As many of my friends and family know, 2021 kicked off with a new land project in Fayette County, Texas. My vision is to use Regenerative Agriculture Principles to turn 6 acres of depleted dirt into fresh soil full of lively organic matter for the tiny microbes below to grow and sequester carbon, so much that it could cancel out the amount of CO2 I put into the atmosphere in my 31 years of incessant travel.
On closing day, Jan 6, 2021, a dream called Koru by True Places became a shell of reality. If you could see the dust below the scrabbly grasses and prickly bramble you would ask if it’s even possible to bring it back. No water, no electricity, no clue what I was doing. Then I saw Kiss the Ground the movie, and I realized that Regenerative Agricultural Principles would be the guide for all things happening on our farm.
The opener of my soil education came via the Kiss The Ground Advocacy Course in June 2021. As the 9-week course drew to a close, I knew the agricultural goals for 2022 had to be following regenerative principles and regrowing the soil. Soon, my neighbors, Ron and Donna met James Burke of Texas Soil Works, a Fayette County soil expert, at a shin-dig celebrating Earth Day April 2021. James, Ron, Donna, and I formed The Roy Road Project, with a mission to regrow soil on Roy Road (and beyond!). We will rotate Ron’s cows through my farm, leaving behind that valuable cow poop and all its potential. And our project is growing! Follow the regenerative link if you are keen to hear more about the Roy Road Project.
This regeneration started with a resignation. I had to finally resign myself to the fact that my life had truly and radically shifted, primarily because I had radically shifted emotionally and professionally. After the hardest year ever chewed me up and spit me out, I decided some radical regeneration was in order. The Kiss The Ground Advocacy Course was such a catalyst for my jump into the Regenerative Movement and my terrible 2021 turned into a 2022 started with a renewed energy for learning and implementing authentic Regenerative Travel experiences while I prayed to go back to work. The travel gods blessed me with an opportunity in Kenya and our first step in designing a regenerative experience for an existing client, Well Aware, in June 2022.
Back in 2019 when I was still a Tour Director, I attended the FORUM Conference for Voluntourism in Kigali, Rwanda. I finally found an organization that was creating standards in what NGOs deem “volunteerism”. While not travel-specific, and primarily addressing volunteer long-term placement, there were plenty of parallels with what the traditional travel world calls “voluntourism”. Looking back, I realize that I had just peeled back the first layer of the Regenerative Movement onion and I wanted more. At FORUM 2019, I signed an agreement adopting the Global Volunteer agreement and began to redesign the travel experiences for my clients.
We believe sustainability in travel is no longer acceptable and that focus on people, community, and the environment should be the start of your tourism experience before you ever leave your home. Travel is now designed by communities, not corporations. And luxury travel without responsoibilty is so yesterday. We are all at the beginning of our own Regenerative Travel journey and no, there is no quick fix that I can sell you as a Regenerative Travel Agent. We have to listen and do the work, and we have already started. Watch this space and please comment.
Barbara and True Places supporters
