There are four important aspects to the general profile of a Speaker for the Living:
1 Potential Speakers for the Living have ecological knowledge and some experience with the ecosystems in which their Zoöp participates. They know how to listen to the voices and interests of other-than-human life - these interests are mostly qute concrete. They include having places to live (habitat), food and chances at forming relations.
2 Humans that can become a Speaker for the Living do not think along the divide between nature and culture, but consider themselves part of the living world. They have developed an ecocentric attitude. Potential Speakers for the Living take for granted that ecological regeneration is essential for all life (including human life); that humans and human organisations are part of the living world and can learn how to contribute to ecological regeneration.
3 Possible Speakers for the Living should also be able to work with humans in organisations and help them get a feel for ecological relations.
4 The person that can become a Speaker for the Living in your organisation, should also know something about the kind of work your organisation does - in other words: should have some domain knowledge of the Zoöp in which they will take up the role of Speaker for the Living.
Furthermore, a Speaker for the Living can never be an employee in their own Zoöp, because they need to be able to give independent advice. A Speaker for the Living is paid by the Zoönomic Foundation.
Zoöp and B-Corp both work on the transformation of our economic practice, but do so in different ways.
B-Corp is a certificate that indicates that an organisating meets a set of high standards for social, environmental and governance aspects.
Zoöp is a certificate that indicates that an organisation has implemented the organisation model with the Speaker for the Living and has formally comitted to follow to learning process of the zoönomic annual cycle.
A Zoöp begins with reading the current qualities of the eco-social relations of the organisation and is aimed at continuous improvement of these relations. Every Zoöp maintains different relations and therefore needs to set is own goals and implement the necesary interventions to improve these relations. A Zoöp has as eventual goal to learn how to become symbiotic with the ecocsystems in which it participates.
B-Corp has one defined set of standard that applies to every organisation. If these standards are met, an organisation can become a B-Corp and is not asked to develop further.
Zoöp is a organisation model, B-Corp isn't.
B-Corp is mostly oriented on companies ('corporations'). Zoöp is also directed towards educational institutions, founcations, coöperations, governance bodies et cetera.
If you compare the aims of the Zoöp with the SDG’s (Social Development Goals), you’ll notice that Zoöp fully aligns with goals number 11 (Sustainable Cities), 13 (Climate Action), 14 (Life below water) and 15 (Life on Land). In the practice of a Zoöp, the work on these issues automatically also contributes to goal 3 (Good Health and Wellbeing) and Goal 6: (Clean Water and Sanitation.) As Zoöp you follow the zoönomic annual cycle, which ensures that you pursue your goals as much as possible in an integrated manner, and not as separate issues with independent solutions.
There are two of the SDG’s to which we feel we could add a remark. First to Goal 8 (Economic growth: promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all): This kind of economic growth can certainly be a goal for organisations in the global south, but we think organisations in the global north need to find a path towards an economic practice that is not dependent on growth anymore. About Goal 9 (Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation); the way industrialisation is understood until now is thoroughly destructive for ecosystems. This needs to change: so the innovation aspect of this goal should serve the transformation of the practice of industry as we know it, towards a practice that supports ecosystems.