Yesterday I spoke with The Eden Projects and am pleased to report that they have willingly agreed to provide me with images and their logo for use on our upcoming website! This is a major advancement, and will help to give context to our customers, showing the important work that their dollars are accomplishing.
I had a great conversation with Rick, The Eden Project's Haiti coordinator, and he gave me an update on that particular project. He reports that they have made contact with numerous hillside farmers, many of whom remember the forests that have disappeared and are willing to offer person-hours to help care for the forests that will be planted. The farmers have offered large amounts of land to be converted back to trees. This buy-in is essential to the success of these shoe-string projects. Community involvement keeps costs to a bare minimum. With involvement comes a sense of ownership. And with ownership comes lasting change.
One way that The Eden Projects encourages participation in Haiti is by implementing a Permaculture-style "food forest" model on many of these Haitian farms. The Eden Projects will plant understory and canopy trees that produce food, thus serving multiple purposes for the communities. As a backyard gardener and a Permaculture enthusiast, I am pleased that they are using this model in Haiti. The trees will provide both economic and environmental benefits to this challenged island nation and, because they offer easily recognized value, the forests should be well cared for.
We are extremely proud to be supporting this great organization. Every ten cents they receive can, through their innovative network, plant one tree. Our future customers, will be part of this movement. It is our goal to provide value every step of the way. It's not about getting rich, it is about bringing back the trees and the ethic of buying, healthy, heirloom American-made products.
The margins in retail are slim. It is my responsibility to find a range of products that can, on average, produce a minimum of $2.20 cents of net profit. To someone who has never run a store, this might sound easy. But after all of the expenses involved, sometimes one is fortunate to break even in a retail business. But if The Eden Projects can work miracles planting trees, why should we be satisfied with narrow profits? Ideally, we will donate much more to reforestation efforts. We would love to donate $22 or even $44 per item sold. So, behind the scenes, we are working on innovative ways of identifying (and creating) valuable, collectible, unique products that will be exciting enough to bring in much larger margins -- especially with the knowledge that our profits are going to such tremendously important projects.
Stay tuned!
Karl
Plant22.com
It's about the future
Friday, October 17, 2014
Saturday, October 11, 2014
Graphic Design for Plant22.com -- by Carl (with a "C")
Carl and I met on Thursday and we talked about Plant22.com. It is a fascinating and wonderful experience, creating a business entity. The process from thought to conviction to action to thingness depends, primarily, on the number of people who believe in it. Once critical mass is reached, the idea takes its place among other things and exists, both as a legal entity and as a quasi-object. When an exciting new thing appears, people cluster to watch. That's the phenomenon in the middle of which I find myself.
It is crucial for Plant22 to have the right feel, and much of this will be the result of a good design process. He doesn't know it but, for a long time, I have been considering Carl as our lead designer. He is a bright guy with cool ideas and a good ear for listening. Although I knew all this, I had to carefully weigh the pros and cons of working with a friend on a project that means so much to me. Friendship and work can be complicated. It is important to get it right. Mistakes in business can damage friendships. I won't let that happen here.
So, part of me wanted to resist the urge to call him. I knew Carl would be there for me, but sometimes it can be simpler to work with a stranger than with a friend. My sister recommended several designers, and I contacted a couple of them. I even went so far as to advertise on Craig's List to find someone completely random. But every time I considered a stranger, I was haunted by the question: wouldn't it just be better to ask Carl?
The unequivocal answer turned out to be "yes". And, having admitted this to myself, I pitched the project to him Thursday night. Over our first pint of beer we skirted the issue and talked about family and friends. He let me take my time. Then, when I finally got to the point and said "so I need a graphic designer" he answered, without missing a beat, "I'll do whatever it takes to help you get this project off the ground." I gave him the full plan and watched as he took in the details. His questions, perspectives and comments were valuable and insightful. His commitment to the mission of reforestation was clearly equal to mine. And he understood that this was more than just another gig. We left our meeting with a clear understanding and a plan of action. This is precisely what I need: another person who understands. He knows that this is a timely, and important, project, and he is willing to do whatever it takes to make it a tangible reality.
My sister, Cynthia Treen, has been my other cohort. She is fabulous. More about her later. And I have started brainstorming with several other talented friends, including Chris Baldwin, an amazing illustrator and artist. So many great folks are eager to pitch in. In the end, this will be a cooperative effort, not just of merchants, artisans, forestry experts and planters, but also of the folks who commit themselves to purchasing better, and safer, products made by American artisans and workers.
The more I talk to people about this project, the more I realize how critical it is to build a great team. We hope to bring everyone with us on this adventure. We believe in forests, wildlife, clean air and clean water. We also believe that the tools of our economy can be directed to make things better. In a time of cynicism and outrage, this is about optimism and positive action. It is about planning for a future in which we all want to live.
We're all heading somewhere, one way or another. We may as well go there thoughtfully -- and in style! :)
Peace,
Karl
It is crucial for Plant22 to have the right feel, and much of this will be the result of a good design process. He doesn't know it but, for a long time, I have been considering Carl as our lead designer. He is a bright guy with cool ideas and a good ear for listening. Although I knew all this, I had to carefully weigh the pros and cons of working with a friend on a project that means so much to me. Friendship and work can be complicated. It is important to get it right. Mistakes in business can damage friendships. I won't let that happen here.
So, part of me wanted to resist the urge to call him. I knew Carl would be there for me, but sometimes it can be simpler to work with a stranger than with a friend. My sister recommended several designers, and I contacted a couple of them. I even went so far as to advertise on Craig's List to find someone completely random. But every time I considered a stranger, I was haunted by the question: wouldn't it just be better to ask Carl?
The unequivocal answer turned out to be "yes". And, having admitted this to myself, I pitched the project to him Thursday night. Over our first pint of beer we skirted the issue and talked about family and friends. He let me take my time. Then, when I finally got to the point and said "so I need a graphic designer" he answered, without missing a beat, "I'll do whatever it takes to help you get this project off the ground." I gave him the full plan and watched as he took in the details. His questions, perspectives and comments were valuable and insightful. His commitment to the mission of reforestation was clearly equal to mine. And he understood that this was more than just another gig. We left our meeting with a clear understanding and a plan of action. This is precisely what I need: another person who understands. He knows that this is a timely, and important, project, and he is willing to do whatever it takes to make it a tangible reality.
My sister, Cynthia Treen, has been my other cohort. She is fabulous. More about her later. And I have started brainstorming with several other talented friends, including Chris Baldwin, an amazing illustrator and artist. So many great folks are eager to pitch in. In the end, this will be a cooperative effort, not just of merchants, artisans, forestry experts and planters, but also of the folks who commit themselves to purchasing better, and safer, products made by American artisans and workers.
The more I talk to people about this project, the more I realize how critical it is to build a great team. We hope to bring everyone with us on this adventure. We believe in forests, wildlife, clean air and clean water. We also believe that the tools of our economy can be directed to make things better. In a time of cynicism and outrage, this is about optimism and positive action. It is about planning for a future in which we all want to live.
We're all heading somewhere, one way or another. We may as well go there thoughtfully -- and in style! :)
Peace,
Karl
Starting A Business
We are starting a business. It is called Plant22.com. Right now it is only a name but we are building it. We will have an average of 22 trees planted for every product purchased, and will help poor communities in the process.
For most of our lives, businesses have been perfecting the science of offshore sourcing and production in low-wage regions of the world. In the process we, as consumers, have passively, often unknowingly, encouraged some pretty terrible stuff. The result has been human and environmental catastrophes. Now we know, but sometimes it almost seems to late to go back...
But what if we could turn this model on its head?
What if there were a marketplace where the products were Americans made, and proceeds went to replant forests and jungles? What if this store sold products we use every day, made responsibly, with safe materials and good business practices. What if we could harness the power and efficiency of e-commerce to support artisans, artists and hard-working Americans while, at the same time, giving a "hand-up" to people for whom the recent past has been an unprecedented disaster?
Everyone would benefit:
Forests soak up carbon dioxide. They cool the air and store the rain, refilling aquifers with purified water. Where there are forests there are animals, fuel, building materials and plants for food and medicinal purposes. A forest can become an eco-system in a very short time, and the people who planted the forest can become self-reliant again.
Right now it is a dream but, soon, it will be a reality. Keep your eyes open for the soft-launch and crowd-funding campaign.
More news soon.
Plant22.com.
It's believing in the future.
For most of our lives, businesses have been perfecting the science of offshore sourcing and production in low-wage regions of the world. In the process we, as consumers, have passively, often unknowingly, encouraged some pretty terrible stuff. The result has been human and environmental catastrophes. Now we know, but sometimes it almost seems to late to go back...
But what if we could turn this model on its head?
What if there were a marketplace where the products were Americans made, and proceeds went to replant forests and jungles? What if this store sold products we use every day, made responsibly, with safe materials and good business practices. What if we could harness the power and efficiency of e-commerce to support artisans, artists and hard-working Americans while, at the same time, giving a "hand-up" to people for whom the recent past has been an unprecedented disaster?
Everyone would benefit:
- Customers would find quality, heirloom products, made to last for generations.
- American craftspeople would benefit from meaningful work and fair salaries
- Poorer countries would benefit from the regeneration of natural resources
- Communities would learn responsible forestry, investing sweat equity and building confidence.
- Everyone would feel good about working together to make a difference
Forests soak up carbon dioxide. They cool the air and store the rain, refilling aquifers with purified water. Where there are forests there are animals, fuel, building materials and plants for food and medicinal purposes. A forest can become an eco-system in a very short time, and the people who planted the forest can become self-reliant again.
Right now it is a dream but, soon, it will be a reality. Keep your eyes open for the soft-launch and crowd-funding campaign.
More news soon.
Plant22.com.
It's believing in the future.
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