Bridging from the Necessary to the Possible with Emily Harris of Dark Matter Labs

IF the present system is broken - and is in fact the heart of the meta-crisis - how can we transform peacefully to something that will work to create the future we'd want to leave behind? 

That's the core question of this podcast and so it was with great joy, that I found Dark Matter Labs. DML says of itself, "We’re working to create institutions, instruments and infrastructures for a more equitable, caring and sustainable future.

Around the planet, we’re feeling the consequences of outdated institutions and inadequate infrastructures incapable of coping with planetary-scale challenges. At Dark Matter, we believe in taking on these challenges via a new, civic economy. An economy that’s community-led, and based on many-to-many relationships. An economy that prioritises mental wellbeing and Nature-based Solutions as platforms for further change. We’re an ambitious not-for-profit designing and building the underlying infrastructure to support this new civic economy, exploring how ownership, legal systems, governance … might begin to change." 

Which sounds exactly like what we need in our world as we head to the edge of total transition - and exactly what this podcast is about. 

So I asked if there was someone I could talk to - and connected with Emily Harris. Emily is a Chartered Accountant. She also holds an MA in Regenerative Economics (Distinction) from Schumacher College and a BSc in Medical Sciences from Imperial College. She trained with Deloitte in London and was a manager in their Big Ticket Restructuring Team during the 2008 global financial crisis.
Prior to joining DML, Emily spent 11 years running her own consultancy business which took her all over the world and included a number of international CFO positions. 

In our current meta crisis, Emily has a view from both sides of one of our major divides - and now she's bringing all that experience, and a brilliantly sharp analytical mind to finding answers. Running after the conversations with Simon Michaux and Zahra Davidson, this feels like a further piece in the broader puzzle of how we are going to get from where we are, to where we need to be if we're going to create the future we want to leave behind. We spent a long time exploring Emily's background, so that I - and so you - would understand the depth she brings to this. And then we launched into what she's actually doing and it was really very inspiring.  There is hope, and Emily and the teams at DML are at the core of our potential.  Be ready to grasp the depth of the problem - and the many possibilities for change. 

Dark Matter Labs https://darkmatterlabs.org/
DML on Medium https://provocations.darkmatterlabs.org/
DML Medium on Financing Civic Transition https://provocations.darkmatterlabs.org/financing-city-transitions-a-public-civic-deep-code-innovation-challenge-9f2ef55b4bda
Nora Bateson Aphanipoiesis https://norabateson.medium.com/aphanipoiesis-96d8aed927bc
Gillian Tett Warrior Accountants Leading the Green Revolution https://youtu.be/jR0n8mekzro