Hub Culture's new year member gathering in Trancoso, Bahia, drew members from the community for days of reflection and strategy against a backdrop of marvelous culture and networking. Trancoso is a popular destination for Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro residents looking for the ultimate get-away, but it also attracts an international audience looking to experience a refined approach to Brazilian life.

Rolling conversations throught the week included topics of inequality, a major subject of concern in Brazil. Through the lens of climate, the tension between the need for sustainability to be increased in society is met with resistance from the appetites of consumers who want to experience a better quality of life and the normal trappings of prosperous consumption. This leads to a growing problem - resources are being depleted at the same time demand for them is growing. 

This visualization is most acute with sensitive topics in Brazil about the relationship between nature (particularly the Amazon) and the need for consumption (particularly beef and cattle, a major cause of deforestation). How do we promote sustainability while ensuring that rising incomes enable citizens to enjoy the things those in the developed world take for granted, such as beef?

Over the course of days of informal conversations, participants leaned in on the need to identify projects for real development, and to find harmony with these projects through pledges of mutual support. Beyond equitability in Brazilian society other areas of desired action include workforce training, techn enablement, creative production and the scaling of investment into favelas and other low income areas to foster security and development. 

The Trancoso Accords are therefore a pledge between Hub Culture members to identify and support regional, national and local development through mutual cooperation, with individuals leading on projects with the support of the rest of the group. This support is achieved through mutual introductions, coordinated activity and brainstorming on solutions that will move the needle on the issues presented.