Re: [GRRN] micro-enterprise opportunities

Melissa Kelley (mkelley@sonic.net)
Tue, 30 Nov 1999 10:22:26 -0800


Resa,

Are you familiar with the book Manufacturing with Reused and Recycled
Materials: Fifty Small Business Opportunities? It is an excellent
resource published by The Materials for the Future Foundation. The book
discusses specific microenterprise opportunities -- such as making sheet
glass from recycled glass cullet, furniture from reclaimed lumber, cast
alumnimum products from recycled aluminum, and many others. Each
business is analyzed in terms of manufacturing details, equipment and
infrastructure needs, marketing, opportunities, risks, costs and revenue
potential. The book also contains information about how to write a
business plan, as well as reuse and recycling resources.

As I recall, the book costs about $50. You can order it from MFF:

The Materials for the Future Foundation
Presidio Building 1016, Suite 222
P.O. Box 29091
San Francisco, CA 94129
phone (415) 561-6530
fax (415) 561-6474
email: mff@igc.org
www.materials4future.org

Also, the MFF staff are very helpful folks and have a lot of experience
in this area. You might call and ask if they can suggest good case
examples.

A second good book is New Social Entrepreneurs: The Success, Challenge
and Lessons of Non-Profit Enterprise Creation by The Roberts Foundation.
This book definitely offers microenterprise case examples, although the
businesses are not specifically related to reclaimed materials. As far
as I know, it is still available for free from The Roberts Foundation in
San Francisco. I don't have the contact information for requesting the
book; my very old San Francisco phone book suggests 415-561-6540.

Good luck!

Melissa Kelley

Dimeanor@aol.com wrote:
>
> Hello All --
>
> I am researching micro-enterprise opportunities to use reclaimed materials in
> small scale manufacturing or workshop settings. I would appreciate any
> references to specific companies that may be models, or to reports or other
> available information.
>
> Thanks for your help --
>
> Resa Dimino
> Sustainable Enterprise
> RADimino@aol.com
>
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