Certifying regenerative communities: Protection for investors, inspiration for developers

Impact investors in the emerging field of regenerative finance need ways to reduce the financial risk. One method is to create criteria by which third parties can certify regenerative projects.

Third-party certification can rate how regenerative a project is and how likely it is to succeed. By establishing clear, objective, and transparent criteria, regenerative certifications can help not only investors but also developers of regenerative communities. They can help by raising the bar for the planning and operation of future communities. 

In this episode, host David Vranicar explores with guest Nicole Reese her early efforts to create an open-source regenerative certification process initiated by the Blue Dot Project.    

Nicole Reese, founder of the consulting firm Terrenity, is an expert in the emerging field of building and operating regenerative communities. For about six years, she has been visiting a broad range of intentional, nature-oriented communities around the world. She has lived in several. Her data and observations on the functions of such communities are among the most comprehensive available. The Blue Dot Project has engaged her services to draft the first version of open-source regenerative certification criteria.