James (or Jim to some) is a researcher, writer, and community advocate who is passionate about reframing economics to better serve people and planet.
James grew up in the seaside town of Weymouth, Dorset which shaped his formative years. It being both conservative and deprived, James joined the Navy at age 16. After many years of personal learning and unlearning, he joined a direct-action marine conservation organisation in his mid-20s which would go on to have a profound effect on his life. Meeting activists from around the globe and witnessing the traumas of our oceans, his world was opened up to the devastating effects of global capitalism.
James moved to Bristol after an early life at sea and started studying Marine Biology and Coastal Ecology at Plymouth University. He graduated in 2022 with first-class honours but felt as though the subject was too specialised to connect the broad and interconnecting systems that lead to ecological and climate collapse. He then enrolled on the Master’s programme MA Regenerative Economics at Dartington’s Schumacher College, which gave him the necessary time and skills to tie together the inseparable spheres of ecology and economy.
His Master’s culminated in his dissertation titled ‘Isle of Empire -The Colonial Legacy of Portland Stone’ where he explored his own cultural upbringing and the material extraction of Portland, Dorset and how this influences our present day. Since graduating, James has teamed up with Regen Economics coursemate Stephen Hilton to co-found Slowmentum, where they now work to reshape entrenched systems by translating regenerative principles into actionable initiatives. James champions alternative crisis responses rooted in unlearning, liberation, and decolonisation.