Re: Who wants to help me save the world???? No seriously....

NOTE: Posting as a member, just created my account...

WARNING! This post is long, but if we’re going to change the world, we’re going to have to roll up our sleeves, grab some coffee, and dig in. PLEASE read EVERY word of this post.

If you're fed up with the current state of the world, if your fed up with tptb, even if you just want to improve yourself then please help me with this brainstorming project. Let’s continue to monitor current events and discuss them, but I’m asking you, yes ALL of you, to widen your focus to now include work on solutions. There are so many problems with the world at the moment, so its going to take many people and lots of time, but I have faith that if we all unite our ambitions and expertise, we truly can save the world.

Step 1- Planning. Help me form a plan. Let’s start by discovering and listing currently existing ideas, plans, and projects that are already heading in the right direction.

SECTION 1: FOOD

Here is one of the posts that has motivated me to write this post:

Thread: Tired of Doom and Gloom? Here's How YOU Can Save YOURSELF and the Earth. Yes, YOU.

I agree with the OP of that post, and I think we should make food one of our first priorities. Here’s my idea:

Let’s form a non-profit organization based on the concept of, over time of course, switching the majority of food production and consumption from corporate based to locally based. Here are a few of the objectives: create a union of local farmers to help bring their produce supply to the people’s demand. How do we do this?

SECTION 1, PART 1: Organization and Website

Let’s start a website for our organization that works along the same lines as craigslist, but more closely focused on food and produce.

Farmer’s perspective: Daily updates of what produce is available, and options to update a calendar of when new produce will be harvested and available, as well as options for pricing.

Consumers Perspective: Individuals can search for specific produce by price, locality, etc. Consumer’s can also list wanted produce to give farmers a better idea of demand trends.

Another part of the website can be to list farmer’s markets by date and location.

This is just the basic concept and needs much development…



SECTION 1, PART 2: Growing Food at Home

I believe that anyone that has the space to grow their own food, should, but I understand that not everyone has the time or the physical ability to do so, therefore another aspect of the organization, which btw I’m terrible with names so if you have any suggestions please speak up, is an opportunity for these individuals to hire a gardeners that will grow, maintain, and even harvest produce right at home. This can also be a learning experience for the owners.

SECTION 1, PART 3: Competitions

Individuals, Families, Schools/Colleges, Churches, Companies, etc….. What if they competed amongst themselves to see who could grow the most food, organically and under certain circumstances, dividing the resulting food between themselves and donating to either charity, homeless shelters, or even our organization.

Ok guys and gals, this is just a sneak peak at some of my ideas. There will be many other sections than just food, and much more added to section one with your help of course, but hey it’s a start.

NOW WHO WANT’S TO HELP?!?!?!?!

Here’s how you can help:

1. Edit the post above, both grammatically and logically.
2. Research to find existing websites and organizations that are similar to the one’s in this post.
3. Post any and all advise concerning the post above.
4. Brainstorm.
5. Network- If you think it’s a good idea, talk about it with friends family, and even experts you know that might have expertise regarding this idea, and then share your findings.

Conclusion. The main goal of Section 1 is to create a mass shift within the food industry.
This is not on to save the world its own going but it’s a start.
Discuss:

Exactly! Anyone have any ideas on this?

Wonderful ideas, in theory. I agree 100% about food being a major priority. My major focus for food would be to irradiate the ever growing problem of GMO crops, which destroy the environment as well as the humans and animals who consume them. I would think most people on this site are probably here because they would like to see a change in the world. Until the rest of humanity catches up and wakes up the brainstorming phase is where this will stay - unfortunately. Like a previous poster mentioned, local farms, organic farms and CSA's already exist, but we live in a society where convenience comes first. A good first step would be education on a global scale. Spreading the word about vile companies like Monsanto, DuPont, Dow, etc. Education about the cause and effects of these modern "innovations". Which is difficult in and of itself because most available studies have been funded by the very companies behind the destruction. Having classes integrated into even the lowest grades of the education system so the children that will become the future get the message engrained that these genetically modified "frankenfoods" are not food in the slightest, but components of a sick science experiment with humans, animals and earth being the unwitting test subjects. While talking about food, water would certainly be another avenue to peruse and educate. Education needs to take place about fluoride also!

Second, a complete overhaul of government, right down to a local scale, would need to take place for the education to even be useful. Until the evils are out of power positions it will be very difficult to implement safe food alternatives.

It really feels like we're damned if we do or damned if we don't. At work now but will definitely be thinking some more about this on my commute home. Nice post OP!

Excellent idea, and don't you think becoming a smart consumer, especially when deciding what we put into our bodies would be a great start?

While a laudable goal, the above (particularly the second paragraph) represents the roadblock in front of any type of organic food network being a widely pursued endeavor. The government is in business with the big players like Monsanto, and will stop at nothing to shut down any threat. So, before any alternative/viable concept takes hold, you'll find your house raided, your stocks destroyed by their armed thugs, and those involved likely jailed and fined.

So, to counter this, someone with a good legal mind will need to be involved (at the very least). I'm not saying this threat should stop anyone, but it's a reality that must be contemplated if you hope to succeed...

Great post! Thank you! "Grow-at-home-kit" is a fantastic idea. This is exactly the type of discussion I was hoping to invoke.

Me thinks OP isn't trying to save the world, OP is trying to set up a new business.

OP has gone from grow food and give it away

TO selling grow at home kits and where to get land


OP is looking to set up and do what every garden center does

You have something against garden centers?

Theyre not exactly saving the world

NO SERIOUSLY


BWWWWAAAAAAHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAA

I would dare say a good garden center is doing more to save the world than a lot of other load of crock businesses are.

You're exactly the kind of brit that gives the rest of you such a bad rap. So annoying.

Theyre not exactly saving the world

I don't know where this thread is, read OP and then had to post. I'm in.


Can I use your idea on the food situation, and the website, competitions and what not here locally? I'm in Iowa.
I'm not concerned about the money, grew up without it and I don't need it now. I make a living and I know that there is nothing that the earth can not provide. That said, I would love to be able to provide everyone in the world with free food or at least the knowledge to grow free food.

I am in a position to be able to make this happen here. And your ideas are great, so again, may I use them?

Me thinks OP isn't trying to save the world, OP is trying to set up a new business.

OP has gone from grow food and give it away

TO selling grow at home kits and where to get land


OP is looking to set up and do what every garden center does

"What bestselling author Tim Sanders calls a "responsibility revolution" is shaking up corporate America. In this provocative and insightful book, Sanders reveals why companies must go beyond making a profit and start making a difference.

Today, customers, employees, and investors are demanding that companies focus on their social responsibilities - not just their bottom lines. Sixty-five percent of American consumers say they would change to brands associated with a good cause if price and quality are equal; 66 percent of recent college graduates will not work for companies with poor social values. And more than sixty million people are willing to pay a premium for socially and environmentally responsible products. Businesses that do not take this revolution into account are putting their companies at risk.

In the first part of SAVING THE WORLD AT WORK, Tim Sanders argues that the revolution is already underway, changing the business landscape as it relates to customer loyalty and the war for talent. In part two, he offers concrete suggestions on how all of us can help our companies buy and live locally, become "greener" in their day-to-day operations, and give back to their communities."

[link to www.savingtheworld.net]

So, you were saying?

Good stuff!
As an architect looking into this stuff there are a few cents I can throw in here regarding section I part 2:

Tall buildings
Growing food in skyscrapers can be tricky, but in less than a dozen floors, a tower like a parasitic "garden" attached to the flats can be built, perhaps with funding or sponsors.
I have some projects that define this, although it needs to be redesigned so as to bring down the price considerably.

Roof Gardens
After sealing your roof, probably with an expert, you can grow stuff on your roof! A simple seal can handle flower pots, wooden boxes and boxed flower beds, water tubs for aquatics, bee hives and greenhouses. Recycling wood is great to make boxed flower beds of all sizes to decorate one´s roof, terrace and/or garden.

Worms
Vermicomposting is probably the most efficient and home-friendly bio-recycling system, even in flats.
It needs a bit of maintenance, it is limitted to "clean" biowaste, but its great to have once you have agro-production going. Vermicompost can give you muddy compost that drips out to feed your plants with the water, very efficiently.

Gardens
If you are farming a plot of land, look into permaculture and its practices. It talks about cool techniques and how to mix your plants.

Structures
Whether physical or digital, the structure must be somehow complete, like a functioning house or city, or like the human body, with a mind, a face, a digestive system, legs and feet, arms and hands. each part functioning as part of a whole. Craigslist´s structure is a type of compartmental crowd source community. We connect for all kinds of reasons, it seems some of those reasons are weak and need better reasons: it will definitly be more entertaining to meet people while sharing fresh produce, if you know what I mean...

to KOL 88 ::::

? do i know you from any other chat line ?

there was one poster who was named (???) 88

more later;

vlad