Co-operative Enterprises: Transforming Communities and Economies

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Cooperatives are at the frontier of global trends of community organisation, and are increasingly proving to be effective vehicles for community action and empowerment.

Cooperatives are one of the oldest models for social enterprise, preceding the social enterprise movement by centuries (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooperative#Origins). They are also one of the fastest growing (http://2012.coop/en/un-international-year/iyc-launch) modes of business, and are proving their value in tackling some of our biggest social and environmental challenges. Cooperative models are versatile (http://www.stories.coop/stories/slideshow/four-co-operative-models), and recent examples (http://t.co/ryeUKlJ) prove the range of areas they can play a role - renewable energy (http://hepburnwind.com.au/), food security (http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=18&ved=0CN0BEBYwEQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DkLxy_ShF6kQ&ei=YfAEUK_BF4eziQeIvvDZCA&usg=AFQjCNGH8PqkPFuEJ0SrqP-EzS-9nk4qPw&sig2=nkJmClO4_xK3pL6Zf6XMpA), employment and housing, to name just a few.

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The United Nations has designated 2012 as the International Year of Cooperatives (http://www.australia2012.coop/), recognising the contribution of cooperatives worldwide. The Collaboratory will be hosting a discussion on the role of cooperatives in social change as part of the International Year of Cooperatives, and to spark a discussion about the future of our own collective.

At a special-issue Collaboratory Meetup we will ask our special guest panellists Martin May (Hepburn Wind (http://www.hepburnwind.com.au/)), Dave Kerin (Earthworker Co-op (http://www.eartworkercooperative.com/)), Les Cameron (Goulburn Valley Food Co-op (http://www.gvfoodcooperative.com/)) and bankmecu (http://bankmecu.com.au):

What role can cooperatives play in bringing people together to address pressing social and environmental issues and build resilient communities? How do cooperatives do business differently, and how do they make us think differently about the roles of business and the community in building our futures? How might a cooperative role underpin collaborative communities like the Collaboratory Melbourne (http://doingsomethinggood.com.au/next-steps-collaboratory-melbourne/)? This meetup will be tapping in to The Big Co-op Conversations (http://www.australia2012.coop/news-and-events/big-co-op-conversations), part of the International Year of the Co-operative. (Note two Co-operative Conversations are coming up in Melbourne, on 7 August (http://www.socialtraders.com.au/event/2012/06/next-gen-capitalism-profit-people-planet-0), and 11 August (http://www.cardijncommunityaustralia.org/#!/2012/07/economics-for-99-cooperatives-in.html).)

A special thanks the Melina Morrison from Social Business Australia (http://www.socialbusiness.coop/), for her help rounding up guests for this evening. Social Business Australia is overseeing Australia’s 2012 International Year of the Co-operative program.

*Registration includes beer, wine and light snacks. Doors open at 6pm, with panel starting from 6:30pm sharp.

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Guests

http://photos3.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/d/e/d/c/event_143037052.jpeg Les Cameron, Goulburn Valley Food Co-operative (http://gvfoodcooperative.com/):

The town of Girgarre, in Victoria's Goulburn Valley, was rocked when Heinz announced its plant would be closed, and 146 workers would lose their jobs - with much wider impact on local farmers and the community, and total estimated job losses around 700.

At a union-convened meeting, a courageous idea took hold: what if the workers, farmers and local community bought the factory?

The vision is not just to retain the plant, however, but the create in innovative food processing plant and training institute that will be sustainable and continue to support the community.

Les Cameron is a former school principle, but has found a new role contributing to this movement.

http://photos2.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/d/e/b/e/event_143037022.jpegDave Kerin:

Dave Kerin’s experience in the anti-Vietnam War and Green Ban’s movements evolved in the 90’s to helping establish Earthworker Cooperative (http://earthworkercooperative.com/).

Earthworker is a micro-financing venture that enables community driven energy transitions, while supporting workers and manufacturing communities. Dave and his colleagues are helping form world-first partnerships between unions, workers’ cooperatives, green energy manufacturers and social finance organisations to achieve mutually beneficial results from manufacturing and energy transitions.

In his current work with Earthworker, Dave is helping establish the first union supported workers cooperative, Eureka’s Future Workers Cooperative (http://earthworkercooperative.com/what-is-eurekas-future/), manufacturing solar hot water systems in Morwell.

Earthworker look forward to being able to include us in their pioneering journey.

http://photos4.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/e/3/d/2/event_142558322.jpegMartin May, Treasurer, Hepburn Wind:

Martin has a strong interest in environmental issues and believes that Hepburn Wind (http://hepburnwind.com.au) is an important project on many levels and can become the basis for a national model of community renewable energy sites. Martin has had a holiday house in Daylesford for the past 11 years. In Melbourne he is an active member of the Bayside Climate Change Action Group.
Hepburn Wind is the owner and operator of Australia’s first community owned wind farm (http://hepburnwind.com.au/the-project/), at Leonards Hill, just south of Daylesford Victoria. with over 1900 members, the majority of whom are local to the project.

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Steven Lynch, bankmecu:

bankmecu (http://bankmecu.com.au) is a new kind of bank in Australia – a customer owned bank. At the heart of bankmecu is a belief that strong synergies exist between social and environmental responsibility and a cooperative approach to banking.