Wide Span Business Plan

Template for a proposal (version 0.1):

This proposal is about creating a demonstration and learning center, using solaroof and maybe other technologies to produce organic food, making it apropriately profitable and also a source of learning for ourselves and others.

We'll set up a number [how many? how large?]
of solaroof tunnel-like greenhouses, over an area [how large?]
of non-arable land [should it be protected from vandals?]
close to the sea [how close?],
to grow food that's comparable to what people grow here [list of local crops],
and also food that's not normally grown here [what would be good examples?],
and also algae (both for generating plant-food and for energy), [how much food would we produce? are there figures for different crops?]
We'd produce drinkable water [how much?].
We'd start by acquiring/renting/borrowing some free land,

bringing in the aluminium frames and the solafabric (the plastic) [who makes this stuff?

what are the costs (transport included)?
how long would we have to wait until the stuff arrives here?],
setting things up physically [does this require some specific expertise?
how many workers are needed?
for running the food-water-energy business [how many people are needed, how many are locals, what would be their area of expertise and their training?]
and the other side of things: selling what we grow, learning, teaching, doing research, whatever.
And then we'd end [when?]
with some money left, lots of expertise in growing food, water and energy, and maybe in other things too.

Being respectful and enthusiastic about the Open Source approach, we'd report on improvements and difficulties (via a blog or maybe even a newsletter for the local investors) so the Community may use that.

To start things off, we'd have a conversation regarding the details of this proposal, maybe with some expert coming around to reduce our ignorance, etc.

The cost for the first 1-2 years is estimated in the range of [whatever] and we plan [this follows Jeff Buderer's aproach] to issue 500 parts valued at 1000 USD each [or whatever].

We'd like to know of your thoughts and questions about this proposal.

Please contact us at [blah blah blah].>>

so ... This is it! I welcome your suggestions and information. I'm glad this list exists. Thanks!

Lucas

Lucas - good news, I begin this week a collaboration with Muftah and Hari (here in London) to produce a Wide Span greenhouse business plan that will be developed openly and is proposed for implementation in the Gulf Region. We will branch from here and do series of linked pages (Wiki Trails) that can become a model for other projects. I am also announcing today our collaboration with the School Of The Built Environment ? at the Nottingham University ?. - Solaroofguy
Rick - good news indeed! I'd like to see if I can help with the business plan at all. I'm attempting to do the same with one village - there we'd like to include George Chan's work - I'm always with the impression that I understand the theory of solaroof much better than I currently understand zeri, and also it might not be wise to go for too complicated projects - I just don't know. Maybe there's room for "either or both".
- I see a very good match with George's work on Integrated Food and Waste Management System IF And WMS and the big difference is that the Solar Controlled Environment space within our transparent Building Envelope that makes the production level much higher than can be achieved "outdoors".

There could be other business plans for those who help things get real: I mean, for people who provide the aluminium frames, the solafabric, the bubble generators, the soap, the expertise in how to set things up, and experience in growing things. Self-organisation all around!

I guess the essential thing is the specifications. They provide the blueprint, the genetic code of what we're trying to accomplish. It's the specifications that mutate and adapt. Maybe we can help each other write the specifications?