The Lifeboat Academy at Spalding Valley Farm

A shareable model of resilience and regeneration at the person, place, and community level. 

Imagine if there were a living model of resilience right in the heart of your community - a physical space where we could demonstrate ways to sustainably feed ourselves, heal the local ecosystem, and work in harmony with nature and each other - would you want to be a part of it? Now imagine an interconnected network of these local models scattered around the globe, sharing information and resources to get through, and even thrive in, whatever might be coming.

That's the vision behind the Lifeboat Academy - to develop a model of resilience and regeneration at the person, place and community level that can be easily replicated by practically anyone in their home community.

PROBLEM STATEMENT / NEEDS ASSESSMENT

Why Lifeboats? 

The world today is turbulent. Things are already bumpy, and they’re getting bumpier.

• Climate change, environmental degradation, and attacks on democracy and human rights are symptoms of the growing and interconnected polycrisis.

• Our diets are dependent on easily disrupted supply chains and unhealthy industrial farming practices while local farmable land goes unused.

• Collaboration is our secret human superpower, but our ability to collaborate effectively has been damaged by the trauma of colonialism & predatory capitalism. 

Therefore, we need to find innovative ways to fundamentally transform how we think about and work with the land and each other. 

The Lifeboat Academy is our proposal for how we do that.

THE VISION

Building a fleet of lifeboats

The Lifeboat Academy creates a model regenerative farm to provide people with a direct experience of balanced, healthy, interconnected living systems. We then nurture those seeds of awareness by adding an ongoing, online learning community to support the building of new lifeboats in other communities. 

Networked Together: Our long-term goal is to support the development of 100 lifeboats (local personal resilience networks), which together form The Lifeboat Network.

Who We Serve

We serve the newly climate alarmed and collapse aware (or at least collapse curious). According to the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, one-third of Americans in 2021 reported being “alarmed” by the state of the climate - the fastest growing category and growing rapidly. Of the “alarmed” almost half are “willing but inactive” and looking for guidance. 

We want to connect with people looking for deep, meaningful experiences of connection to help make sense of and respond to a quickly changing reality. They are looking to transform their connection to the land and each other, working on both their practical living skills and personal emotional resilience. The Lifeboat Academy provides that opportunity.

A Model of Regenerative Farming 

Working in Harmony: Food production provides a focus and a metaphor for developing systems thinking and collaborative practices

At the core of the retreat centre is a model regenerative farm that demonstrates a carbon-negative, self-sustaining, whole diet food system for our fair share of global resources. The farm is modelled on La Ferme du Bec Hellouin along with other tested techniques and has already been adapted and refined on three existing farms / locations.

A Transformative Learning Experience

The Lifeboat Academy creates opportunities for individuals and teams to immerse themselves in the life of the farm, enjoying a direct transformative experience of systems thinking and regenerative living. The farm provides the example of interconnected living systems while the daily routines and interactions provide examples of deeply collaborative and nurturing interpersonal environments. 

Onsite and online

These experiences are reinforced and extended through online activities that support people building their own lifeboats, and also serve as marketing for the retreat and learning centre. The online offerings also sow the seeds to develop similar retreat centres in other locations. 

The Plan

The Place - Spalding Valley Farm

We propose locating the first campus of the Lifeboat Academy at 9891 Spalding Road, Pender Island, BC. The location provides many advantages:

• Canada and British Columbia are relatively stable social democracies. 

• The Salish Sea bioregion offers moderate temperatures and mountains to buffer increased storm activity anticipated with climate change. 

• It’s home to almost 9 million people, with most living within a few hours drive of the retreat centre. 

• It’s home to many other “resilience” projects.

• Pender is home to an active, aware and engaged community of individuals and organisations already taking steps towards resilience. 

• The Spalding Valley location provides fellow-farmer neighbours who share similar values and goals, increasing the possibility of mutually beneficial projects. 

• The property itself boasts 17 acres of open, arable land and almost 20 acres of healthy forest for silvo-pasture and agroforestry projects. The existing home works as a common house for retreats and the large, separate studio building is an ideal location for workshops and learning events.  

The People

The retreat centre will be staffed by up to 6 farmer-caretakers, with room for up to 10 guests. The farmer-caretakers are pathfinders willing to live and work in an on-going public experiment. Our staffing pool includes a huge number of frustrated young farmers who are highly skilled in, motivated by, and committed to regenerative food production, but locked out by the current uneven economics of farming and land values.  

The initial team includes Ben Kadel and Roland Maurice who have nine years experience developing the model on three different farms and Ronnie Gelman who has experience working on a variety of organic and regenerative farms around the US.  

In addition, Ben has a PhD in sociology and social psychology with 25 years experience working with the emotional dynamics of teams and effective collaboration. As a result, he comes with an established reputation and client list of organisations and individuals who would be prime candidates to use the retreat centre. Roland has a Masters in art history with experience creating transformative experiences in non-ordinary reality. Ronnie has 10 years experience working with student affairs and community organisations, along with deep experience living and working in community.

INNOVATIVE STRUCTURES

Reclaiming the Commons thru existing tools

The Commons as B-Corp

The Social Benefit Company or B-Corp is a tool that allows us to incorporate the insights of Elinor Ostrom’s rules for the commons into our organisational structure and governance systems. Our commitments to the community and the environment will be written into our by-laws. 

SOCIAL BENEFITS OF THE LIFEBOAT ACADEMY

• Disseminating practical resilient life skills in multiple communities

• Modelling high-functioning collaboration practices (Sociocracy 3.0) 

• Modelling carbon-sequestering, regenerative agricultural practices

• Reconciliation with Indigenous communities and integration of indigenous ways of knowing

• Increasing local food sovereignty

• Healing and enhancing local ecosystems

• Creating affordable access to land for young farmers

• Providing structured affordable housing for workers in on-site bunkies

Governance

Sociocracy 3.0

Sociocracy 3.0 provides a practical framework for effective peer-to-peer collaboration. It was developed by looking for patterns common to high-performing teams, then converting these patterns into principles and practices that can be adapted to the unique needs of particular groups.

Key to the framework are the 7 Foundation Principles and an approach of treating all decisions as a series of experiments which maximise adaptation and learning. The principles and approach are put into practical terms through the “navigating via tensions” model of decision-making. 

The Stewardship Council 

The Stewardship Council provides oversight for the Lifeboat Academy and represents the commons - the land itself and the people who depend on it. Seats will be filled to represent a diversity of community perspectives, including farmers, students/interns, neighbours, community groups, indigenous knowledge keepers, and people with relevant professional experience.

The Stewardship Council is bound by the triple bottom line goals of the B-Corp and by the principles of engagement (S3.0 Seven Principles). The Stewardship Council takes on the responsibility of ensuring that all actions and interactions at the Lifeboat Academy align with the purpose and agreements as laid out in the Lifeboat Academy Driver Statement. 

The Stewardship Council enters into profit-sharing agreements with project partners outlining what farm resources may be used, ensuring no conflicts with existing activities on the farm, and establishing a balanced return to project partners, the community and the farm itself.

Interim Stewardship Council and Additional Project Partners

Bernie Amell, Ecological Designer & founder of Heartwood Cooperative, Quadra Island

CoHo BC, Collaborative Home Ownership

Paula Caird, Manager, Government of Canada

Jake Enns, Founder of the Renewing the Future Society

Lisa Fleming, Ptarmigan Arts

Ronnie Gelman, The Lifeboat Academy

Brooke Hayes, PhD, Soil Science, University of Victoria

Ben Kadel, PhD, Emotus Operandi; The Lifeboat Academy

Rebecca S. Krantz, PhD

Roland Maurice, The Lifeboat Academy

Deb L. Morrison, PhD, CLEAR Environmental

Jim Peacock, Southern Gulf Islands Community Justice Program

Karly Pinch

Heather Pritchard, Foodlands Cooperative of BC

Benji Ross, Founder of the Bioregional Catalysts and Weavers Guild

April Struthers, Social Change Consultant / Owner Wit Works Ltd.

Transition Economics

We intend the Lifeboat Academy to be financially independent. We attempt to avoid capitalist market entanglements as much as possible, preferring self-reliance, barter, and mutual-aid networks when possible. Similarly, we use a social enterprise philosophy, i.e. the Lifeboat Academy is expected to earn its keep through a variety of income producing streams. Profits will initially be re–invested by paying down the mortgage and improving facility infrastructure such as guest accommodations and farming operations. Eventually, profits will be used to support new projects within our local community and new lifeboats in other communities. 

The following sections summarize the key elements of our Lifeboat Academy Business Model. Those interested in more details are invited to view the working document.  

Starting / Capital Budget

As part of our commitment to transition economics, we attempt to keep our budget as lean as possible, especially avoiding financing or other schemes that impose extractive capitalism on projects and limit the ability to be in right relationship with the land and our relations.

Our biggest budget item by far is the cost of purchasing property. This includes the sale price, plus closing costs, lawyers fees, etc. In addition, we anticipate a modest budget for the first phase of improvements. This includes a minimal amount to purchase supplies to build bunkies for farmers and guests plus building a farm workshop and greenhouse. The “lean budget” covers these costs while the “cushion” adds a buffer to cover first year operating expenses. 

These budgets represent the minimum necessary to allow the project to move forward. If additional funding could be found, progress could happen more quickly. The table above is linked to Lifeboat Business Plan Financials.xlsx, an active planning document. The numbers may change as the financial models are refined. Likewise, more detailed information on how these numbers were determined can be seen there. 

Fundraising

We propose raising startup funding through three primary channels:

• Time-sharecroppers / Farmer-caretakers

• Fairshare Sponsors (aka Social Investors) 

• Social Mortgage

We have developed fundraising targets for each of these categories as part of our financial planning. The following table is linked to Lifeboat Business Plan Financials.xlsx, an active planning document. The numbers may change as the financial models are refined and committed investors found.

As soon as possible, the income of the farm and retreat centre will become an additional source of continuing investment in infrastructure. Donations may also be a potential source of funding. 

Share Structure and Investments

The share structure is designed to allow for a variety of investor-types. The company will issue one hundred (100) shares for each fair share footprint of property. Our current estimates indicate that the Spalding Valley Farm represents 16 fair share footprints or 1,600 shares. The value of the shares will be set at the total starting budget divided by 1,600, which is estimated to be about $1,600 per share. 

• Shares can be held by individuals, organisations, or groups of individuals. 

• Shares bring both rights and responsibilities.

  • Shares are backed by the assets of the B-Corp which includes the real estate value of the property.  

  • Social investors have access to their fair share of commons resources and an obligation to care for those resources. 

• Once the B-Corp has paid off the social mortgage, shares can be traded. 

Shareholders with at least 100 shares are automatically invited to serve on the Stewardship Council but can pass this opportunity on to others. Because of the adoption of the S3.0 framework, there are no special voting rights attached to shareholding. 

Fairshare Sponsors / Social Investors

Social Investors see value in the social benefits and potential of the project and are providing access to others who may not otherwise have access. They may have as few as a single share or many, and can choose to make the access available to a certain demographic (e.g. youth, LGBTQ+, students, BIPOC, etc). They have the confidence knowing that their investment is backed by the real estate and assets of the B-Corp so if the project is dissolved, they will be made whole. 

Timeshare Croppers

Timeshare croppers see themselves as part-time members of the commons. The number of shares translates directly into the right to occupy and work in the commons, with two shares equal to an annual one-week stay at the retreat centre. 

Social Mortgage Holders

The social mortgage works much like a traditional mortgage, but the interest on the loan is paid in the form of tangible progress on the pro-social goals of the enterprise.

Mortgage holders receive payments from the B-corp to pay down the principle and have the added benefit of being able to leverage their equity in the project and the assurance that their investment is backed by the real estate value of the properties in the event of non-performance.

The social mortgage in essence allows farmer-caretakers access to the land in exchange for the opportunity to convert hard work, intelligence and care into earned equity. Eventually, these efforts will allow the B-Corp to hold the land in trust at the community level to ensure perpetual access for those willing to care for the land.   

Income Generation & Financial Resilience

We apply the permaculture principle: every function is served by multiple features by ensuring that there are multiple income generation streams including food production (both raw materials and value-added activity), retreat guests, group retreats, special events and workshops, online educational activities, and donations and gifts. 

While food production lies at the heart of the model, the current economic reality means that our most profitable income streams will rely on the agro-tourism and online educational aspects. While income projections are always speculative, the current global economic instability makes projections particularly difficult. The following table is linked to Lifeboat Business Plan Financials.xlsx, an active planning document. The numbers may change as the financial models are refined.

IMPLEMENTATION PLAN / PHASES

• Phase 1 – Soft Open - April 2023 thru September 2023

  • Seek and secure investors to purchase Spalding Valley Farm.

  • Begin core farm activities

  • Begin recruiting fellow farmer-caretakers

  • Set up rough accommodations (including RV and tents) for up to 16 people 

  • Host first guest / learners on a donation basis

  • Build first bunky as test project. 

  • Continue to build online educational offering – aka The Lifeboat Network

  • Stretch goal: Host permaculture design course

• Phase 2 – Foundation Building - October 2023 thru March 2024

  • Purchase Spalding Valley Farm

  • Build additional bunkies (for a total of five) 

  • Build farm workshop

  • Augment kitchen / shared space to provide space for 6 farmer-caretakers and up to 10 guests

  • Produce detailed farm plan

  • Continue recruiting time-sharecroppers

  • Promote and expand guest / learner opportunities. 

  • Continue to support the development of the Lifeboat Network and the establishment of 100 new Lifeboats.

• Phase 3 – Proper Launch - April 2024 thru October 2024

  • All systems in place to gather baseline information for year 1 production. 

  • Begin to implement detailed farm plan. 

  • Establish targets for guests / learners with action plan. 

• Phase 4 - Ongoing November 2024 and beyond. 

  • Aim-Act-Reflect-Refine.

  • Continue to augment food production while reducing overall footprint. 

  • Continue to support the development of the Lifeboat Network and the establishment of 100 new Lifeboats. 

A more detailed implementation plan can be found in the Lifeboat Academy Business Model and expectations around income streams over time can be found in the Lifeboat Business Plan Financials.xlsx.

FAQ

1. Has this been vetted by a lawyer and/or investment specialist with success in this area? If so, highlight past experience accomplishments. 

• We are working with Heather Pritchard and Foodlands Coop of BC who have extensive experience with community-owned farms. They are able to vet much of the model relative to farming operations. 

• In addition, we have invited about half a dozen other people with legal and investment experience to review the materials - in addition to gathering feedback and questions from potential investors. 

• Once potential investors have consented to the particulars, we will have the final articles of incorporation reviewed by legal counsel. 

2. Do you have a rough idea of how the $2.5m will be raised?: 1/3, 1/3, 1/3? Would you be willing to look at other models? What is the status of the land and what, if any, limitations or opportunities might that present? 

See our Fundraising Pyramids: Investment Pyramids (1).png

3. This is an ambitious plan. What if it is not feasible due to lack of funds? Is there a scaled back option, or alternate plan?

Because this project is dependent on unrestricted access to property in perpetuity, there’s no way to do it on a leased property. The three previous iterations of the project were done on leased properties, and we encountered roadblocks on each of them. Current fundraising is successful enough that if we can’t make it work at 9891 Spalding Rd, Pender Island, we will seek another property. Some significant cost savings could be realized depending on available properties and/or finding a land-owner willing to donate part of all of the land to the project.