Welcome to our playground

New Now Labs is a playful container for small social experiments, to help create spaces that foster connection and well-being. This arises out of our belief that in order to create a socially just and ecologically sustainable society together, we must change the central 'story' or paradigm of our culture from one of separation and disconnection to one of being rooted in the awareness of our profound interconnection.

We're especially interested in simplicity with these experiments—what are the simplest, still-effective ways of helping us have a lived experience of being in connection with ourselves, one another, and all that is? And simple enough to allow us to easily return to that experience again and again?

Weekend Wisdom was our first such experiment. Our newest is The Reading Room. We will post more on these, soon, including guidance for how you can join the Lab by hosting them yourself!

Why all the fuss about connection?

It is through awareness of our interconnection with any being or any thing that we are able to access our empathy (and vice versa). Together, empathy and having a sense of our interconnection are what enable us to view other people, non-human lives and the larger planetary systems that host us all with new eyes--ultimately opening the possibility for a shift in our perspectives, behaviors and relationships. Said another way, a shift in the ways we think about, design, make, and do everything.

The idea is to shift away from ways that are (often unintentionally) damaging--ways which give us social injustice and ecological un-sustainability--and towards ways that are just and sustainable. In other words, to shift towards better futures.

birds photo by Jonathan Malm from Mopho.to