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Mission Statement
 To Make Change and Save the Planet. To work towards this goal, by

  • Sharing ideas, thoughts and opinions,
  • Challenging the thoughts and behavior of others,
  • Encouraging and financially supporting endeavors, and
  • Find humor along the way

Philosophy
I believe, or at least would like to believe, that most people would like to do something to save the planet. For some, it may mean just providing an idea or suggestion for them to take action. For others it may take goading them with a challenge. And for others, it may take showing them how to save money or make money at the same time. Saving the planet is a multifaceted challenge, and it needs to be approached from many different angles.

I believe saving the planet and living a good, sustainable life are not mutually exclusive. If everything we do is done with respect for the planet and all its dependants, then we'll all live better life and the planet may just be around for all our tomorrows.

Barb's Ideas is not a non-profit (individuals can't get non-profit status) but uses the .org domain in the same way as Craigslist:

It symbolizes a relatively noncommercial nature, as well as a service mission and non-corporate culture.

I've also emulated Craigslist in other areas. I believe in a simple site without a lot of advertising. Most advertising revenue within Barb's Ideas comes from extended-listings (basic listings are free) within the Buy Local by Zip and Be Green by Zip sections of Barb's Ideas.

Finally, a large part of my philosophy is to share the wealth -- to freely share ideas and to pass on some of what you take in. Beyond supporting the site (and maybe keeping just a little bit for myself) what revenue comes in from the By-Zip ads and from Tip Jars will be used for student grants and for loans via peer-to-peer lending to support others in exploring and implementing ideas to Make Change to Save the Planet.