the scheme
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1365
The 9carrots scheme is an extensive, ever expanding model based on a simple idea:
Consumers spend money and businesses are prepared to do a lot to attract them.
So, 9carrots sets green targets for businesses, advertises them and attracts more customers. The business agrees to invest 10% of that extra money towards the green target.
The legal Contract between 9carrots and local businesses is a good way to understand the details of the model.
This area is for the discussion and development of that model.
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Community group income
- last 26, janby anewholmBusinesses must now sign up to investing 1% of 9carrots sales towards local community groups. They can also provide:
- space for selling community produce,
- advertising space,
- meeting space,
- other community services
This is to promote the idea of community and local businesses to working together more.
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Tracking the 9carrots revenue going through the local businesses - receipt books
- sep, 2010by anewholm
Each business is given a 9carrots receipt book. They hand out receipts to customers to the value of the transaction. 9carrots tracks the amount of extra revenue by periodically monitoring how many receipts are left in the book.This means that the business don't need to worry about accounting for the 9carrots revenue and the customer does not need to register the receipt.
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Transition Town pattern (3.12 Working with Local Business***)
- sep, 2010by anewholm
Local Business are a very important and integral part of any community. They control resources, make supply and output decisions and also communicate with everyone in the community. They are run by people from a variety of socio-economic classes and ethnic backgrounds. Often they have little time and acute concerns about cash-flow, marketing and efficiency. They face serious challenges from bigger business which they have little way of competing against. Some may have no interest in Climate Change and often think in the very short term.The Challenge
Connect with them, get them more customers and security, regenerate the high street, get them on board as an integral part of building community strength and resilience. Offer them powerful ways to get involved that do not threaten their livelihood. Use this greater security and good relationship to take them forward to better resilience to oil and reduce their carbon footprints. Simples.The Solution
Help retailers choose upgrades that will make their business more energy efficient. Then get consumers to support them. Each business must commit 10% of the extra revenue they make from the extra customers towards their target upgrade. This is a positive win-win for community and business alike. This model is already being applied in many Transition Communities and over 70% of businesses sign up even if they don't initially have any interest in Transition. -
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Loans system
- sep, 2010by anewholmFor large items, e.g. solar panels for £15k, we can use a loans system to change the dynamic. The Carbon Trust provide interest free loans for environmental upgrades.
The electrictity and thus money generated / saved from micro generation / energy saving upgrades can offset the payments on an interest free loan to buy them. 9carrots needs only to generate the money to cover the initial installation costs and any shortfall between the money saved and the loan repayments.
How should we represent this sort of contract on the website? i.e. if we set the target as £1000 for solar panels, no one will believe the cost. Maybe we should set it as £15k but start the progress at £14k.
discussion
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2048
Building the consumer community- sep, 2010by terryn
Okay, so the first business has changed light bulbs and that’s sort of proof of concept. And it seems businesses in a variety of locations are keen to sign up (and it was certainly not obvious in the beginning that they would). Supplier/advisers are beginning to come on line but their interest is probably dependent on more general 9carrot activity. There are many local groups getting interested, organised and some are underway? But success now depends on a good consumer community. We bought some things from retailers in the first scheme – books, some bike gear and a meal. What felt good was having a sort of bond with the retailer when you asked for the 9carrot receipt. If we could know what people who do take part liked about the experience we might be able to list, for and with local groups, ways of encouraging others. That might help develop the community?
