Skip to content

048: Designing for the Future, Now!

Ed Zaydel
Ed Zaydel
9 min read
048: Designing for the Future, Now!

Table of Contents

Hola Amigos, 

It has been a month of travel, getting my feet back on European soil, and yes indeed, it was freakin' lovely. I'm excited to share some learnings from the field with y'all, as well as some fun travel imagery!

This trip started, after my buddy Marco invited me to give a presentation at EHL Hospitality School in Switzerland. Being in an academic environment again, curiosity in the air, people from my industry, talking about regenerative hospitality, albeit without a single definition of what that meant to them, in common. Sometimes its just talk, but in our field, these academics often build Places. Places that will have an impact on the environment, on the local community, and on countless others. That's a responsibility! 

After Switzerland, I went on a "business trip" to explore Italy's, Tuscany and Umbria regions, and check out old castles and unique and irreplaceable properties in important "bioregions." I recently got back into doing this kind of work, scouting properties to support a vision or narrative. In this case, a vision to steward already built assets, in natural locations that are important to preserve, and enhance. I dig that, when compared to cutting trees, and planning the umpteenth eco-village. I was reminded that there are many acupuncture points around the world, that are critical to preserve, steward, and enjoy more or less as-is. The experience of being in nature, living a slower life, with local people who already live pretty "regeneratively", eating healthy local food, exercising, playing games, living in community... This is not just a key to longevity and happiness, but for that subtle thing many strive for, and can't describe, more interconnected living and peace, within the larger system of life. Boom. 

Speaking of interconnected, I finished this trip with an incredible group of well curated humans (good job D), in the countryside of Ibiza, Spain. Life on the island grew on me, as a former club kid from NYC, and lover of incredible humans, as well as nature - this did the trick. Add the grass-fed organic Jamón (sorry vegans), and I'm sold. We took it pretty slow, deep conversations over amazing food, morning runs and sauna time, trips to remote beaches and tiny shacks for lunch, and a little bit of dancing at an ashram called DC10. 

As always, I'm here to share the best of what I'm learning from experiences of myself and others in the field, and I'm excited to share some important learnings with y'all from two incredible workshops in our Land Steward Alliance monthly call. We had the pleasure of discussing "Designing for Death" with Nic Rotundo of Sacred Earth as well as lessons from building a residential community and Retreat Center at Holos | Costa Rica, with Ian-Michael Hebert. The practical experience these two gents share from the field of regenerative development, hospitality, and actually doing this work on the ground, not just putting it in a PDF or vision board, is a testament to their "Say/Do" Ratio. Pioneering ain't easy. 

Here's What I Want to Share This Week:

During this trip, I had a few aha, moments. With the help of Ronit Herzfeld, and Leap Forward, as well as my buddy Mike Hill who visited me in Italy, some stuff started to stir up inside of me... 

It started with some anger - yea I got mad as hell, old anger, new anger, biblical anger - I just let it rip. I realized how often I kept my anger bottled up, along with so much creativity yet expressed. I realized, how often I didn't speak my truth, how often I let my boundaries be crossed, to appease another. I got angry at myself. The question remains, so what am I doing about it?

After anger, a lot of sadness rolled in, which is uncommon for me. What the fuck am I sad about? Well the state of the world for one, we're killing each other and the planet - also the corruption and moral decay, and people who are intelligent enough to see this, but are not motivated with clarity and action. Again, what about that? What can I do about it, in my lane and my ecosystem? 

It made me think of hospitality and tourism, and it's eventual transition to living and community. So what are we designing for? For me, it's places to spend time together, practicing the thing we imagine community to be, co-evolving, connecting to each other, to nature, to ourselves - having some time to be human and hang. Its about reminding ourselves of that common humanity and why we are here. So, Who are you and why are you here?

The feelings I mentioned above, started to transmute once I sat in their discomfort long enough, well my discomfort. Instead of numbing with distractions, I stayed in it. I was also in a cabin, in the middle of nowhere for a week :) Then something interesting happened... The anger, care, sadness, started to turn into fuel, something was brewing inside of me. It turned into inspiration and then motivation to mobilize. I realized that I've designed, built, and operated innovative real estate and hospitality projects in incredible natural settings for the last 20 some odd years, and then semi-retired to help others do the same post burn-out. Covid rolled in, I was finishing a major work engagement, and I just needed to Pause. So that's what I did, I took some time out, to go in.

After speaking to my buddy D in the Sauna, I decided that I'm done sitting on the sidelines, it's time to lace up and step back in to the game. I checked in with myself, as well as a few people that I trust deeply, to make sure I wasn't Trippin'. I wasn't. I missed my creative drive, when designing these unique projects in Costa Rica and around the world. I missed operating transformative experiences, seeing people relax for some time, connect to each other, to nature, to themselves, and seeing people go through an evolutionary process together. We would hug, they would leave, I would smile. Many of them are my friends to this day, sup homies! 

I will still be supporting people on their quests to build their land projects, as well as leap into their next life story, but I'm only going to be working with those committed and serious to doing this work responsibly (inside and outside). I don't have time for any non-sense. Why? Well, because I love to co-evolve and support others, while also learning, evolving, and creating things of my own. And right now, there's a vision I hold near and dear to my heart. Although I can only operate in the reality of today, I'm still living into the possibility of something incredible for tomorrow. LFG. 

My 40-Year Vision (thank's Ronit)... I see a time, when humans are living in harmony and peace, cooperating as a species, in right relationship with ourselves, each other and the larger system of life. Our wellbeing and that of our ecosystems are thriving, ushering a new era in for humanity and our children. Working backwards on how to get there, well thats my Mission. And I'm not alone. One project at a time, one person at a time, including myself, in all my relations and doings, guided by a vision that is a stretch, yet 100% achievable. 

People, Places & Resources

Every month, I gather a group of diverse people from our ecosystem in land development via the Land Steward Alliance. It consists of people from diverse countries and backgrounds, ranging from architects and diplomats, to land owners and visionaries, non-profits and organization founders, as well as investors looking to create a positive ripple of impact - all in one big soup together :) There is a level of trust, and camaraderie, as we all speak very openly and candidly with each other, recognizing we are all on the same team. There are not that many places I can speak so openly about the challenges, lessons and learnings in the field as well as get support from others on the journey. This month's nuggets were priceless... ​

We had an epic conversation with Nic Rotundo of Sacred Earth, on "Designing for Death" . Nic introduced the idea of proactively planning for life cycles, transitions, and endings of projects, relationships, and systems in life, vs being surprised when they happen, and having to respond/react abruptly. See the key take aways below... 

  • He emphasized the need to embrace change and impermanence rather than striving for rigid, permanent solutions in our designs. 
  • The importance of designing for the future, considering the needs of generations to come and the broader ecosystem, rather than just focusing on immediate goals and profits.
  • The need to see the land and local communities as key stakeholders in any project. Sharing the importance of approaching communities and projects with humility, listening, and a desire to understand rather than impose solutions. 
  • The need to build trust and right relationship, and to avoid saviorism or guilt-driven motivations when developing a project in someone else's homeland. 

I also wanted to leave some of the lessons and learnings from Ian-Michael Hebert of Holos | Costa Rica...

  • Building trust and alignment with partners/investors from the start is crucial - be discerning when choosing partners/team.
  • Misaligned incentives and broken agreements with partners can cause major delays and legal headaches. Establish clear agreements that can be properly enforced. 
  • Lack of upfront capital can lead to piecemeal land acquisition, complicated partnerships, and development challenges. Secure funding upfront to avoid complications later.
  • Having a strong, committed core team, that shares the vision before starting development is essential - vet partners & team thoroughly. 
  • Value of building trust in the local community first before undertaking a project - supporting and preserving local indigenous cultures/languages should be prioritized.

I'm excited to announce that the Regenerative Practitioner Series is coming to Costa rica via a mixed online and in-person program that starts in October, 2024. Read more below, and reply to this email if you need more info and want to join me and some friends... 

The Regenerative Practitioner Series, is an intensive deep-dive training that consists of 10, two-hour, zoom-based dialogue sessions structured around a curriculum of reading material and practice exercises, and culminates in a 4-day, in-person Intensive workshop in Costa Rica (thanks to Nico for hosting this on your property!) 

Again, feel free to write me should you have any questions...

Memorable Quote:

Ciao Amigos,

Ed Zaydel

Ed Zaydel