Apr 29

Apr 29 Episode 26: Regenerative Activism with Joshua Hughes of Blacksheep

The Most Important Thing

Josh would love for listeners to invest in the future they want and not wait for top down solutions. Otherwise, check out his work at Blacksheep.

About Joshua Hughes

Joshua grew up working in his family’s auto-salvage business in Medford, Oregon. Through working in the auto-salvage industry, he learned the real value of what many consider “waste.” In his early adulthood, he developed a secure recycling business in the Pacific Northwest. Joshua became politically activated after 9/11 and soon left his office job to work as an activist and founded a biofuels cooperative.

In 2006, he relocated to Costa Rica and founded VerdEnergia, where he has acted as general manager since. Joshua founded the Shangri-Lanas forestry project and Blacksheep soon after.

About Blacksheep: Regenerative Resource Management

Blacksheep is directly confronting the global assault on the environment and vulnerable communities through creative business solutions. Their model is a formalized method of direct action against destructive industries, creating open-sourced investment pools focused on bolstering local economies and regenerating wildlife habitats.

Unlike traditional investment systems, the Blacksheep model does not consider people, animals or the environment as “externalities.” They don’t invest in the destruction of land, the extraction of resources, or the enslavement of people. Instead, they take a grassroots approach – their model prioritizes the welfare of local people, broad ownership of land and protection of resources.

Episode Overview

Josh spent the last 10+ years off the grid building a regenerative agriculture community in Costa Rica. He only recently returned to his home state, Oregon, seemingly just in the nick of time.

He takes a practical approach to some very high-level ideas. Many talk the talk about systems change, but he walks the walk, literally building new regenerative systems to replace broken, existing structures.

We cover a ton of ground including discussions on COVID-19, the looming economic crisis, activism, empathy, and history.

My Favorite Quotes:

“Find something you love, find something you want to protect, and then see what you can do. And it can be something very small or very big.”

“I like mixed martial arts, getting in the ring and fighting, and you have to have good stance. Your feet have to be planted, and I felt like every time that I was going to swing at the bad ideas, I didn’t have a community with a footing… I was throwing myself backwards with my strong punch. The stronger I punched, the more I knocked myself down”

“We’re all activists for something, whether we like it or not”

“We’re regenerating community right now, not just soil.”

“Distraction takes away your ability to think it’s even possible to change.”

“There is now a farmer / hippie alliance, and it’s come through weed.”

“I don’t like that we only yell at each other about politics on TV, we should do it in the garden. Because while we’re disagreeing, we planted 3 trees”

“Sometimes a myth that’s wrong can still help you with the problem. Like people who think that porcupines can shoot their quills – helps people keep their distance from porcupines”

“Once this happens, you need leaders to step up. It’s time to lead, not time to wait.”

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 – Why Josh moved to a deforested area in Costa Rica

09:30 – How to become an activist?

13:00 – Libertarianism

18:00 – The COVID-driven Economics Crisis

23:00 – Building

26:00 – Defining the Regenerative Movement

38:00 – On political disagreements

45:00 – Circular Nature of Fear, Love, Dark, & Light

54:00 – The most important words in the English language

1:00:00 – Disagreement, and cancel culture