About LOCALIST

Why this exists

I believe many of the problems we face today — declining health, damaged ecosystems, fragile livelihoods, and poor treatment of animals — are not isolated issues. They are symptoms of systems that prioritize efficiency, scale, and profit over life.

At the same time, I see something else everywhere: people who care deeply, who want to do better, but don't know how to take part in a way that feels meaningful, realistic, or sustainable.

• Local knowledge is disappearing.
• Good practices exist, but remain invisible.
• Solutions are fragmented, isolated, and hard to replicate.

LOCALIST exists to change that — by helping people work toward better outcomes locally, and by making what works visible so it can be shared and adapted elsewhere.

Why I started this

I've lived in the Kalamata area for some time. I left for a few months, only to realize how strongly this place — and what it represents — kept pulling me back.

I've always had a strong interest in nature, hiking, and the way natural systems work. The more time I spend close to the land, the clearer it becomes how complex, balanced, and resilient nature is when we work with it instead of against it.

This project has been an idea in my head for a long time. Not because I wanted to build another app — but because I wanted to be part of the solution, not just talk about the problems.

LOCALIST is my way of finally taking action on that.

Why I'm capable of building this

My background is in designing and building serious software systems.

Over the years, I've worked for banks, the Australian government, mining companies, and other large organizations. I've owned and run IT businesses, designed banking systems, built search engines, and worked on many complex apps and websites.

This experience matters because LOCALIST is not a simple idea. It requires:

• Careful system design
• Understanding unintended consequences
• Balancing human behavior with technology
• Resisting shortcuts that undermine long-term goals

I'm comfortable building the technical and structural foundations — and just as importantly, knowing where technology should step back rather than take control.

Why I can't — and shouldn't — do this alone

LOCALIST is not about my ideas. It's about communities, local realities, and shared knowledge.

No single person can understand every local context, every farming practice, every cultural nuance, every real-world constraint.

Local solutions only work when local people are involved. Centralized thinking fails precisely because it assumes it knows better.

This project needs growers, thinkers, observers, organizers, and people who simply care enough to speak up when something feels wrong or incomplete.

Why I'm asking for help

I'm not looking for everyone to "do something" or commit time they don't have.

Help can look like:

• Sharing ideas
• Offering feedback
• Testing early versions
• Pointing out blind spots
• Or simply following along

Even interest matters. It shapes direction, priorities, and what this becomes.

There is no obligation here. Participation is voluntary, and so is silence.

What else matters to me

I care deeply about soil health, honest food production, and animal welfare. I respect traditional knowledge — not as nostalgia, but as hard-earned understanding of how things actually work.

I don't want to go backwards. I want to take the good from how things were, combine it with what we know today, and reduce unnecessary reliance on machines and technology where they add complexity instead of value.

I prefer calm, constructive collaboration over conflict and noise. Progress matters more than perfection.

An open invitation

If you're reading this, I'm curious:

• What do you care about improving?
• What problems do you see locally?
• What feels broken, missing, or worth protecting?
• What would better look like where you live?

LOCALIST is a work in progress. And it will be better if it's shaped by more than one perspective.