Community Business Models

Many business models and phases of developement are needed to successfully replicate a working civilization on a small scale. Hypermodularity is maintained throughout so the waste products of one system are either recaptured or reused which continuously reduces running costs. This list is not exhaustive;

• Hydroponic Aquaculture - In hydroponics we use lettuce as a baseline crop in our discussions. A 4000 hole 'nft' hydroponic system growing a variety of lettuce that takes four weeks to mature would require 1000 lettuce to be planted and harvested per week. This would consist of 2 hours work per day for one person in a well organized system. Assuming a conservative retail value of $0.5 per lettuce this would give an annual gross income equal to $26,000.

Fish and lobster retails for $10 per lb making it the most expensive form of protein sold on international markets. The feed conversion ratio in an efficient aquaculture system shows that 1.2lbs of feed will produce 1lb of fish. Black soldier fly larva or worms can remove food waste and create a source of feed for the business. A 10,000 fish system can generate a gross income of $100,000 dollars per year. 10,000 fish need 200,000 litres of water. This would equal an area 2000sqft. Feed costs would be $8000 dollars. The fish, plants and bacteria work together symbiotically to control water pH and ammonia levels making this system ultra-optimized. It would also be possible to run courses in aquaponics.

• Geodesic dome - For 20 hours labour and $220 it is possible to create a 200sqft geodesic dome green house with a retail value of $1500.With an initial investment of $5000 dollars it would be possible to create a 5000sqft greenhouse on two stories that was the most efficient food production system on the planet. Four 3v geodesic domes can combine to create a pseudo-6v geodesic dome which is much greater in size, this makes the system hyper-modular. For $2500 dollars and 120 hours construction it is possible to create a small two storey 3 bedroom 1200sqft geodesic dome home with a small solar system and rain water collection system but with no interior, On land with planning permission this could be worth in excess of $100,000 dollars. It would also be possible to run courses on geodesic dome greenhouse and self build housing.

• FabLab - Its should be possible to create a fablab with a commercial value of $10,000 from readily available kits for $3000. These kits are already open source and this would allow the development of a self replicating, intrinsically upgrading and hypermodular fab lab that costs the price of scrap and electronics to expand. The facilities would have a $1000 laser cutter, a $1000 3 axis CNC mill, a $600 3D printer, a $300 bioplastic extruder and a smaller $100 circuit mill. This would be upgraded to a selective laser sintering machine, 6 axis cnc mill and a centrifugal metal atomizer.

In discussions about CNC machine self replication we use the 3D printer as a base line example. The cost of 3mm PLA filament is $40 per lb, the cost of PLA pellets is $5 per pound and eventually the PLA could be synthesized on site. The PLA 3D printer components retail for $75 each. The machine can reproduce itself in 6 hours requiring less than 10 minutes of manual labour which means 1 machine can recreate itself 4 times per day producing parts worth $300 for less than an hours work. Assuming all these parts are sold this would equate to an annual gross income of $109,500. As we can see if an entire fablab can become self replicating the potential savings or profit are huge. It would also be possible rent this facility to people and run courses in 3D design and machine assembly.

• Metal Working Factory A simple metal working factory can be created from scrap metal and two old microwaves which would include a drill press, lathe, mill, metal roller, band saw, welder and charcoal furnace or waste oil furnace. This facility would be able to manufacture any industrial equipment at the cost of scrap metal so the profit margin would be highly dependent on the local area and the skill of the worker. Manufacturing would also be labour intensive but the savings are large as this system commercially would be worth anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000 and upwards.

Things to consider when setting up an Open Source or Community Business Model

(These point will be location, funds and (personal) interest dependant)

• Funding
• Material Costs
• People - how many and what skills are needed
• Hours Labour
• Product/Produce Selling Prices
• Market(research) / Customers / Other Communities / NGOs abroad (Design Development Summit http://iddsummit.org/)
• Ease of start?

Energy:

• Solar
• Wind
• Water
• Batteries?
• (sell machines, consulting, electricity, sell electricity back to the grid)

Food

• Powering an aquaponic system (rotating?) + Green House like Wisconsin one.

- Other OS Greenhouses + Business models?

• Joel Salatin livestock & food model [1]
• Selling produce

Fabrication:

• CNC workshop
• FabLab
• Selling OS products
• Service (maintenance) (for the public)
• Renting machines
• Use the machines at our place and take the products with you

Construction:

• Consider different construction methods.
• Sell construction products

Education:

• Training
• Consultancy

Guidelines to follow:

• set up as or be Non-Profit
• Use OS Licences on products - http://www.youtube.com/user/sciguy14#p/u/2/xyEnY7nK2Y4

Side Thoughts;

• Specify how much it would cost to set up a Greenhouse and CNC workshop.
• Research possible returns.
• Outline an investment plan for ourselves and collaborators i.e. if you invest 10k then you get 10k back plus inflation?
• Look at possible ways to expand into a chain of OS businesses once one is established?
• Consider a plan that enables people to "buy out at the bottom".