After 16 years with the same employer I was let go this spring. I have been working in mining for about 18 years and am highly disillusioned about making change from within. I'm on a journey (of which this course is, I hope, an integral part) to discover the answer to that question, however my current perspective on this is that my experience in mining is a valuable asset. I'm resigned to the reality of mining's role in our economy, especially as the push to electrify our energy system will support the growth of extractive industry. Only huge changes to our economy will change that, and I hope we make those changes. Mining is by nature extractive, however everything involved with mining is also extractive (how mining affects the economies and culture of the communities in which it takes place, including those that mining creates; the legacy that mines leave when the resource is exhausted, etc). I see an opportunity for regenerative design to be applied to the design and planning of new mines and other extractive resource projects so that communities receive greater benefit from hosting such projects, that local economies diversify and flourish as a result (as opposed to the boom-bust cycle that afflicts resource-dependent economies), and that projects be planned and executed with the goal of returning an asset to the community when the primary activity is complete. Part of this is taking an Industrial Ecology approach to the project (ie designing an economy in which "wastes" by the primary extractive project are inputs to another industrial process). Part of this is imagining, designing, planning & executing the extractive project so that it is transformed (or metamorphosed) into something entirely different that also supports the local economy post closure.

Eventually I see myself as a consultant, advising and guiding extractive companies, communities and regulators to develop plans whereby the project plays a major role in a process that is overall regenerative.
"Regenerative" as a buzzword is gaining ground. As a regenerative practitioner I see my role as protecting the concept from being coopted and used in greenwashing, which has been the fate of many other initiatives and concepts (ie "sustainability").

First, to keep Regenerative Practice regenerative, so that it doesn't become polluted or diluted as a concept.
Second, the more humanity engages in activities that are regenerative, the more likely that other regenerative (and less extractive) activity will result. My goal is to contribute positively to Net Regeneration (is that a thing?).

I feel that I have made all the wrong mistakes in my career. I didn't look out for my own best interests; I let myself be exploited, ridiculed, sidelined and eventually cast out. I didn't reap the benefits I could have from my work in mining. Although at times I did good work, and I certainly learned a lot, in terms of my goal of being a change maker for the environment from within, I failed utterly. It burnt me out and ruined my self confidence and (especially mental) health. I'm an honest and sensitive person. I don't want that to change. But I do want to be able to be more resilient when faced with the brutality of others (whether it's their nature or just the nature of the business) and to have more courage to push back when appropriate. I also feel the need to reserve my emotional investment for where it truly counts, to protect myself from exploitation.

I think it's very important that Regenerative Practice claims space among professions that have influence in business and that it be compensated accordingly. Far too often (and I've had this experience) those who care about outcomes are not compensated at the same level as those who are unapologetically in it for their own gain. I'm hoping to rediscover my confidence in myself as an engineer (and to finally complete the paperwork I need to obtain my full professional designation and license).
I also hope to explore who I am as a leader, something others saw in me as a child but was lost as I became more and more socialized by good girl conditioning.

Mostly studies and lots of contemplation. As mentioned elsewhere in this form my incomplete studies in Anthropology has played a bigger role than I would have expected. I also have a BSc in Geological Environmental Engineering. Along the way I have obtained credentials in Passive House design (Passive House Consultant), Permaculture (Permaculture Design Certificate), Energy Management (Energy Manager in Training), and Renewable Energy (RETScreen). I have been emotionally invested in all of these, diving in with great hopes that *this time* I'll find the key that unlocks the door that will reveal my path and that I'll finally find my community. I have the same hopes for finding my path and my community in this course, however I'm trying very hard to practice some form of non-attachment in which I will gladly accept everything the course offers and not dwell on what it lacks.

I studied anthropology immediately after high school and didn't finish my degree. I didn't think I had a passion for it and didn't relish the idea of working for a major multinational corporation to help them overcome cultural obstacles to exploiting new markets. During a break from studies I had a brush with environmental activism but realized that activism wasn't my home. This inspired me to study engineering (there are quite a few engineers in my family), and when I wasn't admitted to my first choice of programme (Systems Engineering) I ended up studying Geological Environmental Engineering, which I didn't realize would land me a career in mining. Fine, I thought. I'll fight for change from within. While I have achieved very little in terms of change I have learned that culture and not technology (or lack of it, though technology can help) that is responsible for creating and supporting humanity's abuse of the biosphere.

I am an atheist and though I adhere strongly to science I know that the reductionism of the scientific method, combined with the limitations of humanity's ability to explore the universe leave many questions unanswered. How humanity conducts itself has no bearing on the fate of the planet itself - life on this planet will go on, and eventually the Earth will be transformed by forces more powerful than we. Nevertheless how humanity conducts itself matters a great deal, because without a moral compass the powers of the human species are not aligned with the astonishing phenomenon that is life. Life and the processes that support it reduce entropy. Many of humanity's current activities increase entropy and resemble cancer more than any other biological process. I don't think it's necessary to have spiritual beliefs to see that as fundamentally wrong.