Community & Culture
Kinship, belonging, identity, language, ceremony and traditions. The relational and cultural foundation.
Our approach
Understand. Align. Develop. Act.
COASTAL maps the community economy. STEWARD guides leadership decisions. The 12 modules provide the curriculum. CIRCLE guides the development process, and OPPORTUNITY structures the business case throughout.
The COASTAL framework
See the whole
community economy.
Seven domains of a regenerative community economy on the Sunshine Coast, BC.
Explore how these domains connect, where resources and value flow, and which opportunities could strengthen your community.
Organisations & Governance
Enterprises, governance structures and institutions.
Agriculture & Food
Farms, forestry for food, greenhouses, soil health and food sovereignty.
Skills & Health
Education, training, capacity building, land-based healing, wellbeing and second chances.
Tourism & Experience
Cultural tourism, land-based experiences, retreats, immersive learning and hospitality.
Assets & Resources
Built environment, infrastructure, processing equipment, waste streams and the circular economy.
Land & Sea
Forest, ocean, territory, watersheds and ecological stewardship.
The STEWARD framework
Seven principles.
A practical foundation.
Seven principles of Indigenous regenerative leadership.
S
Strengthen Community
Build kinship, belonging and shared responsibility.
T
Think in Generations
Seven generations thinking.
E
Enable Local Economies
Financial viability and value circulating locally.
W
Work with Purpose
Meaningful contribution and dignity through work.
A
Advance Reconciliation
Partnerships, reconciliation, building trust and working together for shared wins.
R
Regenerate Resources
Nothing wasted. Every stream becomes something.
D
Design with Nature
Build with ecological systems in mind.
The CIRCLE process
From context
to a viable opportunity.
The core sequence connects shared purpose, partnership decisions and commercial evidence with delivery and growth.
Clarify Context
Map local resources, assets, needs and constraints. Understand what matters locally and define the opportunity to investigate.
Output: A clear starting point
What problem are we solving, for whom, and what evidence do we have?
Inspire Vision
Explore possibilities across food, energy, water, land, materials, infrastructure, culture and enterprise. Agree values and desired outcomes.
Output: A shared direction
What would success mean for people, prosperity and the planet?
Rally the Team
Establish authority, ownership, decision-making, partners and responsibilities. Bring the people affected by the opportunity into the work.
Output: Commitment and a workable partnership
Who needs to participate, who decides, and how will benefits and responsibilities be shared?
Create Solutions
Develop options and test demand, supply, revenue, operating requirements, capital, cash flow and risk. Prioritise a practical first phase.
Output: An initial business case
Which option could work commercially, and what assumptions still need testing?
Launch and Learn
Plan and implement a first phase when the evidence and approvals support it. Measure commercial, community and environmental outcomes.
Output: Evidence to refine the model
What must we learn before making the next investment?
Expand and Evolve
Use results to improve, adapt and consider growth. Return to Clarify Context as conditions and community priorities change.
Output: A justified next phase
What does the evidence justify expanding, changing or revisiting?
Return to Clarify Context as the work evolves. Each cycle builds on what you learn.
A workshop can take your team through Create Solutions, producing an initial business case and a plan for Launch and Learn. Implementation and follow-up build the evidence for Expand and Evolve.
The OPPORTUNITY business case
Give your idea
a practical business case.
Use OPPORTUNITY throughout CIRCLE to record demand, resources, economics, ownership, delivery, risk and impact. Develop the case as evidence grows.
- O
Overview
Opportunity, context and vision.
- P
Processing
Feedstock supply, approach, existing infrastructure and site.
- P
Products
Revenue streams, market viability and route to market.
- O
Operating Model
People, process, technology, equipment and infrastructure requirements.
- R
Risk
Risk and mitigation.
- T
Team
Leadership, partners and governance.
- U
Unique Structure
Legal structure and ownership model.
- N
Numbers
Financial model and funding requirements.
- I
Implementation
Implementation phases.
- T
Timeline
Milestones and roadmap.
- Y
Your Impact
Triple bottom line scorecard: people, planet and prosperity.
Ideas we put into practice
Connect resources.
Create lasting value.
Use these concepts to explore your own resources, relationships and opportunities.
Start with the whole system
Local enterprise depends on healthy living systems, relationships, skills and infrastructure. Consider how a decision affects the wider community and the resources it relies on.
Keep useful value in circulation
Look for ways to share, maintain, repair, reuse and recover products and materials. Assess quality, demand and the work required to keep them useful.
Connect biological and technical cycles
Food and suitable biological materials can support soil and living systems. Equipment, buildings and manufactured materials need appropriate maintenance and recovery pathways. Safety and material quality shape each decision.
Create value through connected activities
Explore how one activity’s resources or outputs could support another. Connected enterprises can create additional value when customers, logistics, operating capacity and economics align.
Design the business model together
Consider the customer offer, asset ownership, payment, maintenance, collection and partnerships as one system. Test who benefits, who carries risk and how the operation sustains itself.
Learn, measure and adapt
Start with a practical phase, record assumptions and gather evidence. Use commercial, community and environmental results to improve the next decision.
Our learning connects these concepts with our own practical stories, your community’s knowledge and the opportunities you want to develop. Agree what matters locally before comparing options.
Further learning: Ellen MacArthur Foundation circular economy teaching resources.