Awesome Idea! I hope to stop by and stay there sometime in the future.

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Hi Alline! This is Emily Pilloton, of Project H, and the "Design educational math toys for kids in Uganda and the US" idea. Just wanted to say congrats on quite the competition- it really came down to the last minute, and whoever wins, I'm glad there will be a great idea out there in the world with some better funding. So congrats on a great competition, I'm sure we're both holding our breath on this one! Sincerely, Emily Pilloton Founder, Project H Design www.projecthdesign.com

I LOVE Etsy, and especially EcoEsty. We already carry stuff from many aritsans and hope to add more when we open the "real" store (in addition to the online store). I'll check out your stuff. Thanks for looking!

This is a great idea. Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could expand to other areas (like here, in Kent, Ohio). Yours is definitely an idea whose time has come. Have you checked out the ecoetsy group on Etsy.com? There are some great shops and we're all eco-friendly in that group. I'm one of them! http://fashiongreentbags.etsy.com

Fantastic interview with owner Alline Anderson in today's Ecosalon.com http://www.ecosalon.com/title/Interview_Milkweed_Mercantile_Founder_Alline_Anderson I really like her take on business. "To me, the traditional American business model, where bigger is better, really has no place in the eco-friendly business world. If a business is dependent upon constant growth, where do sustainability, re-use, and thoughtful consumption fit in? Can bigger really be sustainable? And how much is enough? Business leaders must be willing to stand up and say “we’re big enough, we don’t need total world domination, let’s focus on what we do, and do it well.”

One more note on accessiblity. Kurt (husband and contractor) just popped in and reminded me that ALL FOUR doors will be accessible. The back door opens onto the garden, which will have paths that are wide enough and surfaced so that wheelchairs can move though easily. Thanks!

A note on Accessibility: Accessibility was one of our major criteria in designing the Mercantile. The entire downstairs is more than ADA compliant, it has been thoughtfully designed so that everyone can feel comfortable and know that they are truly welcome. All Mercantile activities, from dinner parties to movie nights to meetings and retreats, will happen downstairs. The upstairs features addtional sleeping rooms. When completed the Mercantile will feature a porch on three sides of the building. On the south side we will have a ramp, making the porch, and therefore the building, accessible from three of the four doors. Downstairs, also on the south side, is a bedroom with its own door, so guests can enter the bedroom from either the porch/ramp or from inside the Mercantile…more. Also downstairs are a shower room and a toilet room, both accessible. There will be a dedicated handicapped parking spot less than 20 feet from the ramp, and the road will be surfaced so that guests in wheelchairs can traverse the distance easily and safely. For photos please go to:http://flickr.com/photos/milkweed/sets/72157603900100835/ Please feel free to contact me personally with any questions or suggestions about the Mercantile's accessibility!

Great Job from an arcosanti intern! Wish you the best and hope to see your profect in the future

Thanks Tanwan24 for your kind words, your vote and your moral support! We're all in this together, and we couldn't do it without you! Come visit soon.

Go MilkWeed Mercantile You have my vote. I have not been to DR yet but I am wanting to make a trip soon. You are one of very few that are trying to educate people about helping the environment and not destroying it, and still be able to live with the same technologies and comforts as someone that is not living in a sustainable home. I have nothing but respect for you and what you are trying to do. Great idea and good Luck.

A comment or two about the Milkweed Mercantile proposal being "nothing new"..... Popular education requires the REPLICATION of best practices. While it seems that MM is nothing new, in all likehood new ideas will emerge from this which will contribute to our understanding of what is needed for societal transformation. MM gets a "yes" here. starweaver

Hi 2athome. Thanks for your thoughtful comments. And I totally AGREE! The technology we have now is NOT perfect, and not pristine. But for me, right now, solar and wind feel a lot more sustainable than heating and powering things directly with petro, oil and nuclear power. What we're working towards here at the Mercantile and Dancing Rabbit is a little less dependence on petro, more openness to alternative solutions and more understanding of just how much gray area there really is. I don't pretend to have the answers; I'm just trying to build a business in the most sustainable way I can find. I am hoping that the business will evolve as I and my staff and friends and community learn more. A good balance is what I'm striving and searching for. Thanks again, for the vote and your thoughts -…more I appreciate both!

"When people see that renewable energy can be seamless and easy, they will use it. Imagine - if there were more wind turbines and solar panels we could all be less dependent upon petroleum, nuclear & coal." No offense meant here but what exactly is the process by which you think these solar panels and wind turbines are created? Because they are made using the very items you suggest we could be less dependant upon and it is a very unclean thing much like computers (dirty little insider secret). I still voted for you but I really don't think anyone really "gets" what being independant of petroleum based products actually looks like.

Thanks EVERYONE for your support! (psssssst - tell your friends!) And then come see us - we can't wait to serve you warm-from-the-oven cookies for snacks and then a fabulous local, organic feast for dinner. After which we'll all sit on the porch , sip Midwest wine and watch the stars come out. Yay!

This is Angie at Twin Oaks. I'm so thrilled by this idea, i'm very attached to showing that businesses can be eco, non-exploitive, sustainable, and still be profitable. Keep up the good work DR!

Don't give up Alline, keep on keepin on :)

Darn, now I'll really be disappointed about not being able to get to Dancing Rabbit EcoVillage for the FIC organizational meeting this October. On The Other Hand, this means that I'll be more likely to get there some other time soon!

I'm sure this will add a lot to the ecovillage!

Thanks Joan! We look forward to having you visit us!

Hey Rabbits! This is Joan from Acorn Community - I was just reading through your site and started getting into ziggy's blogs. He linked up to this on one of them and WOW, what an opportunity! I forwarded the link and details to about 40 friends, family, and coworkers and told them to pass it on. Thanks for doing awesome things!

Alline, Congrats on making to the finals! I was wondering if your could explain a bit more about "right-livelihood" for the community?

Good luck ! I have visited Dancing rabbit a few times throughout my life ! hope it is successful, each time i go it changes my life even more ! Go dancing rabbit !

Thanks wlchristopher! We look forward to hosting you at the Mercantile! Alline

I visited Dancing Rabbit a couple of years ago, and it has had an amazing effect on my life. I now think about how every one of my decisions can impact our environment (and I often wonder if the people I met at DR would approve of my choices :) The wonderful folks that live there are completely dedicated to making the world a better place, for us and for future generations. I wish them much success! I am voting for this idea because I feel it is a unique way to help educate and promote sustainability in an interesting and fun way! I think it can also prove to the business community that profits can be made while doing what's best for the Earth.

In the age of Peak Oil, Climate Change, and ecological collapse, the Milkweed Mercantile is an inspiration to other ecopreneurs to create the change they seek in the world and make the world a better place in the restoration ECOnomy. I've interviewed and met hundreds of ecopreneurs: We can reclaim the commons and communities across America and work together toward a future that does exploit people or destroy the planet. The Mercantile is one such way to make the changes so needed. Cooperation and collaboration trumps competition and our debt based economy.

Hello wunlCEO Thanks for your comment – however, we feel that NOTHING we are doing here is "frivolous." Frivolous would be installing an oil furnace, using precious petroleum to heat the building rather than constructing it in a way that is energy efficient and insulative. Frivolous would be using conventional electricity, which comes from nuclear and coal-fired power plants, putting further demands on already over-burdened power grid. Frivolous would be trucking in construction materials instead of sourcing them locally, and using renewable materials like strawbales and reclaimed lumber. Each and every Mercantile expenditure is carefully budgeted for and thought out. The solar and wind power system, which is integral to our business and our philosophy, is a pricey initial…more investment. However, after it is paid for we will have NO utility bills to pay. We are not depending upon Ideablob to be successful, or to complete our building. But like most start-up businesses, extra funding with no strings attached would be an incredible, fantastic splash of gravy on top. Respectfully, Alline

Hi dmalby. I'd just like to support what Alline is saying. They are in the process of building their building, findng funding as they go along, and are not open yet. This is a start-up business and Alline took a leap of faith that the support would manifest as they went along. This seems like an appropriate use of ideablob, particularly since it is a really big project that will require multiple inputs of support to get off the ground.

I really appreciate what you're doing from a green business / sustainable building standpoint... but merely using the $10,000 proceeds to buy a wind powered turbine seems somewhat frivolous, is your business solely dependent upon this to be successful? There are many great ideas, (yours included) that could do much better things with the money. Either way, best of luck.

Hi vickif, anakalia and jflood - thank you for your comments and good wishes! We're really excited to be able to show that businesses can be sustainable AND profitable, and that ALL employees reap the benefits, not just a few at the "top." We're also looking forward to hosting the public - I hope you all get a chance to visit us!

I think this is an Idea who's time has come. We need alternatives to the way our monetary system functions. Good luck.

sounds like a great idea

I love the idea of a totally off-the-grid, environmentally integrated, and completely sustainable bed & breakfast. Self reliance is a virtue but it takes participation in society to make it happen. Best wishes for success!

dmalby, it's not the windmill that's original, it's the whole package of everything they're doing that's original. Who else has united all those elements into one project? That's why I'm voting for it!

Good luck. I voted of course! Stan

I agree with cmcardle622's comment. Let's let the voting make the decision. I had never heard of this type of bed and breakfast when I came upon it on one of my many virtual visits to DR. It is unique. My vote too, is cast.

dmalby, I think the voters can decide whether or not this is idea is "original" enough or not. It is a completely off the grid bed and breakfast on a rural ecovillage. Show me a few of those to prove this isn't a new idea and I may reconsider. For now, my vote is cast.

It sounds like a great venture. But again, to be fair to the other idea people, isn't it a little greedy trying to win the 10K for a windmill when you already have received grants elsewhere and the fact that you already are a "on going" concern with employees! Most of the idea makers on ideablog don't even have a business as of yet!. Companies like you, are "stealing the spotlight" to the new entrepreneurs with totally original ideas with "zero funding." Apparently, it seems like you have already a abundance of support! Your funding of a windmill is not an original idea! Still, I wish you success but I think that you should withdrawal from this contest, because it is not fair to the majority of the entrants!

Thanks, Alline, I'll see what I can do about a visit next summer. I'd love to see what you've done! Also, just wanted to let you know that this got a little notice from my squidoo bolg. One of my readers posted it on tagfoot as a news item. http://tagfoot.com/poddys/news.B84D757D-E4DC-465E-8965-DA9BAC63C02A

Hi dmalby. The Milkweed Mercantile is not an organization, nor is it using Ideablob as a promotional tool. The Mercantile is a for-profit business with an absolutely new way of doing things, looking for additional funding with which to grow. Following in the footsteps of No Sweat Apparel (an Ideablob winner and a business with peace at its core), Stay Vocal (another Ideablob winner, a business with the environment at its core), and other businesses dedicated to a Triple Bottom Line, the Milkweed Mercantile is a business with sustainability at its core. Our business goal is to show that there are more sustainable ways of working and living. Our philosophy is 180 degrees from the ‘greed is good’ of the 80’s. All profits are shared by all employees, we make decisions cooperatively, a…morend empower everyone to propose changes. Our building is made of renewable materials, including strawbales, and powered by alternative energy. There are few other businesses in this country that are as environmentally, socially and physically sustainable as we. In this time of economic, social and political uncertainty we are striving to find solutions that use fewer resources. Our business was started in 2007; our online store opened last month, and the rest of the business will open in December. The Mercantile is a member of the Social Venture Network, and in December will be approved for membership in Coop America. We were awarded a grant from the Eileen Fisher Company for women-owned socially responsible businesses in 2007. We’re new, we’re different, and we’re working hard to change the current business paradigm. Thanks for your interest, and concern with keeping IdeaBlob “fair.” I believe that the Mercantile fits into the criteria perfectly.

I guess I am confused by this. Is this an idea or just a promotion of something that has already been done. If it is just a promotion, I really don't feel that this belongs on IdeaBlog. Maybe you should advertise your villaage on local TV! If it is an idea, wind power, solar power, eco straw houses and the like, are not new ideas! I wish you success, but again, IdeaBlog is not a venue for your promotion!

I am excited that you are getting support for locally controlled wind power. Clearly this isthe way the world needs to be going. Not the crazy nuclear schemes of John McCain.

Wow this is so great! Creating Right Livelihood in a rural ecovillage... I bet this is going to make a lot of difference for folks at DR and make it easier for getting education programs off the ground, inviting your grandparents to visit, etc. Mega cool!

Thanks Merry - I appreciate it! And come visit after December - I think you'll be delighted! Alline

I've been out to visit DR a couple of times, but not since the MM was built. I read about your blob in the weekly e-mail. I voted, and added a link to your blob on my squidoo lens on straw bale building. Good luck!

I stopped by on the Dancing Rabbit village tour....your building looks great! (Cool idea too).