From EcoReality

We have put the farm on the market, and on advice from our realtor, we have removed the pledge thermometer.

But up until it actually sells, you can still save the farm by by investing $200,000 or more in a sustainable future for yourself, your loved ones, and the greater community!

More info on our land purchase fund drive page.EcoReality Co-op is in the process of securing its land, for its members, advisors, and for anyone who eats food and wants to see co-operative farming on Salt Spring Island succeed!

Status

• 23 August 2010: Another investor has pledged, and we are seeking $350,000 from a private mortgage lender.
• 29 March 2010: An "angel investor" has pledged to supply the final $100,000, if needed! The thermometer goes up!

How you can help

We want to make it easy for you to help us, so there are numerous options:

Quarter-partner

• As of 1 April 2010, we are in a position to offer about a quarter-interest in the entire site. This would include use of the white house, or the rental income from that house, and shared use of the rest of the 43 acre site.

  See "1/2 farm for sale" flyer for more details. Feel free to forward to friends.

Private mortgage lender

Banks and even the most liberal, community-oriented credit unions have turned us down twice, primarily because as a co-op, they cannot extend home-owner mortgage terms to us (currently 3.25%) and we cannot service the debt at commercial rates (currently, 7%).

If you are in a position to lend us six figures at modest interest rates, we can offer you security by putting you on the title as a mortgage holder.

In exchange for a modest interest rate, we can:

• offer you eco-tourism lodging for holidays or get-aways on beautiful Salt Spring Island,
• offer you Community Supported Agriculture (SCA) food boxes,
• offer you free admittance to our workshops and other events,
• offer you other amenities that we may have from time-to-time -- your great idea here!

Shares

• The closest involvement we can offer you is to put money into EcoReality Co-op and receive Class A Investment Shares in exchange, if you meet the BC Securities rules for early stage investing.
  • Initial investment must be $10,000 or more,

    (co-op rules, part 4)

  • share dividends on these shares are capped by the rate of inflation, and
  • shares have a redemption period that is nominally three years after request for redemption.

    (co-op rules, rule 21)

  • Long-term habitation on-site requires a certain level of Class A investment, currently $100,000 plus value of dwelling.

  This is not an "investment" in conventional terms, in that there is essentially no financial return. We are striving to remove speculative value from our land, and you can be a part of this economic revolution by "investing" in a place to live, grow food, and produce energy.

Trust Fund

• If you require capital preservation, but want to eventually become a resident member, we are establishing a trust fund that will hold your funds separately, and will either
  1. release the funds for EcoReality Class A Investment Shares at the time when there is enough total money to secure the land, or
  2. return the funds if EcoReality becomes insolvent or voluntarily dissolves.

     (EcoReality land purchase trust, agreed, but not yet established)

Small loans

• We can negotiate individual loans with whatever reasonable terms you require, preferably for amounts of at least five figures over at least five years.
• We're inspired by our Advisor Tree Bressen's model of the Walnut Street Co-op Community Revolving Loan Fund, a pool of individual lenders with individual contracts. Tree notes that "no bank was willing to offer us a mortgage," and that is precisely the situation in which EcoReality finds itself. It may be that the global financial meltdown is ushering us into alternatives to big-business banking.

  In case of insolvency or dissolution, loans are repaid before any shares are redeemed.

Gifts

• We are honoured and delighted to take your outright gift of any amount, and we will commit those contributions to our land purchase fund.
  • For gifts of $500 or more,
    • we will plant a tree on EcoReality property and affix your name to it, and you can come visit the carbon you're capturing!
    • we will issue Class B Investment Shares in the appropriate amount. (Minutes:20091110)

      Class B Investment Shares are not redeemable except in extraordinary circumstances, such as dissolution of the co-op.

      (co-op rules, rule 21)

EcoReality Co-op is not a registered charity, and we cannot offer tax advantages for your contribution, although we are in the process of partnering with one or more registered charities.

Your great ideas!

Even if you are not in a position to directly help us with our finance needs, we can use your brain cells and skills! There are many ways you can help:

blogging our cause 

If you're a denizen of the blogosphere, you can tell of our needs on appropriate blogs, bulletin boards, and blog comments. Please provide a link to this page, so blog visitors will have up-to-date information at hand. Especially of interest are blogs about sustainability, Peak Oil and the impending energy decline, food sovereignty, small farms, etc. If you do this, let us know where you posted, so we can keep track.

Facebook and other social networking sites 

You can send your Facebook "friends" to our EcoReality Co-op facebook page and to our facebook cause. You can set up similar things on other social networking sites, or send us there and we'll set it up.

contacting your email lists 

If you are on email lists that are focused on sustainable future topics, let them know of our challenge. Please point them to this page, and put "info AT EcoReality DOT com" on the Cc: line.

volunteering for cold-calling or emailing our contact list 

We have many people who have supported us in the past that we have not been able to make a personal appeal to. If you are willing to call or email individuals with our story and needs, please let us know.

your great idea here! 

There has to be lots of ways to raise the needed funds that we haven't though of yet -- let us know your ideas!

Here's how you can help

See our membership FAQ, then click here to let us know how you can help! Or call Jan or Carol at +1 250.653.2024.

Thanks for your good thoughts and for whatever help you can offer!