platform development💰 Support enabledFounding Campaign

Build WERU

An open platform for people building a better world together.

Publication: PublishedStatus: active

Started Jul 24, 2026

Story and Purpose

About

Build WERU

Building a community for regenerative futures.

If you choose to support this campaign—whether through your time, your knowledge or a financial contribution—you will become one of the Founding Pioneers helping to build a community dedicated to creating real, lasting change.

Your contribution will be permanently recognised on the WERU Founding Pioneers Wall as someone who believed that a better future was possible and chose to help build it from the very beginning.

This campaign is not simply about funding software.

It is about bringing together people who believe that knowledge should be shared, communities should work together openly, and meaningful contribution should be recognised wherever it comes from.

WERU began with a simple question:

What if the knowledge, tools and experience needed to build a better world belonged to everyone?

For many years I have worked with aquaponics, researching, building systems, teaching courses and helping people understand how food, water and ecology can work together.

That work eventually led to the creation of AquaVerde, an application designed to bring together education, practical tools, AI-assisted design and collaborative research.

As AquaVerde grew, something unexpected became clear.

The technology being developed wasn't only useful for aquaponics.

The same principles could support communities working on habitat design, water, energy, education, ecology, arts, music, wellbeing and many other regenerative projects.

That realisation became WERU.

WERU is not a traditional software company.

It is an open experiment in building a community-owned platform where people can share knowledge, organise projects, support ideas, learn together and develop practical solutions openly.

The goal is not simply to build software.

The goal is to help people build a better world together.

Much of the work has already been completed before this campaign began.

The platform architecture exists.
AquaVerde is operational.
Courses are being written.
Research is being organised.
Campaigns, missions, governance and transparency systems are already functioning.

This campaign is not about starting from scratch.

It is about continuing a journey that is already well underway.

During this Founding Campaign, supporters are helping transform WERU from a founder-led project into a genuine community-supported platform.

Financial support keeps development moving forward.

Community contribution builds knowledge, trust and stewardship.

These are deliberately separate.

Money never purchases influence within WERU.

Trust is earned through proven contribution, collaboration and outcomes that genuinely work.

One of WERU's guiding principles is simple:

Ideas become valuable when they are tested, shared and shown to make a real difference.

Every feature, course, design and research project is intended to evolve through evidence, practical experience and open collaboration.

Supporting this campaign also carries a unique historical recognition.

People who qualify during this campaign become Founding Pioneers, recognising that they chose to help build WERU at the very beginning.

Long after this campaign has ended, that contribution will remain part of WERU's history.

As WERU grows, new sections will not simply be added by me.

They will emerge through the people who step forward to lead them.

AquaVerde is the first branch of the tree.

Future branches may include:

Agriculture
Habitat Systems
Water
Energy
Education
Arts
Music
Wellbeing
...and ideas that have not yet been imagined.

Seemore, the mobile headquarters of WERU, will continue documenting this journey while supporting workshops, demonstrations, education and community outreach as the platform develops.

Every month WERU will publish transparent financial reports alongside visible development progress, allowing everyone to see not only where resources have been spent, but what those resources have helped create.

Transparency is not an afterthought.

It is one of the foundations upon which WERU is being built.

An Invitation

If this vision resonates with you, I invite you to become part of the Founding Campaign.

Whether you contribute your time, knowledge, skills, encouragement or financial support, every genuine contribution helps move WERU one step closer to becoming a community-owned platform for regenerative futures.

There is no expectation that everyone contributes in the same way.

Some people will write code.

Some will teach.

Some will carry out research.

Some will volunteer.

Some will simply encourage others or help fund the next stage of development.

Every meaningful contribution strengthens the community.

Together, we can build something that belongs to all of us.

Target Outcomes

Continue the development of WERU and AquaVerde as an open community platform.

Prepare AquaVerde for wider public testing and participation.

Expand educational content, research and practical resources.

Support community-led collaboration through projects, campaigns and missions.

Establish the initial governance structure for WERU's transition beyond a founder-led project.

Complete Seemore as a mobile education and demonstration platform.

Begin outreach to schools, councils, landowners and regenerative communities.

Publish transparent monthly financial reports and development updates.

Enable the first community-led expansion beyond AquaVerde into new areas of regenerative practice.

Build the foundations for a resilient, community-supported organisation capable of continuing beyond its first year.

Missions & Progress

What We're Building Together This Year

0/15 done

Improve Learning Experience

Design Refinement

Review Existing Courses

Design Refinement

Publish Research Modules

Design Refinement

Create Workshop Materials

Design Refinement

Prepare School Resources

Design Refinement

Create Assessments

Design Refinement

Publish Beginner Curriculum

Design Refinement

Expand Species Lessons

Design Refinement

Improve Accessibility

Design Refinement

Produce Course Videos

Design Refinement

Produce Course Images

Design Refinement

Develop Advanced Course

Design Refinement

Develop Intermediate Course

Design Refinement

Complete Beginner Course

Design Refinement

Expand Knowledge Library

Design Refinement

Foundations Already Built

122/122 done

Refine Support Page

Validation

Build Fish Library

Prototype

Build Plant Library

Prototype

Develop AquaDoctor

Prototype

Create AquaVerde

Prototype

Financial Sustainability Framework

Validation

Bank Transfer Strategy

Validation

Payment Security Audit

Validation

Financial Transparency Views

Validation

Research Sustainable Feed

Prototype

Design Funding Model

Validation

Complete Year One Budget

Validation

Monthly Financial Reporting

Validation

Verify Trust Isolation

Validation

Implement Campaign Attribution

Validation

Configure Founding Pioneer

Validation

Implement Stripe Webhooks

Validation

Build FinancialSupport

Validation

Community Gallery

Prototype

Fifteen Years of Aquaponics Research

Research

Integrate AquaVerde into WERU

Prototype

Educational Content

Prototype

Microgreens Collection

Prototype

Expand Plant Database

Prototype

Nitrogen Cycle Model

Prototype

Validation Logic

Prototype

Blueprint Publishing

Prototype

Integrate Stripe

Validation

Knowledge Base

Prototype

System Designer

Prototype

Simulation Engine

Prototype

Water Monitoring

Prototype

Expand Species Coverage

Prototype

Build Research Library

Prototype

Build Learning Platform

Prototype

Build the First Working WERU Platform

Prototype

Create Admin Publish Controls

Prototype

Separate Save from Publish

Prototype

Build Campaign Preview

Prototype

Build Campaign Public Pages

Prototype

Build Campaign Creation

Prototype

Build Content Manager

Prototype

Build Personal Dashboard

Prototype

Build User Accounts and Authentication

Prototype

Implement Campaign Visibility

Prototype

Define Evidence-Based Contribution

Design Refinement

Design Founding Pioneer Programme

Design Refinement

Design Trust Framework

Design Refinement

Design Community Credits

Design Refinement

Design Open Governance

Design Refinement

Establish Core Principles

Design Refinement

Define the WERU Vision

Design Refinement

Create Bulk Mission Import

Prototype

Establish WISE Banking

Validation

Regression Testing

Prototype

Validate Build WERU Safety

Prototype

Protect Mission Visibility

Prototype

Support Page Campaign Integration

Prototype

Responsive Campaign Layout

Prototype

Improve Campaign Editor Language

Prototype

Create Publication Components

Prototype

Construct Research Greenhouse

Research

Build Campaign Progress

Prototype

Add Campaign Phases

Prototype

Add Mission Domains

Prototype

Make campaign_id Canonical

Prototype

Create Campaign Relationships

Prototype

Promote Campaigns to First-Class Content

Prototype

Protect Backend Functions

Prototype

Write How Aquaponics Works

Design Refinement

Automated Brief Packs

Prototype

Habitat Mission Workflow

Prototype

Community Review Process

Prototype

Humanitarian Habitat Concept

Prototype

ETFE Shelter Research

Prototype

Community Infrastructure Planning

Prototype

Design Validation Workflow

Prototype

Habitat Knowledge Integration

Prototype

Long-term Settlement Vision

Prototype

Open Habitat Collaboration

Prototype

Habitat Foundation

Prototype

Write What is Aquaponics

Design Refinement

Write History and Origins

Design Refinement

Operate Aquaponics Systems

Research

Write The Nitrogen Cycle

Design Refinement

Write Fish Plants and Microbes

Design Refinement

Write Benefits of Aquaponics

Design Refinement

Write Types of Aquaponics Systems

Design Refinement

Write Simple Home Systems

Design Refinement

Write Choosing a System

Design Refinement

Write Basic Components

Design Refinement

Write Water Basics

Design Refinement

Write Choosing Fish

Design Refinement

Write Choosing Plants

Design Refinement

Write Cycling a System

Design Refinement

Write First System Setup

Design Refinement

Spatial Layout Engine

Prototype

Multi-Species Fish Trials

Research

Extensive Plant Trials

Research

Microgreen Production

Research

Water Quality Management

Research

Biofiltration Research

Research

System Design Refinement

Research

Crop Diversity

Research

Public Demonstrations

Research

RHS Exhibitions

Research

Media Outreach

Research

Real-World Problem Solving

Research

Teaching Experience

Research

Innovation Trials

Research

Species Knowledge

Research

Geometry Framework

Prototype

Hazard Resilience Models

Prototype

Local Materials Intelligence

Prototype

Circular Waste Systems

Prototype

Renewable Energy Framework

Prototype

Integrated Water Systems

Prototype

Shelter Research

Prototype

Create Habitat Systems Engine

Prototype

Research Foundation for AquaVerde

Research

Community Knowledge Sharing

Research

Research Documentation

Research

Work completed before the public campaign began.

Evidence and Progress

What We're Building Together This Year

0 / 0 done

Financial Progress

£0 / £60,000

Blocking

Evidence

Readiness

progressing

Participation — Skills Needed

Founding Platform Lead Someone who enjoys shaping an open-source platform.Founding Community Operations Lead Someone who loves organising people, keeping projects moving and building healthy communities.Founding Outreach Lead Someone who can help tell WERU's story and connect it with the wider world.

Browse missions →

Financial Support

Funding readiness has not been assessed yet for this campaign.

Support the Build WERU Campaign

Founding Pioneer support — including Core Membership and one-off Founding Contributions — is handled on our dedicated Founding Pioneer page.

Go to Founding Pioneer page

Transparency Reporting

Sustainability reporting and financial statements are published on the platform transparency pages.

Sustainability reporting Bank statements

Recognition

This is the WERU Founding Campaign. Qualifying supporters are recognised as Founding Pioneers — a permanent, historical recognition of those who helped build WERU in its first year.

Recognition is non-functional: it never grants Community Credits, Trust, Reputation, voting weight or governance authority. See the Recognition Wall →

Campaign Record

Identifier: 6a5f6843b7eaf1a76c2cb09dSlug: build-weruOwner: neilwhichelow@mac.comStarted Jul 24, 2026