The name Bi-O comes from the idea of working with an area as large as the bees flying from the cube, and helping to make this area safe for bees and at the same time a pilot project for transition to the sustainable society. In norwegian we call it «bi-omstilling» (Bi = Bee, Omstilling = Transition).
Bi-Omstilling SA was founded on 01.11.2021 and is an independent cooperative. The purpose of the cooperative is to create an open and inclusive environment for people who want to participate in realizing the vision of Bi-O Transition, and will in practice function as a member organization for the collaboration project Bi-O, as this is regulated via a separate Bi-O agreement between the cooperative and the companies that are part of the Bi-O group.
What do we mean by transition?
The word transition has become something of a “mainstream buzzword” these days, especially perhaps within the world of business and industry, such as when Innovation Norway talks about regional transition, but also in a larger context with a focus on sustainability, such as as the consulting company PwC talks about it. There has been a development since some of us behind Bi-O first started to get involved in the environmental issue, in the 80s and 90s. It is, of course, in this context that we use the word, namely the transition to a sustainable society, the green shift.
National politics is too slow to handle the climate crisis
Based on the UN agenda 2030 many now operate with a time horizon until 2030 with regard to to do their share for the climate issue, and the Norwegian official policy is at the time of writing (Jan-2022) to be carbon neutral in 2050 and have a binding goal of carbon neutrality by 2030. This is far from enough, and obviously reflects the fact that a large proportion of the Norwegian population consciously puts their own short term interests ahead of the long term interests of humanity, or not even acknowledges a connection between human activity and climate change, despite overwhelming scientific consensus to the contrary.
Even such an established player as Microsoft is now leading the way with goals not only for carbon neutrality by 2030, but to become carbon negative by then. Similar beats we now hear from e.g. IKEA and many others. There is little doubt that the business community is leading the way in the sustainability transition, in addition of course to individuals and organizations that have been at the forefront for years, and that the states remain as the great obstacle. As the norwegian election for parliament in the autumn of 2021 showed by resulting in a government that intends to expand oil activity (!), despite clear warnings from scientist, the UN and a growing world opinion. This is shocking and unacceptable.
Local pioneering projects for acceleration of the green shift
We think that local projects with the ambition of leading the way locally and thereby inspire more rapid political and practical change regionally and nationally could be an important contribution to accelerating the transition over all. A main inspiration for us is the Transition Network, which based on the small town of Totnes has grown to become a global movement. See an overview of projects here:
See our profile for our transition project in Maridalen here:
The word “bi-omstilling” is our own little twist based on our concept of defining an area of focus based on the bees’ need for a clean environment within the area that is within their reach from the beehives.
Purpose
The cooperative will do two things in the transition areas in which it establishes itself:
- Be a beekeeper team
- Establish sustainable food production systems and housing units in connection with this
- Supplement existing social structure with community functions within health, culture, education and industry
- Further develop the site with as many housing units as sustainably sound for the area
- In other words: help to revitalize rural areas, not so much as to prevent the strong tendency towards urbanization all over the globe, but as a necessary supplement and part of a holistic form of society
What do you get as a member?
Over the next 9 years up to and including 2030, the intention is to gradually develop at least the following together:
- Membership price for honey, bee keeping course, and everything bee related
- Membership offer in the online store: plants, seeds, equipment and produce for the kitchen
- Access to an online system for planning and logging of own cultivation, species and variety collection, as well as a portal for exchanging species and varieties with other members
- Co-ownership of a farm with professionally run food production, membership prices for visits, and access to become a resident with your own housing unit at a membership price
- Area for local culture, education and industry, gathered around an inspiration center with meeting places, cafés and restaurants and other offers
- In this way, develop the whole vision of Bi-Omstilling in at least 2 places: one in the northern and one in southern Europe.
This is just a preliminary list to give an idea of how the project is intended to be concretized. But how the cooperative will develop is up to the members themselves, and the process we now enter into. We as initiators can only try to develop a basic idea as useful as possible, in the hope that we together with those who decide to participate can develop the project as best as possible.
Read more especially about the establishment process here
In general about cooperative as a form of organization
Cooperatives are a socially oriented form of organization where voting rights follow the member and not amount of shares. Nevertheless, cooperatives differs from e.g. member associations / facilities in that the purpose shall be an economic activity and that the members in one way or another participate in this.
Read more here:
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Become a member!
We wish as many people as possible to consider giving this project a chance. An annual member fee of NOK 250 will form a base to start from. Membership does not in principle require that you also pay a share, and then we plan to finance by shares specific projects and offers we develop together in the years to come. The goal is for these to be priced as favorably and correctly as possible so that the widest possible range of people can participate. The goal of Bi-Omstilling is to create a form of society that provides the richest possible opportunities for development for all, in line with nature’s needs.
More about the membership here
Welcome!