The Green Team:
Current funding for green team projects comes in exchange for teaching classes at the Centre Jardin de Brossard that happen twice a week. A large percentage of this money is reinvested in the land. Additionally, our Media services have been traded in the past for plants, soil, and other things that the green team has required. We are hoping that some of our documented videos about our work will also bring in some additional finances as well.
The long term plan for the land itself will be to be to produce enough fruit to become a U-pick in ~5 years, which will definitely generate income. People will be able to come to the land, pay a small donation, and enjoy eating the fruits that they find on the land as a result. Extra produce from the forest garden and annual garden is also a source of revenue. When production is high enough to sell, we will begin selling it through our Fruit Stand and Welcome Desk.
Another way we hope to make money in the future is by making transformed products, like canned goods, perfumes, salves, creams, soaps, essential oils, etc with the Valhalla brand on it, and sell those as well. The possibility of Valhalla starting a seed providing business and sapling nursery is also in discussion at the moment.
It is important to note that if volunteers create products for sale under the Valhalla banner they can and will be able to keep some of the revenues from such in order to help sustain their ability to continue doing it and turning into a legitimate business. Although the goal isn’t about making money – it does facilitate the transition into depending less and less on it at this stage of our progression.
GreenSeed will also be used on occasion to fund projects and a certain portion of proceeds will also go to help pay labor for those in the Green Team.
The Build Team:
Current funding for build projects are coming in the ways of multimedia work, GreenSeed (Valhalla’s crowd funding platform), personal investment, and sourcing as many recycled free materials as possible. Future funding for builds may come in the form of workshop and event revenues, and from revenues generated from the construction and use of successful builds, such as the Welcome Desk, and The Barn (Valhalla’s Earthship Sustainability Learning Centre). Both of these buildings will be built within the next two years.
Valhalla will be giving land tours this season, for people who just want to visit and see what we are up to. These tours will generate income, and the revenue generated will go to both projects supported by the Green Team and the Build Team.