions can be found below, and a more complete overview of Re-Alliance’s events, which will be updated as more are added throughout the year, can be found on our events page. Some of the benefits of a Community of Practice are: Networking: Practitioners will be able to connect with others in the field and build valuable relationships that can help them advance their work and work more effectively. Knowledge sharing: Members will be able to share their experiences, insights, and best practices with others, helping to promote the integration of regenerative practices in response to disaster, displacement, and development. Collaboration: The community of practice will provide a platform for practitioners to collaborate on projects and initiatives, working together to make a larger impact than those working in isolation. Re-Alliance is committed to fostering a supportive and inclusive community that facilitates the sharing of resources and support. We believe that by working together, we can help to promote the integration of regenerative practices in response to some of the world's most pressing challenges. We hope you'll join us in this exciting journey! To learn more about the community of practice and how to get involved, visit our events page, or sign up to join our network for additional members-only materials and to be reminded when meetings are happening.

For the vast majority of humanity, nature is understood as something separate from ourselves. The natural world is seen as something to conquer, a resource to exploit. Most Western belief systems hinge on the idea that human culture has sovereignty over nature, and we rely on a supply of infinite resources that the planet simply does not have. The ecological crisis is fundamentally a crisis of imagination, and the enormous issues we face cannot be solved without first changing the way we think about the environment. We are now paying the price for a superiority complex that has been held for thousands of years. This worldview has become institutionalised, embedded in our vocabulary (e.g., ‘natural resources’, ‘fish stocks’) and our politics. It is no coincidence that social groups associated with the natural world – the working class, indigenous people, even women - have been exploited in a similar way. Fortunately, not everyone subscribes to this worldview. Re-Alliance's members are regeneration practitioners and prescribe to the belief that nature is living. For some, this could have spiritual undertones like animism: the belief that all things – including rocks, plants, and rivers – possess a spiritual essence. Others look to science and ecology to prove that nature is not an inanimate object for humans to exploit, but a complex web of interrelated and interdependent life forms. In their community-led humanitarian responses, Re-Alliance's members embed this belief in their work - designing their responses not only around the health of humans, human systems and infrastructure, but also the health of non-humans. This idea that the non-human possesses agency and vitality could be pivotal in transforming popular attitudes towards the natural world. Communities in La Libertad in Northern Peru, for instance, believe that nature has the ability not only to feel but to act upon these feelings. Importantly, they believe that the relationship between humans and nature is reciprocal, and that natural disasters are punishment for us not treating nature with the respect it deserves. For them, the level of violence enacted by nature correlates to the level of violence enacted by humanity. In this way, nature is not only a reflection of ourselves but also an agent of justice. This alternative way of thinking is already beginning to manifest itself in law and policy. Some governments have recognised the legal personhood of nature, which allows polluters to be prosecuted under personal injury laws. India, Australia, and New Zealand, for instance, recognise the legal personhood of rivers, while Columbia recognises the legal personhood of the Amazon rainforest. Another country leading by example is Bhutan, which uses a ‘gross national happiness’ index to measure progress rather than GDP. Importantly, this index regards the wellbeing of people and the wellbeing of nature. We don’t all need to subscribe to the idea that nature is a sentient being. But perhaps viewing nature as something we are a part of rather than something to fight against could be the key to solving the ecological crisis. Regeneration, for instance, promotes the idea that humanity should evolve in harmony with ecological systems. The emphasis is on collaboration with nature; building a relationship without problematic power dynamics, and ultimately resulting in long-term flourishing for everyone involved. This reimagining of our relationship with nature has profound implications for the humanitarian and development sectors. Solutions that go beyond sustainability could mean that refugee camps no longer have to be places where nature is damaged and subordinated. Instead, regenerative design could enable ecosystems in disaster settings to thrive – creating an environment that is self-healing and far more beneficial to both people and planet. One of Re-Alliance's members, Green Releaf in the Philippines, is doing incredible work on restoring humanity’s connection to the earth by using nature-based solutions in times of crisis. Humanity and nature are deeply intertwined, yet many of us are struggling to break free from this entanglement using increasingly violent methods. These attempts at separation are brutal and futile – most people do not realise that if we are destroying nature, we are destroying ourselves. If we do not shift our way of thinking about nature, we will continue to wreak havoc until we eventually look down and realise that the blood on our hands has always been our own.

Our illustrated guide for using Greywater and Rainwater in contexts such as refugee camps has now been translated in Turkish as well as English and Arabic. In 2021, Re-Alliance partnered with SOILS Permaculture Association Lebanon, Syrian Academic Expertise, and Malteser International to develop a set of instructional guides for using recycled household water, or ‘greywater’, in vegetable garden settings. Greywater can be used for different purposes, such as for watering plants, cleaning equipment, and flushing toilets. Harvesting greywater can be essential when dealing with disrupted infrastructure in scenarios such as those being experienced in Türkiye and Syria following the recent earthquakes.

Re-Alliance members illustrate how we can apply regenerative thinking to disaster management The need for a revised approach to DRR Earlier this month, the annual International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction was commemorated by the international humanitarian community. In May this year the Midterm Review of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 was held, during which the UN General Assembly adopted a political declaration to accelerate action to strengthen disaster resilience. This comes as a response to the alarming increase in the frequency and intensity of natural disasters that we are witnessing, ranging from hurricanes and wildfires to earthquakes and floods. These catastrophic events not only result in the loss of lives and livelihoods but also pose a significant threat to the environment and economies. Traditional disaster risk reduction strategies often focus on short-term fixes and reactive measures and can no longer deal with the devastation experienced at a climatic, ecological and human level. Humanitarian organisations, who have traditionally worked through siloed clusters and who often design in a mechanistic or reductionist manner, are recognising the limitations of these approaches, and, as the number and scale of crises increases, fear they will not be able to meet the demand for support. The destruction of land, ecosystems and communities requires an integrated and systems-based response that takes into account the parallel and equal importance of the earth and its inhabitants. Alternative approaches are needed, led by community responders who have a rooted understanding of their people, land and ecosystems. Applying regenerative principles to disaster risk reduction efforts can offer a starting point to designing holistic, integrated and forward-thinking solutions. In this article, we will explore what a regenerative approach to disaster risk reduction is, what its key principles are, and showcase some of the ways in which Re-Alliance members are putting regenerative principles into action to help enhance the resilience of both communities and ecosystems in areas vulnerable to natural hazards. Rethinking DRR as Designing for Resilience and Regeneration “What if we changed the narrative of Disaster Risk Reduction or DRR, into that of Designing for Resilience and Regeneration?” While working on typhoon relief efforts, Re-Alliance member Sarah Queblatin was confronted by the amount of plastics and processed food making up the relief supplies. She questioned “how might we address problems without the same factors that caused the problem in the first place?” This questioning, coupled with the pressing needs of disaster affected communities, led to the formation of Green Releaf Initiative, an organisation working with communities in the Philippines - the country facing the highest disaster risk globally. Green Releaf’s mission is to transform the narrative of Disaster Risk Reduction into Designing for Resilience and Regeneration. Combining permaculture and ecovillage design principles with traditional ecological knowledge, Green Releaf has created a range of programs in partnership with affected communities that enhance resilience at every stage of disaster management, from coordinating the distribution of urgent relief supplies to working with the local government to address the underlying causes of both natural hazards and community vulnerability. A Green Releaf facilitated session of participatory 3D hazard mapping (Photo credit to Gumay Tenda, Green Releaf) What would Regenerative Disaster Risk Reduction consist of? The term ‘regeneration’ as we use it can be understood as a web of many intersecting movements and knowledge bases, each with their own unique framework for engaging with living systems. These movements include permaculture, agroecology, nature based solutions, traditional ecological knowledge and more. A common aim of regenerative approaches is to increase the health of ecological, social and/or economic systems, often through holistic designs employing nature inspired principles. Viewing disaster management through a regenerative lens involves looking at the whole system and how elements are interconnected, rather than simply addressing the most visible and pressing concerns. For instance, it is crucial to remember that there is no such thing as a “natural disaster” - while there are natural hazards, such as earthquakes and droughts, disasters only occur when these hazards intersect with a community’s existing vulnerabilities. A whole systems approach to mitigating the risk of a disaster could involve regenerating the social and economic capital of a community, factors which have been proven to be instrumental in recovery. Key principles of a regenerative approach to DRR could include the following: Ecosystem-Based Approaches: Regenerative disaster risk reduction recognizes the symbiotic relationship between human communities and their surrounding ecosystems and emphasises the importance of preserving and enhancing the natural environment as a way to reduce disaster risks. The mutually reinforcing relationship between degradation, disasters, and climate change means that addressing drivers of degradation such as deforestation will also contribute substantially to mitigating the risks of all three. Tarun Bharat Sangh (TBS) engages communities in India in watershed management interventions, such as building earthen dams. By reviving this traditional method of dam construction, over 1000 communities have regained accessible water and are therefore much more resilient to droughts. Furthermore, as the structures allow the water to permeate the ground and recharge the groundwater, plant life is enabled to flourish, reducing soil erosion and mitigating the risk of flooding during monsoon season. TBS works with communities facing water insecurity to build rainwater harvesting structures, like the one pictured about (Photo credit to TBS) Resilient Infrastructure: Building infrastructure that can withstand the impact of disasters is fundamental. Regenerative approaches encourage the use of readily available materials and resilient construction techniques to reduce vulnerability and promote long-term durability. An inspiring example of resilient infrastructure comes in the form of strawbale houses. PAKSBAB, an organisation promoting straw bale building as an earthquake resilient option for Pakistan, has tested these structures in seismic trials. The combination of the uniquely appropriate resilience of straw bale buildings to earthquakes, and of lime-stabilised soil to flood or monsoon damage, promote the possibility of a fully integrated disaster risk reduction solution for areas of high flood, monsoon and earthquake risk. Furthermore, PAKSAB estimates building costs to be about half of the cost of conventional earthquake resistant buildings, and local people have been trained in their construction, building community capacity and livelihoods. An earthquake resistant strawbale house in Nepal (Photo credit to Bee Rowan, Strawbuild) Indigenous Knowledge and Cultural Resilience: Incorporating traditional and indigenous knowledge is invaluable in designing a regenerative approach to DRR. Indigenous communities often have deep insights into sustainable land management, disaster resilience, and community cohesion. To enhance their landscape approach to food sovereignty in disaster contexts, Green Releaf’s Living Story Landscapes program uses culture and creativity to document traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) in order to honour the existing practices of the indigenous communities they work with. One of Green Releaf’s Permaculture demonstration sites is being constructed with indigenous farmers of Kalinga (Photo credit to Gumay Tenda, Green Releaf) Community Empowerment: Communities play a central role in regenerative disaster risk reduction. Empowering them with the knowledge, skills, and resources to actively participate in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery efforts is crucial. This can involve community-based training, early warning systems, and participatory decision-making. A great example of creatively engaging communities comes from IDEP, an NGO in Indonesia. Led by Re-Alliance member Petra Schneider, IDEP developed comic books, puppetry and films to raise awareness of the early signs of disaster and ways of responding to these. The films took care to develop characters and scenery that reflected local cultural and environmental contexts. Facilitators were trained in how to use puppets to stimulate discussion and reinforce the messages shared in the films, often using games, songs and puzzles and working with children and adult groups. A group of children are shown one of IDEP’s short films as part of a disaster preparedness workshop (Photo credit to Petra Scneider, IDEP) Conclusion A regenerative approach to disaster risk reduction is a paradigm shift in our approach to mitigating and responding to disasters. It recognizes the interconnectedness of humans and nature, focuses on creating systems that continue to thrive beyond disaster events, and empowers communities to take an active role in their resilience. By focusing on restoration and regeneration, we can reduce the impact of disasters, protect the environment, and build more resilient and thriving communities. As we confront the challenges of a changing climate, regenerative disaster risk reduction offers an urgently needed path forwards. It is beginning to be acknowledged by the international community that what is needed is a timely, concerted cross-sectoral and collaborative movement to avoid, reduce and reverse degradation before irreversible damage is caused, noting that restoration and regeneration will become more difficult and costly over time. The work of community led groups such as the 200+ members of Re-Alliance needs to be recognised and learned from. To join this network filled with rich expertise, find out more here, or contact us at contact@re-alliance.org Further Reading Green Releaf’s website Green Releaf founder Sarah Queblatin explains more about Green Releaf’s work to transform DRR to designing for resilience and regeneration Re-Alliance Case Study about Tarun Bharat Sangh's work with The Flow Partnership More information about Pakistan Straw Bale and Appropriate Building (PAKSBAB) IDEP’s ‘Tales of Disaster’ film series https://youtu.be/FTvitAoUEow?si=L3FxfLsQgiGNor_e IDEP’s Community Based Disaster Management (CBDM) manual for disaster preparedness – a comprehensive guide that empower communities to develop their own strategies for disaster management (this manual is endorsed and used by a range of bodies working in disaster management including: UNESCO, USAID, Oxfam, CHF, IOM, Bakornas (Indonesia’s national body for disaster management) and MPBI For more information on IDEP's educational materials, including a series of children's comics and activity books on Community Based Disaster Management, see here or get in touch. SPHERE Manual on Nature-based Solutions for Climate Resilience in Humanitarian Action United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction Ecosystem-Based Disaster Risk Reduction: Implementing Nature-based Solutions for Resilience

Pictured left: Gideon at a gathering of young environmentalists in July 2021, where he led a conversation on the need for systems change and regenerative practices to address the climate crisis. The Re-Alliance team are pleased to announce that Gideon Adeyeni has recently joined our Board of Trustees. We would like to take this opportunity to welcome Gideon wholeheartedly, and to introduce him and his work to the wider network. The Re-Alliance Board In his new role Gideon Adeyeni will be joining Ruth Andrade, Gisele Henriques, George McAllister, Peter Mellett, and Geoff O’Donaghue, who are invaluable to the work that Re-Alliance does. The board has a range of responsibilities including determining the overall strategic direction of the organisation; ensuring that Re-Alliance fulfils its legal duties; and safeguarding the high standards of governance that align with Re-Alliance’s values, integrity, and reputation. Re-Alliance announced an open call for applications to join its board at the 2023 Annual General Meeting, to which all Re-Alliance Members are invited. Gideon nominated himself and after interviews with Re-Alliance Trustees he was officially welcomed onto the board. Find out more about Re-Alliance’s other Trustees and Core Team here. Gideon’s decision to join Re-Alliance, in his own words When asked to share why he chose to join Re-Alliance as a Trustee, Gideon shared the following: I am passionate about permaculture and regenerative practices. I am a community mobilizer and researcher, with interest in sustainability and livability. My interest in regenerative practices grew out of my inquisition about what we can do as individuals and communities to address the climate crisis and build stronger communities. Regenerative practices, I discovered, help in restoring the environment and strengthening communities. Gideon in 2015 during a research project he and his team carried out in rural border communities of Southwest Nigeria, exploring existing land management practices and potential for sustainable alternatives. Permaculture, as a regenerative environmental management and settlement design approach, became appealing to me immediately once I came about it as an idea. Perhaps the fact that I have spent the greater part of my years in the rural suburb of an ancient town of the Yoruba people of Southwest Nigeria, surrounded by evergreen trees of the regions tropical forest, which provided fruits and leaves for our meals and ensured that we woke daily to the beautiful songs of different bird species helped the appeal. Watching our forest depleted through the activities of illegal and irregular gold miners (which I once initiated a campaign against), and hearing of similar experiences in different parts of the world, from the Congo basin to the Amazon, further sparked my interest in forest restoration, and of course, permaculture. My growing interest in permaculture and regenerative practices led me to Re-Alliance, which, as I found out, is a network of “field practitioners, policymakers, educators, community leaders and humanitarian and development workers, sharing skills and experience to grow the influence and impact of regenerative development in the humanitarian field”. The decision to become a member of Re-Alliance grew out of a thirst for being part of a community of individuals who are committed to regenerative development and a sustainable future. I decided to take up the challenge when the opportunity to become a trustee of Re-Alliance emerged, with the hope that I could use my previous experience in a similar role to help grow the organization, while as well forging a more knitted bond with the lovely crop of regenerative practitioners who constitute the leadership and members of Re-Alliance, so that we can together make a sustainable world a reality. Aside from my youthful energy and creativity, I am hoping that through my membership of the organization and my being part of the trustee, we would be able expand an awareness of the works of Re-Alliance and to expand the network of regenerative practitioners in Africa and West Africa particularly, and by extension globally. Gideon speaking as part of the Africans Rising movement to advocate for commitment to radically progressive ideas in addressing the climate crisis, during the 2019 Africa Climate Week in Ghana. Looking ahead Re-Alliance is currently exploring ways in which we can increase member representation, decentralise decision making, and ensure greater transparency between the organisation and its network of members, in order to ensure that our members’ voices are heard and their needs met. As part of this aim, and with Gideon’s guidance, Re-Alliance is in the process of setting up a Regional Advisory Board, which will be populated by regional representatives from within the membership. We encourage you to get in touch at contact@re-alliance.org to share your thoughts on this matter.

Home gardens in refugee camps have been shown to make a huge difference to the local environment and to individual lives. The work of the Lemon Tree Trust (LTT) in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq has shown how running garden competitions for camp residents encourages people to take innovative approaches to using any available space and water to plant herbs, vegetables and flowers. The first LTT garden competition took place in Domiz 1 camp in 2016. By employing local coordinators to promote the competition within camp neighbourhoods, LTT supported households to create gardens around their tents and shelters, building on initiatives that people were already taking. The competition focussed on encouraging people to grow ornamental plants, not simply growing for food. Households were given advice on safe ways to recycle grey water to irrigate their plants and were encouraged to share ideas on growing vertically or in recycled containers. In three seasons the camp was noticeably transformed from a largely dusty environment to a green and vibrant city. BACKGROUND In 2016, after supporting garden development for refugee communities in the USA, LTT looked at possibilities for greening refugee camps in Iraq. The Syrian crisis had led to the sudden creation of large camps in the north for Syrian Kurds, which to begin with were bleak areas covered in tents. Domiz 1 camp was established in 2011 and LTT first visited the camp in 2015. By offering trees and working with local coordinators, LTT was able to gain official permission for people to plant around their houses. Its activities supported a nursery which had been established in the camp to sell plants to the growing number of gardeners keen to create a home garden. Wastewater in camp conditions is often problematic and by encouraging water recycling and diverting water run off they were able to turn a potential problem into an advantage to the area as a whole. The LTT competition offered plants from a local nursery  to support people to establish their gardens, stimulating the local economy. Seeds were distributed to entrants and cash prizes were offered as further incentive to take part, with categories including: best overall garden, best garden in small space, best community garden, best vegetable garden and best use of recycled materials. "This garden reminds me of my childhood, my land, it also benefits me for food, essentially it connects me to my homeland." WHAT MAKES THIS REGENERATIVE? IMPACT ON PLANET Improvement of local environment with greener spaces and cleaner air Environmental advantage of additional tree planting Reduction in areas of water run-off and water borne diseases Potential to reduce food brought into camp and waste water taken out IMPACT ON PEOPLE Increased sense of individual well-being from green spaces Increased levels of physical activity through gardening Community cohesion through sharing of seeds and plants Home grown food and herbs allow people to cook traditional, local dishes Extends limited space in shelter to outside area in which to socialise REGENERATIVE IMPACT How can home gardens increase wellbeing in refugee settlements? Home gardens improve a camp environment as well as personal and social well-being. Obtaining permission from camp authorities to grow between houses legitimised these activities and opened the door for further gardening projects. The Domiz LTT garden competition has been held annually since 2016 and has led to the development of hundreds of home gardens. The initiative has now spread to seven IDP and refugee camps, with over 1,500 entries. In Domiz 1, a community of gardeners has been established who continue to tend their gardens year-round. This has led to a community garden being established, run and managed by residents. The community garden provides a safe space for women to grow food and flowers, to socialise with their families and to bake traditional bread in the community oven. After nine years, houses have been constructed where tents were sited, with small plots of outside space allocated to each household. What was a temporary settlement is becoming an accidental city, with its own economy as houses are bought and sold and businesses are established to sustain the community's demand for food and goods. "I grow because I love nature, nature is more important than anything, and can solve so many problems." HEALTHY SPACE Planning green spaces at both individual shelter and neighbourhood level from the beginning of a camp's development, would lead to healthier refugee and IDP communities in the longer term. There is some way to go before this is a reality, but in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, LTT is making inroads and is now active in almost half the camps in the region. The Sphere standards recommend: 4.5 square metres for each person in camp-type settlements, including household plots 3 square metres for each person, including household plots, where communal services can be provided outside the planned settlement area Minimum ratio between covered living space and plot size is 1:2; move as soon as possible to 1:3 or more. Upholding these and pressing for the ideal ratio of 1:3 covered living space available per household leaves adequate space for gardens and allows the camp to develop into a liveable long-term environment. SCALABILITY & REPLICABILITY The 2018 garden competitions introduced in Yazidi, Kurdish and Arabic camps, including some where people were still living in benders, are evidence that this approach is scalable and replicable in other areas. Even in new camps people enjoyed setting up gardens in order to enter competitions. ​ In transit camps, usually seen as bleak and uninhabitable, people are growing plants - see these pictures from Moria on Lesvos and this report from the New Yorker.The innovation shown by people to grow in the smallest spaces, is evidence that gardening is ‘wanted’ not just ‘needed’ in communities of refugees.  This cross over, from necessity to pleasure, has the potential to galvanise communities of displaced people the world over. Gardening is well documented to improve mental and physical health and this is as true for people living in situations of forced migration as it is for people in permanent settlements. CONTACT US Re-Alliance can provide support and advice on setting up home gardens in refugee camps and using integrated approaches to improve the environment. ​ The Lemon Tree Trust is open to approaches from other organisations who want to adopt its gardening initiatives in communities of forcibly displaced people across the world.  ​ www.lemontreetrust.org

The International Disaster Response Expo ('Prepare, Respond, Protect, Recover', Olympia, UK 3 – 4th December 2019) should not have been the surprise it was for me when I attended earlier this week. Co-located with the International Security Expo (Employing Security through Innovation) and free to attend, I should, had I thought carefully, have realised it was to be funded through the subs of private sector companies paying to advertise their wares. Nor am I against the involvement of the Private Sector in humanitarian and disaster relief. As the numbers of disasters escalate, climate related or conflict associated, all sectors are desperately needed for any sort of adequate response. The investment of ethical responders, their support to governments and to NGOs are a vital source of funds and of creative intelligence much needed in crises that are now beginning to affect us all. Signing up to a workshop on ‘Eco Supply Chains’ again felt like a useful opportunity to network with those organisations involved in first response work and who were as concerned as we are to recognise the impact of disasters on people and planet. The workshop was organised by the Humanitarian Logistics Association – an independent group advising on and coordinating the interventions of different donors – public, private sector, NGOs, UN and Red Cross. All vital work in ensuring efforts are not duplicated or resources wasted. The workshop facilitator opened with some important remarks: global emissions from transport, if they continue to increase at their current rate, are likely to double by 2050, we need to prioritise local sourcing and local expertise in order to find ‘new ways of delivering assistance in difficult to reach places’. His images of airships (while reminiscent of His Dark Materials) showed that helium assisted vehicles, invented after the second world war, could even now carry with them 20 tons of food, water or equipment, plus 20 passengers using a fraction of the fuel of traditional air freight. Yet, as the workshop and the event progressed I had a rapidly growing awareness of the deep systemic change needed in the whole Humanitarian relief industry. A second speaker involved in moving and supplying equipment to rescue missions told how his company are aiming for a 50% reduction in emissions from air freight by 2050. But this means if transport emissions as a whole are set to double, then in real terms the most we can expect is that they only rise to 1.5% of today’s totals. And this at the end of a week when scientist tell us emissions are currently peaking at seriously dangerous levels. Nor was his aspiration of eventually owning aircraft that run on biofuels any more reassuring. Land is already scarce in much of the world and areas for food growing diminishing. In areas where people are marginalised due to land grabbing for profitable cash crops (and those carbon offsetting projects), they are pushed to eking out a living in ever-more marginal landscapes that are, themselves, exposed to natural disasters. With extensive cultivation of crops for biofuel, the loss of vegetation cover further destabilises soils and landscapes, adding to further displacement as it keeps the aid industry alive. Yet the workshop informed us that there are already far more climate refugees than those displaced by conflict across the world. Could we call this greenwashing while adding to the crisis? The calculations of the emissions needed to transport huge heavy machinery across the globe was sobering but the many, many stands advertising Toyota Landrovers, hippo trucks and lifeboats, ready to be jetted off across the world, even more shocking. The dozen or so people who had signed up to attend ‘Eco-Supply chains’ from the 100 humanitarian exhibitors present showed it was still a minority interest. There were 375 security stands, nearly four times as many as humanitarian. An indication of the importance we give to fighting terrorism and keeping ourselves safe, compared to saving other people’s lives, or the fact that is it a more profitable business at the end of the day??? None the less there were some reputable speakers on leadership, crises and turbulent times and here audiences were much larger. The messages were similar - we are living with uncertainty and we had better get used to how to manage it. The climate is becoming more unpredictable, there will be more climate related disasters, and these will come closer to home for those living in the global north. We need to know how to ‘transform risk into resilience’ and to ‘lead in turbulent times’. These speakers, from Harvard, from Insurance and from Investment, all referred to the need to be ‘environmentally friendly’ in our responses and to find ways to mitigate risk. But I still left feeling almost as if the industry, if not the planet, was almost beyond hope, certainly beyond any offer of ‘friendliness’ and in need of a complete and drastic system overhaul. There was almost no talk of long-term development, of the links between humanitarian response and future planning, of supporting local economies to respond, of providing funds and finance to assist in locally organised responses and solutions. There was a focus on the human cost and the centrality of a human response, but little of the environmental cost or the potential long-term damage of some of the solutions. And there was nothing at all on nature-based solutions, part of this summer’s UN global compact signed at the UN Climate Action Summit. Just one day after Guterras opened Cop 25 in Madrid and said ‘the planet is close to the point of no return’, that this is a ‘critical time’, that ‘We need a rapid and profound change in the way Humanity does business, generates energy, builds cities, moves and feeds itself, eliminating our addiction to carbon’, it was business as usual at the IDR. Build, sell, ship around the world, develop your business, make a profit - and do your damndest to keep it safe. Ultimately the event felt far too transactional, showcasing the widgets we can buy to protect rather than thinking about why we are unsafe in the first place or how we might use people’s own capabilities to support them in reducing the risks that are developing to themselves and to the places in which they live. Juliet Millican is coordinator of Re-Alliance, a coalition of practitioners, policy makers, academics, and donors working to support regenerative solutions to disaster, displacement and development.

IDEP, an NGO in Indonesia, set up and led by Re-Alliance member Petra Schneider, developed comic books, puppetry and films to raise awareness of the early signs of disaster and ways of responding to these. Working with an international theatre company they made films of different disaster scenarios and used them in schools and community meetings. Local people were taught to use the puppets to play out community dialogues, discussing how people might prepare themselves for these. As a result of this work, a large number of casualties have been avoided. BACKGROUND Teaching children about disasters and disaster preparedness can be challenging – and involves capturing their attention without alarming them unnecessarily. After a series of natural disasters within a short period, IDEP developed comic books, games and short films to alert children to early warning signs and explain how they should best react. The children quickly spread these messages among their families and communities. A partnership between Trocaire, JRS, No Strings, Cordaid and IDEP, worked together to develop a series of short films on Flood, Volcanic Eruption, Earthquakes, Tsunami’s and Social Harmony. The films took care to develop characters and scenery that reflected local cultural and environmental contexts and generally included a heroine, often a child with a local name who helped warn or save the community. Facilitators were trained in how to use puppets to stimulate discussion and reinforce the messages shared in the films often using games, songs and puzzles and working with children and adult groups. WHAT MAKES THIS REGENERATIVE? The whole-system thinking of regenerative design includes pre-disaster as a space for intervention. Humanitarian response becomes pro-active and is a more effective use of resources than only intervening after disasters occur. Building up capacity within communities to respond to disaster before it hits reduces reliance on outside intervention, which can often be slow to reach remote areas when the need is greatest.  Communities can respond effectively to disasters using local resources and knowledge, reducing reliance on costly and sometimes inappropriate moving of equipment and expertise around the world. This project brought together the external skills of film-makers with community knowledge, local culture and facilitation. Through a collaborative community driven process, the lasting tools for self-help and resilience are shared to mitigate the effects of repeated disasters. Working through children to spread awareness of early warning signs and effective response strategies can build community and save lives. IMPACT ON PLANET ​Climate change is leading to increased frequency of natural disasters and communities need to build their own plans for responding to these in ways that use local resources and minimise international travel and interference. These plays and films were used to encourage people to look after their environments and help to increase resilience and preparedness to  such disasters. ​ IMPACT ON PEOPLE​ This approach was designed to empower people to build resilience. In doing so it encouraged children to take an active part in their communities and brought local communities together to discuss what disasters they might be facing. One film specifically looked at community relationships and social harmony. SCALABILITY AND REPLICABILITY How can creative arts like puppetry be used as mass educational tools to quickly inform communities about effective disaster risk reduction and response? The films have been screened for over 10,000 school children, and a further 5,000 people during other public showings and are highly effective for school and community education. IDEP, its partner organizations and many others who have used the films have integrated them into broader DRR training and education programs. While puppet shows can be developed locally and facilitators trained, the filming of the short plays and stories makes them easily scalable. However, reflecting local contexts and norms is important and they may need to be remade for other areas. There is a long history of using puppetry to spread messages in development and humanitarian work. Many cultures have a tradition of puppetry and skilled local story tellers and puppeteers. Even in areas where this doesn’t exist adults and children tend to respond well to the representation of familiar situations. Re-Alliance can provide training in how to build puppets from local materials and develop stories and workshops to share key information. CONTACT US IDEP develops and delivers training, community programs and media about sustainable development through Permaculture, and community-based disaster management. If you are interested in similar projects contact us to be connected. MORE MATERIALS Supporting educational materials that can be used in conjunction with the films: IDEP’s Community Based Disaster Management (CBDM) manual for disaster preparedness – a comprehensive guide that empower communities to develop their own strategies for disaster management (this manual is endorsed and used by a range of bodies working in disaster management including: UNESCO, USAID, Oxfam, CHF, IOM, Bakornas (Indonesia’s national body for disaster management) and MPBI For more information on IDEP's educational materials, including a series of children's comics and activity books on Community Based Disaster Management, see here or get in touch.