• Reflecting on 100 Episodes and the Evolution of Latitude with Neal and Alissa Collins
    Apr 10 2024

    Neal and Alissa Collins are partners in business and life, and are co-founders of Latitude Regenerative Real Estate. As Neal recently passed the milestone of publishing the 100th episode of the Regenerative Real Estate Podcast, he and Alissa thought now was a great time for some reflection. Four years after starting the podcast and starting to build the field of Regenerative Real Estate, Neal and Alissa have accumulated a wealth of knowledge from guests and have enjoyed building a community of like-minded change agents. That learning has fed into their own business and profoundly influenced their efforts at feeding the “quadruple bottom line”—people, planet, profit, and purpose.

    Alissa and show host Neal discuss the lessons they have learned in 100 episodes of the podcast, including the inspiring authenticity of their guests and their varied efforts. And they explain the recent evolution of their business, as they shift their focus from real estate to ambitious purpose-driven projects. They detail two of those projects, including building an agrihood near Vancouver, British Columbia, which includes a sustainable fishery, and restoring an historical oceanfront lodge and inn overlooking the Olympic Mountains in Washington. Both projects center community, connection to land, and regenerative practices—and care carry exciting challenges around raising capital. To learn more, visit chooselatitude.com.


    ———————-
    At Latitude, we're more than a real estate firm; we're your partner in the transformation of homes, communities, and habitats towards healthy, resilient, and thriving communities.

    By combining specialized real estate consulting services with a creative agency model, we work with property stewards and developers on capital and fundraising strategies, team formation, branding, marketing, and sales.

    ---------
    Are you a professional wanting to create transformational outcomes with your work? Join the Regenerative Real Estate Community to get access to workshops, regenerative real estate investment opportunities, and connect to other leaders and culture creators within the greater real estate industry to create the impact you seek in your work.

    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Combining Conservation and Development with Doug Davis
    Mar 27 2024

    Doug Davis is a conservation-based real estate developer, self-proclaimed adrenaline junky, and co-founder of The Farm at Okefenokee. It is a legacy project that Doug plans to work on for decades to come, one that combines development and conservation. The Farm is on 705 acres near Folkston, Georgia, and will ultimately have 250 sustainably-built cabins among crop fields and farm animals that will produce high-quality food for its residents. The development is based on principles of regenerative agriculture, conservation, and a belief that a vibrant community needs “body heat”—people interacting in a lively way with each other and the land.

    Doug and show host Neal talk about Doug’s youth as a “hellion” obsessed with the outdoors, and they detail some of his great adventures surfing, hunting, and hiking. They trace his career path which began in construction, then progressed into engineering and finally development. Doug’s foundational love for nature has always informed his work, especially his conservation mitigation bank projects, which restore large wetlands to their pre-industrial state. They also discuss Doug’s journey launching The Farm and his and his team’s big plans for its future, which includes a restaurant, extensive regenerative farming, community events and classes, a swimming pond and dog park, and a series of small “villages,” each consisting of 25 cabins. You can follow along with Doug’s journey of living at The Farm and continuing to develop it on his Instagram and The Farm’s Instagram. You can also check out okefarm.com for more information.


    ———————-
    At Latitude, we're more than a real estate firm; we're your partner in the transformation of homes, communities, and habitats towards healthy, resilient, and thriving communities.

    By combining specialized real estate consulting services with a creative agency model, we work with property stewards and developers on capital and fundraising strategies, team formation, branding, marketing, and sales.

    ---------
    Are you a professional wanting to create transformational outcomes with your work? Join the Regenerative Real Estate Community to get access to workshops, regenerative real estate investment opportunities, and connect to other leaders and culture creators within the greater real estate industry to create the impact you seek in your work.

    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 28 mins
  • Finding Levers for Change with Lindsay Baker
    Mar 13 2024

    Lindsay Baker is a movement leader, author, and podcast host. Currently, she is the CEO of the International Living Future Institute, and her path there has been surprising and impressive. She started her career working at the US Green Building Council developing early standards for LEED, subsequently she was a researcher at UC Berkley, global head of sustainability at WeWork, member of Google’s Real Estate Sustainability Team, and co-founder of a smart buildings company. Throughout her winding career, she has been driven not by a desire to have a particular role but by a desire to effect as much change as possible at the intersection of buildings, climate, and human health. She seeks positions where she can access “levers for disproportionate change,” where she can make a major impact.

    Lindsay and show host Neal trace Lindsay’s mission-focused upbringing and professional career, including her childhood in Atlanta, formative years in college, and first job working on the LEED certification. They talk about her experience in Silicon Valley, at Google and WeWork, exploring her philosophy behind enacting change most effectively. They also touch on her current position at the International Living Future Institute, her experiences leading the organization through a period of significant change, including the pandemic and social justice movements, and the group’s future goals. For more information about her current work, visit living-future.org.


    ———————-
    At Latitude, we're more than a real estate firm; we're your partner in the transformation of homes, communities, and habitats towards healthy, resilient, and thriving communities.

    By combining specialized real estate consulting services with a creative agency model, we work with property stewards and developers on capital and fundraising strategies, team formation, branding, marketing, and sales.

    ---------
    Are you a professional wanting to create transformational outcomes with your work? Join the Regenerative Real Estate Community to get access to workshops, regenerative real estate investment opportunities, and connect to other leaders and culture creators within the greater real estate industry to create the impact you seek in your work.

    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 6 mins
  • Building a Passive House Community with Greg Hale
    Feb 28 2024

    Greg Hale is an expert on high performance and carbon-neutral buildings. He is one of the developers behind the Catskill Project, a 90-acre carbon-neutral community in upstate New York with homes designed to all passive house standards. The community, which is envisioned to eventually have 25 homes, sees itself as exemplifying the “future of living.” Greg has long been a forward thinker in the area of carbon neutral construction, and the Catskills Project is the culmination of a lifetime of environmentalism and sustainable development.

    Greg and show host Neal discuss Greg's path to starting a passive house community, from his formative years in the Adirondacks to his time working as a real estate lawyer. They also explore Greg’s decade-plus experience working for the government of New York State, including at the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). There, he was a part of the force behind some progressive environmental policies that aim to make New York carbon neutral by 2050. Finally, they dive into Greg’s current efforts with the Catskills Project, the challenges that come with building and marketing a passive house community, and their end vision for the 90-acre site. For more information about the Catskills Project, visit thecatskillproject.com.


    ———————-
    At Latitude, we're more than a real estate firm; we're your partner in the transformation of homes, communities, and habitats towards healthy, resilient, and thriving communities.

    By combining specialized real estate consulting services with a creative agency model, we work with property stewards and developers on capital and fundraising strategies, team formation, branding, marketing, and sales.

    ---------
    Are you a professional wanting to create transformational outcomes with your work? Join the Regenerative Real Estate Community to get access to workshops, regenerative real estate investment opportunities, and connect to other leaders and culture creators within the greater real estate industry to create the impact you seek in your work.

    Show more Show less
    54 mins
  • Designing a Connected World with Peter Block
    Feb 11 2024

    Peter Block is an author, organizational development consultant, and citizen of Cincinnati, Ohio. Among other books, he has written Flawless Consulting, Stewardship, The Answer to How Is Yes, Community, The Abundant Community, and An Other Kingdom. His work has centered around reclaiming our humanity in the relentless modern world. He has a deep belief in the central role that place and our relationship to it plays in our life—our happiness and our health.

    Peter and show host Neal discuss Peter's career from one of his earliest and most formative sparks of inspiration, as a graduate student thinking about how groups work together. In the conversation, they explore how our spaces and dominate cultural narratives can divide us, and how they can be shifted to bring us together. Peter also shares his approach to designing effective community meetings that bring the public into the process of development in a way that is measured, inclusive, and productive. He also talks about some of the projects and developments that are giving him hope, such as dividend housing and pocket neighborhoods. To learn more about Peter Block's work, visit PeterBlock.com.


    ———————-
    At Latitude, we're more than a real estate firm; we're your partner in the transformation of homes, communities, and habitats towards healthy, resilient, and thriving communities.

    By combining specialized real estate consulting services with a creative agency model, we work with property stewards and developers on capital and fundraising strategies, team formation, branding, marketing, and sales.

    ---------
    Are you a professional wanting to create transformational outcomes with your work? Join the Regenerative Real Estate Community to get access to workshops, regenerative real estate investment opportunities, and connect to other leaders and culture creators within the greater real estate industry to create the impact you seek in your work.

    Show more Show less
    57 mins
  • Mass Timber Construction with Nathan Helbach
    Jan 24 2024

    Nathan Helbach is a sustainable developer and the CEO of The Neutral Project. When he was in school working on a degree in sustainability, he came up with the idea to build carbon-neutral developments. Today, with The Neutral Project, he is working to make that dream a reality. Key to reducing the embodied carbon in these buildings was moving away from steel and concrete to mass timber. Currently, Nathan is behind the construction of what will be the tallest mass timber building in the world.

    Nathan and show host Neal discuss Nathan’s path to starting The Neutral Project, including his childhood experience helping his father with small projects in Madison and then in his early 20s, working for a traditional developer on hundreds of traditional stick frame buildings. Once Nathan got the idea to start a business dedicated to carbon-neutral construction, he started working against the inertia of routine and tradition. He had to learn how to acquire and build with mass timber, as well as follow passive house principles. Finally, they touch on the exciting future of The Neutral Project and the many developments they have in the works. To learn more, check out theneutralproject.com.


    ———————-
    At Latitude, we're more than a real estate firm; we're your partner in the transformation of homes, communities, and habitats towards healthy, resilient, and thriving communities.

    By combining specialized real estate consulting services with a creative agency model, we work with property stewards and developers on capital and fundraising strategies, team formation, branding, marketing, and sales.

    ---------
    Are you a professional wanting to create transformational outcomes with your work? Join the Regenerative Real Estate Community to get access to workshops, regenerative real estate investment opportunities, and connect to other leaders and culture creators within the greater real estate industry to create the impact you seek in your work.

    Show more Show less
    59 mins
  • Capital Conversation: Organic Financing with Brandon Welch
    Jan 9 2024

    Brandon Welch is the co-founder and CEO of Mad Capital, an investment fund dedicated to helping farmers transition from conventional to regenerative and organic agriculture. Brandon knew he wanted to do something to make a positive impact on society and the environment, and he found that the world of finance was the most powerful way for him to do so. Conventional practices are so deeply ingrained in the culture of agriculture and business of farms, that it takes a big leap of faith and lots of support for farmers to make the switch to adopt more regenerative practices. Welch and Mad Capital connect farmers that are willing to evolve with those that that want to invest in regeneration.

    Brandon and show host Neal discuss Brandon’s love for outdoor adventure and how a cross country camping trip led him to an internship at Hunter Lovins’ Natural Capitalism Solutions. They trace his path to staring Mad Capital and raising millions of dollars to provide famers with funding to switch from conventional to organic agriculture. They touch on the obstacles to inspiring change in an old industry that’s done things the same way for generations, as well as the creative solutions that connect investors wanting to make a difference in our food system with farmers open to a change. To learn more about Brandon's work, visit MadCapital.com.


    ———————-
    At Latitude, we're more than a real estate firm; we're your partner in the transformation of homes, communities, and habitats towards healthy, resilient, and thriving communities.

    By combining specialized real estate consulting services with a creative agency model, we work with property stewards and developers on capital and fundraising strategies, team formation, branding, marketing, and sales.

    ---------
    Are you a professional wanting to create transformational outcomes with your work? Join the Regenerative Real Estate Community to get access to workshops, regenerative real estate investment opportunities, and connect to other leaders and culture creators within the greater real estate industry to create the impact you seek in your work.

    Show more Show less
    42 mins
  • Reviving Public Spaces with Mark Lakeman
    Dec 15 2023

    Mark Lakeman is an architect, placemaker, and urban planner. He is the founder and design director of Communitecture, and the co-founder of both the City Repair Project and Village Building Convergence. He believes that public spaces play a foundational role in human society. However with relatively recent colonial systems they have been subdued and replaced by a grid system that connects cars and commerce but not so much people. Now, he is working to revive them by breaking through the cultural inertia and bureaucracy that works to maintain the status quo.

    Mark and show host Neal discuss the profound impact that Mark's parents had on him—one an urban planner and the other a researcher studying public spaces in ancient cities. After a few years working in traditional architecture firms, he became disillusioned with their values and traveled the world learning how contemporary indigenous villages were organized. Since then, he's been committed to turning Portland into a place full of lively communal spaces and town squares through placemaking activities—like Little Free Libraries, a concept that he helped create himself. For more on Mark's work, visit communitecture.net, cityrepair.org, and villagebuildingconvergence.com.

    And check out our Latitude spotlights highlighted at the top of the episode.

    Latitude Change Agent spotlight: Mark Voss

    Ecosystem Directory partner spotlight: EcoNest Architecture and Paula Baker Laport's new book "Prescriptions for a Healthy House"



    ———————-
    At Latitude, we're more than a real estate firm; we're your partner in the transformation of homes, communities, and habitats towards healthy, resilient, and thriving communities.

    By combining specialized real estate consulting services with a creative agency model, we work with property stewards and developers on capital and fundraising strategies, team formation, branding, marketing, and sales.

    ---------
    Are you a professional wanting to create transformational outcomes with your work? Join the Regenerative Real Estate Community to get access to workshops, regenerative real estate investment opportunities, and connect to other leaders and culture creators within the greater real estate industry to create the impact you seek in your work.

    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 13 mins