People feel more powerless in 2025 than ever before. The aspirational class that once moved from working to middle or higher, see themselves being relegated whatever they try to do. They are trudging along the treadmill, increasingly isolated from what an advanced society should be. We may be in the orange age but the tech bro millennial clown car is still driving us down the highway to hell.
Alas this will only get worse thanks to the unchecked rise of powerful oligarchs, their corporations and therefore their increasing influence on a economic system When markets go flat or new opportunities arise they swallow them or divide them up within cartels of self interest with no moral compass beyond greed and ongoing extractive rent-seeking monopoly powers.
This presents a significant challenge to small businesses, innovators, and individuals seeking a fair slice of the pie, interested more in sufficient independence and resilience. These are the innovators, they foster competition and grow our economies by sharing the wealth rather than extracting and moaning about the small taxes they don’t pay including VAT . Even tax is not a dirty word if we want healthy infrastructure rich consumer economies full of people who can buy stuff.
You see in the era of Oligarchs only PR, hype and spin matter, because centralised wealth and power are concentrated in the hands of a few. Therefore competition is actually stifled, important breakthroughs not made unless it fits with vested interests. The needs of people and the planet are overlooked as the lies pile up before our eyes. A Venture Capitalist or Private Equity Group can make fortunes on a pump and dump while the Engineers and skilled tradesmen building bridges get little reward beyond seeing their former job stand the test of time.
This unfair dynamic has lead to a growing sense of helplessness and isolation in our lives, making it seem impossible for individuals and communities to thrive. For a reducing stake we are being hollowed out by take, make and break. This wasteful model is draining people and planet. This linear approach is all about extraction with no accountability or long-term interest beyond a small circle of self interest. We need a different just and proper circular economy
With great people and partnerships now in place we discovered and devised something for good based on working in the right circles. This current circle of self interest is within a Venn diagram that makes up the elite bubble. This is so detached from reality and, therefore global needs, but, it serves the Oligarchs, elites and the politicians and other enablers. I have a ‘theory of circles’ that I never put on-line because it would work its way to the cartel via fair use training and of course be picked up by influencers eager for cheap likes.
Let that sink in, our IP creativity and entire history of knowledge has already been mined to be modified and regurgitated back to us. Any new ‘stuff’ is fair game in the era of the greed feed need, pretty instantly circulated around the echo chamber of social media platforms thanks to lazy influencing forces using bots. We may think we are entering a new era of free speech but if the algorithm dictates whether you are seen or heard beyond it’s own pervasive need.
So with this in mind, through my three not for profits we apply everything to circular economy and the 9Rs and then close the loop. A rocket needs a lot of money and resources to get it into space but once in orbit it’s plain sailing, the gift that keeps on giving.
At Sow Study Sustain, through Ecolearn CIC, we believe that the answer lies in community wealth building. We recognise the immense potential of collective action and the power of shared expertise. By working together, sharing best practices, and pooling resources, we can create a robust and sustainable alternative to what we see as the new digital feudal matrix – a system where technology, data and central bank digital currency are used to concentrate power and control. Thus supply and demand can be programmed to influence what you buy and when you buy, the money and therefore consumption choice can be planned or retired.
Our approach fosters a sense of belonging and hope, empowering individuals and communities to take control of their own destinies and build a more equitable future. Our work Sow Study Sustain idea embodies this collaborative philosophy. We are not just creating a circular food model, with poly and netted tunnel and a fruit forest; we are building a model for a circular economy. This means minimising waste, maximising resource utilisation and creating a system where every one and every thing has value.
At the heart of this system is our open pollenated seed bank, which will not only preserve traditional varieties of fruits and vegetables but also safeguard the knowledge and skills associated with their cultivation. We only use open-pollinated seeds, ensuring that these vital resources remain accessible and adaptable to local conditions rather than relying on the 6 member cartel that current dictate and pollute our food in association another 11 strong cartel that runs the supply chain. The Sow Study Sustain commitment to traditional food-ways and agricultural practices strengthens community resilience and promotes food sovereignty.
Beyond the fruit forest and seed bank, we are actively developing a West Midlands digital inclusion model. Where better than Birmingham, the former city of a thousand trades and now the most excluded. This initiative addresses the growing digital divide by providing training in essential technology skills and repurposing computers and mobile devices. By giving these devices a second life, we reduce e-waste and provide affordable access to technology for those who need it most. This program not only empowers individuals with valuable skills but also promotes environmental sustainability.
Our Community wealth building through energy is a slow burner thanks to the cartel. The two fuels that drives are economy are money and energy. Give our communities the latter and we would have the former too. Rent-seekers are not going to share are they? It is also strange, when it comes to to natural and sustainable green energy, that everyone preaches cutting red tape yet puts in regulations that protect big business by erecting barriers to market entry for small more agile innovators.
The principle of circularity is fundamental to everything we do. By closing the loop in any system, whether it’s related to food production, energy, resource management or technology access, we reduce costs, enhance sustainability, and create a “gift that keeps on giving” for present and future generations. Tech and finance has bled every other industry to syphon money to the most over remunerated oligarchs on the planet. They will just want to rent-seek to get more and more. But the theory of circles starting with an interconnected approach demonstrates how community-driven initiatives can offer a powerful and sustainable path towards greater independence, resilience. This translates to a more just and equitable society that enables and involves the billions of people who have been alenated and therefore excluded.
We invite you to join us in building this future, one seed, one tree, one digital device, one house, one street, one community at a time.