So, what's your business like?

Having been self-employed for many years, I'm always interested in how people do business.

How are you operating yours?

I myself have been traditionally more interested in eco-villages in the u.s., but I've done a bit of research and writing on possibilities in other parts of this planet.

Re: So, what's your business like?

While I'm just getting off my feet, I've taken about 120 people to various sites around West Java.  We do small group trips, and ask for a contribution of about USD 100 for each trip - which usually covers all transportation, accomodation, and delicious foods.  We accept additional contributions for courses (we do some work in leadership and team building for small-medium sized organizations), adventures, etc.  How do you do your business? 

Have you researched eco villages in the US?  Please do share :-) perhaps you'd like to post some of your favorites? 

I believe changing the world has to start with one self.  The way we live our lives.  How we eat, what we do for a living, what we learn and how we learn.  Just like this site, a spread of interconnected eco-villages could be nodes of inspiration that reflect a real way of living. 

Re: So, what's your business like?

Well, after having done about a half dozen different businesses, all of which made money but many of which I did not enjoy, I've settled on web design and seo from home. For now, I've never been happier with a business, but, as with all online businesses, I can't be sure I'll be able to do this forever.

There doesn't really exist any real eco-villages in the u.s., of the ideal form at least. probably the closest thing are certain cohousing projects, mostly in california. There are some older communal experiements that come close, and some religious experiments. So, mostly I was studying the theory, and analyzing what had been learned from the experiments that did happen. And studying the group dynamics and organizational structures that might enable real eco-villages to be built.

I used to be pretty fanatical about building eco-villages - but you know, it's very tough to get the people, money, and structure to come together. I kinda gave up on it.

Re: So, what's your business like?

I'm optimistic the tide can be turned on that. Hopefully with more push and power behind the throne of ecoism we'll see a conscious shift in society.

Hopefully. 

Re: So, what's your business like?

It would be nice to think so, but the burned-out eco-builder in my head says to me, “No, things have to get significantly worse than this before people will even consider it.”.

Because, you know, it's more expensive. You need to build some extra features, and it's hard to get funding for extra features.

But, it might be time for things like interest groups and eco-village clubs to happen again. To get together and talk about the possibilities. Maybe something with an investment plan, to sock away a bit of extra money. 

And demonstration, leisure, and maybe agri-tainment projects like what Roderick is talking about.

Re: So, what's your business like?

Just returned from 'agri-tainment,' although it's quite different than that. Blissful weekend it was. Here's my favorite testimonial from a young French woman working at the French cultural institute in Surabaya (major trading city in Indonesia).  ' Paradise does exist!' 

It was a group of 15, plus I brought two cooks.  The friends of friends in the group were from America, Indonesia, Norway, Germany, Poland, India, Australia, England, Portugal, Holland, Canada, and France.  That's quite typical, actually :-)  their careers included an intern at the national airline maintenance facility, a chiropractor, a senior journalist from the Australian Financial Times, UN personnel, a Fullbright scholar & economics professor in New York, 'officers' from Peace Brigades International, clothes designers, and me, the tour guide / ceo of united adventures :~) 

I'll be posting some pictures from the weekend soon (Tuesday) at our blog

But the mission here isn't eco.  It's lifestyle.  It's showing people possibilities.  It's encouraging them to dream.  It's re-connecting them with natural beauty, and coaching them to appreciate and respect it.  It's tantalizing their taste buds with delicious, organic vegetables, and making sure they know it's organic.  It's about introducing ways that they can increase the quality of their lives by living in harmony with nature.  About how to take care of a beautiful indoor plant that they can keep at their office desk in their high rise to remember the place, remember the beauty.  It's about facilitating an incredible vacation experience that broadens their horizons about what's possible.  It's about leaving Brian's thinkarete philosophy printed on a table on the sundeck with a candle holder on top of it so it doesn't blow away, and if no-one picks it up, handing it to the young intern at the airline maintenance facility and asking him if he's a philosopher (that's exactly what I did).  It's about bringing people together from different walks of life and having them share an incredible experience together.  It's about noticing the curiosity of a guest when it rains, and showing them how our water catchment system works.

So in essence, it's not really an eco village yet.  It's a small grouping of mainly wooden structures on a beautiful island with a loving vibe, great food, a decent host, some ecological awareness and guidelines, and a few powerful dreams.  Any anyone with USD 65-130 got a ticket.  Some slept outside on a mattress.  Others in comfy cabins.  

It's about matching capitalism with a humanitarian and ecological inspiration.  My challenge is how to build this place into a truly eco-friendly and sustainable resort (and one that can be used as a model for other islands) while making a good living from it. 

That means Yoga and cooking classes for bored housewifes, during the week.  An organizational / corporate gathering during the week / weekends.  Small group trips like the one I just did during weekends.  A photo shoot for a commercial.  A birthday party.  etc.  Field trips for school kids.  

Had an American  friend of mine who's running an NGO for clean water systems and waste management do a mini survey of our island.  If you're interested in it, send me an email at unitedadventures@yahoo.com and I'll share it with you.  

Am grateful for your contributions!  I'm really still just at the beginning, but I'm profoundly excited, energetic, passionate, and committed to seeing how this can work… not if it can work.  I believe eco/adventure/inspirational resorts like these really can plant the seeds of change… and that they will.  There's a lot to this plan.  

My feeling is that there are lots of powerful forces outside of our control.  A lot of bad things have happened already, Bill. Tsunamis, earthquakes, 9/11, Iraq, Sudan, Katrina - I've been pulled into monitoring catastrophic disasters, because I believed since 9th grade that there would be major natural disasters, and that very few of us would survive. That's why organic farming and alternative energy, waste management, libraries, etc are a central part of the 'resort' concept.  It's time to act.  I believe that if we can start breathing more love and inspiration, more hope and integrity through humanity and our earth, that massive catastrophe won't be necessary anymore.

Thanks Bill, and Tru, for the comments that inspired this :-)  As for the other honorable members of this pod, let's get thinking ;~)  I'm looking forward to reading your thoughts. 

Re: So, what's your business like?

Agri-tainment is a concept you'll hear at times on the tv human interest news - usually tied to those corn mazes or halloween haywagon rides. Basically, farming done as a retail operation, allowing suburbanites to go play on the farm as a form of entertainment for the kids.
 
There's a couple of sucessful farm operations near me that use this concept. But you have to have the right location for it to work.

Your plan is basically an eco-adventure resort, not so much agritainment. (I left out a comma in my post that mentioned agritainment, that made it seem like I was calling your project agritainment.)