Niamh Dutton Meaney has been researching nature based governance models on behalf of the Wild Pear directors,read her article below.
Nature on the Board
By Niamh Dutton Meaney
By Niamh Dutton Meaney
Recently, a new investor has entered the business market.
She is growing in relevance and fame. She’s found a new market for her ideas, one
people are struggling more and more to avoid. She has few representatives in
few global companies, but is being considered increasingly relevant as part of
every new professional venture: Nature.
Outdoor company Patagonia recently announced planet earth as their only share holder. House of Hackney a successful furniture design company has worked with Jessica Mond Wedd, an established lawyer for nature, to incorporate constitutional changes to their corporate structure that give nature a seat at the directors table. Shampoo company Faith in nature hold one meeting per month for which at least one nature representative has to be present. Natures seat at the table is guaranteed.
At Wild Pear CIC, in 2025 we are experimenting with ways to have nature represented in our governance. After some research, I have found some ideas for the directors to consider at our forthcoming Annual General Meeting. These take a variety of spiritual, economic and political, approaches, and are described below, with a few initial reactions from me.
The Council of All Beings, by Joanna Macy, where perhaps many ‘Nature on the board’ models have developed from, encourages its citizens to open their minds to the random connections and impulses of beings that appears in their mind’s eye. Whilst Wild Pear has not yet tried their methods of dressing and dancing like animals, I still support speaking from the core of a being that deserves a voice but wasn’t given that ability. Although more spiritual than other tactics, the commitment to a voice for nature is strong.
Zooperations, created by the organization Zoop, promote ecological regeneration by appointing a "speaker for the living" to mediate between human and non-human life. They ask organisations to sign up to the Zoop Foundation and methods, for a fee. I argue that the concept having ‘speakers for the living’, serves as an excellent framework for uniting companies worldwide to prioritise nature in decision-making. However the framework seems complicated and may not suit a small company like Wild Pear.
Organisms Democracy is a radical political idea that seeks to create a system in which power lies with all beings who exist within a civic state. They divide species into parliamentary subgroups, much like modern society. I, being part of the vertebrate’s parliamentary group, according to the website (whose asked if I prefer pickles or cucumbers to figure out if I am a human or a snail), do appreciate being at the top of the popularity list for living beings and perhaps consider this my favourite of the ideas. However, I’m not sure I can support having the same value placed on my votes as a chicken. This notion may be more successful as a metaphor than in practice.
Moral imagination harnesses the power of group imaginings to address the more beastly voices. They then aim to turn those moral imaginations into moral actions. Participants have been overwhelmed with the power and the success of the movement, which has caused increasing cooperation and radical kinship between humans and more than human worlds. I feel tentative about the security of this programme, but still appreciate its attempt at uniting us over more than material economies.
As a young writer, I am cautious to galvanize methods of work that haven’t been subject to much scientific research or my participation. However, I can’t deny the validity of the opinions of those who have participated in wearing a swan mask in the woods. Who am I to judge something I’ve never tried?
During my secondary education, nature came up as a topic more in my economics lessons than politics and psychology combined. According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), “giving nature a seat at the table” means integrating environmental considerations directly into decision-making processes. This involves recognizing the intrinsic value of nature and ensuring that ecological health is prioritized alongside economic and social factors. At Wild Pear, we see that taking this one step further so that nature has rights, and somehow a voice at the table, means that suddenly working in her favour is a key goal for a thriving business. Whilst businesses are driven to support nature, nature is driving businesses to innovate. I can’t think of a better symbiotic relationship to create economic and environmental success.
Outdoor company Patagonia recently announced planet earth as their only share holder. House of Hackney a successful furniture design company has worked with Jessica Mond Wedd, an established lawyer for nature, to incorporate constitutional changes to their corporate structure that give nature a seat at the directors table. Shampoo company Faith in nature hold one meeting per month for which at least one nature representative has to be present. Natures seat at the table is guaranteed.
At Wild Pear CIC, in 2025 we are experimenting with ways to have nature represented in our governance. After some research, I have found some ideas for the directors to consider at our forthcoming Annual General Meeting. These take a variety of spiritual, economic and political, approaches, and are described below, with a few initial reactions from me.
The Council of All Beings, by Joanna Macy, where perhaps many ‘Nature on the board’ models have developed from, encourages its citizens to open their minds to the random connections and impulses of beings that appears in their mind’s eye. Whilst Wild Pear has not yet tried their methods of dressing and dancing like animals, I still support speaking from the core of a being that deserves a voice but wasn’t given that ability. Although more spiritual than other tactics, the commitment to a voice for nature is strong.
Zooperations, created by the organization Zoop, promote ecological regeneration by appointing a "speaker for the living" to mediate between human and non-human life. They ask organisations to sign up to the Zoop Foundation and methods, for a fee. I argue that the concept having ‘speakers for the living’, serves as an excellent framework for uniting companies worldwide to prioritise nature in decision-making. However the framework seems complicated and may not suit a small company like Wild Pear.
Organisms Democracy is a radical political idea that seeks to create a system in which power lies with all beings who exist within a civic state. They divide species into parliamentary subgroups, much like modern society. I, being part of the vertebrate’s parliamentary group, according to the website (whose asked if I prefer pickles or cucumbers to figure out if I am a human or a snail), do appreciate being at the top of the popularity list for living beings and perhaps consider this my favourite of the ideas. However, I’m not sure I can support having the same value placed on my votes as a chicken. This notion may be more successful as a metaphor than in practice.
Moral imagination harnesses the power of group imaginings to address the more beastly voices. They then aim to turn those moral imaginations into moral actions. Participants have been overwhelmed with the power and the success of the movement, which has caused increasing cooperation and radical kinship between humans and more than human worlds. I feel tentative about the security of this programme, but still appreciate its attempt at uniting us over more than material economies.
As a young writer, I am cautious to galvanize methods of work that haven’t been subject to much scientific research or my participation. However, I can’t deny the validity of the opinions of those who have participated in wearing a swan mask in the woods. Who am I to judge something I’ve never tried?
During my secondary education, nature came up as a topic more in my economics lessons than politics and psychology combined. According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), “giving nature a seat at the table” means integrating environmental considerations directly into decision-making processes. This involves recognizing the intrinsic value of nature and ensuring that ecological health is prioritized alongside economic and social factors. At Wild Pear, we see that taking this one step further so that nature has rights, and somehow a voice at the table, means that suddenly working in her favour is a key goal for a thriving business. Whilst businesses are driven to support nature, nature is driving businesses to innovate. I can’t think of a better symbiotic relationship to create economic and environmental success.