My dear friend Bruce suggested I write this one As If it had already happened, so I'm giving it a try. This is my hope. You the reader can help make it a reality.
The Moveable Cottage is an opensource design community dedicated to designing, perfecting and building very small living spaces classed as campers and travel trailers. Our website features information on what is legal in many local areas, as well as how to access that information yourself for areas not yet researched by our community. Many different sets of plans for designs that have been perfected by our community are available for download, as well as opportunities to participate in designing and perfecting new ones.We also provide information and cooperative technical support for those looking to go into the business of building moveable cottages.
We have a special focus on resource efficiency, use of recycled and repurposed materials and low cost construction. As well as making great homes away from home and guesting space at home, many of our designs are also used to house people who have been economically or environmentally displaced in a variety of locations all over the U.S., and increasingly in other places as well.
We are proud to say that our design work has facilitated the formation of more than 50 successful small businesses dedicated to building moveable cottages suited to the conditions and legal requirements in their local areas.
All this began here in Eugene, Oregon out of an urgent need for housing for the huge and growing numbers of economically displaced persons already present by early 2012. We needed homes for people that they could be proud of and comfortable in, to help bring people back into participation in making a pleasant and healthy social environment. Beautiful, affordable, moveable cottages enabled us to integrate displaced people into our community in ways that respect the needs of both new and established residents.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Monday, January 16, 2012
Bridge Society
The Bridge Society
It is in the shelter of each other that the people live—Irish proverb
1.Community commons space (tea room, dance floor, child play space, late night quiet place)
2.Student , traveler and transitional housing/lodging for elders , families ,and others (hostel/inn)
3.Food security and health education and action (gardening, food processing and preservation to cooking , exercise and beyond, (1 in 3 diabetic within 15 years, food travels over 1500 miles between farm and table, conviviality builds community)
4.Personal and family development and communication education ( opportunity to learn to work and play well with others))
5.Community meeting space (physical, virtual and melded via skype, livestreaming etc.)
6.“Maker” shop (see Maker movement) ideally including desktop CNC, 3-D printing and anything else needed for rapid prototyping, small machine shop, wood shop,metal shop, sewing...sufficient to design,
make and repair tools and objects of use of many kinds
7.Strong web presence for scheduling community activities on and off site and virtual, maintaining guests and members ties to home communities, real and virtual, internet business activities...
8.Micro-business incubation and development for locally oriented community scale businesses. When I say locally oriented and community scale, I don't mean such a business could never grow to serve larger markets, but that they would focus on filling a special kind of local need. These needs are in the area of improving community food, resource and energy security. Another way to say it would be: These businesses market products and services to help local physical and virtual communities to become more sustainable, both environmentally and socially.
Relocalising Center
Localising Community Center
Renaissance Center
????
Structure as a 501c10 non-profit fraternal organization, with some functions being funded as fraternal activites, others as charitable and educational activities.
501c 10 groups are an easy fit for operating for profit businesses where the profits go to charity. Their limitation and strength is that the for-profit businesses they are allowed to operate without tax on income are only those which serve members.
-For-profit charity has powerful potential as a change engine that serves the public good, especially if the missions, services and products of the for-profit businesses are designed to help in the process of moving towards a sustainable future. (think local and regional rainwater catchment equipment and services, home and community food security and health products and services...) Make profit and do good on both sides of the bottom line. Target donations to charities working in the same field of interest, and truly make your living building the good world we can all live in.
Occupy Your Future!
It is in the shelter of each other that the people live—Irish proverb
1.Community commons space (tea room, dance floor, child play space, late night quiet place)
2.Student , traveler and transitional housing/lodging for elders , families ,and others (hostel/inn)
3.Food security and health education and action (gardening, food processing and preservation to cooking , exercise and beyond, (1 in 3 diabetic within 15 years, food travels over 1500 miles between farm and table, conviviality builds community)
4.Personal and family development and communication education ( opportunity to learn to work and play well with others))
5.Community meeting space (physical, virtual and melded via skype, livestreaming etc.)
6.“Maker” shop (see Maker movement) ideally including desktop CNC, 3-D printing and anything else needed for rapid prototyping, small machine shop, wood shop,metal shop, sewing...sufficient to design,
make and repair tools and objects of use of many kinds
7.Strong web presence for scheduling community activities on and off site and virtual, maintaining guests and members ties to home communities, real and virtual, internet business activities...
8.Micro-business incubation and development for locally oriented community scale businesses. When I say locally oriented and community scale, I don't mean such a business could never grow to serve larger markets, but that they would focus on filling a special kind of local need. These needs are in the area of improving community food, resource and energy security. Another way to say it would be: These businesses market products and services to help local physical and virtual communities to become more sustainable, both environmentally and socially.
Relocalising Center
Localising Community Center
Renaissance Center
????
Structure as a 501c10 non-profit fraternal organization, with some functions being funded as fraternal activites, others as charitable and educational activities.
501c 10 groups are an easy fit for operating for profit businesses where the profits go to charity. Their limitation and strength is that the for-profit businesses they are allowed to operate without tax on income are only those which serve members.
-For-profit charity has powerful potential as a change engine that serves the public good, especially if the missions, services and products of the for-profit businesses are designed to help in the process of moving towards a sustainable future. (think local and regional rainwater catchment equipment and services, home and community food security and health products and services...) Make profit and do good on both sides of the bottom line. Target donations to charities working in the same field of interest, and truly make your living building the good world we can all live in.
Occupy Your Future!
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