Evolving Capitalism Through Shared Prosperity

How can communities design systems that create prosperity for people, business, and the planet? In this episode of the Circular Coffee Break podcast, host Michael Hanf speaks with Barri Harris and Shane Lapp, Co-Leads of Circularity.One, a whole-systems initiative in British Columbia that is pioneering new approaches to community enterprise.

Shane, an engineer turned community entrepreneur, and Barri, a former CFO and transformation consultant, share how their experiences in energy and finance led them to co-create a community enterprise framework. Their model blends private and community ownership, shared governance, and distributed decision-making to reimagine how value flows.

The framework is being tested through a community-owned solar pilot, where residents, municipalities, and institutions invest together. Returns are steady over 25 years, utilities save on costly grid upgrades, low-income households see lower bills, and charities cut energy costs. As Barri puts it, “It becomes a win-win-win. Financial resilience for communities, operational benefits for utilities, and long-term sustainability for investors.”

But Circularity.One is about more than solar. The model is expanding to address other complex community challenges, aiming to replace siloed fixes with integrated resilience. By mapping underlying systems and co-designing solutions, communities can address challenges such as homelessness or food insecurity with shared ownership and shared benefit.

The conversation also explores the shift from power to trust in leadership. Instead of top-down control, Circularity.One practices consent-based governance and circle dialogue. Leaders must let go of fear, create role clarity, and help people build decision-making skills through mentorship and practice. As Shane notes, “When organizations move from heroic leaders to trust in collaboration, they unlock collective wisdom and resilience.”

Barri and Shane are clear that capitalism itself is not the problem. The challenge is how it has been harnessed in recent decades. “We like to say we are evolving capitalism,” Barri explains. “It needs to be stewarded through shared values and a vision of prosperity that is bigger than the individual.”

In this episode, you will hear:

• How Circularity.One blends business discipline with community practice

• Why value-stack data and shared ownership make solar viable even in low-cost markets

• How consent-based governance creates trust and accelerates action

• Why evolving capitalism means moving beyond quarterly profit to long-term stewardship

• How to get started: from circle practice to piloting community wealth projects

By 2030 and beyond, Harris and Lapp envision communities everywhere using this framework to manage energy, food, and housing in ways that are inclusive, resilient, and regenerative. They invite listeners to explore community wealth building, experiment with circle practice, and pilot projects that move from inspiration to action.

Circularity.One’s story is not only about renewable energy. It is about rewriting prosperity itself — from extraction to stewardship, from power to trust, from silos to systems.

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