Systemic Cycles, a cycling journey towards resilient regenerative futures
Systemic Cycles is a (multiple-) day (bicycle) tour that explores a region through slow physical movement, by bicycle, kayak, ski, by foot, supported by public transport. With a curious and systems-activated mindset, we ask informed questions, map relations, and share experiences. Through dialogic repetition, SC transforms systems over time by asking questions to local people, to the land, and to oneself, about land use, supply chains, linear and circular flows, and the potential for future bioregional economies. From these we launch new relations building and initiate joint dialogic activities.
SC mainly serves the following functions:
Shifting from sightseeing to insight-seeing forms of exploring, activity and tourism.
Nudging processes of bio-regional weaving towards more circular economies and ultimately regenerative cultures.
Offering a playful experience of a moving social adventure as alternative didactics on learning systemic design, and as a journey to our inner self.
What issue does your project address, and why do you want to tackle it?
Systemic Cycles is a methodology to spur regeneration and bioregionalism through weaving, the conscious process of connecting people, places, projects, land use, businesses, with the aim to evolve regenerative bioregional economies. SC addresses planetary socio-environmental challenges with a focus on tourism’s positive potential to serve as a connector between diverse economic sectors: SC nudges more diverse, resilient bio-economies where alternate touristic activities weave circular flows of materials, water, energy, finances, and of social kind.
What is your project about and how does it make tourism in the Alps future-proof?
SC as a tourism activity “+” joyfully explores with the missionary engagement to weave circular sustainable initiatives. We activate our curiosity through asking systemic questions to local people, enjoy local food, and sketch circular supply chains. SC connects participants with the bioregion and local actors to interact, to learn, to enact in (visual) dialogue, and to co-design more resilient regenerative systems. SC is the transition from consumer-oriented to a collaborative form of tourism.
How do you measure your project's success?
Through SC we weave people, places and projects to ramp up initiatives in the direction of regeneration. A growing number of guided SC tours in many regions activates the mutual curiosities of participants, of visited actors and companies, to learn and understand more about the places where we move and interact. This activates individuals and organisations to look at the existing with a trained eye for holistic circularity and regenerative design, which builds new relations of different types, a
Who are the people behind the project and what is your secret to a great collaboration?
Tobias Luthe and Martin Schütz are co-founders and trainers of SC. Benjamin Marias, Michael Grimm, Sylwia Orczykowska are SC guides and part of our team who manages and develops SC. We all work with the Living Systems Lab MonViso Institute, the legal body holding Systemic Cycles. Our team is also involved in offering the ETH Zurich learning program “Designing Resilient Regenerative Systems” in which SC is a key didactic with a global outreach. We have been friends for many years, we share the passion for sports, nature, sustainability, arts, and more.
