Living Change Workers Cooperative Portland Cooperatives Community Supported

Living Change Worker’s Cooperative Portland Cooperatives Community Supported Agriculture Cohousing

Living Change Workers Cooperative Development And Its Effects

What Is A Worker Co-op? n n n A business institution owned and operated by the members who work there Workers invest in and operate the business. Organized with the aim of direct democracy and equal access to power Decisions made for the co-op are democratic, generally coinciding with the standard belief of one worker-one vote. Members of the co-op share economic, social, and cultural values and needs

Seven Principles n n n n 1: Voluntary and Open Membership 2: Democratic Member Control 3: Member Economic Participation 4: Autonomy and Independence 5: Education, Training and Information 6: Co-operation among Cooperatives 7: Concern for Community

Capitalism Sucks n Turns profit into the primary objective without regard to the resources that sustain it or the people that make it possible

Co-operatives Are Rad n Recognizing life, sustainability and community as more important than monetary profit

Socially Sustainable n n Offers members the opportunity to build a lasting, mutually beneficial relationship with their community Vested interest in the welfare of the neighborhood of which they are a part

Economically Sustainable Provide for it’s members to obtain more than a decent or standard wage n Allow for a portion of their wages to go back into development in their community or to a charity of their choosing n

Environmentally Sustainable n n Emphasis on concern for providing or producing alternative means that are more sound for the environment Provide education on ways to sustain and protect the environment

Different Types of Workers Co-operatives n n n n Service- housecleaning, day labor, restaurants, taxis, childcare Retail- grocery stores, bakeries, bookstores, bike shops Health care- nursing, home health care, clinics, bodywork Skilled trades- printing, plumbing, woodworking, contracting Manufacturing and engineering- machine parts, fabricating Technology- web hosting, networking, voice and data systems Education - charter schools, teacher/student/parent-run schools Media and the arts- designers, galleries, performers, publishers

This Is Happening n n Worker co-operatives are far from a distant reality It’s estimated that there are over 300 democratic workplaces in the United States Employee estimate is at approximately 3, 500 people that produce over $400 million in revenue yearly They are here!

Works Cited n n Hukill, Traci. (2005). A World Without Bosses? Retrieved April 23 rd, 2009 from http: //www. alternet. org/story/23201. Huet, Tim. (2004). A Cooperative Manifesto. Retrieved April 23 rd, 2009 from http: //www. geonewsletter. org/archives. Ifateyo, Ajowa Nzinga. (2004). Open Enterprise Cooperative. Retrieved April 23 rd, 2009 from http: //www. geo. coop/archives/ajowa 604. htm. US Federation of Worker Cooperatives. About Worker Cooperatives. Retrieved May 8 th, 2009 from http: //www. usworker. coop/aboutworkercoops.

Living Change: Portland Cooperatives Cecilia, Joel, Joy, and Sam

“The What” “Citybikes promotes a life-style utilizing bicycles for transportation and recreation. We minimize the impact our business has on the environment by reusing parts, reselling pre-owned bikes, and stocking locally made products. ” Two Locations: The Repair Shop – SE 20 th & Ankeny The Sales Annex – SE 8 th & Ankeny Founded as a co-op in 1990

“The Who” 14 owners Equal share owners 26 Employees Workers and apprentices Hiring Apprenticeship program

“The How” “Citybikes exists to provide a livelihood for our workers. We adhere to a nonhierarchical personnel structure that focuses on all workers taking responsibility for the business. Through cooperation, we hope to make our work enjoyable and to get our jobs done efficiently by utilizing each others’ strengths. ” Committees: Owner present in each committee Responsible for running business examples: Hiring, Operating, Remodeling, New Bikes

“The What” “People’s commits to a model of human cooperation. We focus our energy on building community, revitalizing our local economy, and promoting healthy connections to our bioregion and the earth. We realize these goals through conscious product selection, mindful business practices, and the fulfillment of cooperative principles. ” Sustainable business practices Focus on bulk products Reusing and recycling containers Emphasis on local, organic produce High quality and ethically produced food at affordable prices Year- round Farmer’s Market

“The Who” Workers Organized by committee Manage store collectively Member-Owners One People. Share ($180 investment) One share, one vote each People’s has over 5, 000 memberowners Board of Directors 8 member directors and one worker director

“The How” [Theoretically] Non-hierarchical management structure Board of Directors Members vote for their representatives Annual Patronage Refund Progressive Discipline Focus on Department-run committees (Produce, Front End, Etc) Monthly Visioning Circles for each committee

Challenges CITYBIKES Rising prices of tires, components, racks, etc. Seasonal nature of cycling in Portland Keeping bike transportation affordable PEOPLE’S FOOD CO-OP Success means making more decisions: A co-op incubator • A People’s Farm with a community kitchen • A second store •

Living Change : Alternative ways of living • Community Supported Agriculture - Alternative ways of Eating

Community Supported Agriculture • Moving towards Environmental Sustainability

What is a Community Supported Agriculture? • A CSA is a partnership between a local farm and the people from the community. • Members buy a share of the farm and in turn they receive weekly produce. • CSA’s move a community towards a more sustainable style of living.

How Long CSA has been around? • America has its own unique model of agriculture, but was developed from influences from both Europe and Asia. America was first introduced to the concept of CSA in 1985 and has today brought about over 1, 300 CSA farms.

Why CSA? • Reduce carbon foot-print • Strengthen community bonds and bring people together • CSA put "the farmers face on food" and increase understanding of how, where, and by whom our food is grown • Healthier and seasonal food choices

How do people buy a share from the farm? • CSA is not limited to people who can afford to pay for shares Working shares are also available • A typical share costs between $300 -$600 for a year • This money is used to assure that production cost for farmers will be covered even in the event of crops failing

What does a member receive? • People can decide how much of a share they want to buy. They will receive weekly baskets of seasonal produce from the farm, like wide variety of vegetables and herbs etc.

Benefits • Direct communication and cooperation among farmers and consumers. • Fair return between farmers and growers on their labor. • Help keeping food dollars in the local community and contribute to the development and maintenance of regional food systems. • With a "guaranteed market" for their produce, farmers can invest their time in doing the best job they can produce food rather than marketing their products. • To support the biodiversity of a given farm and the diversity of agriculture. • Helps create a sense of social responsibility and stewardship of local land.

Challenges • Face the same challenges as any other business have: - Division of labor, employee conflicts, etc. -Lack of national support • Small peer group

Portland Area CSAs Dancing Roots Farm Troutdale, OR Grows: Vegetables, flowers, herbs, some fruit Pesticide-free, naturally grown Late-May through Thanksgiving Bumblebee Farm Troutdale, OR Grows: Fruits, veggies, eggs Organically grown June through October

Benefits for Members at the Dancing Roots Farm in Troutdale: • • An Open Invitation - For members only, you can walk the fields and woods, or bring a picnic. U-Pick Blackberries - When in season, people can bring their own containers and take as much as they want. Free Range Meat - Pastured, antibiotic and hormone free beef, lamb, chicken, duck and turkey available from Dancing Roots’ partners. Food Preserving Workshops - learn how to make jam, use a pressure canner, and dry excess produce. Other workshops may include winemaking, composting, soapmaking and more.

Conclusion • • Sustainable living An alternative way of healthy eating Supporting the community/Local farmers Reduces carbon foot-print

Living Change: Cohousing

What is cohousing? Community living in which the residents participate heavily within the planning and activities that goes into their neighborhood (CAUS).

How it all started… l l Danish architect Jan Gudmand -Hoyer brought together a group of close friends to discuss the idea of building a Danish cohousing community While the building of this cohousing community was unsuccessful, Gudmand-Hoyer later wrote an article featured in a newspaper which created great responses for families interested in this alternative communal living.

The Farum Project, under Gudmand-Hoyer, attracted non-profit housing developers to create a cohousing model. Also the Danish Building Research Institute gathered designs in a competition in order to create “low-rise and clustered housing” (Milman).

Challenges and Solutions - One Denmark 1981: Cooperative Housing Association Law This legislation made it possible to avoid high costs of building cohousing communities. The government of Denmark sponsored loans and rented out ten cohousing communities to help sponsor the movement. (Milman). l l

Challenges and Solutions - Two l Challenges l l Most developing communities are of new construction. Costs can include obtaining land, building roads, constructing sewers and utilities, and adhering to zoning regulations and building codes. Remodeling existing structures is rarely cheaper. The average cohousing development costs at least as much as conventional housing and sometimes 10 -20% more. This is mostly due to “extensive common facilities. ” l Solutions l l Subsidized units that obtain funds through grants or lowinterest loans from public agencies or charitable organizations. Neighborhood retro-fit projects than require little upgrading or ground-up construction

Conflicts and Resolutions Larry Kaplowitz: “We’ve learned that it’s the little things- the minor hurts, the small resentments, the petty judgments about each otherthat subtly yet pervasively undermine and limit the degree of well-being in our relationships. ” Five ways to respond to conflict: l l l Ignore and repress it. Leave it. Leap into it aggressively. Change how you feel about it. Use the conflict to strengthen the community.

Benefits of Cohousing • Promotes trust and togetherness through common meals, fun activities, work projects, and meetings. • Building a bond with the people of cohousing communities opens up doors to carpooling and community babysitting, which can lower costs and ease burdens for fellow neighbors. • Safety is a large measurable effect of cohousing. When members get to know each other and build relationships their trust builds and they create safer environments for their community (CUAS).

Portland, Oregon Cohousing Unit l l Comprises of seven acres located on Boons Ferry Road, on the edge of Tryon State Park, created in 2004. 17 adults and 6 children live at Cedar Moon and tend to their community livestock and farms. Each resident only has 265 square feet of personal space! President of the Board of Directors: Brenna Bell.

Davis, California Model l l Started in 1979 with one unit, has grown to 17 homes with 15 adjoined backyards. Currently there are 40 adult and 18 child residents living in the “N” Street cohousing unit. Residents enjoy communal veggie and herb gardens, bee boxes, and a chicken coop. In 1999 the city recognized the community as “planned development. ”