BIOGRAPHIES
BIO of Robert Henry – Founder
My Inspiration.
I lobbied for returnable containers. I volunteered to work with special needs children and adults. I volunteered to work in a Drug and Crisis Center. I protested for civil rights. I volunteered to work in organizations to end world hunger. I interviewed 300 battered women and developed a plan for a large scale, secure, self help facility.
All my life I’ve worked to contribute to something bigger than myself. In creating Extreme Green Villages, what better way to gather 1000s of those kind of people together and see what we can all create, bigger than ourselves. Together!
History
Bob Henry is the founder of the Extreme Green Village “Asking the question: How Green, low cost and Sustainable can Extreme Green Villages become?”
Bob served in the Drop-In-Center, a phone and walk-in crisis and counseling center.
Bob Henry has been environmentally oriented since the seventies. He worked for RIPIRG, the Rhode Island Public Interest Research Group. The petition gathering and lobbying efforts created legislation for the first attempt at a bottle bill in Rhode Island.
Bob worked for EST, he assisted in running 6 large charity and educational events (1000-3000 people) leading anywhere from 20 to 115 volunteers. Leading volunteers is the key. An interesting note, one of the events celebrated the great Buckminster Fuller. He was one of the first environmentalists and a personal hero.
Bob worked for the Hunger Project (an end world hunger organization) in many different charity events and responsibilities. Including running a Hunger Project Speakers bureau.
Bob Henry produced the South East Regional Conference of the Hunger Project. This was a convention held at the Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D. C. That’s the school where all the President’s children usually go. He led 90 volunteers to provide free transportation, housing, food and entertainment. Additionally, the volunteers raised thousands and signed 1500 new members. The key is working with volunteers.
Bob wrote, designed, debugged and implemented mainframe and microcomputer systems for 13 years for the IRS.
Bob was a partner in a catering business, Lady Jane’s Catering.
Bob has written four mini-novels. Need a publisher.
The purpose of this project is to be an example of being as Green as possible for the cost. Sweat equity is a large part of it and making the sweat equity satisfying is an integral part of the Project.
Bob’s experience with volunteers is the key.
Because the Extreme Green Villages worldwide is not just a Construction Project!
Extreme Green Villages worldwide has a much larger vision than just a construction project.
If that’s what you think this project is all about, please look through the web site again.
I am not interested in just building one Extreme Green Village. I am interested in building a model for thousands of Extreme Green Villages worldwide.
(All of them will be different sizes and will be using the best local building materials and techniques for the environment. But the real focus is on raising the standard of living for everyone, yet only using our fair share of resources to do it!)
The truth is, I have invented nothing. This vision combines a lot of different ideas that many of you have heard about, and have worked with in the past. I just can’t find these ideas combined in this way.
What is Important?
Respect for individual freedom.
Respect for privacy.
Acceptance for “oddball” behavior. (Making a “safe place” for creative people.)
Raising the standard of living for everyone, but only using our fair share of resources to do it. Including 100% water and trash recycling. (I estimate 10% of what resources we use now.)
Providing a wide choice of activities to allow individuals to develop new skills and contribute in individual ways to the Coop.
To develop the project so that Coop Members think of the Coop as a partnership among equals all going in the direction of a Greener future.
To actively develop a time exchange system that rewards people’s effort for the Coop.
To build for Sustainability and the future. Bio-intensive gardening. (7 years of grains, beans and seeds. Cost? $2000 per adult.)
To promote the development of new Green businesses.
To use the buying power of multiple Extreme Green Villages to purchase all the produce from individual farms, guaranteeing price and helping them to become fully organic and Green. (once they are totally organic, let them free and purchase from another farmer. They will get a better price anyway.)
To actively generate Coop income to offset Real Estate Taxes, insurance costs and water and energy independence.
(If the project is as successful as I imagine, it will be able to pay off the mortgage for anyone “who helped build the project and stayed on the project for more than (a variable number of years) It will probably be 10 years! Or less!” I’ve worked the numbers out and it is possible.)
To actively purchase first from other Extreme Green Villages whenever possible to create more synergy, Sustainability and economic growth for all the Extreme Green Villages.
There is more…
Best wishes
Bob Henry 512 707 1409