A conversation with Louis De Jaeger, international keynote speaker, author, award-winning filmmaker, and landscape designer, about dreams, action, and storytelling—how to reach and touch people. We discuss why storytelling is highly underrated and underfunded, and why he is organizing a festival—not the next Burning Man, but a regeneration festival.
He shares his excitement about small water cycle restoration, the biotic pump, and much more. And in the end, it all boils down to one simple message: Eat More Trees.
During his 5-year sabbatical that turned into a lifelong mission to regenerate landscapes, Louis’ revelation came during world travels where he witnessed environmental degradation firsthand—monoculture landscapes so depressing “you want to drive against a tree, but there are no trees.” This observation sparked his mission to regenerate 550 million hectares of land globally, potentially cooling our planet by two degrees Celsius.
Beyond the environmental benefits, Louis paints a compelling vision of a regenerative future characterized by abundance rather than sacrifice. “We’re going to have an even more luxurious lifestyle, we’re going to have better food that tastes fantastic” he assures us. His approach isn’t about shaming people into environmentalism but showing how regenerative practices create healthier, more desirable lives.
STORYTELLING IS HIGHLY UNDERRATED AND UNDERFUNDED
Louis highlights the disparity in funding between destructive industries and regenerative narratives, emphasizing how well-funded destructive agendas dominate storytelling, while regenerative solutions struggle for visibility.
“People with destructive agendas have so much money generated from their businesses, which they invest in amplifying their voices. If you achieve healthy soils or human health, there’s little to sell—healthy people don’t need expensive treatments. The storytelling gap is my biggest pet peeve. Look at ‘Merchants of Doubt’—they use playbooks to spread doubt, just like Big Oil and Big Ag. We need funding to counterbalance this.” Louis De Jaeger
MAKING DOCUMENTARIES AND WRITING BOOKS
Louis explains his shift from activism to storytelling as a way to inspire action. He believes documentaries and books empower people with hope and actionable solutions.
“I meet people weekly who say, ‘I changed everything after watching Kiss the Ground or The Biggest Little Farm.’ If stories like that shift lives, I’ll make documentaries. My first book was a manual for my 18-year-old self—to equip people with arguments to fight for regeneration. It’s about spreading seeds of change.” Louis De Jaeger
WHY “EAT MORE TREES” IS SO POWERFUL
Tree planting is linked to planetary cooling and water cycle restoration. Louis argues that food-producing trees can heal ecosystems while providing income, bridging ecology and economy.
“If we double the Amazon rainforest (550M hectares), we cool the planet by 2°C. Trees sweat, creating rain—one in two raindrops there comes from trees. Eating trees isn’t just carbon—it’s about income for farmers, cooling landscapes, and unf**ing the water cycle. It’s the golden nugget for survival.” Louis De Jaeger
“We all deserve to eat healthy food. It’s not fair that only people with a certain income bracket can go to an organic shop And buy food that hasn’t been sprayed with poison. It’s not fair. You shouldn’t be Happy with that. We need a revolution”. – Louis De Jaeger
ORGANIZING A REGEN FESTIVAL
Louis envisions a festival blending regeneration work with celebration. The goal is to tackle eco-anxiety by letting participants actively heal land by day and enjoy music by night.
“Imagine a Burning Man for regeneration: 5,000 people spend days planting check dams or food forests, then party. We leave landscapes better than we found them. It’s a franchise model—steward-owned, spreading globally. Party your way to regeneration? That’s irresistible storytelling.” Louis De Jaeger
WHAT IS THE STORYTELLING GAP
The storytelling gap is the imbalance between destructive and regenerative narratives. Louis stresses the need for funding to amplify solutions and counter well-funded misinformation.
“Destructive industries invest billions in lobbying and doubt-spreading. In Brussels or D.C., they’re paid storytellers pushing agendas. Regenerative stories lack funding—healthy soils don’t sell pills. We need creativity and money to flood the ether with hope. Without it, we’re whispering in a hurricane.” Louis De Jaeger
OTHER POINTS DISCUSSED
Koen and Louis also talked about:
- Water cycle’s cooling mechanisms
- Economic barriers for young farmers
- Ikigai and aligning personal purpose
LINKS:
- Louis De Jaeger
- Eat More Trees Documentary
- Commensalist
- Flying River
- Flying River Observed in Tallest Structure in South America
- Ikigai
- The Town That Banned Pesticides
- Merchants of Doubt – Book
- Merchants of Doubt – Movie
- Leadership Lessons from Dancing Guy
- Nature Is Speaking – Edward Norton is The Soil | Conservation International
LINKED INTERVIEWS:
- Water cycle series
- Millán Millán – Farm water at its proper scale
- Anastassia Makarieva – Healthy forests invest their capital to create their own rain
- Hervé Dupied – Want to change the €387 billion EU CAP? Invest in the regen farmers who against all odds are successful
- Stijn Markusse – Raising €4M in 72 hours to scale boring distribution and storytelling
- Kadir van Lohuizen – Walking the museum full of Food for Thought
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The above references an opinion and is for information and educational purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice.