Social Network "Ooooby" Connects Locavores & Food Growers

We love the idea behind Ning, a site which allows people to create their own social network for anything – from anime to baking, but including stuff of a more sustainable flavour such as local bartering and skillshare networks to permaculture meet-ups. We came across Ooooby – Out Of Our Own Backyards – a Ning social network dedicated to connecting for food growers and locavores, and working towards a “goal of food interdependence”. The site also features some hot pictures of chicken tractors (apparently also called “chicken burees”).

It’s based in New Zealand, but the network encourages people from the United States and the United Kingdom, of whatever skill level, to join. They also have “roobys” – a unit of value based on homegrown food that you can earn by growing food or accepting roobys as payment for goods and services. You can use roobys to buy things, for example, at participating cafés.

Ooooby is also featuring "opods" or Ooooby "pods" where users of specific locales can connect even further.

Ooooby is a great idea, blending local living philosophy with the power of online networking. Though the site is young (live since only December 2008), membership already boasts almost a thousand members. We’re looking forward to other “oooobies” springing up online.

Ooooby

More on Social Networking and Locavorism
TreeHugger Picks: Green Social Networking
Green Social Networking at CoolTribe
MakeMeSustainable: The Green Alternative to Social Networking