Back in 2020 during Lockdown, when I was thinking really hard about the future, I came to the conclusion that I wanted to use my web skills to develop a nature positive platform. I came up with the name "Treegeneration", and the idea of using a local currency model called "Community Way" (designed by Michael Linton) as the basis for an innovative website, bringing together individuals, businesses, and not-for-profits in a mutually beneficial arrangement, to crowdfund income for wildlife projects.
At the time I set out to provide a "Minimum Viable Product" (MVP), and in my naivety I thought I would know within three months if the business model was viable or not. In retrospect I realise that the model was actually really advanced and there was nothing "minimal" about it at all .. you live and learn! I made significant progress but after a while I still did not know if the underlying model was viable or not. So earlier this year I decided it was time to bring the project to a close, and go back to the drawing board.
During it's lifetime the project generated about £1,175 for wildlife projects in and around Aberystwyth, including the Wildlife Trust for South and West Wales (WTSWW), Eco Hub Aber, Ysgol Gymraeg Aberystwyth, Penglais Community Garden, and the Conservation Volunteers society at the University (ACV). In addition to this it generated around £2,150 of business for local independent traders, artists, and craftspersons.
This demonstrated that the model has potential, but in order for Treegeneration to be a viable business, it would have needed to be operating at an order of magnitude far greater than it achieved in it's time.
Although I still do not know if the model could ever be viable, the one thing I did learn for sure is that it is too big and complicated for me to do on my own, or without a large investment of cash. In the absence of both of these I decided to wind down the company and taking the website off line. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the individuals and businesses that contributed in various ways, and wish the best of luck to the wildlife projects that we collectively supported through our contributions.
Here's a short video of me explaining why I set up Treegeneration in the first place.
I learned a lot during the process, and work is currently under way on Treegeneration 2.0, which will be a lot more "minimal" and will have a framework for assessing viability.
More on this exciting new project to come soon!
If you have any questions about Treegeneration please do get in touch here.