Proposal for Co-operative Businesses at Lakewood Property

Overview

The Lakewood Property holds significant potential to host diverse co-operative business ventures that can benefit the local community and create sustainable economic opportunities. Below are a few proposed ideas, each with unique contributions to community well-being, economic growth, and environmental sustainability. Please excuse the stock images. This is a lo-fi website.

Horticultural Cultivation and Marketing

Concept:

• Establish a co-operative business focused on growing mushrooms, exotic houseplants, and/or microgreens.
• Market these high-demand, nutritious (or beautiful) products to local grocery stores, restaurants, and vendors.

Benefits:

• Economic: Generates revenue through the sale of premium, locally-grown produce. 
• Environmental: Promotes sustainable agricultural practices with minimal land and water use.
• Community: Provides fresh, healthy food options and potential employment opportunities.
• Personal: the resident already naturally does this, so we just need to attract buyers.

Implementation:

• Convert an area of the property into a growing space. Utillize vertical wallspace for houseplants. Install greenhouse in yard.
• Use sustainable growing practices such as hydroponics for microgreens and organic substrates for mushrooms.
• Create community through outreach, events, regular meetups, and form partnerships and/or clientele.
• To grow lion’s mane mushrooms in a bucket, you can drill holes in the bucket for ventilation and fruiting, then add a substrate and spawn:
  1. Drill holes: Use a hole saw attachment or 1/4 in drill bit to cut 1–2 in holes near the top of the bucket, about 4–6 in apart. Larger holes will produce larger fruiting bodies, while smaller holes will produce smaller ones.
  2. Prepare the bucket: Wash the bucket and lid with warm, soapy water.
  3. Add substrate: You can use hardwood sawdust, bran, soy hulls, or sterilized straw. Hydrate wood chips to about 60% capacity, then layer them in the bucket, about 1.5 in thick.
  4. Add spawn: Mix grain spawn into the substrate, ensuring even coverage. You can also add a half tablespoon of gypsum to each bag to encourage colonization.
  5. Colonize: Place the bucket in a cool, dark place and let it colonize.
  6. Trigger fruiting: Put the bucket inside a second, unholed bucket, then remove the inner bucket when the spawn has colonized the substrate. The oxygen will trigger fruiting.
  7. Harvest: Harvest the lion’s mane before it turns yellow and mushy. You can gauge when to harvest by the length of its teeth, since it doesn’t have a cap

   

 

Kirtan Singing and Community Referrals Club

 

Concept:

• Create a community hub centered around kirtan singing and spiritual practices.
• Refer participants to the Strasburg retreat land for extended retreats and team-building events.
• Network between different service and goods providers  and become referrals in our mobile market.
• If people have services or products, we can host a market/trade situation during these gatherings

Benefits:

• Social and Spiritual: Fosters a sense of community through spiritual service. 
• Economic: Attracts participants who will be called to donate to the community events. Creates a network of people who might want to buy horticultural products or any other services offered by the co-operative housemates
• Cultural: Create  spiritual culture and provide musical and bhakti enrichment through music.

Implementation:

• Establish a regular schedule of kirtan and community gatherings where we can freely discuss metaphysics. 
• Network with people in the wellness and community-building fields. Attract seekers, and be of service. 

Caretaking Services

 

Concept:

• Develop an eldercare co-operative that provides compassionate care for the elderly.
• Offer services including organization, cleaning, cooking, medication, hygiene, companionship, and crowd control (holding space and respecting boundaries) during end-of-life.
• Incorporate green burial services, plant sacraments, and ceremony as part of their life-to-thereafter support.

Benefits:

• Social: Addresses the growing need for eldercare and provides dignified end-of-life options.
• Economic: Creates job opportunities and can be financially sustainable through service fees and insurance reimbursements.
• Environmental: Promotes eco-friendly burial practices that are gentle on the environment.

Implementation:

• Train team members in eldercare, end-of-life conversational skills, memory care strategies, organizing, cooking, and caretaking skills.
• Create bookkeeping system for caretakers to get compensated. 
• Establish a network of clients through local healthcare providers and community centers.
• Develop a support system for caretakers and ensure high standards of compassionate care.

Retreating at the Land

Immediate goal

• Focus on setting up basic infrastructure at the Strasburg retreat land, including shade, water, irrigation, and a plant/shrub nursery. Lay foundation for dug-out greenhouse.
• Develop eco-houses, container homes, or simple Van-Life infrastructure to meet basic needs.
• Develop small concepts (functional exercises, archery, nerf, paintball, gymnastics, martial arts, etc.) Host small events prototyping facilitation of such offerings, which eventually is compiled into a vast menu of retreat-workshop-event menu. 

Benefits:

• Environmental: Promotes sustainable living and environmental stewardship. Builds up self-sufficiency and inter-reliance with local neighbors, becoming resilient and local. 
• Economic: Supports eco-tourism and sustainable retreats, attracting visitors. Providing services (such as referral programs, alternative healing modality testing space, and land to lease for agricultural endeavors.
• Social: Provides a space for community gatherings, retreats, camps, workshops, ceremonies, and educational events.

Implementation:

• Prioritize the establishment of essential infrastructure such as water systems, shade structures, and sustainable housing.
• Create outdoor communal areas like kitchens, lounges, and bathrooms to support VanLife and eco-tourism.
• Develop a plant/shrub nursery to support local reforestation and landscaping projects.

Sustainable Agriculture Ideas

These co-operative business ideas leverage the unique assets of the Lakewood Property to create sustainable, community-focused ventures. By diversifying the types of businesses hosted on the property, we can maximize its potential to contribute to the local economy, provide essential services, and promote environmental stewardship. Each proposed venture offers a unique blend of social, economic, and environmental benefits, ensuring a holistic approach to community development and sustainability.