Marcin Jakubowski is a 53-year-old founder of Open Source Ecology (OSE), living a self-sustained life in a house he designed and constructed. His lifestyle is based on using solar power, heating his home with wood, and growing his own food. OSE aims to create the Global Village Construction Set (GVCS), a collection of 50 machines intended to enable individuals to build civilization independently, featuring items such as tractors and ovens.
Originally from Poland, Jakubowski moved to the U.S. as a child. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Princeton and a doctorate from the University of Wisconsin. Instead of pursuing a conventional career, he opted to start a farm in Missouri after completing his studies in 2003. However, after facing severe challenges, including tractor breakdowns that required costly repairs, he recognized the limitations of reliance on proprietary agricultural machinery. Currently, major agricultural manufacturers, like John Deere, restrict farmers’ ability to repair their own equipment, leading to substantial costs and losses in productivity.
Jakubowski asserts that true self-sufficiency can only be achieved through agricultural autonomy and open access to technology. He developed his own tractor, making its schematics publicly available to promote a culture of self-reliance and collaboration. The GVCS is designed to be modular, with machines that can serve multiple purposes, and its blueprints are freely accessible online.
Jakubowski views his work as rooted in the philosophy of appropriate technology, which emphasizes affordability and sustainability tailored to specific local contexts. This concept aims to enable communities to produce their own equipment and resources, breaking free from complex global supply chains. The GVCS has received interest from various individuals worldwide, with notable success stories of people building machine prototypes, such as a brick press for constructing energy-efficient homes.
In pursuit of widespread technological literacy, Jakubowski has announced plans for the Future Builders Academy, an apprenticeship program to instruct participants on building sustainable homes and machinery. OSE’s ultimate goal is to establish a “zero marginal cost” society, promoting equitable access to technology and fostering self-sufficiency. Jakubowski’s perspective emphasizes collaboration and local resource utilization rather than reliance on existing proprietary systems.
Source: https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/10/16/1125146/civilization-start-kit-open-source-essential-machines/