Building relational, regenerative systems with localized fibersheds (interview with rebecca burgess of fibershed, part 2)
Rebecca Burgess, previously featured in episode 61, is the Executive Director of Fibershed, (@fibershed_) Chair of the Board for Carbon Cycle Institute, and the author of Harvesting Color. Her newest book is Fibershed: Growing a Movement of Farmers, Fashion Activists, and Makers for a New Textile Economy.
In this part 2 of our conversation (listen to part 1 in EP209 here), Rebecca sheds light on why the real solutions we need for our ecological crises will likely be undervalued and given less attention to (when compared to solutions driven by synthetic biology corporations); how localizing our textile systems can green the fashion industry in ways that a globalized system cannot; and more.
To start, get a glimpse below into the conversation between Rebecca and Green Dreamer Podcast's host, Kamea Chayne.
Musical feature: Trust The Sun by Mountain Twin by Joel Porter (@JoelPorterMusic)
“In these transparent systems that are built on relationships and understanding, we can really also solve problems in a really profound way.”
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This is a conversation on Green Dreamer with Kamea Chayne, a podcast and multimedia journal illuminating our paths towards ecological balance, intersectional sustainability, and true abundance and wellness for all. This preview has been edited for clarity. Subscribe to Green Dreamer Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or any podcast app to stay informed and updated on our latest episodes.
On synthetic biology's potential to further centralize power and aggravate social inequity:
“You can patent DNA now. There was a 1984 Supreme Court case that paved the way for American corporations to start using a process whereby you can use recombinant DNA (e.g., you want to move a gene from an animal into a plant, or you want to edit a gene and you want to take parts of the DNA out), and you can take your ‘novel, new piece of nature’ and patent it.
When you patent something, only you can sell it. The money behind these technologies is tied to the proprietary nature of the technology.
So any time that occurs, you throw away the ability to decentralize technology…
Obama's administration published something called the Blueprint for the Bio-Economy, and they talked about these ‘living factories’ as being the next wave of economic growth, because we basically, in many people's eyes, have mined [the earth] to such a degree in the West that Western cultures no longer have a way to make money. So we have to find a new place to make money.
And they think: ‘Let's go engineer DNA–we'll make money there.’
There's a climax in how far we can go, and this is considered a frontier. But it's a frontier that'll pad the pockets of a few people; it'll make those life forms very secure within corporate boundaries; and the corporations will not allow other communities to just go and make this stuff.
That worries me about rural communities and indigenous communities. It worries me that this will start rebuilding the manufacturing infrastructures around these proprietary technologies, and then we will have less and less freedom to actually make our own clothes and engage with nature in proactive and life-enhancing ways.”
On how localized Fibersheds improve transparency and trust:
"The fashion industry started to rely so much on certifications, blockchain, and all these ways to ensure that things are happening the way people say they're happening.
But I'm telling you: There's nothing like just being in a community where goods and services are moving around to all these people you know. Fibersheds are very relational—I know the person who wove my pants; I know that they did not use finishing agents on those pants; and I can go to that mill any time of the month to do a site visit…
What's exciting to me is to think about how in these transparent systems built on relationships and understanding, we can solve problems in a really profound way, whereas when things are at this global scale, it's very disempowering for us to feel like we can make a change because we're beholden [to the information provided to us]. We might say, 'This is organic cotton. Well, I hope it is—that's what the tag says.’"
Final words of wisdom:
"Keep asking yourself what you want to see. Even daily, ask yourself what you want to see, because that will turn into a manifested world.
The troubles we face are daunting, so it's really important to give yourself time to keep dreaming.”
