Jim Bates

To the GVCS community, I have been intrigued by your concept of community for some time now and believe very much in the concept of open source. Having been around for a short 61 years I have gained enough wisdom to realize the world does not revolve around Jim. That said I am working also to create a community thru establishment of a cooperative model called SEND. This is a Michigan Non profit Who is striving to become open source in its efforts to create a community of partnerships whose primary mission is to see Nature as the primary Cooperative organization. We understand that The communities of Nature is a first order example of open source ecology which allows the human species to exist and flourish. I see status quo economics and social disorder as flying in the face of the natural order that is needed for happy and healthy beings on this planet. Nature provides us continual models of energy efficiency in all it does with a constant of always seeking balance. So that is who I am. Besides having 40 years working in various aspects of the Electrical trades and having been an electrical contractor in business since 1985. Those are skills I have used and they have opened doors. However being an electrician is something I do but does not define who I am. SEND endeavors to put together in the beginning various organizations that can support the conversion of traditional agricultural businesses to regenerative agricultural places that are an aspect part of sustainable and quite livable eco villages. There is a tremendous need for many cottage industries that could build a whole family of cooperative enterprises. So there is not time with this email to lay out the whole structural vision here, but having read much of your website I believe we are on parallel courses. One of the doors working in the electrical trades has opened, was to set up my current shop at the Washtenaw Food Hub in the area of AnnArbor, Mich. ( see- http://washtenawfoodhub.com ). Here it has been an honor to work with various people to help them open this as a means of building community and open market access for small farmers. There is a unique opportunity to set up workshops here that build upon and partner with the OSE mission. The farm already has a grandfathered zoning permission to sell agricultural equipment onsite. One of the goals here is to begin a cooperative that can be a member of the SEND family whose goal is to begin conversion of as many types of IC engines to DC motor driven as possible. We would very much like to open conversations of being a regional hub to collaborate on design and build out of the various machines that The GVCS is working on. I also see many workshops on your website that are parallel course to where SEND is going. Being that it appears we all operate with great respect for Nature this does not surprise me at all. It really looks like some road trips should be in order very soon. I will begin planning to visit and take part in some workshops. Could you please upon consideration, forward guidelines for working closer with Your group. Best of a Regards, Jim Bates SEND . Ann Arbor, Mich (248)245-7114