Research Collaborative

The Question:

The BTS Center Research Collaborative is convening a cross-sector group of leaders from organizations across northern New England and Quebec to explore the question, “How would organizations act differently today if they embodied an ecological imagination?”

We believe that climate devastation is not merely a problem for scientists and activists, but a symptom of the foundational cultural and spiritual structures of our society. If systems like consumer capitalism, industrial modernity, and colonial domination are the root causes of our current crisis, then every organization has something important to offer in this moment. We are gathering organizational partners who share our hope for a new way of embodying the best version of ourselves in response to our planet’s deep need and who reflect the earth’s wisdom in their day-to-day life and work. This wisdom emerges in almost every part of human society: from neighborhood associations to theater companies, from retreat centers to co-op grocery stores, from local farmsteads to political action groups, and a whole host of others in between. Because that wisdom is also frequently unnamed and devalued, we seek to offer a space to learn from and with one another in order to foster more robust networks and communities.

The Who:

We’ve convened a diverse group of leaders from New England and the Quebec region of Canada in a co-learning community — an experience where we’re entering into deep dialogue about this pivotal moment, engaging with the writers and activists who can offer us much-needed wisdom, and creating shared space to imagine new possibilities for our life and work going forward. This community comes from a diverse array of sectors — education, the arts, immigration, agriculture, climate, community organizing, and justice advocacy — shaped by their common geography, and holding both this question and a yearning for a better future for our organizations and our planet.

Our intention is that organizations will emerge with a greater clarity about how an ecological imagination can inform their life and work and help them engage with the broader questions that this moment is asking us.

The Details

Duration: Twelve to eighteen months, starting in 2021
Who: A small team of representatives from each organization. We’ll make a contribution to each organization as an expression of our gratitude.
What: Quarterly retreats, cohort group sessions, and monthly online discussions to continue our conversation together.
What we’ll share publicly: With permission and with careful attention to confidentiality concerns, the experience of the co-learning community and learning of the research collaborative via newsletters, blog posts, and possibly a podcast

participants' page