timelessdesignscorp.com

The first part in this series, Social Responsibility – Part 1, March 12, 2009, gave four measurements for a company’s level of social responsibility.  The first two, economic function and quality of life, were discussed in part 1.  The third, social investment, was discussed in the second installment, Social Responsibility – Part 2, march 30, 2009.  In this final installment, we will discuss perhaps the most important measure: Problem Solving.  Investments of time and money are great, but they have little value if problems are not being solved.  The whole purpose of Timeless Designs Corporation is to solve problems: problems in society, in the local economy, in the daily routines of ordinary people.

Problem Solving

Before one can even begin to go about solving a problem, one must first know what problem needs solving.  There are several problems that TDC wants to address in its community-building projects, and the principle ones are laid out here.  Many of these problems are tightly interwoven, but I’ll try to unravel them as best I can.

Pollution and Climate Change

The concern is everywhere, from the Internet blogosphere to mainstream news.  It’s on talk radio, it’s discussed in Congressional and Senate committees.  It’s a topic of discussion at parties, around the water cooler, and in strategic planning discussions at major corporations: Global Warming.  Whole industries are springing up around solving this global problem, from power companies employing more wind and hydroelectric plants to solar panels marketed to homeowners.  There are electric and hybrid gas/electric vehicles, as well as vehicles that run on biodiesel, hydrogen fuel cells, and hydroxy (HHO).  Builders are more and more pursuing green construction of office buildings and the market for energy efficient appliances, windows and doors, and other building materials is growing.

We at Timeless Designs Corporation want to take a big bite out of the greenhouse gas elephant.  One widely accepted cause of the climate change problem is the emission of greenhouse gases from burning petrochemicals.  As mentioned, whole industries are arising with alternative energy technologies to help address the problem.

The real solution, we believe, is not to just clean up some of the cars but to reduce, as much as possible, the very need for cars.  The average American spends 25 minutes commuting – each way – to and from work every day.   In highly populated urban areas it can be as long as 45 minutes to an hour or more.  Much of that time, particularly in dense urban areas like New York and Los Angeles, is spent running cars at their least efficient, most polluting way: stop-and-go traffic.

By eliminating that commute, we also eliminate the largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions.  Our Mathias Island at Fortune Bay community will create tens of thousands of jobs at every level, from working class service people to highly paid corporate executives.  Our goal is to create a community that allows everyone who works there to also live there.  To help ensure that the people who can live there and work there as well actually do live there, we will provide incentives to do so.  People who rent or buy a residence in our community will get a substantial discount on their rent or condo fees if they also work there.  Commutes will only be 5 minutes long, either by walking or riding a bicycle, or by utilizing our LaserRail transportation system.  Every convenience a modern city can offer will be available, and some that haven’t yet been provided anywhere else, like free access to transportation for residents and free delivery of goods – right to your door.

Quality of Life

Now look at the subject of commute time strictly from a quality-of-life perspective.  What would you do with an extra hour or two in your day?  With a 5 minute commute, you could pop home for lunch with your family.  With sports fields only minutes from your desk, you could be there to support your child’s little league or soccer team.  Read a book?  Connect with friends?

Imagine your life without the frustrations of traffic, without road rage.  A fender bender on the freeway will no longer make you 40 minutes late to work – or late for dinner.

Teaching Success

It is the firm belief of the founders of this company that the reason people are successful is very tightly connected to the reason other people are unsuccessful, and at its root it has nothing to do with birthright, social standing or affluence, government support or lack thereof, education or even luck.  Certainly all these things are contributing factors, playing into how quickly or easily success can be achieved, but the real, fundamental between those who succeed and those who fail is quite simply: faith.

By faith I don’t necessarily mean faith in God or some religion, though again a strong set of religious beliefs can contribute.  By faith I mean faith in oneself.  The belief that a thing can be done, bolstered by the support of people who have done it and the persistance to pursue that thing however difficult it may be – that is the true key to success.

Our goal, therefore, is to foster that belief in the children of our community at as young an age as possible, and then nurture and feed that belief throughout their lives.  For adults who come into relationship with us bearing the baggage of a lifetime of “can’t do” thinking, we will offer motivational training as well as directed skills training.  We will help them develop their wildest notions into plans for success, and then provide them a path and support them as they bring their plans to fruition.

Some of the people we encounter will have other forms of baggage – ill-conceived notions that the world “owes” them something, physical or mental disabilities, alcohol or drug addiction.  For these people we will provide the support and assistance necessary to clear the detritus from their lives before helping them reshape their faith in themselves and in the American Dream.

Protecting the Environment

Why must urban development be at odds with the environment and those who seek to protect it?  Why must an Environmental Impact Report mean delays and contention?  The in-the-box answer is that protecting the environment is costly and doesn’t provide any return on investment.  As you may have discovered by now, though, Timeless Designs Corporation does not operate “in the box.”  We see a great deal of valuable return on investment.

The most obvious return is that the community is more beautiful, more peaceful, the more it encorporates nature.  Humans are hard-wired to feel a sense of serenity when surrounded by nature’s beauty.  More beautiful and natural surroundings distract residents and visitors alike from the fact that they’re living in a city.  Even those people who enjoy the “hustle and bustle of the city” will tell you that it isn’t the ocean of steel and concrete that attracts them to the city, but rather the abundance of activities and entertainment, the proximity to other people, and the convenience of being within a short walking distance to everything they need.

Blending nature with modern construction, with an aesthetic emphasis on nature, achieves two purposes and appeals to two different classes of people: it appeals to those who want the “hustle and bustle” by virtue of it’s high-density, mixed use facilities, and it also appeals to those who prefer a more rural setting.  Indirectly the return on investment will come from appealing to a broader range of potential customers, which will yield lower than average vacancy rates.  It will appeal to visitors as well, which will yield higher sales rates for businesses.

In Mathias Island at Fortune Bay, there will also be a segment of both residents and businesses who come simply because we are promoting and utilizing alternative energy.  Although alternative energy sources are gaining traction in the commercial sector, there has yet to be a community of this scale that is 100% alternative.  Its dependence on oil and natural gas – both foreign and domestic – is exactly zero.  There will be technological advances made in bringing this community online, and it will be designed in such a way that as new technologies are developed they can be integrated into the infrastructure seamlessly.

Conclusion

Timeless Designs Corporation’s commitment to social responsibility will influence every decision we make, and will be designed into the very fabric of our community.  The partners believe stridently that profit should not be the sole motivator behind corporate decision-making – as recently evidenced so strikingly in the financial markets.  If we set our sights on loftier goals while keeping a close eye on the bottom line, making responsible decisions by considering both our corporate ideals AND the bottom line on the balance sheets, TDC can position itself to be one of the most successful companies in the world.  All of the partners want Timeless Designs Corporation to become the best IN the world by being the best FOR the world.

And hopefully, and perhaps inexorably, the world will also be changed for the better in the process.

End of Part 3