Ibis, a vision for a regenerative future

What on earth has an old historic boat to do with a regenerative future, one might ask. The answer is that there is so much we have forgotten and that we need to re-learn. Of course it was not all good in the old days however some of our predecessors skills and resilience helped to build a more comfortable future for other generations. At the moment, this is not the case in our modern world, where inequality and injustice are thriving, expanding the gap between a majority of population living on the breadline and the privileged few, who hold more wealth than half of the planet's inhabitants. Greed and profit are ruling our systems and, at the same time, harming the planet with incredible amounts of pollution. In this context, when I look at Ibis, I feel a flicker of hope sprouting in my heart and my mind. One way to alt the tsunami of negativity that surrounds us every day is for Ibis and her crew to sail fair trade food to coastal communities and bring a message of hope, education and regeneration.

What we learn from Ibis story is a passion for the sea and its wildlife, a connection with nature in its purest of forms and a powerful interrelation between communities. These are values that need to be re-assessed and rediscovered in our present times. It was, and it still is, hard work going fishing for a living. In the past, it was very dangerous, too, with no satellite technology or safety equipment. Fishermen preferred not to learn to swim in order not to prolong their agony if they fell overboard. However anyone who went on taking that pathway as a career, was hooked to the lifestyle, one of freedom and interaction with nature. At times, the catches were so good that the crews would bring home in one week what others fished in one year. The pride and sense of contribution towards one's household and local community aid underpinned those fishermen as proper stalwart examples of local sustainability.

Nowadays globalisation, technology and human greed have taken over the way systems work, forcing on us a lifestyle that goes against those values. I want to contribute to a better planet, a better human kind and connect with nature in a simple and genuine way, without harming the environment. This is why we are restoring Ibis, she is not just a symbol of the past, Ibis is a tool to create a better future for ourselves and the next generation. Taking inspiration from the Global Tapestry of Alternatives, we must 'revive ancient traditions for the emergence of new world views that re-establish human's place within nature as a basis for human dignity and equality'.

Barbara Bridgman