Well, the update is, there's no progress to report. After a year of trying to introduce the idea of a co-op to own land in this local area for various purposes including biointensive growing, it seems to me the idea just isn't catching on. Perhaps this shows lack of leadership, or lack of charisma or something lacking on my part. Perhaps the idea is just not one whose time has come, i'm not sure. Various other models of people working together for sustainability, are being discussed locally, and lots of groups have formed or this purpose, and i wish these groups well. Doing a little research at the Wisconsin Dept. of Financial Institutions i learn that one can incorporate as a Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) relatively easily and painlessly, and the LLC can later be converted to other organizational forms. One of my role-model groups, the Burning Man Project, has done astounding things as an LLC, in fact. So i think what we'll do is go ahead and just set up a small LLC with the idea of future conversion to co-operative format if at some future time enough people get interested in the idea of co-operatives as more than just grocery stores for "consumers" or stores for farmers to get hardware and supplies. Bylaws will be set up pretty much parallel to what the co-op would be: lifetime membership structure, one member, one vote, with a small Board that can make decisions easily and quickly. The core idea is that the members actually *own* the land in common, and if the LLC structure works to instill that "ownership" mindset, that will be a step in the right direction. And the LLC structure doesn't require getting the idea "vetted" by the Gatekeepers who do the "vetting" on which new ideas are Cool, or not.
Meanwhile, we've been talking with a woman who farms in this area about leasing some land long-term and co-operating on sustainable-oriented growing, and we'll continue looking at small plots of land that may be available to buy. It's probably just best to do this work quietly and off the radar and see what succeeds or what doesn't, without a lot of hoopla or publicity. Also, researching and developing markets (buyers) for farm produce is a long drawn-out process that needs to be done anyway. It's a step you just can't skip. Perhaps once there are some assets, people will become more interested. Start-ups are risky and scary, after all. As for a co-op i still have this hunch that co-operation may be the secret alternative energy source people are looking for. I'm convinced, in the era after oil production peaks, co-operating will be not a "lifestyle choice," but more of a survival tactic; and well suited to survival needs of working class people--we who will be the first, and most heavily damaged, by the "peak oil" epic/epoch. But i'm taking a hiatus from proposing, discussing, spamming, or promoting the land co-op idea for the forseeable future. Anyway, there's this Yahoo! group which you can feel free to use/abuse,
landco-op@yahoogroups.com
plus the website, which can be used for e-commerce once there are some things to sell online, and a blog that's available, where not much is off-topic, feel free to blog away at http://www.biodiversecity.com/blog yours, bobby g