From a “Still Skeptical” post: Founding a Business

Check the date! This post was written over two years ago, in fact almost three. In it I outline accurately plans I still have to this day.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 5, 2008
Founding a Business
I have been thinking a lot lately about the plan of what I want to do after college. And things may be coming together quite interestingly. There are big changes happening in agriculture, especially toward sustainable farming. Some ideas I have:

Found a non-loss, non-dividend Social Business.
Goal: Get organic into the lives of all rural families living below the poverty line for self-sufficiency and empowerment.
2. Market and sell organic produce in the US to ensure that small producers always have an outlet for excess production.
3. Research and disseminate best techniques for high-yield organic small farms.

Dealing in: high yield, direct trade, commercial organic fruits, vegetables, commodities, and herbs: banana, pineapple, cotton, corn, coffee, sugar cane, plantain, cocoa, dairy, livestock, name (root), noni (experimental), oregano, basil, etc.

Direct Trade: Microsupply/Microdemand.
Imagine buying a pack of bananas (organic and directly benefitting farmers and the environment, etc), from 4 different farms (individual farmer here could== coop region) in different regions/countries/local varieties. Say that bananas are not a uniform taste, as the clone seeds are—designed to be big and yellow on the outside and distributed by a single company. But organic actually taste better. How much better? You decide. Vote thumbs up or thumbs down on our website to let us know for each one, and look for your favorite in singles next time you go to the supermarket.
–> Some types sell out quicker and are higher rated… stores notice and request more from that farmer. Farmer can produce more funded by higher price. Exceptional examples could hit a “genetic jackpot” and maintain exclusive or sell seed.
–> Range of sticker prices based on ratings, with the best taste costing more and the low-range still a few cents higher than standard quality plantation banana.
–> Would give local farmers incentive to experiment, they may strike it rich! Would lend itself to organic non-gm farming, which already represents a large benefit to family ownership/livelihoods. With many small plots, could even find out what your farm is best at producing by rating against other small farmers.
–> New market for seeds can be grassroots-based in constant evolution and locally variant. Microsupply, microdemand for seed market as well driven by the larger research farms.

How? The internet can manage this quantity of data!

Local Campaign:
-With organic farms can do Community Shared Agriculture shares to benefit from added diversity of production, for any size farm even those that can’t make it international.
-Uncertified organic “gardens” can be grown in backyard for family or market, if seed is made available that doesn’t need fertilizers or pesticides. Reduce dependence on (costly, external) food and boost family income.
-“Preserve your environment and stand up for your livelihood because their economics is not working.” Support local farmers. Support organic. Organize and lobby for fair laws (while using the existing ones)
-Once you’re big enough, join your local coop for shared investments and shipments. Coops can work with us for finding buyers, brokering deals, farmer education, flyers etc.

Scattered, and still some things to work out, but well on the way to becoming the material and flesh of venture capital. Just need a team of impassioned individuals– consider this an invitation to ask more.

-Eddie
Posted by HP at 9:40 PM
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How to start Sheep

From the Rural Living Handbook, Published by Mother Earth News. 115-116

It hardly pays to buy young lambs and feed them to adulthood for strong-flavored mutton. The trick, instead, is to raise your first lambs into adult breeders, then slaughter their offspring as fat, tender lambs. With an acre or two of pasture, a shade tree, a third of a ton of hay for winter and a handful of grain a day, a ewe lamb will mature in a year and, if bred, produce a lamb or two of her own, plus five to eight pounds of wool. After maturing on its mother’s milk and a little grain and graze, each of your new lambs will provide you with a wonderful fleece hide and around 50 pounds of delicious meat.

Torta Recipe

Found a sweet new recipe from http://blacksheepsays.com/ which I’ll include here. Breakfast recipe using local food woo!

Jessi’s Breakfast Torta
6-8 eggs
1 lb. bacon
1/2 medium red onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, diced
1/2 cup of mushrooms
1 ripe tomato, diced
a sprinkle of parmesan, salt & pepper to taste
mm, BACON. Go ahead and cook it however you like.
Sautee that onion and garlic (and some salt & pepper) in a pan.
Add diced tomato & mushrooms ’till they cook down a bit, creating sauce-y goodness.
Add that BACON!
Scramble 6-8 eggs in a small bowl and pour over all ingredients (some more salt & pepper here)
Cover and let simmer on low/medium. As the egg begins to cook, sprinkle some Parmesan over top for a tasty crust.

DONE. DEVOUR. ENJOY.

A Systems Perspective 3: Nature and Econ

Post! Executive Outline:

Economics as a guide to policy|discipline|business|development typically undervalues Marginal Cost.
1. Resources *Natural capital to make manufactured stuff*
2. Oil is artificially low
3. Other environmental inputs= services
4. The commons

An increase in Marginal Cost would universally better off society.
1. Reduce | Reuse | Conserve –> Lessen material dependence
2. Reduce Energy/person –> Secure our country from Middle East
3. Focus on efficiency –> Reduce waste which hurts services
4. Produce less corn.

Finally, a policy solution without silly cap-and-trade or clean energy, which generates revenues by being harsher on unsustainable businesses.Increase the marginal cost of resources, to decrease their use. Read on, dear reader. But be prepared to comment if you finish it all.
-EM

Previous Post

Hey everyone, I think you should check out my younoodle site for what’s going on around Oberlin! Other than my typepad blog or my twitter, it’s pretty much the number 3 place to be on the web.

http://younoodle.com/startups/oberlin_college_sustainability_project/
The Oberlin Commons project

Cool!
For those who are following my international development efforts, it’s also up there.

Economic Recessions

Economic Recessions Post 12/22/09
With the failure of Copenhagen (my MAPSBLOG post), it’s time to start thinking about serious depression, causes and strategies for when it gets worse. Click on, if you want. This may be my last post of this certain style as I’m considering changing the blog to be more real-time deadline appropriate. Hopefully a well-researched and justified account of the times we are living in as Americans right now, click:

The Next Globalization is Local:

Like any good Economics student, I start this article with a quote by Thomas Friedman in his definition in awkward-titled essay on “Glocalization”: “To absorb influences that naturally fit into and can enrich a culture: to resist those things that are truly alien and to compartmentalize those things that, while different, can be enjoyed and celebrated as different.” I now proceed to show the Economic justification for a more stable next generation of destructive free trade policies… [yes, it's more than just a trend.]

A million little pieces: and building the art of perfection.

OH, BOSTON!

For those who can’t tell from the blog post history, I’m just about getting grounded here. Adjusting to Boston is hard, and adjusting to being [anonymous] again after a long sojourn in [Costa Rica] proved even harder. I came in lagging behind technology and friendships, which lost me the competitive edge at [Small Planet]. Most of my files for [Massachusetts Power Shift] are [lost in Panama], my [paid radio advertisements] there never returned results. But: despite technology, work, and communications failure, this has been one of my best semesters yet.

How? A hundred little failures means another year out of personal recession; another year avoided the mainstream dullness of small talk and classes, and a new resiliency that proceeds with the confidence of experience. Confidence, and decision making. Upon personal failure, one learns a perspective of infinite possibility and creativity. (as anyone who’s been [searching for a job] can attest.) Join me, for a post that is both revelatory and informing, revolutionary in a word and inspiring in its clarity.. What’s wrong and powerful reframes.

Happiness theory

A philosophy of happiness. My dad´s response to my left me thinking hard about said happy and what that means. If we search for happiness like we do money, that is very significant. It seems it isn´t guaranteed by financial or material well-being, but your life situation has a big part to deal with it. If you say it´s entirely an inner state the discussion enters the field of self-help and spirituality. I´ve found a lot of truth in improving both areas, but it´s a lot to keep track of! Do you approach life with defined goals and morals, or just slow down and let life’s balance catch you? Over the summer I have been developing this philosophy. Thank you for reading and your comments. Please share url: http://eddiemill.wordpress.com/2009/08/13/happiness-theory/

My “Fake” Resume

When I think about this past year, and think ahead to success and what that is going to mean, I inevitable arrive at the conclusion that life experience is critical in forming new expertise. Leaders are created, not born. Up to now I have only one regret: in not taking advantage of an opportunity with Trader Joe’s last year, I have given up a few very real losses that I can only hope to some day rectify. Here, then, is my “fake” resume, as it could be.

1. Trader Joe’s, Crew member and Regional supervisor
Trader Joe’s is a wonder to most people who shop there. How, they ask, can TJ’s afford to price higher-quality, better-sourced food at 30% off of a supermarket? The answer to this involves direct supply chains, and store brand (Trader Giotto’s Italian food?) that cut out that crucial middle man. It also involves catering to amazing customers, and moving twice as much per store area as most supermarkets do. I “worked” here from Fall 2007 to early February, 2008 and was a part of this movement as it quadrupled profits and expansion through that time.

2. The Food Project, Summer trainings supervisor
With my experience at Trader Joe’s and a good understanding of sustainable food chains, I put in an application to be Intern at the Food Project (I actually did, barely missed the opportunity). The Food Project is the best regional example of farms creating thoughtful and productive community, especially with young people as full partners in food creation. This was a summer advising position to local area youth, to grow chemical-free food for markets and local food banks. Gave an understanding of a working farm and market flows.

3. Nourish International, Founder
Nourish International is another application I just missed. This position was head of a club to raise funds towards implementing a sustainable development project in a developing country. Together with peers, we raised $10,000 through school lunches, poker tournaments, and the Equal Exchange fundraiser towards a project that I design in Costa Rica Spring ’09. As a second part of the club, we “travelled” there to actually implement the design and improve the lives of an entire community. As leader and founder, I look forward to next year to implement bigger projects.

This has been a vision of what could have been. It’s painful to see an alternative less than this visionary path, and know that it was within reach. Rather than continue to lament the loss, I had to write this down. Research can somewhat make up for lost opportunity, but I have to question what could have been if there hadn’t been a casually dismissive comment one fall day from a friend I really value…