taking action
for the Earth
Our fundamental premise is to operate from the heart while being fully present in the moment. We feel that collectively operating from this space will empower us to accomplish things not possible through ‘business as usual.’
To learn about us, scroll down
From the film ʻĀINA, used with permission.
co•her•ence | kō’ hi(ə)rəns |
noun
1 The quality of forming a unified whole.
synonym
Aloha as affection, “sharing breath”, love
intention
To think, dream and act in new ways.
From the workings of the universe, to a single drop of water, to how neighbors talk across the fence, coherence is the harmonic order of life. The greater the coherence, the more attuned the system to transformational change. The intention is to think, dream and act in new ways.
OUR MISSION
Coherence Lab is a think tank and action lab advancing whole-system solutions for living in balance with the Earth.
We unite Indigenous Wisdom and Earth System Science to advance a community-derived vision for a thriving, sustainable future. Our focus is on building the core capacity for coherent and effective individual and collective action. Our methodologies and measurements for success are driven as much by the way we operate as by the outcomes we seek.
visioning sessions
The way communities, groups or organizations “get things done” is often to come together with the loudest or most dominant perspective becoming the defacto agenda and a task list emerges. It may seem efficient, but it leaves little space for the kind of thinking that produces transformational change. For that we need to develop coherence—that mutual responsiveness of our own thinking in relation to others—echoing the harmonic order of all life’s systems. So we’re doing it differently.
Throughout 2016, Coherence staff have been conducting a series of intimate listening interviews from a diverse cross-section of people who call Kaua'i home. Through this process, we sought to see the the passion projects, island, its ecosystems, needs, and life—through the eyes of those interviewed. The process of deep listening paired with provocative questions allows us to open the door to a new way to create change and move beyond the ways we’ve been trained to ‘get things done’.
After conducting dozens of interviews, we developed intimate portraits of the community. Tapping into peoples heartmap, we found common ground between these interview subjects in unexpected places.
Based on our findings, we will conduct our first Visioning Session, seeking to recreate that interview intimacy in a small group setting. The Solon will bring together a small group of those interviewed using set of selection criteria aimed at thematic compatibility, diversity and range of perspectives. The group will be asked to listen deeply, and see community priorities through each others perspective, rather than to push forward their own agenda. From this new place, the group will begin to answer the question, “what can change look like and how do we get there?”, with the understanding that not all of the pieces of the puzzle are present.
From there, Coherence Lab begins the process of weaving in our methodologies for change-taking the seeds of the Visioning Session, and developing next steps, forums, specialized summits and community involvement.