Talk:Michigan: The Transformation Manifesto
A great start here, Sam! I would like to participate as time permits. PR Poor Richard
Poor Richard are you located in MI? Are you associated with technology? The first thing I am putting time towards in Michigan is the technology cooperative, is the reason I ask. Let me know what you are interested in doing. Thanks! --SRose 00:01, 21 March 2011 (UTC)
I see on review of your facebook page that you live in Alabama Poor Richard still, I am sure we can use your help somehow and it's surely welcome! --SRose 00:03, 21 March 2011 (UTC)
--Poor Richard 18:33, 21 March 2011 (UTC): Sam, I have a background in IT (especially systems analysis), appropriate technology, NGO support, intentional community, communication, and audacity. There is a partial autobio narrative on my FB info page. I am not good with people (Asperger's) but I like to make analyses, plans, tactics, outlines, lists, prioritize, etc. I have a little experience with critical path management (CPM). I think progressives nationwide should pick a state (I nominate Michigan) and turn it cooperative and green from bottom to top. You've heard of "transition towns"--why not a transition state? I don't see why every employed progressive in the US (and many outside the US, for that matter) can't give $10 (or $10 per month) to transform Michigan into a green, p2p mecca. We can build institutions there that can later serve the world. At some point we can attract the logistical and financial support of major public-interest organizations, foundations, and philanthropists. Unions and Michiganders can't be expected to cover the whole nut. Your manifesto is excellent and I can make numerous suggestions from similar manifestos of mine and others as time permits (lord willin' & the creek don't rise) if you like.
NOTES ON NAMING THINGS: UpStart, Michigan Upstarts, Uppity Michiganders, Michigreen(s) --Poor Richard 18:33, 21 March 2011 (UTC)
ORGANIZATIONS in Michigan
--Article identifies numerous groups active in Detroit: "Vision: Urban Gardening and Green Economy Flourish in Detroit"
"The greater Detroit area is the nexus of an entire host of progressive enterprises, notable for both the diversity of its participants and the diversity of its projects."
Growing Power: "Inspiring communities to build sustainable food systems that are equitable and ecologically sound, creating a just world, one food-secure community at a time." http://www.growingpower.org/
ENERGY
In the US, much of the electric grid is municipally owned, community owned (as in "rural electric co-operatives"), publicly licensed, and/or runs over public rights of way. This provides a great deal of public-interest policy leverage over the existing grid.
In the US, I believe the single most important policy for promoting p2p energy is already in place in many areas--that is "net metering" or "reverse metering". Net metering allows any peer producer to put surplus energy onto the grid. In many cases such locally peer-produced energy, reverse-metered onto the grid, is credited at a subsidized rate above the normal consumer rate for electricity.
Where net metering is already in place, I propose that an additional policy initiative be attempted. This would entail allowing each peer-producer and consumer the option to negotiate rates among themselves. Some peer-producers might charge rates higher than the "retail" consumer rate. In this case such producers would operate much like existing "green power" producers. In other cases producers might sell their surplus to preferred consumers (say family-related households or eco-village neighbors) at a discounted rate. Such a practice could be implemented over the existing grid with little more administrative effort than existing "green power" programs require.
As parts of the existing grid are gradually updated and upgraded, it should be possible to build in direct p2p balancing, metering, and billing capability so that no institutional "middleman" is required for adding or withdrawing amounts of energy that are below some threshold adequate to prevent outages or overloads. --Poor Richard 10:13, 7 April 2011 (UTC)