About Marcus Sheffer

This author has not yet filled in any details.
So far Marcus Sheffer has created 21 blog entries.

Evolving the Field – Part 1

By |2023-08-25T21:31:12+00:00August 25th, 2023|Categories: Process, Thinking|

The excerpt below comes from the final chapter of our book, The Integrative Design Guide to Green Building: Redefining the Practice of Sustainability. This chapter foreshadows where we were headed then and speaks to what it is we are really working on now. A TRANSFORMATIONAL PROCESS The bottom line is that we need to change the field of development. In the bigger picture we need to change the way that human beings inhabit the planet. The good news is that our experience has taught us that the process of integration is by nature a transformational process. Recently we went back through our work history to identify those projects that were truly successful—that is, those that achieved higher-order sustainability goals on time and in budget. [...]

Read More
 0

Does LEED add Value to your Projects?

By |2023-08-25T18:09:03+00:00August 25th, 2023|Categories: Process|

In your previous experience with LEED has it added value to the project beyond attaining the owner’s goal of achieving certification and receiving a plaque? Or in your previous experience has LEED felt like more of a paper shuffling exercise with a convoluted set of rules and requirements? We hold the strong conviction that LEED has the potential to add considerable value to the project’s design if engaged with the right mindset and process. An integrative process entails a deliberate attempt on the part of the design team to examine the interrelationship between the building’s various system in an attempt to optimize the performance of the whole. This examination can often yield reductions in first costs as well as operating costs but examines value [...]

Read More
 0

Manifesting Quiddity

By |2021-10-20T16:24:54+00:00October 13th, 2021|Categories: Thinking|

“Nobody is superior, nobody is inferior, but nobody is equal either. People are simply unique, incomparable. You are you, I am I. I have to contribute my potential to life; you have to contribute your potential to life. I have to discover my own being; you have to discover your own being.” - Osho You are entirely unique. In the whole history of human kind there is no one like you. Even identical twins are absolutely idiosyncratic. One of one, unlike no other. All other living beings are also entirely unique. The same can be said for all livings systems such as ecosystems, communities, neighborhoods and organizations. In fact, each place on Earth is beautifully distinct from every other. “Essence is the irreducible core [...]

Read More
 2

Regenerative Evocation

By |2021-03-31T20:21:52+00:00March 31st, 2021|Categories: Learning, Thinking|

Evocation: the act of bringing or recalling a feeling, memory, or image to the conscious mind. In order for us to evolve, we must recognize the trauma and resulting limiting beliefs we hold that prevents us from coming into our wholeness as human beings. We need to evoke our own regenerative capacity and capabilities if we are to heal ourselves and the traumas we inflict on one another and the other than human beings of this world. Healthy living systems are constantly evolving. They remain healthy by aligning their evolution with the principles of nature. The same can be said for people, communities, organizations, and any human focused system (like the way we produce and consume food). Aligning the way people think, with the [...]

Read More
 0

Webworking

By |2021-02-25T16:37:27+00:00February 2nd, 2021|Categories: Organism|

 “The web of life both cradles us and calls us to weave it further.” — Joanna Macy At the heart of 7group’s essence is a web of interrelationships. From the very beginning, we have woven individuals and organizations into a loose, rather organic form, a set of relationships aligned around a direction for a particular purpose – transforming how we are thinking to align with the way nature works. We view the growth and development of our company as a living system, trying to be native and contributory to our place and not behave in invasive ways, not seeking to grow for the sake of growth in an effort to dominate and “weed” out the competition. We are not competitive; therefore, we have no [...]

Read More
 2

Working with Wholes

By |2021-11-15T18:29:30+00:00December 14th, 2020|Categories: Story, Thinking|

"Mythologist Joseph Campbell once said, "People who don’t have a concept of the whole can do very unfortunate things." But the corollary is rarely considered: People who understand the whole can do very fortunate things." - Linda Booth Sweeney Humans possess the capacity to think in wholes – to see whole systems at work. Our ancient ancestors did so without the aid of our current dependence on machines. Everything in creation was viewed as inter-related and connected. Then a new story emerged, slowly and then almost all at once. This new story focused on the idea of separation instead of connection. It tells us that humans are simply rational actors behaving in our own self-interest, ultimately seeking to transcend this world for a better [...]

Read More
 0

Regenerating the Essence of Walnut Acres

By |2021-07-02T14:54:39+00:00June 15th, 2020|Categories: Project|

If you are not familiar with the story of Walnut Acres, this farm was one of the original organic farms in Pennsylvania. Founded by Paul and Betty Keene, Walnut Acres was a true pioneer in the organic food movement, and an revelation to thousands of people for over 50 years.  The farm was forced to close about 20 years ago but the original property has been reacquired and is seeking a rebirth into something new which honors the original legacy. You can find out more about the original farm and the new project here. The article below was published in the inaugural newsletter for the Keene Center at Walnut Acres. 7group is honored to play a small part in the regeneration of  Walnut Acres! The [...]

Read More
 3

Becoming Regenerative – GreenCon 2019

By |2021-07-02T14:49:19+00:00April 1st, 2019|Categories: Learning|

Regenerative is not something you do, it is something you become. Everyone we have met wants to work on something that positively contributes to some good in the world, some higher purpose beyond just meeting their own individual needs. We believe that this is an innate quality of human nature. Of course circumstances in one's life can shift this need and turn it inward but we are all born with this quality of caring for something bigger than just ourselves. Doing this work in the world requires that we work with others in community or in organizations. This ultimately requires that you work on yourself. We generally don't become something different without working on ourselves. One of the foundational regenerative frameworks we use is [...]

Read More
 0

Regenerative

By |2019-03-25T15:49:52+00:00March 19th, 2019|Categories: Thinking|

The entirety of our world is alive! We are a part of, and integral to this living, breathing, moving, speaking, listening, touching, defecating, squirming, decomposing, growing, interacting, complex whole of Life. We are surrounded by, immersed in, and a part of the living world. We co-inhabit a living planet in reciprocal relationship with all other living beings. Without our fellow beings we would not long survive. We depend on other beings to pollinate plants, produce food, provide air to breath, clean water, regulate climate, decompose waste, make edible matter from sunlight and living soil, manifest beauty and soothe our soul. “The opposite of nature is impossible.” – Buckminster Fuller It seems, though, that we have forgotten this, as if we are trying to remake [...]

Read More
 5

The Evolution of 7group

By |2019-03-25T15:47:41+00:00February 1st, 2019|Categories: Organism, Thinking|

As we continually regenerate 7group our beliefs, philosophy and principles evolve. Here is the latest evolution of our thinking. The System we are seeking to Transform: Processes that develop the interactions between human world views, the built environment, and living systems. Belief:  “Humans are nature” Processes for developing how humans create and inhabit built environments can regenerate life. Human world views evolve through processes of exchange. The built environment has the potential for regenerating life. All life is sacred. Philosophy:  “Everyone plays a valuable role” Use every project and interaction as an instrument for developing our own and others’ capacity to engage regenerative thinking/doing/being with caring and compassion. Principles:  “The built environment serves as an instrument for regenerating life” Develop regenerative thinking . . [...]

Read More
 0
© Copyright 2017 - | 7group | All Rights Reserved |
Facebook
Go to Top