Colorful illustration of a vegetable garden with the text 'The Island Almanac' surrounded by a sun, tomato, carrot, lettuce, flower, and a small solar panel.


“We weave ideas, scribe forward, align with life and create connection.”
— Dr Demeter | Emily Samuels-Ballantyne

Covering topics on Foundational Economics, Convivial Governance, Anthroposophic Philosophy & Everyday Regeneration in Tasmania

Overview
The Island Almanac is a living compendium of stories, tools and place-based examples that weave together foundational economics, anthroposophic wisdom and the rhythms of everyday life. Rooted in the soils of Tasmania and flowering from Magical Farm Tasmania. Across its pages you’ll find:

  • Practical essays on redirecting public and private wealth into community resilience

  • Anthroposophical reflections on seasonal rhythms, ritual and soul-led innovation

  • Tasmanian case studies from coastal hamlets to mountain valleys

  • Project spotlights on island-wide initiatives, from seed libraries to solar co-ops.

    Living Architecture: A dynamic framework of interconnected practices, food, housing, energy, governance, culture, activism and economics that grows, adapts and breathes like an ecosystem, rather than standing as static policy or infrastructure. These seven pillars form the Living Architecture of Regen Era Design Studio & The Island Almanac: integrating heart, head & hands to power a truly regenerative future.

    1. Food, Plants and Planets

    2. Housing and Natural Building

    3. Energy

    4. Community Life, Learning & Culture

    5. Sacred Activism

    6. Convivial Governance

    7. Regenerative Economic Design.

Wildflowers growing in a field with a backdrop of trees and a partly cloudy sky.
Emily Samuels-Ballantyne Emily Samuels-Ballantyne

Ecological Mind Activism

This article challenges the dominant narrative of environmental activism by reframing the krill crisis through the deeper lens of food systems, ecological identity and regenerative community practice. It argues that industrial krill extraction is not only an oceanic tragedy, but a symptom of depleted soils, hollow food cultures and lifestyles disconnected from place. Drawing on Tasmanian case studies and place-based scenarios, the piece offers an imaginal pathway where nutrient-dense local foods, herbal traditions, community renewal schemes and land-sea reciprocity dissolve the demand for krill-based supplements altogether.

The article critiques the performative tendencies of modern activism: the adrenaline, spectacle and “thrill to save krill” and calls for a new paradigm grounded in slowness, competence and systemic cultivation. Integrating Freya Matthews’ ecological self theory with the author’s Convivial Self theory, it introduces Ecological Mind Activism: an approach where activists embody the ecological mind while practicing the convivial skills needed to regenerate community systems, redirect public funds toward life-enhancing projects and rebuild local food autonomy.

Through the work of Regen Era Design Studio, the article demonstrates how these principles can be applied in real places, offering practical tools for moving beyond resistance into renewal. Ultimately, it argues that environmental action must evolve from fighting extraction to cultivating the cultural and ecological conditions that render extraction unnecessary, inviting a shift from performance to praxis, from urgency to attunement, and from crisis to regeneration.

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