How nature-inspired gift economies could help communities and the planet, according to “serviceberry” author robin wall kimmerer

Renowned botanist and author Robin Wall Kimmerer is exploring how ancient principles of sharing and reciprocity found in nature could offer modern solutions to environmental challenges and community disconnection. In a recent interview with Living on Earth’s Jenni Doering, Kimmerer discussed insights from her latest book “The Serviceberry,” which builds on themes from her bestselling work “Braiding Sweetgrass.”

Kimmerer, who has spent decades studying the relationships between humans and the natural world, argues that gift economies—systems based on sharing resources rather than market transactions—could help reduce environmental strain while strengthening community bonds. These economic models, she suggests, mirror the reciprocal relationships observed in healthy ecosystems, where organisms give and receive in ways that benefit the whole system.

Drawing from both Indigenous wisdom and ecological science, Kimmerer’s vision of scaling gift economies offers a practical alternative to consumption-driven models that often deplete natural resources. Her approach emphasizes how sharing economies can provide people with greater purpose and connection while reducing the overall demand for new goods and services.

The interview highlights growing interest in alternative economic models as communities worldwide grapple with environmental degradation, social isolation, and resource scarcity. Kimmerer’s work provides a roadmap for how ancient principles of reciprocity and gift-giving could be adapted to address contemporary environmental and social challenges, suggesting that solutions to our planetary crisis may be found by learning from the natural world’s own sustainable systems.