Originally written by Meaghan Burkett, posted in LinkedIn.

Do you often find yourself asking… BUT HOW?

Doughnut economies? Yes!
Wellbeing economies? Yes!
Regenerative economies? Yes!
Resilient economies? Yes!
Circular economies? Yes!

BUT HOW?

We know where we need to go—toward more equitable prosperity, regenerative practices, distributed governance and a decarbonised future.

We know we need to tackle real, immediate issues—cost of living, housing stress, employment pathways, business viability, biodiversity loss.

We’ve waited (and hoped) for “the system” to shift—governments, policy, institutions. And yes, there has been important progress.

But not fast enough. Not deep enough. Not local enough.

Here’s the thing:

There’s an underused force for change that exists in every suburb and town across Australia—communities.

Local leaders, councils, community groups, regional organisations—they know what needs to be done.

They want to act.

They just need the right capacity.

So… HOW?

There’s no silver bullet.

But there is a strategic, systematic, practical and proven way to build inclusive, self-reliant, resilient, regenerative economies—from the ground up.

It involves capital of all kinds – social, cultural, natural, manufactured, financial and political.

We’re focusing on financial capital (money, funding) and other capital assets (land, natural resources, enterprises, buildings, IP, data, equipment and more).

It requires building place-based and community capacity in essential capital, asset and economic functions including:

– Determining local capital needs, aspirations, and values

– Generating, accessing, and owning capital locally and inclusively

– Governing and managing local assets and services for collective benefit

– Pooling and investing capital for shared outcomes

– Redistributing benefit and value for equity and regeneration

– Creating structures, enterprises, and vehicles to make it happen

These capacities can’t be underrated!

Hundreds of case studies show that when communities hold these capacities, they thrive.

The solutions to achieve this already exist.

The knowledge is ready to be shared.

But it won’t work if it’s handed down or done to communities.

It must be done with them—by building their capacity to do it themselves.

Many great people and organisations are contributing to this shift.

This is our part.

We work at the intersection of community, capital, economic development, capacity building, and systems.

We help to build these functional and practical capacities with communities and those who support them.

So that Australia’s capital system serves the wellbeing of every place, every ecosystem and every person.

THIS IS HOW: https://www.ethicalfields.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/This-is-How-1.pdf