Did you know that there are no billboards in Bhutan and nearly every retail business is a small, local enterprise? Recently returned from a trip to the country famous for pioneering Gross National Happiness, Director of Research Alison Whitten shares lessons and insights from the road. 

Three years ago, Regen Melbourne was established as a community project following the release of our foundational report, ‘Towards a Regenerative Melbourne’. This year, after a successful incubation by Small Giants Academy, we’re celebrating by becoming a registered charity and an independent entity in our own right.  

Thriving neighbourhoods will require the combined efforts of community leaders from across Greater Melbourne. Nina Sharpe has been meeting with these leaders to better understand the challenges and opportunities they face, and the role Regen Melbourne can play in helping bring their bold and hopeful visions to life. 

We talk a lot about the vision for a Swimmable Birrarung. But what does the full extent of this vision look like? Is getting in the water enough? (hint no). Nicole dives into the different ways in which ‘swimmable’ could come to life over the next few years (and decades).

Melbourne Invests in Systemic Transformation (MIST), is a new collaboration between local and global capital holders, fund managers and thought leaders. Convened by Regen Melbourne, the initiative seeks to achieve a paradigm shift in the impact and approach to deploying purpose-led capital across Greater Melbourne.

This year marks the tenth anniversary of a group of actors coming together to make Sydney’s Parramatta River swimmable again. Swimmable Birrarung Lead Convenor Charity Mosienyane spoke with one of the Parramatta project’s leads, Sarah Holland-Clift, about what our own river-healing initiative could learn from this Sydney success story. 

As the Swimmable Birrarung project moves into the Organising phase of Regen Melbourne’s SOIL framework, a new report outlines the Fields of Action underway for the river for 2024 and beyond. 

ICYMI: the Swimmable Birrarung project recently found itself in the throes of a national media frenzy. From breakfast television to the pages of national mastheads – this community-led project was thrust into the spotlight with all the excitement, speculation and skepticism that comes with it. So how did we get here, and what does it all mean?