Mission
Statement
LocalMart is a marketplace for sustainable,
locally produced goods and services, using an
alternative currency for payment, and having the
objective of creating sustainable self
sufficient local economies.
Introduction
Welcome to LocalMart where members of the your
community can provide and purchase locally
produced sustainable goods and services. We aim
to not only increase the sustainability and self
sufficiency of our local communities but also
serve as an example to others of how local
commitment to the cause of sustainability can
improve quality of life today while leaving
behind a better world for those who follow
tomorrow.
At
the bottom of this page and in the right column
are links which help to explain the operation of
LocalMart, but first read on in order to
understand the structure and the many unique and
interesting features of LocalMart. (While
there is considerable information here, you will
find that participating in LocalMart is
remarkably easy. See information at the
end of this page.)
LocalMart consists of five elements. The
first is a social networking site where members
can learn of LocalMart news and events, set up
their own page with photo and personal
information (viewable only by other members),
easily communicate with other members, start or
join groups (e.g. Sustainable Food Group,
Sustainable Clothing Group), start or
participate in blogs, and otherwise achieve a
greater sense of community while participating
in local sustainable commerce.
The second element is the LocalMart online
store. It is on this site where
member/providers (providers) can list and
display their products and services and where
member/customers (customers) can make purchases
and otherwise interact with the providers.
The store uses an alternative currency,
convertible back into dollars, enabling
the elimination of transaction fees, and the alternative
currency also makes it possible to conduct off
line and in person transactions using mobile
phones.
The third element
consists of LocalMart affiliate stores which are
actual retail locations that carry LocalMart
products for the local communities in which they
serve. They offer a delivery service
within the boundaries of their respective
communities.
The fourth element
is Better World Workshop (BWW), an actual
workshop with also an online presence. BWW
is an incubator for the conception and
development of ideas for sustainable products
and services which can be freely used by
LocalMart providers in order to offer the widest
range of locally produced, sustainable offerings
to LocalMart customers.
The fifth element
is MicroLendingNetwork, whose mission is
to make alternative currency microloans to
eligible individuals or businesses that are
developing or producing sustainable products or
services that can be offered on a local level
through LocalMart affiliates.
Philosophy
Localizing our commerce involves much more than
simply creating a local currency or barter club or patronizing local merchants rather than
distant ones, for the products that local
merchants sell may not be produced locally.
LocalMart has a "from the ground up" philosophy
which encourages the formation of numerous and
varied local businesses that can produce
sustainable products and services on even the
smallest scale, but which in aggregate result in
significant gains in sustainability and local
self sufficiency. Many of the business
ideas that we have proposed (Business
Ideas) are designed so that even the busiest
people with full time jobs, and/or their
children, relatives or friends, can produce some
useful, sustainable product or service that can
be sold within their community.
Rather than be just consumers, LocalMart members
are encouraged to become providers and
contribute toward localization by helping to
"close the loop." The role of LocalMart
is to operate local affiliate websites which make
all of this possible and practical by providing a means to conduct local
sustainable commerce with an easy set up process,
no sign up fees and no transaction fees (made
possible by use of an alternative
currency, convertible back into dollars.
The LocalMart alternative currency also makes it
possible to conduct off line and in person
transactions using mobile phones.)
Features
We
believe that the features of LocalMart make it a
unique means of enabling the transition toward
local sustainability and self sufficiency, and
that these features go way beyond the goals and
capabilities of "shop local" campaigns, barter
clubs, local currencies or other singular
efforts to promote local commerce. Some of
these features are:
-
Members only site with simple application process
-
Sustainability criteria for products and services offered
-
Uses a social networking platform (like Facebook, MySpace)
to personalize and facilitate
member communication and build a sense of
community
-
No sign up fee or periodic fees
-
No transaction fees for purchases - does not use credit or
debit cards or PayPal for purchase
transactions. Members who are providers and
whose revenues balance purchases, can
transact business indefinitely without
transaction fees.
-
Uses an alternative currency, convertible back into
dollars (enabling the elimination of
transaction fees)
-
Encourages members to be providers of sustainable goods
and services and not just consumers. (Even
seemingly insignificant products or services
which members can provide with a part time
commitment all contribute toward our goals
and help to "close the loop"
locally.)
-
Assists members in identifying or developing a product or
service to provide, and assists with set up
of these products or services in the
LocalMart store
-
Operates and supports Better World Workshop (www.betterworldworkshop.org)
- an incubator with the mission of
conceiving, developing and disseminating ideas for
sustainable products and services that can
be produced on a local level with the
objective of furthering local sustainability
and self sufficiency.
-
Operates and
supports Micro Lending Network
(www.microlendingnetwork.org)
- an organization with the mission of making
alternative currency microloans to
eligible individuals or businesses that are
developing or producing sustainable products
or services that can be offered on a local
level through LocalMart affiliates
-
Operates LocalMart e-commerce store for online
transactions, (like ebay), giving Member/Providers a web
presence for their products and services
with easy set-up process,
and with no need for credit/debit card
merchant accounts
-
Capability of off line or in-person purchases, or MartMoney
transfers, payments, loans or advances using
mobile phones
Structure of LocalMart
LocalMart (localmart.net) is an umbrella
organization that is setting up a network of
local affiliates - e.g.
LocalMart-YourTown.com
LocalMart-NearbyTown.com
LocalMart-FarAwayTownInYourCountry.com
LocalMart-FarAwayTownInAnotherCountry.com
(Note that localmart has a .net suffix and that
the local affiliates have a .com suffix.)
Each local affiliate is run by a local
administrator who operates the local site,
reviews applications for memberships and assists
members to become providers by identifying or
developing suitable sustainable products or
services to offer. The local administrator also
assists providers in setting up their sites in
the LocalMart store, and sells advertising to
providers. The local administrator receives
compensation from this advertising revenue.
LocalMart.net sets up the local affiliates,
assists the local administrators, and
promotes the LocalMart concept. Through
its support of Better World Workshop, LocalMart
contributes to the
conception, development and dissemination of ideas for
sustainable products and services that can be
produced on a local level.
Importantly,
LocalMart processes transactions and maintains MartCard account balances for all members of
all local affiliates. LocalMart receives
revenue from the franchising of local
affiliates, from sharing of local affiliate
advertising revenue, and from fees charged if
and when members convert their MartMoney back
to dollars.
More
Information
You can find more
information about LocalMart on the Frequently
Asked Questions page (FAQ)
and in the User's Manual (User's
Manual) Also, the
following are links
to a LocalMart affiliate site and to the
LocalMart Store (both currently in the test
mode). You must become a member in order
to view the full contents of these sites, but
the Home page displays many of the features, and
some of the links are functional for non
members.
www.localmart-lamorinda.com
LocalMart Store
Joining or Starting a LocalMart Affiliate
We
welcome your
application for membership in one of the
affiliate sites. (See
Affiliates - List and click on the affiliate
of your choice and in the upper right corner,
click on "Sign Up".) We also welcome your interest in starting a
LocalMart affiliate in your own town or city (Contact
Us).
Contact Us:
info@localmart.net |