"Chromium also recommends non-free plugins (like Adobe Flash.) Perhaps those
parts could be removed?"
This should be ok with Chromium license right? Because if you do that with
Firefox, then you are violating their license right? That explains why the
variants like "abrowser", Iceweasel (which I use for Debian) and IceCat
exist.
Btw, if you guys do decide to include a modified Chromium, the Ambience
Refined theme would look pretty slick with your default Gnome theme:
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/ijofdknffioagibmjfnonfnhkhkilfdc?ct=author
