International Year of Cooperatives
Jan. 7th, 2012 05:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
livingdebThe year 2012 has been designated as the International Year of the Co-op by the United Nations in order to promote awareness of and membership in co-ops. This means my local food co-op has published a long article about co-ops and about how to purposefully forward co-ops:
Join and Support More Co-ops
I am a member of the following businesses from this list of co-ops:
* Wheatsville - I became a member because it was close to me and membership gave me better prices. I still go there, mostly for certain bulk items with good prices (organic cocoa, organic dark chocolate chips, sucanat) and whole wheat pastry flour. I also sometimes get bulk spices and Newman's Own spelt pretzels (taste like pretzels but also have fiber) there sometimes (these are mostly also available at HEB).
* University Federal Credit Union - I joined this when my savings and loan got bought out, twice, and stopped being free. I had to get my paycheck directly deposited to get the free checking back in those days, though I don't now.
In addition, a friend of mine lived in one of the college co-ops and I read the blog of someone who lives in another co-op and briefly worked at Black Star Co-op Pub and Brewery.
I've never joined a co-op because it was a co-op. But some of the co-ops on that list show that starting a co-op can help you get into an expensive hobby by sharing expensive tools. For example, we have a screenprinting co-op, a film-making co-op, and a darkroom co-op. I could also easily imagine a theatre or ballroom dancing co-op (where you all go in on the theatre or ballroom). And you could have a co-op for selling your crafts (sort of like etsy but you all go in on a website, advertising and maybe a brick-and-mortar space).
Buy Products Created by Co-ops
I have interacted with a few other co-ops on the above list:
* Ecology Action - before our city got good with accepting a lot of recyclables, back when Ecology Action had receptacles behind Wheatsville, I used to bring a lot of recycling to them. I still use their website to find places to recycle odd things.
* REI - (that's a co-op?) - I've bought some outdoorsy things there.
* Red Rabbit Cooperative Bakery - Wheatsville sells their vegan donuts and was giving out free samples once. They are delicious! However, I haven't bought any because they are also pricey.
* Treasure City Thrift - I've never been to this thrift store, though it sounds vaguely familiar. I'll add that to my list of places to check out.
The article also lists several non-local co-ops, too, some of which I patronize. They are mostly producers of organic dairy, coffee, chocolate, and other organic things.
I never choose a business based on its business structure, but rather based on the goods or services it provides. However, housing co-ops and some of those hobby co-ops do sound interesting.
Tell Your Friends
Hi, y'all!
Build Your Own Business Using the Co-op Model
This never occurred to me at all. The "businesses" I've owned have all been sole proprietorships. (You know, my tutoring business and my transcription business.) I suppose I could call my one-person businesses co-ops, but that would be silly. I've never imagined having any kind of business with more than one person. I guess if I ever did, I could think about co-ops. But I probably wouldn't. I guess it would depend who the other person or people in my business were. Very interesting, anyway.
Join the Austin Co-op Think Tank
This is a new group created to promote co-ops of all kinds and to assist new co-ops. I have no interest in joining this.
Be Stronger, Together
This is where they recommend patronizing the businesses of other Wheatsville owners. I suspect that Wheatsville members are a little nicer and greener than average, but there's no telling whether they'd be more competent than average. certainly if I had a business I wanted to advertise, I would consider getting it added to the Wheatsville Member-Owned Business Directory.
Join and Support More Co-ops
I am a member of the following businesses from this list of co-ops:
* Wheatsville - I became a member because it was close to me and membership gave me better prices. I still go there, mostly for certain bulk items with good prices (organic cocoa, organic dark chocolate chips, sucanat) and whole wheat pastry flour. I also sometimes get bulk spices and Newman's Own spelt pretzels (taste like pretzels but also have fiber) there sometimes (these are mostly also available at HEB).
* University Federal Credit Union - I joined this when my savings and loan got bought out, twice, and stopped being free. I had to get my paycheck directly deposited to get the free checking back in those days, though I don't now.
In addition, a friend of mine lived in one of the college co-ops and I read the blog of someone who lives in another co-op and briefly worked at Black Star Co-op Pub and Brewery.
I've never joined a co-op because it was a co-op. But some of the co-ops on that list show that starting a co-op can help you get into an expensive hobby by sharing expensive tools. For example, we have a screenprinting co-op, a film-making co-op, and a darkroom co-op. I could also easily imagine a theatre or ballroom dancing co-op (where you all go in on the theatre or ballroom). And you could have a co-op for selling your crafts (sort of like etsy but you all go in on a website, advertising and maybe a brick-and-mortar space).
Buy Products Created by Co-ops
I have interacted with a few other co-ops on the above list:
* Ecology Action - before our city got good with accepting a lot of recyclables, back when Ecology Action had receptacles behind Wheatsville, I used to bring a lot of recycling to them. I still use their website to find places to recycle odd things.
* REI - (that's a co-op?) - I've bought some outdoorsy things there.
* Red Rabbit Cooperative Bakery - Wheatsville sells their vegan donuts and was giving out free samples once. They are delicious! However, I haven't bought any because they are also pricey.
* Treasure City Thrift - I've never been to this thrift store, though it sounds vaguely familiar. I'll add that to my list of places to check out.
The article also lists several non-local co-ops, too, some of which I patronize. They are mostly producers of organic dairy, coffee, chocolate, and other organic things.
I never choose a business based on its business structure, but rather based on the goods or services it provides. However, housing co-ops and some of those hobby co-ops do sound interesting.
Tell Your Friends
Hi, y'all!
Build Your Own Business Using the Co-op Model
This never occurred to me at all. The "businesses" I've owned have all been sole proprietorships. (You know, my tutoring business and my transcription business.) I suppose I could call my one-person businesses co-ops, but that would be silly. I've never imagined having any kind of business with more than one person. I guess if I ever did, I could think about co-ops. But I probably wouldn't. I guess it would depend who the other person or people in my business were. Very interesting, anyway.
Join the Austin Co-op Think Tank
This is a new group created to promote co-ops of all kinds and to assist new co-ops. I have no interest in joining this.
Be Stronger, Together
This is where they recommend patronizing the businesses of other Wheatsville owners. I suspect that Wheatsville members are a little nicer and greener than average, but there's no telling whether they'd be more competent than average. certainly if I had a business I wanted to advertise, I would consider getting it added to the Wheatsville Member-Owned Business Directory.