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- Are you interested in becoming an organizer in your area?
- Maybe--But Not Sure What to Organize
- Tell us about your experience with alternative energy:
- Our home uses passive solar and heat pumps. We have been exploring wind generators for our land. I used solar power to charge batteries on my boat.
- What excites you about this campaign?
- That an oil man that I remember from my days in independant oil drilling is doing something to help change our country's mindset.
- What do you want to do to help?
- Not sure - support the cause and see what's needed. We have huge wind farms in our area already and another is trying to get in but without community benefits, locals fight the installation because they don't benefit from it directly. I like the project of community wind farms where locals benefit financially and have incentives to do more.
Sandra Levin's Blog
Conservation is something that can be done now.
I can't think of anything that would help the current situation more than American's that are willing to conserve. This is something that can start today, now and easily implemented. We have shown that we can do it if we are challenged enough by costs or any other stimulus that gets our blood boiling and a willingness to sacrifice a bit. Here's some ideas that we use around our home to conserve things.
1. We consolidate all our errands into one day, since it's 6.5 miles just to get milk from ou… Continue
1. We consolidate all our errands into one day, since it's 6.5 miles just to get milk from ou… Continue
Posted on September 11, 2008 at 6:25am — 2 Comments
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I apologize in advance for blogging on your comment wall.
Sandra, on the 10th of November a friend of mine on the PP site, Iain McKennon, left me a comment on my wall. Within his comment Iain said, "My approach to Pickens at this point in time is to think globally and act locally." Unbeknownst to me at the time that particular comment of Iain's firmly lodged in my mind and has ever since been gradually working its way into a position of being an influential element in my creativity regarding Green solutions.
Speaking of friends, an old friend of mine used to tell me that the road to attaining an affluence (in anything) was to go with what one knew not new things that were as of yet untried. While I am sure that there are exceptions to this rule, I do believe that empirically, my friend's advice can be seen to be immensely more true than not.
So, here I am at a juncture in my life where I want to play an effective role in environmental repair, in preventive envirionmental health and overall be an active participant in a Green solution. Therefore, in listening to a couple of friends, it occurred to me that I can probably have a greater and more effective impact by concentrating my creativity and production on a local/regional target than doing otherwise. I also recognize that acting along the lines of what I already have personal experience with and/or incorporating a familiar reality in what I do is a strong plus in anything I set out to accomplish. And, I know that while acting locally it is critical that I continue to be thinking globally.
HERE IS A SEED I AM PLANTING
I want to share this seed with you Sandra because it just might be a seed that you too would want to plant where you are residing.
What I am going to do is form a corporation that is a Green construction company, an investment club, an online social community, a market research company, a research and development company, a documentation and educational video production company and an online course in the ways and means of how to build green. There's even more but those are all the top liners.
What will this company do (broad generalities only):
It will begin by doing infill development i.e., in Fort Smith, AR where I live there is an abundance of vacant properties within the city limits that can be purchased whereupon new dwellings (single family, duplexes, three and four-plexes) can be built. Currently there are not any builders in this area that are interested in building on these properties. Instead the local builders have their attention on building in whatever new subdivision is being developed.
The company will target these inner city vacant properties to purchase and construct new dwellings suitable and appropriate to the neighborhoods where they are located. The dwellings will be aesthetic, have high curb appeal, in most cases be small ( 800 sq ft. - 1,500 sq ft.) as the lots are small, will be built to endure, will be practical, will enhance the neighborhood, indeed the city, and...will be constructed with viable GREEN technologies.
Each dwelling built by this company will be model of green construction and green technologies utilized in home building.
The company, in the process of building green homes, will also serve as a vehicle to introduce, educate and enlighten a broad base of investors in numerous cutting edge green technologies that have to do with the home and beyond.
The company will circumvent the need for borrowing capital by opening up investment (per project) to the general public (local, national or international).
Participation in this company will be made very simple and inclusive. For example: The range of investment accepted will go from as low as $10 to as high as, but not exceeding, 5 percent of a project's total cost. Therefore, the lowest number of investors that could ever be possible on any project would be 20. Investments will be done by project.
Every project will be audio/video documented from beginning to end. The video documentation will be made available to any investor who has invested in the project. Also, when the completed dwelling is sold the buyer will receive a copy of the entire video documentation of their new green home from planning to completion.
Of course, all investors will be able to follow the progress of each project that they have invested in online and interact with the project. There will be web cams at each job site, weekly reports will be online by the project mgr. including detailed photos and anecdotes and detailed weekly expenditures. And, any and all tech used in the building of the project will be thoroughly explained as it is incorporated. I guess you could say that this aspect of the company is like doing an in-house Better Homes and Gardens type of production. Who knows...perhaps it could even become a series for PBS.
The entire operation process of the company will be transparent.
Nothing is done unless the money to pay for it is immediately available. Nothing is bought on credit.
All personnel who are involved in anyway with a project of the company or the company itself are a member/investor of the company. The exception to this would be anyone employed by the government eg., builidng inspectors, city planners, etc.
This is not a volunteer based company. Those who deliver a product and/or service for the company will be paid for the product/service just as they are always paid for their services rendered.
All frontline and backline costs are factored into the overall cost of a project. The video production and the online access availability are atypical expenses to a construction project. However, these elements are critical to the purpose and operation of the company so they will become a typical expense included in the budget of each project carried out by this company.
The company's motto: Purpose - Product - Profit (listed in relative order of importance).
At this stage in the creative process everything is subject to modification.
Okay, Sandra. There's the seed I'm planting in very broad and general terms. I'm sure you will see and extrapolate all the possibilities and potential of such a company. Feel free to ask any questions that you may have or comment as you wish. I am totally willing to share any of this project and how it progresses with anyone. In my opinion, if we had myriad of these companies in active operation we could all only benefit by such a circumstance.
If you would like to be a sounding board or otherwise participate in the ongoing development of this company just let me know by emailing me at mfs01@mynewroads.com
I have helped to construct many dwellings of many different sizes over the last 35 years but I have never constructed a house that totally utilizes green technologies. There will obviously be a learning curve to overcome and I will have to recruit those who have this expertise from numerous areas including the PP site. Access to green expertise does not seem to be all that available locally.
Monte
Is the Peoria Cab Company still using hybrids?
They should step up to CNG Civics!
Chris Schneider
La Crosse, Wi
If we can be of help in any way let me know and thank you for your comments. We try to work closely with local communities and we are working on a program to let land owners participate in ownership of wind projects as well as community organizations. This program should go to legal in the next 30 days.
Wade
I was asked to join Wade Wilson's group of friends this morning and saw that you were already on the list. How are things back home in East Peoria? Janet and I are still planning a family visit Thanksgiving week and sure hope the weather doesn't turn bad before we arrive. It will be a shock because it is still in the 70s & 80s here in Fort Worth.
Terry
Thank you so much for starting "your page" in the Artists Round-Up Group that isn't a group. I enjoyed reading what you posted and I look forward to possibly seeing some samples of your work there too. Of course, I will be paying a visit to your website.
With you, Mad as Hell - for now and Gregory taking the lead and setting the example I now have to get busy and compose mine.
Monte
I got a big chuckle out of your comments about CROOK county. I couldn't agree more. They have always had nasty stuff happening there like dead people voting, etc. I checked out your business web sites and found them very interesting. By the way, you might find it interesting that my consulting company name is Tazewell Associates LLC. Wonder where I got that name!!!
Janet (my wife) & I are traveling to E. Peo. for the Thanksgiving week and are anxious to spend time with family and friends.
Terry
I just read your post regarding the Friday debate and agree with your assessment. The longer you live in the Peoria area the more you will be aware of the depravity of Chicago politics. Take it from a politically astute down-state native, the more you learn the more you will be glad you live down-state.
3:54 AM!! Wow!! I thought I got up early. You're right, community involvement is an essential element in the future of wind power and there examples of that kind of involvement scattered around the country. Here is a web site where you can access up-to-date information on all the wind projects in North America. www.awea.org/projects
I'm not sure bridge jumping can be called pioneering, more like youthful stupidity fueled by beer.
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