Re: Can they?

I struggled a lot with the ideas of building eco-villages when I was younger, and one of the 'lessons' I feel I learned from that long difficult experience was that you can't ask people make too large of a sacrifice to make a project successful.

Or, in other words, don't expect people to be able to come to the community, instead, bring the community to the people.

Which is another way of saying, build the virtual community first.

Rodrigo is talking about spreading ecovillages around the world, and it is a good idea, and it will eventually happen, But we still have a lot to learn about doing it.

Which again brings us back to the need for 'virtual communities' - places to share information, to work out the bugs, to seek out the best ideas so that we don't waste time and money 'reinventing the wheel'.

We also need better knowledge of finances for communities, and of how to finance these kinds of things, of trusts, investment clubs, and grants, loans, and grantwriting.

Virtual communities - like training workshops, or internships, for building eco-villages. I'm not sure if it's right, but that idea just keeps banging in my thoughts.

Re: Can they?

In case it's not obvious, I'm talking about the larger picture, not about Rodrigo's Island.

Altho building the virtual community for Rodrigo's Island asap is also a good idea, I think. (what's the island's real name, again? What is the 'brand' name you want to use for the site?)

Re: Can they?

The real names of the islands are Small Tiger Island (Pulau Macan Kechil), and Bald Tiger Island (Pulau Macan Gundul).  

As for United Adventures, our project on the island is to get people there as often as possible.  Weekend adventures, corporate leadership seminars and workshops, entreprenuership courses, yoga retreats, honeymoons, family vacations, a location for video photography for movies / tv shows, etc… The point is bringing in revenue while keeping consistent with the eco-adventure principles…  This particular island is a bit small for really building an eco village on it, but to sell time-share vacation cabins is a possibility.

As for creating successful eco-villages, I'm also a big believer in 'standing on the shoulders of giants' and not 'reinventing the wheel.'

I'm in the midst of preparations for another trip to the island this weekend, but next week I'd like to see if we can find some good information on so called best practices of setting up eco resorts and villages.  

I really believe that we need more real, physical nodes of inspiration in addition to virtual ones… We need to harness the power of information technology - yes (this revolution still has so much potential) - but we also need to deal with basic things like mud, plants, eco-systems, building materials, etc…

We can learn virtually, and explore virtually … take an animated organic gardening course, or learn how to install environmentally friendly cooling systems for our homes… this would be great, but I'm feeling a real need and drive to 'get out there and do it.' Come back, learn a bit more, strategize a bit, and then go out there again and do it.  

A mouse and some crabs have eaten 3 of my four tomato plants out there :~( so, I'll bring some more baby plants out and build a better barrier… perhaps I could have learned that on a virtual island gardening class, but the satisfaction of actually doing it is hard to beat :~)

peace & adventures,

~drigo 

Eco Villatge Manifestation

Small Tiger Island, eh? That has a kind of poetry to it.

Have you settled on a brand name for your tour/resort business? It's probably on one of the illustrations or links you posted a while back, but if it is, it has slipped out of my memory and needs to be re-inforced.

Crabs got your tomatoes, eh? Here I put wire cages, about a foot in diameter and 16 inches tall, around my tomatoe plants, and leave that in place untill they get bigger and start producing more of their protective chemicals. I'd expect the biology to be more agressive there in the tropics, so it might be best to leave the cage in place permanently.

I agree that actually doing it is better than virtually doing it. It's just that actually doing it is much less likely here in cyberspace. I'm trying to figure out a way for more people to be involved with eco-villages, to get the idea flowing and growing in people's minds.

Are you planning on starting a dedicated website for your business and project - you know, a www.smalltigerisland.com type of thing, where you own the domain name, rent a bit of server space, and have your official website, the one you want prospective customers to see?

Re: Eco Villatge Manifestation

Our branding is “Incredible Vacation Experiences” and it's the header on the blog that I posted awhile back, which has pictures of the island and some of our other destinations too.  I took some pictures of the solar panel and the little garden that the guys on the island made…. As for the garden, we're now thinking of hydroponics - but the challenge is again water.  

To my surprise, I had a last minute booking for two for a trip to the islands while I was there with my group this weekend, and the husband is this Spanish guy who used to set up eco resorts around central America.  So, with a small barter deal, I think I've found myself an additional consultant :~)

As for the virtual eco-village, I absolutely love the idea… but what would the experience be like?  Would you log in, and then just click on different parts of the site to learn about eco-living?  How do you envision it?

Actually, we do have a website for the island… it's decent but not near where I'd like it to be… you can view it at www.pulaumacan.com.  We'll be re-doing that site soon.  

I'll be posting more through the week, and hopefully some pictures too…  

Re: Mind Body Spirit Village Manifestation

Aloha
I am the world’s most published photographer and My specialty is travel and resort

i have sold more travel and resort and spa than any other photographer and you can use my stock of happy people in tropical areas for your website which would put it through the ceiling to say the least.

I also have been planning such a thing while living in Hawaii for 4 decades and have traveled and studied at many many healing and health resorts since 1970

I have doe extensive fasts and been a raw foodist for 40 years now and also have studied over 50 systems of healing and detoxification as well as hundreds of mind body spirit elements.

So i am quite interested in this here and in Thailand.

I can also offer the government there my services and imagery to increase travel in general in exchange for?

I have a friend with 10 square miles in Gaunaja in Honduras islands that could be a sequel. Etc.

Alternate energy is a passion of mine ….
Increasing the value would be a library of cds and dvds of mind body spirit and inspirational materials fro te world’s great’s
A friend wit yoga ashram in Sri lanka has a wall projector and shows dvds one night a a week to locals adn team and it is a hit.

I beleive you have the winner here as places like this are the next
Trillion $
Read Paul Pilzer’s
The Fountain of Wealth and The Next Trillion and see
Paul Pilzer.com

market analyst Everyoe wants this and they want to heal and they want to learn.

This template could develop into a chain. if done consciously!
I have lived extensively in the tropics and in Central and South america and Caribbean and Hawaii for the last 4 decades and can offer my services if it can help.

You could also fund it with a domain service like .tv and others now since .com and .org and .net are so full for domain names if you could work out local agreement

About 20 years ago the King of Malaysia brought me to Malaysia because he was a wind-surfer and wanted me to shoot there. and he brought me to see the Sultan of brunei who was the richest man in the world then.
I am a certified windsurfing instuctor internationally and have worked with dolphins since 1972 when I worked with John Lilly…Dolphins if there are any there are a great draw as is every aspect of mind body spirit (not JUST eco) tourism.

You ar on the spot with this
Dont ever give up on it. it IS the future of it all as long as it has library of media run on solar..and books as well.

My friend Dan Carlson (www.sonicbloom.com) waqs broght in to the Indonesian governement to work with the 25 ministers of agriculture there to increase agricultural yeilds with sonic boom They were so astondeded by the yeids that they praised him to high heaven and mad him a fixture of soorts. Somnic bloom produced one pumplkin in midwest US that was 1500 pounds and nutritive value through the sky!.

Also the research on growing amazing crops with sea-water is available and I can get you all the links for that so seawater is not an issue as big as you might think.

Immediately bring in as many coconuts to plant now as they take time to mature. I drink about 12 coconuts a day here in Hawaii Identical to Mother’s milk in composition exactly.

I have found the people there to be exceptionally warm hearted and caring.

Another friend is the top topical architect in hawaii and his buildings are built in Bali at tie and shipped here…the market for tropical structures is exploding exponentially and here real estate has quadrupled already (Hawaii)

Sun

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Re: Mind Body Spirit Village Manifestation

Hi Sun, nice and interesting post, with some great ideas and suggestions.

You worked with Lilly, eh? That's fantastic.

Re: Mind Body Spirit Village Manifestation

Thank you Bill Hope i did nto over do it!!!!

Sun

Re: Mind Body Spirit Village Manifestation

Well, Sun, you do throw a lot on the plate when you write, but it's all very on-topic, and knowing Rodrigo as I do, when he drops back in from his busy entreprenuerial schedule I'm sure he will be very pleased, and see a great affinity.

I don't thing the idea of selling domain names will work, because you have to be a country to do that, but a lot of your ideas sounded very interesting. It did make me wonder what the coconut and permaculture possibilities were on Rodrigo's site.

Re: Eco Village Manifestation

It looked like you tried to post some pics, Rodrigo, but it didn't work. Is that right?

There's some kind of trick you have to use to post pics here - you upload the pic to your personal photos section, select the pic from it, cntrl-c to copy it, then cntrl-v to paste it into a pod post.

Re: Eco Villatge Manifestation

hi drigo

just came across this - and your original post in zaadpreneurs [i think]

am interested in getting involved with this project

we are experts in LOHAS marketing and have considerable experience in bringing new projects to fruition - with or without capital for marketing investment

our largest client last year spent half a million, our smallest spent $500

so we can certainly come up with a solution that will work - even some sort of JV or contra would be considered

look forward to being in touch

cameron@nuovon

Re: Eco Villatge Manifestation

Rodrigo, to answer the question about how a eco-village website for your site and project might work, here's what I would start out with:

The central core of the site would be a blog, a wordpress blog (free software, easy to learn). In the blog you would talk about the schedules and events happening at the site, and the blog creates a sense of “live” presence, thru which you can position yourself to answer emails and sell customers.

Writing the blog entries would be an ongoing task, but there are a few ways to make it easier to do.

Then, a photography section, organized to send the message that yours is an ecology vacation adventure. Lots of pics of flora and fauna and sights. maybe give the rights to the pics out for free, to children and educators. This helps get bookmarkers and helps keep the idea of your place in the minds of porential customers.

Then, a series of pages about ecology vacations, and eco villages - not too many to start, but enough to add an informational flavor to the site.

And finally, your closing pages, where you sell the tours, talk money, and give tour information.

That would be plenty to get started, enough content to attract some good links, enough to sell some tours, and maybe attract some investment.

Re: Eco Villatge Manifestation

Sounds like things are going well for you with the eco village resorts. I’m very happy for you and this endeavor. I’d like to do a blog post on this.

Re: HOW Can we? Imagine in detail!

Yes BILL
Re: HOW Can we? Imagine in detail!

The details and practicalities are something

passionate people with a magical project do amazing things.

yes even just sharing on the e version now is great.

never before in the history of advertising adn networking have we have a global netork to bring in ehough people to any such place to make it stand on its own..or even jsut envision the beauty of it

And our friend Rod is already doing it
he has a lot of passion about this and avery great heart it feels like and he is a doer doing it.

I was really suprised to see the paragliders I have many friends here that are devoted paragliders.

Yesterday at Makapuu beach in Waimanalo

I was on the beach laying looking up at the cliffs above the beach and I have a returning insights from many years ago that the white sand and the blue water and sunny blue sky and air and life force and the paragliders and hang gliders and bodysurfers were all in an altered state very much like a
trans -dimensional heaven of sorts

It was literally a time out heaven on earth not just a nice place in nature but really vibrationally heaven on earth where peple were functioning in their passion for the moment which was all that was important..

It seems we can offer that when we find that many or most people have not experienced that especially in a tropical arena.

Having drank over 100,000 coconuts worth of coconut water in the past 35 years from
Central America to Islands in the Caribbean to Hawaii and Indonesia I can say that is a divine thing in itself….though many think of it as nothing more than an exotic indulgence. Simple pleasures like this and quiet adn the possibility of an environment like this in a area where the local peple are open to all new experience and sharing (some great peple there) it is something we all see the potential in.

I am excited by Rod’s commitment.. it is what this takes.
I feel that the possibility of seminars there and a healing center are viable yet
presume some homework and more networking.

having lived in the tropics for may decades now it is hard to beat.. now to take micro climates adn micro learning and healing to these areas to they dont seem remote to commited guests.

I hope I can hear more from this group on this.
Sun