Living Change

Worker’s Cooperative

Portland Cooperatives

Community Supported Agriculture

Cohousing

Living ChangeWorkers Cooperative Development

And Its Effects

What Is A Worker Co-op? 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 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 Co-

operatives 7: Concern for Community

Capitalism Sucks

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

Recognizing life, sustainability and community as more important than monetary profit

Socially Sustainable 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 Allow for a portion of their wages to go back

into development in their community or to a charity of their choosing

Environmentally Sustainable 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 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

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 Hukill, Traci. (2005). A World Without Bosses? Retrieved

April 23rd, 2009 from http://www.alternet.org/story/23201. Huet, Tim. (2004). A Cooperative Manifesto. Retrieved April

23rd, 2009 from http://www.geonewsletter.org/archives. Ifateyo, Ajowa Nzinga. (2004). Open Enterprise Cooperative.

Retrieved April 23rd, 2009 from http://www.geo.coop/archives/ajowa604.htm.

US Federation of Worker Cooperatives. About Worker Cooperatives. Retrieved May 8th, 2009 from http://www.usworker.coop/aboutworkercoops.

Living Change:Living Change:

Portland CooperativesPortland Cooperatives

Cecilia, Joel, Joy, and Sam

“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 20th & AnkenyThe Sales Annex – SE 8th & Ankeny

Founded as a co-op in 1990

““The What”The What”

14 owners Equal share owners

26 Employees Workers and apprentices

Hiring Apprenticeship program

““The Who”The Who”

“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 How”The How”

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 What”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.”

Workers Organized by committee Manage store collectively

Member-Owners One PeopleShare ($180 investment) One share, one vote each People’s has over 5,000 member-owners

Board of Directors 8 member directors and one worker director

““The Who”The Who”

[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

““The How”The How”

CITYBIKES PEOPLE’S FOOD CO-OP

Rising prices of tires, components, racks, etc.

Seasonal nature of cycling in Portland

Keeping bike transportation affordable

Success means making more decisions:

• A co-op incubator• A People’s Farm with a

community kitchen• A second store

ChallengesChallenges

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 FarmTroutdale, OR

Grows: Vegetables, flowers, herbs, some fruit

Pesticide-free, naturally grown

Late-May through Thanksgiving

Bumblebee FarmTroutdale, 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

Community living in which the residents participate heavily within the planning and activities that goes into

their neighborhood (CAUS).

What is cohousing?

How it all started… 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).

Challenges and Solutions - Two

Challenges

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.”

Solutions

Subsidized units that obtain funds through grants or low-interest 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 other- that subtly yet pervasively undermine and limit the degree of well-being in our relationships.”

Five ways to respond to conflict:

Ignore and repress it. Leave it. Leap into it aggressively. Change how you feel

about it. Use the conflict to

strengthen the community.

•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).

Benefits of Cohousing

Portland, Oregon Cohousing Unit 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 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.”