Geeting Back To Community Basics

The solution to our economic recovery is still local small businesses. The Community needs should be met and provided by the communityl

Tesla Motors

I might still be able have my electric car. Apparently Tesla Motors makes an electric vehicle http://teslamotors.com.I will nto have to hope for GM to start making their EV1 again.

I still think that every region should have their own alternative fuel car company design for that specific region and climate.

Malls Are People Spaces

I was at a local church flea market, where I had rented a table. Business was very slow that day. Someone commented that many of the flea markets are not as busy as they use be. I started wondering the fate of public markets like flea markets and shopping malls?

Back in the 60's malls were being built all across the country. It seemed wherever there was farm land open, a mall was constructed.

Now it seems many of the malls are struggling and even closing. Some had to change the use of their space from retail to business and offices. A few have been even torn down completely.

I was thinking what of the remaining malls? The land is still there with this large building on it. It could be turned into business space, indoor gardening space, recreational space, alternative commerce space like flea markets, and even manufacturing space.

Malls are people spaces. They are places for people to gather. The use does not matter. The country side already has been altered by the building or the mall. Why tear it down, use if for other purposes.

Many malls already have skylights that allow vegetation, why not grow food. Use it as an indoor farm and park. Many people already use it for exercise. Small manufacturing enterprises, with factory outlets could be created. The same is true for any vacant building even in urban areas.

Houses can be more than residential dwellings. They can be arts and culture places, They can be business offices, manufacturing, even small agricultural spaces.

Us humans decided what our spaces will be used for. It is the human activity that defines the space we inhabit. A dining room is a space defined by four walls where we dine. It is nothing special.

Waiting For Electric Cars

I am still waiting for electric cars. GM should not be given one more cent until they bring back their EV1. Electric is Green for the environment and the economy. If you build it, they will buy and drive it.

Electric Cars To Improve Economy

I was wathcing a great documentary on Discovery's Planet Green Channel, "hol Killed the Electric Car". It was well produced documentary how GM had an electric car, the EV 1, but ended up not only stopping the production, but distroyed all the existing cars. It made wonder how could someone else start an electric car company, maybe in city like Buffalo. It was the home of the Pierce Arrow at one time?

Favorite Thoreau And Frost Quotes

Henry David Thoreau
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion. For most men, it appears to me, are in a strange uncertainty about it, whether it is of the devil or of God, and have somewhat hastily concluded that it is the chief end of man here to "glorify God and enjoy him forever."

ROAD LESS TRAVELED

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth

Then took the other as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet, knowing how way leads onto way
I doubted if I should ever come back

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence
Two roads diverged in a wood
And I took the one less traveled by
And that has made all the difference

Robert Frost

Urban Farming

I always felt that land should be used to either produce food or energy. If not give it back to nature. organizations like Queen City Farm use urban land that would just lay vacant, gathering trash, and not contributing to the betterment of the community.
http://queencityfarm.org/

Food Not Lawns International: Heather Flores Workshop Tour West Coast U.S. this Fall Needs Organizers

Food Not Lawns International: Heather Flores Workshop Tour West Coast U.S. this Fall Needs Organizers

Living Small

With all the news about job losses and home foreclosures was thinking about the idea of living in smaller spaces. Part of the foreclosure problem is people purchasing far more house than they need or can afford. Are we using all the space we are taking? I am finding even my home can house a small third world village or at least an extended family. I saw this video piece on CNN which talks about a few people downsizing their living spaces.

Food Not Lawns International: Heather Flores Workshop Tour West Coast U.S. this Fall Needs Organizers

Food Not Lawns International: Heather Flores Workshop Tour West Coast U.S. this Fall Needs Organizers

Bring It Closer To Home

I was contemplating the designs of our human habitats, such cities and suburbs. To me everything seems so far away, necessitating vehicular transportation. People use to be able to walk to school, libraries, shopping, work, entertainment. These days destinations are separated by a sea of asphalt. Even once you drive to your destination you have to walk far greater distances than people did in the past before the need of cars.

Children and the elderly should be able walk to wherever they need to go. If it requires an automobile to get there it has been placed too far away. Work, and satisfying basic needs should be within walking distance of your home. I had a job that was 17 miles away, which had me driving there and back. That took me too far away from my home and community. I used fossil fuel and time. I was also stressful.

There needs to be work within ones community and neighborhood. Food, work and other basic needs should within walking distance of your home. My father tells me that he never had a need of an automobile until he got married and moved to the suburbs. if his destination was too far to walk he took public transportation. Most of what he needed was within walking distance of his home.

Personnel Electricity

Wind and solar are great sources of power. However I believe any alternative energy source works best on a small scale, supplying households and neighborhoods. Wind and solar energy farms are like produce farms. The product need sto be tranported over large distances. Why not generate the electricity on the premise where it is to be used. Instead of transporting electricity from far away places, it can be produced in you own backyard or neighborhood.

The first consideration is design of the building. This is the concept of passive solar power comes into play. You let nature do some of the work for you. People often no view their homes as funcitional structures that are places of production, not only consumption.

Energy, Food And Nature

Many towns and cities have plenty of vacant lots. In some cities, like here in Buffalo, people decided to make use of the lots, by growing food. I believe urban farming or community gardening, is a great use of the land. In fact I think that vacant land should be used for energy production, food production or to let it be reclaimed by nature. Letting nature take control of the land helps heal the Earth.

As far a energy production is concerned you can place solar panels on vacant lots to generate energy for the community. You can also put up vertical axis windmills to make wind power. Some of the vertical axis wind generators could be placed in people's backyards, on roofs, in windy alleys.

Trash And Treasures

It is the seaon for curb shopping in my city. This when people clear out their homes and places them out for big trash pick up. If you look around you find many interesting, if not useful items on the curb. To some people this is trash, to other it is treasures. This is another example of reusing and recycling of goods.

Herb Planting

Despite today's cooler day here in Western New York, I was planting a few herb plants in a couple of containers on my back deck. I planted some of my favorites; chives, sage, curly parsley, dill weed, mint, lemon balm, marjoram, and thyme. Herbs are generally easier than othe rplants to grow, since they need less attention.

I plant them in containers, because I like to take them inside during the colder weather for Winter use in my home. I usually place them in my attic. They do nicely up there. When I need some herbs for cooking I just take a walk up in my attice and snip a few.

Fresh herbs are the best to add some flavor to a mid Winter dish. They are also great for mid Summer grilling and cook outs.

Water From Heaven Is A Good As Pennies

Upon receiving my latest high water bill, I started thinking about the sources of water. As I looked out my window rain was falling in sheets from the sky. I noticed it wa scoming down so hard that it was spilling over the edges of the gutters. It was gushing from the downspouts. This was a tremendous amount of water going to waste. It was there for the collecting.

For years people have used troughs and rain barrels to collect this gift from the heavens. It still could be done. Reroute your downspouts to a trough or barrel. It could be used later used for your garden, to wash your car, to wash your dishes, even to fill a small pool for the kids, and it is all for free. It will save you money on water costs. It may not be pennies from heaven, but it is the next best thing.

Is Good Health Bad For Business?

Is it the business of healthcare or the healthcare business? The objective of business is making money, profit, the bottom line. In healthcare the bottom line should be healing, the health of the patient. When a person's healthcare cuts into the profit margin, which is given priority? Is good health bad for business?

What would happen if people were healthy and did not get sick? Where would the healthcare industry be? There cancer research has become big business. There has not been a cure found. If one was found what would happen to all thsoe jobs and businesses that depend on people's cancer to make the books balance. Health should not be about corporate profits.

Even not-for-profit groups who make their living at helping people would go out-of-business if they achieved their mission statement. Seeking solutions is sometimes more profitable than finding them. If you are sick you boost the economy, if you stay healthy you hurt the economy.

Keep Economics Small and Human

Now that I vented my frustration with AIG and greedy huge financial institutions in my first post, I will state what some of the topics I will be covering on this site.

The idea is that culture, including economies, should start on the household level and emanate outward through the community, town and region. Each household can be seen not only as a center of consumption, but also a place of production.

Some of the topics that I will discuss will be recycling, co-housing, collectives, cooperatives, community gardens, roadside produce stands, garage and rummage sales, conservation of resources, reduction of comsumption, barter, LET systems, thrift stores, cottage industries, household manufacturing, Freescycle sites, community education, and low cost public transportation.

There are numerous business tractions that take place without the support or involvement of large financial or business entities. People have been conducting business with each other for hundreds of years.

Business is about interactions between people, not large business sytems. Without people there is no business. If an organization becomes too big than the human element is lost. Money is only a tool.

Small Is Still Beautiful

I am still a believer that small is beautiful. Whatever happened to small town and local banks? Local tax money should go to local financial institutions, who invest in local businsesses and industries who then create local jobs. Let the AIG's collpase under their own weight. Give the money to local people and we will rebuild our own reconomy. America grew from the sweat and work of the little guy not from financial giants. I think a global economy is a bad idea. Keep it small. simple and local