There is a global crisis in affordable and functional housing, as well as a cultural and community breakdown happening in most of the world. People are sucked into a lifetime of overwhelming debt so that they can own a home and try to find security. The problem is that when you can't repay the loan, you have lost your security and just about everything you had. The knock on effects of having to live and work just to pay the bills stretches far into our culture and the zeitgeist. The stress and competitiveness of our current free markets have stretched the elastic band to breaking point, and people desperately need a way out. With the demise of the family unit, people are more vulnerable than ever as they get older.
All it takes is ONE thing to go wrong, and a cascade of consequences can leave you homeless and penniless or worse. There is very little provision made for vulnerable people and an ageing population, or indeed for anyone who gets ill or loses their job etc. Today being poor has been effectively criminalised, where people are forced to break the law due to their circumstances, or end up so downtrodden that they become mentally ill or resort to criminal activities just to survive.
We have to turn this tide and start finding ways to provide real security and a sense of community and support for each other. I have been promoting and eco-building for 15 years, and I meet people almost daily who deeply desire to get off-grid and be self sufficient. The story is ALWAYS the same with everyone I meet, and i can totally understand why almost none of them will likely go on to self build. Having built an Earthship or two myself, and having gone through the process of self building it is very clear that most people are not going to be able, or even want, to self build. Building your own home is a grueling process that basically takes everything you have to manifest, and even more so if you are doing it alone. It became apparent to me very quickly that the only way to be able to spread sustainable building and living to more people would be to do it in large groups and supportive communities. The bottom line is that someone needs to be able to offer these people the option to simply 'buy in' and be a part of the process, but not to lead it.
The second main hurdle for most people is of course money. It costs a lot of money to build in most parts of the world, and it is a minefield if you don't have experience or connections. What you normally find is that the kind of people who want to get out of the system don't have much money. They probably rent rather than own, and if they do own property they probably have a huge mortgage on it. In order for an off-grid community to work, it needs to be very cheap to 'buy in'. There can be no loan or debt associated with the 'buy in'.
It may come as no surprise to you that the (Steemit) blockchain has the potential to solve not only these problems.. but a few others too! I came up with the idea of using the principals of the Steem Blockchain to create worldwide co-owned communities last month and have been giving it a lot of thought. I have come up with a system that I believe could work, and potentially could work very well indeed! I would like to highlight some of the features of this system, and why I think it could provide permanent life-long security and also a permanent income for ecoVillage members.
PRICE STABILITY
All funds from the purchase of a property are 'powered up' and held by the ecoVillage trust as ecoVillage Coins. The ecoVillage trust owns and controls these funds and can release them according to the needs and desires of the ecoVillage. ecoVillage coins would be used to fund further builds and offer a limited number of free housing to the poor and vulnerable. Funds can also be used to pay for ecoVillage developments, community projects, social services etc.
As the property assets accumulate in value over time, they hold and even drive the price of the currency up. As the value of the ecoVillage assets increase, so does the value of the ecoVillage coin. You could say that this coin is backed by physical assets that are very good at holding value, i.e property! This, combined with the inability for people to sell of the bulk of the coins, means that the price should be quite stable. I would expect the majority of purchases to be from new community members, but it is possible that this coin could receive additional support from investors and philanthropic sources.
PRE-MINING
There would be a certain amount of pre-mining that happens to fund the initial build, and the first buyers of the ecoHomes may pay a deposit and would most likely be the main buyers of the ecoVillage coin in the beginning. I hope to be the first buyer! These building projects would run at very low cost compared to a traditional build, and would utilize volunteers and skilled workers. I am confident I could build at extremely low cost as I have 15 years experience and a great network of connections with ecoBuilders.
EXIT OPTIONS
In the event of an ecoVillage member wishing to leave or sell their home, the Trust would manage this process. A large percentage of profits from the sale value would be paid to the ecoVillage Trust and would be used or held as desired. The balance of profit would be given to the departing member.
ECOVILLAGE DOLLARS PROVIDE
INCOME FOR COMMUNITY MEMBERS
New ecoVillage dollars (like SBD) would be generated by delegated proof of stake, at a rate to be determined. Community members are able to earn money from this reward pool through services and exchanges. There is a built in social services system whereby those who are vulnerable or too old to work will receive ecoVillage Dollars.
COLLECTIVE OWNERSHIP
The ownership of land and property of the ecoVillage will be held by the ecoVillage Trust. This prevents abuse of the system by ecoVillage members. ecoVillage members would have a lifetime lease with their next of kin automatically eligible for the same or smaller home in the event of death.
REWARDS FOR BUILDERS / SKILLED LABOUR
Those skilled people who volunteer their time to help build will be rewarded with ecoVillage coins. They will also have priority in owning one of the homes when built.
CASHLESS COMMUNITY TRADING
Trade within the community will be done using the ecoVillage Dollar. That way people can trade and hold the coin with a chance of increasing their value and the ability to sell for other currencies or FIAT on the open market.
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITIES CAN BE CREATED
This entire process can replicate itself in new and diverse locations around the world. Once the first ecoVillage is established and proven to work, the same can be done elsewhere, which will further increase the value of the coin due to purchasing of new ecoHomes.
AN OPTION TO LIVE INTERNATIONALLY
People will have the option to change ecoVillage if they desire. Once there are villages around the world, people can house swap permanently or even have free holiday.
REWARDS FOR FOR COMMUNITY MEMBERS
A certain percentage of the ecoDollar (SBD) and/or ecoVillage coin rewards will be given to those people who add value to the community. The voting system for allocating / curating these rewards would work as it does now on Steemit, perhaps with a few tweaks and some more community features. People can post and blog what they are doing, for example they may be making a new Biodynamic food production area, or a child play area, and so they can receive community support for their projects very organically. This system is one that would reduce the number of meetings that would be needed to form a consensus, and allow for a lot of development to happen quickly and in a very transparent way. This system will empower the community to be proactive and try to do great things, just like on Steemit. This voting power also encourages people to power up since they can have more influence in the ecoVillage. There will be a maximum power allowed by one person!
HOME UPGRADES / GROWING FAMILIES
ecoVillage members can also move into larger homes as their families expand. EcoVillage members will not need FIAT to upgrade their home but can use their ecoDollar (SBD) savings or their ecoVillage coin rewards. To upgrade, a home a member would increase their vested power (if they haven't done so already) to cover the amount required. The old home would also be sold to a new home owner by the Trust. This will therefore increase the support and stability of the ecoVillage coin as this grows.
As you can see, the idea is Quite interesting! Since i do not have much knowledge about the deep math of the Steemit blockchain, and the ways in which we can tweak and play with this system, it is hard for me to really know if this is theoretically viable. It's also hard for me to decide the best way to structure this to provide stably and long term success. Following are some of the questions I have, so please do comment if you have any answers!
QUESTIONS!
- Should this system run as an SMT on the Steemit Blockchain OR should it have its own coin with a clone of the Steemit Blockchain? If it ran on the Steemit blockchain then what would happen about airdrops. It doesn't feel right Steemians should have much influence over the community or indeed take rewards etc. Therefore are airdrops mandatory or relevant?
- Is it feasible to use 'pre-mining' funds for the initial build? That way it would be possible to start building EVEN with deposits in place to fund the start of this process. I can't think of a better reason to pre-mine! Once built we would have plenty of buyers for the mined ecoVillage tokens!
- Should people who buy in get to keep and hold their investment long term for use within the community, or should the ecoVillage Trust hold it all and distribute it in a more controlled manner? I LOVE the idea of people who buy in being able to hold on to their investment, and it can give everyone a base amount of SP to play with.
- What kind of inflation rate would be appropriate and should it go up or down over time (as the community grows)?
- What percentage splits would be appropriate for the reward pool (community) and how much should be held by the trust?
- Should each community have its OWN SMT or should it all feed into one coin?
If this happens and it works, it could be one of the greatest gifts to the people of the world!!! Real long term security, no bills, no mortgage, and real freedom from the shackles of the Beast! I have all the experience and connections to take care of the hard part, THE ACTUAL BUILD OF THE COMMUNITY, and would be ready for action and fully motivated if i had the financial backing to do so. I have successfully built what I can only describe as an ecoPalace on the side of a mountain in India in very difficult circumstances. I had almost no power, mostly volunteers and unskilled labour, and very limited materials. I have learned what I need to know to build a great and functional ecoVilllage (I think in Europe), and at a very low cost. I know so many amazing people who would JUMP at the chance to help create this and be a part of it.
I am looking for people who would like to help me manifest this idea, and start the ball rolling. If you have any input at all please do share it below in the comments!
Please note: i have not discussed issues relating to power structure, decision making and community related questions. These are things that can be dealt with when the time comes. Right now I am focused on seeing if the concept itself is viable!
Budget Funds
At this early stage I do not even know how much it will cost me to get a viable concept together. Therefore, any funds received from this @budget request would be used to get the help I need to get a theoretical proof of concept established. I would most likely need to pay someone to help me develop this idea. Any surplus would be kept and held for further developments. If the project doesn't happen or is not viable I would return any unused funds.
I am a web developer and run my own servers etc. I can therefore provide great value by creating our online presence and hosting etc at no cost. Money is only needed at this stage for technical assistance relating to the development of the SMT / ICO and codebase.
It would be a great blessing to receive a budget for this, because if i had the money right now then this is what I would spend it on! I can think of nothing better I can do for the world!
Here are some pictures of me with Earthship Karuna
These are some pictures from my last workshop in 2014. I led the build of an Earthship Yoga Ashram in North India were we made the impossible ... possible!
LET'S DO THIS!
