ECOs or CIVICs: funding ecological or civic activities.

Imagine that a particular city or region has decided on a specific intention: e.g. it wants to become a “green region”, or a “socially active city”.

Conventional Approach.

As a basis of comparison, we could assume that this city or region prepares an implementation plan to reach this intention, using only conventional financing means. Conventional means includes among others paying all labor required at market rates for all the relevant work. Let’s assume that a city which is home to 100,000 households reaches a political consensus to become green, and that the annual subsidies required would amount to 1,000 Euros per household, of which 75% are labor costs, and 25% is for materials. The most obvious conventional way of making this happen would be for the city to raise on the average of 1,000 Euros in additional taxes per household per year. Local NGO's whose mission is in alignment with that intention would also be invited to get involved.