At Silicon.Garden, we develop net-positive digital products. But what are they, and why do we even need them? This year, Earth Overshoot Day fell on August 2nd. In Qatar, it was on February 10th, and in Austria, my home base, it was on April 6th. In other words, our society and its economy are literally eating up the planet. So, should we stop growing?

When Antoine de Saint-Exupéry said that love is the only thing that grows when you share it, he at least opened doors to an alternative perspective on growth.

It's quite clear that there's no endless growth on a finite planet. But hold on a moment. Is it really that simple? When Antoine de Saint-Exupéry said that love is the only thing that grows when you share it, he at least opened doors to an alternative perspective on growth. How much love can we spread without burdening the planet? How much music can we play? How much entertainment and joy can we provide?

With a bit of humor, this can be applied to some of the oldest and largest industries on this planet. And with a touch of imagination, I believe it is obvious that we can genuinely build products that create a net-positive outcome for people, the planet, and profit.

I don't want to be like that driver complaining about the traffic jam he's co-creating in the first place.

But let's also be fair. All of this would mean nothing if we didn't have food, a home, transportation, and the internet that unites us. There are tensions between people who legitimately demand change and those individuals and companies with a high footprint. Nevertheless, the latter provides the infrastructure for our daily lives. I don't want to be like that driver complaining about the traffic jam he's co-creating in the first place. I think, instead of blaming each other, we should support each other in this transformation.

Making a profit at the cost of the planet (e.g. climate) should not be a viable business. Just like creating value for people without making a profit is not a viable business either. We need to change the rules of the capitalist game on a global scale because it's unjust and dangerous.

Net-positive is simple math. Take the value you create for people, planet, and profit, let's call it handprint, and deduct the footprint. No ideology, no religion involved.

In the meantime, we can already start small. Let’s focus our product ideation on net-positivity and maybe we do a design sprint or a jam on it. Whether we name this new future post-capitalist, sustainable, regenerative, circular, de-growth, net-positive, or whatever, I don't really care. As for me, I would like to keep it free of ideology. Net-positive is simple math. Take the value you create for people, the planet, and profit, let's call it handprint, and deduct the footprint. No ideology, no religion involved.

What works best for me as a principle for building a net-positive economy is the following:

Do! Not talk.

Show! Not tell.