A new local start-up, Buyer Curious, seeks to help home buyers leverage more power in real-estate transactions. Instead of negotiating via a third party, Buyer Curious lets prospective home buyers negotiate with and speak directly to the home owner. 

At Good Work Group, we believe the companies and organizations that offer users more power and transparency will become the true success stories as people become increasingly savvy and desire more control over their interactions and purchasing decisions. 

Good Ideas start with building trust, transparency, community, and consumer power. 

We’re excited to see how this idea unfolds locally and across the country. 

*Note: We’ve never liked the word “consumer.” It sounds like some sort of alien being whose only function is digestion of toxic waste from dead lakes. However, in this case we just used it to make a point about “authority.” Don’t be mad at us. We’re really sorry to bring up that image of the weird crusty alien. 

(H/T  The Line Media.) 

At Good Work Group, we believe the Twin Cities are bursting with smart, passionate people who can learn a lot from one another. Just today, for example, while we were hanging out at Peace Coffee chatting with our clients E-Democracy, we met a web/app developer focused on community engagement tools. Awesome, right? These things happen nearly every day. This city is overflowing with creative change-makers.

That’s why we’re excited about tomorrow’s Net Impact event, which promises to bring together local leaders in socially sustainable small businesses to discuss ways mission-driven businesses are driving social and environmental change. 

Entrepreneurs from Peace Coffee, Quality Bike Products, Eureka Recycling , and more will discuss how mission-based businesses are helping individuals, businesses, and organizations impact not only the local community, but the world at large.

We’re always excited to connect with people who share our goal of improving the Twin Cities. 

Looking for some inspiration to start a “good” business of your own? Register for the event! It’s free for all, with a suggested donation at at the door! 

Recently, we’ve noticed a handful of cool shops and businesses finding a birthplace in unique locations, including people’s homes. Different than “pop-up” shops that use revolving retail spaces, these new shops rely on invite-only sales or single-day sales that invite customers into unique spaces. 

At Brown University, a pair of students host a once-a-month underground bakery, offering up gourmet fare such as sweet homemade pizzas to the 80 or so students who are members of a secret listserv.

From the Brown Daily Herald: 

Jones and Marion came up with the idea for the project while brainstorming how to transform their love of baking and cooking into a plausible business. The bakery was inspired by a secret restaurant in Providence that has since been shut down. “We were hoping to provide a community around food,” Marion said. “Also a social setting for college students on a Saturday night that is not going out to a frat party.”

When the bakery began, the pair hoped it would one day turn into a restaurant with more savory dishes, but, Marion said, “At this point, it seems that a late-night bakery is a good way to attract more of a collegecrowd.”

Of course, the Twin Cities wouldn’t be the Twin Cities without its own underground bakery. Here in Powderhorn Park, the site of Good Work Group “headquarters”, neighbors gather every Wednesday at the home of Margaret and Shelly, also known as the Front Porch Bakery. Not only is it a way for Margaret and Shelly to do what they love and have a business with low overhead and less commitment, but it brings neighbors together every week over a shared love of gourmet goods.

Good ideas don’t need lots of money to take off: They just need a commitment to building community and creating products/concepts that matter.  

Good Work Group is incredibly excited to be involved with A Public Thing, an ongoing space for conversations and inspiration in-person, in print, and online.

Here’s a little bit about the project, a collaboration with Works Progress, Sarah Peters, Good Work Group, Sam Gould from Red76, Molly Balcom Raleigh, and a growing group of artists, designers & writers.

A Public Thing is a group of artists, writers, thinkers and doers who are dedicated to preserving and building the public realm—spaces that are open and accessible for people to come together and engage in conversations pertinent to today. Through ongoing gatherings and publications, A Public Thing opens up space for conversations—face-to-face, in print, and online—that have the potential to change the way we think, work, and live.

Recently, about 50 folks gathered at Peavey Plaza for A Public Thing’s “Financial Engagement” event. Check out the print documentation of the conversations that ranged in topic from debt, economic inequality, poverty, financial literacy, alternative economies, economic growth, sustainable communities, and more.

In cities all over the world, community-building around sustainable food is being further inspired by local food swaps. According to a story today in IFpress:

“The contemporary bartering venue is a place to exchange locally-produced food, share sustainable food-growing techniques and promote community building.

Food is the only currency; no exchange of money takes place.”

Of course, food swaps aren’t only growing across the pond. LA Food Swap is a burgeoning movement centered on local, sustainable foods and community-building.

And Minneapolis Swappers has its own food swap coming up on December 11. 

Learn more about Minneapolis Swappers and community-building through local food on their Facebook page. 

Undriver licenses are talking mobility to the next level, allowing those who care about the environment and their health to pledge their support in unique ways. With this badge of honor, users are committed to a cause and movement, and have a daily reminder to prove it.

The Undriver movement also asks users to share their story, allowing them not only to be a participant but a leader for the movement.

This past October, 10 bloggers shared their experiences online about their commitment to “undrive.” Check out their stories.  

This got us thinking: How can you help people show commitment to a cause? How can your help support a grassroots effort? How can you create something that builds a unique community around an idea and continues to inspire action? 

In France, ressourceries (resource shops) are recycling, upcycling, restoring, repairing and reselling consumer goods.

Read more on TreeHugger.com.