I have been working on a concept for quite some time. I finally have a
concrete proposal to put forward. So far, this is what I have...
Step 1- Fundraising enough money to create the cooperative business structure. We will do this by making contacts
with small business and soliciting donations. All finances will be kept
completely transparent. If you would like to donate, please do so at
either of these two links.
https://www.wepay.com/donations/thetransitionteamcooperative or
https://www.crowdtilt.com/campaigns/help-me-form-a-workers-cooperative-to-help-communities-relocalize-production-and-end-corporatocracy
Step 2- Recruit the subject matter experts, and when we reach enough
funding, have an Open Space Technology meeting to formalize the
arrangement, by consensus.
Step 3- Recruit the ground team. These individuals will approach community organizations, local businesses, and lo
cal municipal officials about how we can help their community.
Step 4- Find depositors in these communities and form the local credit
union with the following features. It will have a dual currency system;
US dollars and a local currency based on a composite of locally-produced
goods, preferably the products of the next step. It will also be a not
for profit entity, and preferably a cooperative. The dealings of this
institution will be completely transparent, and any excess funds at the
end of the fiscal year will be given to other not for profit entities in
the following way. Depositors will get to choose 5 organizations
meeting the not for profit criteria, and whatever percentage of the
current holdings of the CU they own will be distributed to those 5
entities. For example, if someone owns 1% of the current holdings, the 5
entities they choose will get.2% of the excess funds each, totaling 1%.
Step 5- Local business and municipal officials will be approached and
will be offered the opportunity to participate in the local currency
program. If they accept, any purchases using the local currency will be
exempt from sales tax, or at least a significant discount. The purpose
of this will be to provide an incentive for the use of the local
currency.
Step 6- When the credit union is formed, we
will find members of the local community that want a stake in the
ownership of the vertical farm, based on the toolkit being developed at
http://opensourceecology.org/wiki/Category:Holistic_Aquaponics_Greenhouse_Toolkit
The preferred format for this business will be a workers cooperative,
but other structures may be allowed, dependent on what is decided in
step 2. The construction of the vertical farm will also be accomplished
using local resources and open source technology from the Global Village
Construction Set being developed by Open Source Ecology, were possible.
For more details about the GVCS, visit www.opensourceecology.org
Step 7- The goods produced by the vertical farms will be sold at
farmer's markets and premium grocers in the 100 mile area surrounding
the community first in order to reduce food miles. After that, it will
be sold at 125, then 150, and so on miles out until all the products are
sold.
Step 8- As the funds that were used for the loan for the vertical farm
come back to the credit union, it will be added to a local microloan
funding pool administered by the credit union, with the goal of
increasing the funding the pool by 20% per year, adjusted for inflation.
Local businesses in need of construction services will be given
preference if they choose to use a builder that uses GVCS tools in the
construction process.
Step 9- When the GVCS approaches
completion, a loan will be made available for a local fabrication shop
and a retail location for locally-made durable goods.
This is
by no means formalized, but is a good starting point for the consensus
that will occur at Step 2. Thanks for reading! Feedback is always
welcome!
Here is the Facebook page to visit:
https://www.facebook.com/TheTransitionTeamCooperative
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