This would work very well, until they needed to interact with the real world outside of their "community". I'd watch Frank Stronach's CanadaTown, you know all those people taken from New Orleans after Katrina, to see how that type of community works. He's got quite a few million more to throw around then most people.

If the real world outside the comunity are all unemployed anyway how would the interaction dissrupt things.
everyone in the the town must interact with the rest of the world as would the rest of the world passing through the town.
as is hapening now city folk are selling up and buying hobyfarms in the counrty and going green on there own .

if all these like minded people would focos on one particular geographic location, it would make a huge diference as each one is self funded anyway

Mr. Stronach believes the success of his business is due to the implementation of his management philosophy, known as the Fair Enterprise System. He believes that making every employee a part owner is key to successful business. That together with making a better part at a better price are the hallmarks of good business.

thank you for bringing Frank Stronach to my atention ,i will find out as much as i can about him and canada town

Seems hard to make happen. I know Disney has tried to make a utopia town before. (I mean a real town where real people live) It was called Celebration.

Oh what an interesting place !
Thank you for your comment informing me about this town.

http://www.americans...line/Celebration.htm

This is the great thing about the internet ,and crowd sourcing.
we can learn at the speed of light and benifit from all the past mistakes !

The average price for a house in Celebration is $220,000, which means that workers at the neighbouring Disney World, many of them Hispanic immigrants on the minimum wage, could never afford to live there. In this sense, Celebration mirrors the worst aspects of suburbia, in that its all-mod-cons utopia is only achieved at the expense of an escape from the rest of the human race.

This is so lego land !

Nothing like my town Bear River.

i am talking about an idea that is the complete oposite to this new urbanisim
i think i can describe it as traditional rural pemacultrulism.

these movies are more along the lines of my ideas if anyone is interested.

http://pic1.piczo.co...ertygeek/?g=33642801

Utopia? Why not concentrate on the bigger marketplace?

What help would you like from the CH community?

ok i will start in my village you start in yours and we will re design a new world.

educate , learn and pass it on .

<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.c...;/param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Aflp7jC1Yuw&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>

http://www.youtube.c.../watch?v=Aflp7jC1Yuw

you use cambros and i will use somthing different so that if any one of us get to big and get samped on by the national banks the others will survive and help you out .

http://www.ic.org/

http://www.friendsof...viotas.org/about.htm

Here is a nice site I found going over the town:
http://www.slate.com...fs/0//entry/2113259/

Actually, they did try and create a community where people with different incomes could live. They also made a large variety of choices for types of housing. What happened was outside influences caused an uprise in land prices. The area was to popular with buyers.

There are a number of Christian groups in the US who have decided to "reject" much of modern technology and live much more simple lives more typical of a couple of centuries ago, in harmony with each other and with the land they live on. Children are home-schooled and most people work as farmers or craftsmen, producing a self-contained and self-sustaining community.

I realise this is not identical to what you're talking about, but it shows that there are examples of small communities that manage to survive perfectly successfully despite being at odds with some of the beliefs of society as a whole.

Could be an interesting experiment - a big project to take on though!

Thank you for your input.
Today i have been diging up old interviews that were made & recorded here http://www.municipal.../elder_bearriver.htm

real old timers that were born in this town around the 1920 s
Interestingly many varied religions and one large black family all seemed to live in perfect harmony !

Yes a big project, imposible to take on my own !

But take sites like this http://www.myspace.com/propertygeek

and this http://www.fourthcor.../info/advantages.php

Then blend these ideas inside the workings of cambrian house, and who knows what new system will come out the other end .

Well just do it if you believe in it
Tommy

These guys are doing it so hope to learn from them.
http://ecosoul.org/files/Avalon.htm

Just google "intentional communities" and you'll get a whack of resources on organizations and groups that are doing just this. Cool idea, but what aspects would your idea address that these groups haven't already?

Also, as far as successful examples of long-standing intentional communities, and interactions with society-at-large, have a look at http://www.findhorn.org, and http://www.damanhur.org

This sounds a lot like the movie The Village...

Or a reality tv show.

Good idea and good intention here. I'd like to take it what step farther. Look at all the small rural towns that are dying on the vine. Why not establish a blueprint for them. I have been looking into this from other angles. The creation of viable, sustainable jobs in these areas for these communities. Green jobs...all the better. What does every small rural town need, what can they produce, what resource do they have to utilize?

facet
thats exactly what is needed,from growing your own food in your back yard to a major generation project.
but it wont happen untill a group of like minded people can all get together in one geographical location and make a start.
not keep looking to the government for answers.

Every town needs energy, transportation ,good food and housing .

Take these basic needs to start,and see how many jobs they would create.
energy.
take the local landfill site and build a boishpere project.
the existing waste gets dug out cleaning up the environment and used as fuel.
solid waste to be dumped brings in more free fuel and an income for the tipping charge.
electricity can be generated for income.
carbon credits are awarded also as it is a clean tecnology and generates an income also when sold.
this one project will create energy & lots of jobs.
as well as open the door to major government recorses by way of grants or local business investment.
transportation.
take a local bus that runs on bio deisel.
the bus could be owned by the drivers who all drive part time and/or make bio deisel part time in a small scale production plant .
no big company but a local group runing a local transportation system would create jobs and income from rides and surpluss fuel made in the plant.
afordable housing,
the better offs can rent there houses and apartments to those that do not have a house of there own or are on government income .
in exchange for working directly for the landlord who grows all his own vegatables.
ie i am looking for a tenant to rent my other house next door ,in exchange for part time work keeping my garden and greenhouse maintained and maximising crop production to the best yeild possible.
together we will save more money in grocerys and rent at the end of the month be better off than if we used cash.
the more people that can work a system like this the more work jobs and local foods and cottage industrys are created.
i think a local comunity has to be able to look after it's self independantly using local resorces and even local curency before it can truly become profitable.
as an individual has to work hard at it to become weathly.
so does a town or village have to work at it together as a comunity.
there is no community in global systems because they only look at the money.
a local economy is about quality of life
everybody wants it,s but dont know how or where to find it.
somehow we all need to get on the same page and make it happen.
http://www.youtube.c.../watch?v=Z_iYoGRhjUw

Though your ideas is not new(Coz already NGOs are working towards this) its a nice idea, coz very few people on this earth think in this way.....I am impressed with this idea and planing to implement this but not sure how to start.......

Why not go with a sales model. Go to the rural communities and tell them that we have ways of stimulating their local economy. Make it work in more of an entrepreneurial way instead of a communal way. In that respect, you do not need like minded people. You just need people who need jobs or want to see their local community thrive. As you mentioned, this doesn't need to be dependent on the government, but there is probably grant money available! Once there is a good blueprint and there has been proven success, this would catch on like wildfire!

If you google 'Transition towns' you'll find a number of UK towns which have signed up to a program of energy reduction.

Villages may look attractive but in reality they are often boring, small-minded and petty. Small communities lack opportunity, and are financially precarious if based on agriculture and local trade. The kids leave for a decent education and never come back. This is why people vote with their feet, even in the poorest countries. The people who move to the country now are usually wealthy, semi-retired and drive a 4X4!

For the moment we are still part of an urban structure, and I would suggest that it is better to 'villagise' towns and cities; use gardens for smallholdings (and teach people how to do it), instigate urban energy schemes (local grids to share wind, solar and local CHP)(see The Alternative Energy Centre, Machynlleth, UK), local currencies (see 'Totnes', in Devon UK), car sharing, cycle-only roads, more realistic education in the schools and community, etc. Its better to start where the people already are, otherwise you can end up with unrealistic 'model villages' .

Quote: "The only reason they do not function today is because of market globolization ,only possible by the explotation of cheap oil and gas."

Why does globalization have to mean send work to Europe, India, China etc?
Example: The processing of paperwork for American? Canadian Insurance companies, Law firms etc etc.

As it works currently in the case of various American and Canadian Insurance Companies. The Insurance salesman sells a policy to a client in for example in Chicago, the details of this transaction are sent the same day electronically to Scotland, Ireland etc. The clients paperwork is then prepared put in an envelope that same day and sent via Aeroplane to be posted to the client from a Chicago post office. The European village where this paperwork is processed is usually pretty much similar to "Bear River" and salaries would be quite similar.

Perhaps the "Bear Rivers" of North America should look at ways to compete for this type of business.

http://www.theregist...21/zero_carbon_city/

Found this today and thought of you...

Please answer these questions:

1) What is the profit model for this business?
2) How specifically would you crowdsource the development of this business?
3) How would you spend the $100 if you won this round of IdeaWarz?

The profit model for this business ?
where is the money ?
it could be like this site http://www.kajiji.ca and be called anything from eco shop to anything green .com
housing ,veihicles,electonic goods ect coud be advertised for free
everything advertised on it should have a green theme or conection.
as more people advertize there bio deisel kits solar panels ect the pages fill up and the adds move down only showing the most recent.
if you upgrade your add by paying a fee that add goes to the top off the page. thats a model i have in mind that should attract content as it is frre but also cash from the more serious advertiser.

not sure how i crowed source it !once the site was out there people searching for green products would find it and i hope also advertise
if enough green content and usefull info was on it that would also be free info for them .

how would i spend the $100 if i won a round ?
well i think i would buy all you guys that have taken the time to comment on this idea a copy of The small mart revolution by micheal h shuman.

here is my best effort to make a prototype.
as you can see i am in need of some profesional help ! lol
http://propertygeek....&linkvar=000044

I like your idea very much.

http://adswiki.org/wiki/Green_ads

Alternative setup -

If you get people to use it, I would share Adsense money with you.

Oh, and like on Craigslist, money could be charged for big ticket items.

For example, if there was a section where people could buy/sell green business, they're could be a charge for that, but everything else could be free.

Craigslist charges for jobs I think in certain cities and that is their revenue model.

*businesses

emesee,
as i am the one with the least expertise, i am looking for experts to join me in this as a business.
although i know a little about adsense and criags list campains it takes a team working together to make anything work.

i am looking for 7 partners to share in creating this website as a business for a 10% share in it.

so any members of cambrian house fancy a go at this ?
let me know your skills and the department or job title you would like to be in charge of and i will list that job in this business for you.
together we will get somthing working ! jason

Why not use a CMS like Joomla.

Kevin,
you are the third person to tell me about joomla,so it must be just the thing i need .whats a cms
unfortunately when i looked at it i did,t know how to work it !
you might laugh but i have not a clue how to use it ,i am just not wired that way,its like i am dyslexic or looking at a forien language.
someone who knows this stuff could probaly knock somthing together in no time.
maybe you could help me ?
what do you specialise in ?
jason

I like the way your thought process is developing with regards to this project.

I sincerely hope that you succeed, as it could be of help to many small communities worldwide.

There is as saying " You can bring a Horse to water, but you can't make him drink"

Assuming that this site were up and running, have you given any thought with regards to motivating people in small communities to take action ?

charon v,

Thank you for your comments,
This idea and now this site has led me on quite a journy of enlightenment by following up some of the links i have been sent.
i have given lots of thought on how to motivate people into taking action .
i discovered almost everyone wants change to but do not have a platform to work from. most feel powerless, how can one person make a difference, most expect the government to lead the way to make any changes. on that note shock and awe motivate people to take action.when everyone gets angry and worked up thats when they take action . this movie works well and is a good motivator for change.
showing how the government took out the twin towers dilibaratlely to keep the money supply expanding in the fedaral bank.
http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/