South Mountain Company

Martha’s Vineyard’s integrated design/build company

This blog provides up-to-date news of goings on at South Mountain Company and occasional musings from John Abrams (and others).

Sharing Ownership of the Future

By John Abrams |

One more post (which might become two) about employee ownership and workplace democracy before I veer off toward some related topics. . . .

Despite the Obama administration’s recent shift in emphasis from homeownership to rental housing (which I will discuss in detail in a future post), homeownership is at the very heart of the American dream. Owning our work, and finding meaning there, seems as essential to a good life as owning our homes. But although many of us own homes, far fewer own our work.

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Are We Different Enough??

By John Abrams |

At the recent conference of the Vermont Employee Ownership Center (VEOC) in Burlington, VEOC board president Paul Millman asked an important question to the attendees, who represented some of the many remarkably progressive companies in the Green Mountain State. “Are we different enough?” he wondered.

Good question.  I wonder about that often when I think about South Mountain.  Are we promoting a system that would, if widespread, create fundamental change in our broken economic system?  Or are we just avoiding one avalanche chute by traversing to another with a slightly more gradual incline?

Hard to say.

I

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Rosenbaum on Deep Energy

By John Abrams |

This is a post about a local event, so it may not mean much to those of you far away.

When it comes to houses, there’s plenty of talk these days about Zero Energy, Passive Houses, and even strange new terms like Deep Energy Retrofit.

It’s not just talk.  For old friend Marc Rosenbaum, of Energysmiths, it’s practice.  And it’s passion, too.  Marc has been working closely with us for the past 20 years.

Rosenbaum CCC Poster

Marc’s projects include three of the American Institute of Architects Top Ten Green Projects.. An experienced and enthusiastic teacher and speaker, he has trained thousands of professionals., including several trainings of Vineyard architects and builders.

Come to the Chilmark Community Center and hear where we’re headed with housing and how we might get there.  It’s free.

Moving A Mountain

By John Abrams |

Blogging is new to me.  In fact, this is my first entry.   The question is:  why am I doing this?  Why am I doing it to me and why am I doing it to you?  I hope for good reason. There are two I can think of, so far.

SMCHoliday08The first is this. Over time, as South Mountain Company has matured (sort of), and in the course of my professional relationships, book adventures, speaking opportunities, and teaching experiences, I have found a small group of people who seem to be interested in what’s going on at SMCo – what we are doing and thinking about.  I’m curious to communicate with you,  and others – in some organized way – to see what might come of this far-flung web of relationships.

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