I love your perspective on community! This is one of the gaps CoSphere is trying to fill—facilitating that supportive community in the face of societal pressure for consumerism etc.

Wow yes, the idea that people don't buy products to signal status is part of my vision for the future as well. Imagine if a luxury lifestyle was no longer considered the goal of most people.

I also love the idea of handing clothes and books down. Mending clothes is a fun hobby—learning how to sew etc.

Yes! People purchasing things as a cure for boredom is a great point! And I agree about the recycling. It's all well and good to tell people to recycle more but it won't do much if the whole recycling system is not effective. Did you know that less than 10% of all plastic ever created has been recycled? Most of what we put in the recycling bins goes to the landfill.

I'm wondering how you got interested in law and policy initially. I have found a growing interest in this field myself but only in a sort of roundabout way once I realized how significant this institution was as a barrier to much of the change we are pushing for. Where did it start for you?

Interesting thoughts, Brooke. Thank you! Addressing your first thought, there's some interesting foundational literature on participation which I would suggest reading if you haven't yet come across. Two in particular were really formative for me: Arstein's ladder (here) and Collins & Ison's response (here). Unfortunately, they're both hidden behind paywalls which is another issue entirely. Along this line of thinking is the recent UNDRIP Act in Canada and layering over the 'duty to consult' from the Constitution (which, as you said, is rarely meaningful) and hopefully moving towards 'free, prior and informed consent' (FPIC) as described in UNDRIP. I think this is a change that could hold weight but hasn't yet been tested, so it will be interesting to see how FPIC becomes defined in Canadian law. To address your second thought: as a white settler myself, I also struggle with this. But I think that the positive elements you could bring to this movement could overpower how you may potentially overstep. A first thing I try to always be aware of is not 'tokenizing' my Indigenous friends or asking for their 'approval' on everything I say in the realm of colonizing issues. There are lots of resources on decolonizing research that can help frame your own research (see Linda Smith's "Decolonizing Methodologies", Wilson et al. 2020 here, and the Kitasoo/Xai’xais Stewardship Authority's research guide here for starters). And finally, I just love how you mention amplifying Indigenous voices. I also think this is key. Hope that wasn't too much of a "look at all these resources" response, but I do so love to share readings that have framed the way I look at issues.

I also agree that science can play an important role in enabling the necessary change for a better world. However, I'm wondering what your thoughts are on an over-reliance on science versus other ways of knowing, and how to move forward with recognizing and incorporating multiple ways of knowing if science is continued to be placed in the central role. Where do you think we can make space for this in the push towards transformative change?

I too often think about the paradox of infinite economic growth in a finite world. I know there have been some theoretical approaches developed such as doughnut economics (Kate Raworth). Do you see these as the solution? If so, how do we get there? (I know the last is a big big question but would love to hear your insights.)