Read more

Full Podcast 🎧 HERE I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did!

Want to deep dive into regenerative investing? Click HERE

Trascripción en español:
— Pasamos de «necesito dinero para que esto funcione» a «el dinero te necesita a ti para que funcione», y así empezamos por generar un mejor entendimiento del proceso de los flujos financieros, embebido en los procesos más amplios; a continuación, creamos un sistema junto con las demás “interesadas” (cuidadores o care-holders) Esto no puede ser una decisión de un solo hombre, una sola mujer o un solo grupo; hay que entenderlo de forma coherente y, para ello, necesitamos que los demás care-holders formen parte del sistema. Entonces podremos sentarnos con otros inversionistas y financieros y crear la estructura adecuada para ello. Por lo tanto, nunca partimos de la estructura financiera; esa es la última pieza.

Ahora bien, yo diría que todo esto tiene que ver con la mente, (pero, ¡Ojo!) no se trata solo de pensar. La gente ha estado hablando del cambio de paradigma como un cambio en la forma de pensar, ¡pero yo no lo creo! «Minding» significa —digamos— cuando le preguntas a alguien: «¿te importaría?». Implica que a esa persona tiene un vínculo, algo que quiere atender cuidadosamente, ¿verdad? Y el cuidado es un estado del ser, no está en nuestra cabeza, así que «minding» incluye nuestro centro intelectual, nuestro centro emocional, nuestro centro espiritual y nuestro centro de movimiento (que es la actividad física real que realizamos); por lo tanto, todo eso está implícito en «minding».

Me gustaría animar a tod@s l@s que nos estáis escuchando, a tod@s los que queréis dedicaros a la inversión regenerativa, a ser «mind-ful», es decir, a estar llen@s de «mind-ing» en este otro sentido, que incluye todos los centros, en lugar de simplemente pensar mejor o «sentirnos mejor» respecto a algo (que hacemos, y calificamos con (un impacto) positivo).

Para saber más sobre cómo ivertir regenerativamente Click AQUI

Full Podcast 🎧 HERE

Drawing on nearly 15 years of experience in business innovation, entrepreneurship, and investing - and grounded in hands-on experiences with syntropic agriculture, watershed regeneration, and community finance in Latam - Sidney unpacks why investing is not a transaction but a continuum, why there is no such thing as regenerative projects (only regenerative work within living systems), and how finance, when placed in right relationship with economy and investing, can become a force for the emergence of Economies of life. From shareholders to co-investors, from financial structures to evolving ecosystems, this conversation challenges everything we think we know about where money should go, and why.

Click here to LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE

Notable Quote:

“We have to remove financing from the center of all our decision-making. The decision-making has to come from the understanding of our right relationship with the ecosystems — and then bring in financing resources in the right position and the right time. Because you can have tons of money and still have no life.” — Sidney Cano

If this perspective resonates with you, I invite you to listen to our full conversation by clicking this LINK

Trascripción en español:

… otra (forma de verlo) es que se convierte en regenerativo cuando realmente integramos el entendimiento de que eso (la inversión regenerativa) ocurre en los sistemas vivientes, en lugar de ser algo que nosotros aportamos e introducimos en la regeneración, o sobre la regeneración; como si fuera algo separado de nosotros, los seres humanos; así pues, el punto básico de esto tiene que ver con cómo funciona nuestra mente, cómo cambia nuestra percepción y nuestra relación con nosotros mismos, y entonces llegamos a que no existe eso de «invertir en impacto» o «invertir en este territorio», sino que (al ser una dinámica inherente e el sistema viviente) nos estamos convirtiendo en co-inversionistas en los propios sistemas vivientes; que invertir es un proceso continuo, y que nosotros - los seres humanos - formamos parte de esos sistemas vivientes; y así llegamos a comprender mejor cuál es nuestro papel clave en este campo de inversión más amplio y extenso.

Cita destacada:

«Tenemos que dejar de situar las finanzas en el centro de todas nuestras decisiones. La toma de decisiones debe partir de la comprensión de nuestra relación adecuada con los ecosistemas, para luego incorporar los recursos financieros en el lugar y el momento adecuados. Porque se puede tener mucho dinero y, aun así, no tener vida». — Sidney Cano

Go back to Part 3 of this series

_{Photo by Keith Champaco on Unsplash}

Let´s dive deeper into a point made earlier — the shift to contribute to regenerating economies requires all social actors (not just those institutions and individuals directly involved in modeling the economy or financial dynamics, or the decision-makers in governments or chambers of private industry) to be able to think and act from a regenerative paradigm.

This requires the development of consciousness in societies and organizations, opening up new levels of decision-making power. This new approach aims to deeply change the way we live and work in order to set up economic dynamics that stweard the regeneration of the places we inhabit.

Read more

To start from the beginning, find Part 1 of this series

As stated before, there is a need for us to change how we approach and work on change.

To summarize so far, the current tendency is to lead change from the role of authority (who holds wisdom and transmits it to others involved in the desired change) or from a behavioral approach (establishing disincentives and/or a rewarding environment to move a group of people or a system towards a desired state). Instead, in order for change to happen in a profound and meaningful way, it is fundamental that we approach it from a different paradigm, one that connects authentically with systems´potential, enabling co-evolution for individuals, organizations, Earth and community, simultaneously.

To embrace a new way o

f living and working, from living systems thinking, implies destabilizing our undertsanding, and shifting to a role that allows development for everyone involved.

Photo by Timo Stern on Unsplash

This new role is focused on developing intelligence to discern and actualize the contributions we each can make through regenerating-life processes. This is precisely the work of a Regenerative Educator.

Read more

To start from the beginning, find Part 1 of this series

Since ancient times, humanity has formed various conceptions of both economics and how we relate to living systems. So what does it really take to make profound transformative change in this regard to our relationship with each of these? On my own personal journey of transformation, I realized that this kind of change implies rebuilding our capability to Connect (using Yunkaporta’s language). Indeed, we need to authentically connect with the living entity and its inherent evolutionary capacity.

Let’s ground our understanding in observing and connecting with life in ecosystems, where interrelation goes beyond exchange. According to studies of coral reefs, a great diversity of life flourishes thanks to their mutually beneficial relationships. Coral reefs have co-evolved a defense mechanism against macroalgae, emitting chemical signals that attract goby fish and cleaner shrimp, which feed on the mucosa, plankton, and algae of the coral environment, and clean the coral by eating the harmful macro algae that otherwise stick to and kill the coral [Adapted from ecoosfera].

This is possible, not just because species are inter-exchanging and interrelating, but because their relationships are vital for the life and evolution of the entire ecosystem.

Photo by LI FEI on Unsplash

In the current economic and business systems, the business is seen as isolated from the living systems, or only linked to them by transactional exchanges. But interrelation could go beyond this, so that a business is capable of connecting with the living systems in the Place where it works, and generating processes that enable the emergence of genuine wealth there. “A business cannot be considered independently of the context in which it operates. The vitality of a local economy directly affects the health of its business community. Healthy stakeholder ecosystems mean healthy businesses and vice versa. When local stakeholders’ activities are grounded in the unique essence and potential of place, they directly contribute to supporting local economic development. Therefore, we suggest that businesses have a leadership role to play in catalyzing healthy local stakeholder ecosystems”. (2021. Ungard & Haggard).

For centuries, we have limited our capacity as human species to contribute to Life due to our anthropocentric perspective of development that mostly centers human concerns — instead of conceiving ourselves as beings inherently linked to the thriving of ecosystems. We even call ourselves “citizens” belonging to the human construct of “city”, instead of grounding into our relationship with life-sustaining Earth.

“The problem with the global economy isn’t how we do it, it’s how we think about it.” (Sanford & Haggard)

A shift towards a regenerative economy is only possible if there is a change in our mindset and growth in our capabilities that enable us to pattern new relationships and develop new social dynamics that ensure the thriving of both the human and ecological Living Systems around us. Towards this mindset shift, in Latin, the word for Earth is “terra.” What if we considered ourselves “terrans”?

Developing our ability to manifest a shift in paradigm

In the effort to generate profound change in a more effective way, there is the need to challenge our system(s) of understanding — by examining the beliefs, principles, and systems that underpin current economic dynamics.

If you identify yourself as an individual or organization that really wants to work on deep transformational changes, these questions enable you to disrupt the role you usually take on while working on change processes:

Read more

English Transcript of the Interview Conducted on May 12, 2026

“Hello, I’m Sidney Cano, thank you for having me here in Bogotá, Colombia, as part of the LARIS 2026 Latin American Regenerative Investment Summit, where the summit is beginning to take a prominent position among hundreds of leaders in the region who are seeking to identify that key aspect, that focal point that is calling out to us right now, so we can truly redirect our capacity as human beings to channel capital toward life itself. I’d like to hear your questions:

How do you reconcile the tension between financial capital and Nature? How does that tension of growth arise between the two?

Okay, that’s a really interesting question you’re asking me about what you call the tension between business and nature.

And I believe the most important thing is to change our perspective that these tensions are a problem. That’s not the case, based on the reconceptualization we’ve done at the Regenerative Investing Academy, in conjunction with the Regenesis Institute and drawing on the experience we bring from Duit Corporation. We began to develop this reconceptualization where we can then shift from perceiving attention as an obstacle, as a problem, to seeing it as something natural and necessary for the transformative capacity, the evolutionary capacity that living systems possess—and obviously we as human beings within those living systems as well. So for me, this attention gives us the opportunity to move toward the next transition to this next stage, where we begin to see that the boundaries we understand within ecosystems within biosystems allow us to have a clear, transparent understanding of how investment dynamics inherently within the living systems we are working with, and this generates a capacity for singularity—a capacity to generate meaning within how this system works and how the capital invested moves within it.

So, for me, this famous tension you describe presents a tremendous opportunity for evolutionary transformation.

What about greenwashing? How are these labels affecting?

Okay, this second question is an important and relevant one. Many of us are becoming aware of this trend of greenwashing—or what I now call “regen-washing.”

And sometimes there’s a certain capacity for compliance or non-compliance within companies, consortia, and organizations. But I think we need to go further. Once again, we need to move beyond simply labeling something as “regenerative” or not, and instead understand that regeneration is a living process, a continuous process, and in that sense, infinite.

It’s not that we’re going to reach a point where we’re already regenerative businesses, where we’re already regenerative companies, where there’s a regenerative project—rather, we begin to understand regeneration as that instrumental process that gives us the capacity to move infinitely through evolutionary loops.

Returns and time—how are you “hacking” this to make capital patient?

Okay, returns and time! Well, here we’re already getting into much more technical aspects of financial concepts, and I think there are two layers to this, right?

We’re starting to rethink our idea of investment from the perspective of living systems as an inherent dynamic—not just a human one.

So, how are we going to work harmoniously between the flows of different capitals within an ecosystem and financial capital within its own role and its own transformative capacity throughout this entire life process of an ecosystem?

It’s like… like playing a board game, right?

There are natural limits to the table, and there are natural limits to the board.

The good thing is that ecosystems aren’t fixed; they don’t stay that way forever, but are in constant transformation, in a continuous transformative dynamic, and so this allows us to play dynamically as well with the arrangement and location of this financial capital within this game of capitals, right?

We could say that there are inherent limits to the table, and there are inherent limits to the board.

The good news is that ecosystems aren’t static; they don’t stay the same forever, but are in constant transformation, they are in a continuous process of change. And so this allows us to play dynamically as well with the arrangement and allocation of the financial capital within this interplay of capitals, right? It also allows us to create a level of significance for our project, for our process, within the capacity of the ecosystem.

So, I look forward to seeing you all on this learning journey at LARIS 2026.

I’ll be delighted to have generative conversations with all of you. I’m sure we’ll discover more and more who we are within this grand goal of integrating financial capital in a more genuine and more contributory way. See you soon!”

A través de una mirada fresca, crítica e inspiradora - en el día educativo de LARIS y representado el trabajo que han hecho en Ria - explorará, con una audiencia amplia y diversa, las tensiones, retos y posibilidades que emergen con esta “nueva ola de cambio”, abriendo la conversación sobre cómo el capital es una energía necesaria en el desarrollo regenerativo.

What does Regenerative Investing entail?

As part of the Latin American Regenerative Investment Summit (LARIS 2026), Sidney shares insights on how to embrace a new investment culture: one that not only seeks profitability, but is rooted in the conditions that make it possible for life to regenerate.

Through a fresh, critical, and inspiring perspective—during the LARIS educational day and drawing on their work at Ria—she will explore, with a broad and diverse audience, the tensions, challenges, and possibilities emerging from this “new wave of change,” opening a conversation about how capital is a necessary energy in regenerative development.

To move toward a developmental approach that truly serves the understanding of regenerative processes, three fundamental changes are required. I will begin by describing each of these changes and examining them in real-life experiences, in a concrete and living Place and the role of the business community in its development.

Read more

We are fully in the “Era of Regeneration”. Across disciplines — from ecology and agriculture to economics, social innovation, and leadership — regeneration has become a central theme. With this growing attention, a wide range of educational offers is rapidly emerging: courses, certifications, frameworks, and toolkits promising to “te…

Read more

Para pasar a un enfoque desarrollante que sirva realmente a la comprensión de los procesos regenerativos, se requieren tres cambios fundamentales. Comenzaremos por describir cada uno de estos cambios y verlos en experiencias vividas en un territorio vivo, una población en desarrollo y el rol de la comunidad empresarial en ello.

Read more

Read more

Current Context: Challenges and Opportunities

The context in which we operate is marked by the need to develop a new more resilient economy, based on essential connections and beyond problem solving in our territories.

In this conversation, I emphasize that the issue with the current economy is not how we do it, but how we think about investing in it. Instead, I like to think that local economies not only generate financial benefits, but foster the evolutionary life capacity of the living system we are part of.

A truly regenerative economy is an economy of life

Regenerative economy is fundamentally based on a deep understanding of the particular living system´s essence with which we interact. We often confuse the economy with the financial system or with money. But, from my perspective, economy is a dynamic inherent in all living systems. This was true even before humanity created economic systems and models.

The problem is not financial, but rather how we think and how we discern what to invest our energy in, including money. My approach moves away from the modern anthropocentric view and delves into a paradigm that recognizes the interdependence between all elements of an ecosystem.

Understanding the economy as unique energy dynamics within the ecosystem leads us to ask ourselves:

• How can we listen to and respond to the economic uniqueness of a place?

• What can truly emerge from our communities to contribute to their economy of life?

Genuine wealth is not defined by a group or a government, but by the unique living characteristics of each place. This is the fundamental starting point for our work.

Image. Showcasing a genuine experience of this work in central Mexico. Discover more details in the following sections.

Note: This year, we are collaborating with practitioners in the TRECommunity to create meaningful lived experiences for local groups and communities, aiming to contribute with regenerative processes for the emergence of an Economy of life in their places. If you would like to learn more or get involved, please reach out via email at trec.comunicacion@gmail.com

Understanding Place: the key to regenerating local economies

One of the highlights of the conversation is the importance of “listening to the place.” Before planning or doing anything, there is a fundamental capability we need to develop: essential listening. This, learned from the Regenesis group, involves

Read more

Read more

PLEASE Avoid reproducing /presenting /consulting with this material beyond/outside your organization.

Permissions: sidney@duitglobal.com

A regenerative economy is truly an Economy of Life, considering its inherent condition of evolution.

Redefining our Role in the Economy

In our time, there are different levels from which humans are trying to shift the way economy works, with limited results so far. Here is how I see four different roles that people are taking on and the need to uplift those, as we mind sourcing from a regenerative paradigm.

Subscribe now

Read more

Read more

Article by Sidney Cano / June 2023

PLEASE Avoid reproducing /presenting /consulting with this material beyond/outside your organization.

Permissions: sidney@duitglobal.com

For quite some time now, I have been working on developing a better understanding of the gap that exists for humans to take a more effective role in the regenerative processes of life on…

Read more

I do NOT have a dream! On the contrary, in all consciousness I see humanity has the opportunity to take the next step in “the era of regeneration”, to manifest the unique role we -as a species- have in the emergence of E…

Read more