9carrots

Information

9carrots Group page is a communication space for all Transition Milwaukee members helping to make 9carrots work for Milwaukee.

Website: http://www.milwaukee.9carrots.org
Location: Milwaukee
Members: 5
Latest Activity: Sep 26, 2011

Engaging local businesses

This page is an open space for updates and questions about the Transition Milwaukee 9carrots initiative. Join here to stay tuned with how things are developing.

Volunteers are needed for contacting businesses and establishing new accounts across Milwaukee. Join on the 9carrots site, as a member of the 'Transition Milwaukee' group to help with the current campaign, or explore the website to learn how to start a 9carrots initiative in your area:

http://9carrots.org/envgroup/131

9carrots offers a unique way for community and business to co-operate in the fight against climate change, while also working to increase economic localisation. Retailers choose upgrades that will make their business more energy efficient. We advertise them and consumers support them in reaching their goal. Each business commits 10% of the extra revenue they make from the extra 9carrots customers towards their target upgrade. To learn more, check out the how it works section on the 9carrots site.

Like Transition Milwaukee, 9carrots is a bottom-up organisation designed and run by the community that use it. The community area on the 9carrots site is an open public area where you can discuss, ask and add information about how 9carrots should work. Simply sign up or log in to to join the conversation.

The London, UK team that created 9carrots is helping to make Milwaukee the first US city to give it try. The established program being carried out by Transition Initiatives in the London area has been very well received by local shop owners and customers. Join the TM 9carrots group to help make it an international success!

Discussion Forum

New initiative gives Transition groups a way to engage businesses on Energy and Sustainability.

Forwarding this press release from Jonathan Melhuish and Annesley Newholm, creators of 9carrots. It mentions that not only has Milwaukee started a 9carrots initiative, but also Selly Oak,…Continue

Started by Michael W. Pettit Feb 16, 2011.

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Comment Wall

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Comment by Michael W. Pettit on February 15, 2011 at 11:22am: Great Barbara, sure you can, its fairly simple. As a member of the Transition Milwaukee group on the 9carrots website, you have full access to all marketing, contracts, and start-up materials.

Just log-in and then click on 'Transition Milwaukee' under the 'My Account' tab.

Click on 'Marketing tools' and you will find a complete index of everything you may need. This is especially useful now that we are able to print out flyers that show the actual businesses that have signed on. Create and print out anything you want. These can also be updated later with businesses you sign on to promote in your area more effectively.

All it takes to sign up a business is for them to fill out the contract, stating a goal and an estimated cost, then you enter that info on the site, under 'Register a Business' and assign a receipt book. Once this is done they appear on the map and are on their way. I have just received shipment of 20 receipt books, so you don't even need to order them. I will gladly provide.

Also of note, in 'Marketing Tools' you'll find the 'Starter Pack Section' which is the full text of everything they send as their starter pack to begin a 9carrots group; how to approach businesses, introduce the idea to volunteers and community, etc. lots of good advice there.

Happy to offer support of any kind or share any materials you may need if at some point you want to start a second group for West Side/Tosa, but you (and anyone else who signs on as a member of the Transition Milwaukee group on the 9carrots site) are free to sign up business under the 'Transition Milwaukee' group at any time. They will appear on the same map either way, but you will probably want to set yourself up as the contact person for accounts in your area at some point I imagine. Keep in touch about how it goes. Happy to answer any questions.

I will try again to have an info session on 9carrots some time soon. This was how I planed to share the knowledge for you and others who may want to help too. Glad you are getting involved. Hope there are more out there who will also. (hint, hint everybody)

Peace,

Michael

Comment by Barbara Richards on February 13, 2011 at 2:32pm: Hi Michael, I would like to go around my neighborhood and ask businesses to sign up. Is that possible? How do I start? Peace, BArbara

Comment by Michael W. Pettit on February 12, 2011 at 7:16pm: Zero turnout at Fischeberger's today. Hoping that it was schedule conflicts rather than lack of interest. Anyway, 9carrots map is active now. Visit the site to search out businesses that are working to reduce energy waste and fight climate change:

http://www.milwaukee.9carrots.org/consumer/search

Ask for a 9carrots receipt when you shop at any of these locations. 10% of your purchase will go toward helping them to power down.

Comment by Michael W. Pettit on January 22, 2011 at 2:09pm: Good to see you at Erik's Energy class today. As I mentioned, the best thing to do next is to visit the 9carrots website and sign up as a member there. Explore the site a bit and let me know what you think of its design and over-all accessibility, as a first-time user. Organisation of volunteers will happen here on the Ning site, but the 9carrots site will be the major point of interaction with the system itself.

Comment by Barbara Richards on January 21, 2011 at 8:40pm: I am here. Now we are two. Sorry it took a while. I was busing and doing Blackberry en route the last few days and couldn't get "tech" cooperation to sign up. So what is first? More of us or start with who we are and develop our plan?

Comment by Michael W. Pettit on January 20, 2011 at 1:11pm: Why engage local business?

"It's easy for people to forget that local businesses employ local people and play very important roles in every community. Don't take your local businesses for granted. 9Carrots provides a way of supporting them and encouraging them to engage even more with the communities they serve - and begin to tackle the big issues of climate change and resource depletion." - Graham Truscott, Transition Training & Consulting