Last weekend, some of the HWFC Board members were invited to attend a Neighboring Co-op Congress in Putney, Vermont. Co-ops in Vermont and Massachusetts (see map) have been meeting over the past year to explore what they can do together. This meeting was intended for the participating co-ops; but some, like us and some of the smaller co-ops that have formed an alliance for practical ordering purposes, were invited to see if we were interested in participating in projects in the future. We were also asked to specify what degree of interest we had in participating.
Brattleboro is the co-op that has facilitated the meetings for the first year. Their president, Mark Goehring, recently joined the staff of Cooperative Development Services (CDS), whose staff facilitated the meeting. Dave Gutneckt, editor of the Cooperative Grocer Magazine, was also in attendance. The day was entitled "Moving from Ambiguity to Ambition: Harnessing the Power of Regional Collaboration."
The highlight of the day was the speaker, Ken Becker, an economist from the Community Development and Applied Economics Department at the University of Vermont. He grew up here in the Capital District on a dairy farm. He gave his presentation, and then we met in small groups to make a list of things we collectively would work on in the future. The sidebar (at left/right) is the list of brainstormed items we generated. We hope to be working with some of our neighbors in the future.
Becker started his talk with the idea that community is what you make it. He said that boards are a critical link to the success of the co-op. They are a connection to the people - if we don't serve our members and support them, then why have them? Someone from the audience earlier had remarked that our work is for the children and to keep them in mind throughout the day.
Becker's talk focused predominantly on the differences between economy of scale and economy of scope. Economy of scope is tougher to measure, and harder to focus upon. It's easy to see that if you order something in a huge amount it's cheaper to purchase. That's just one piece, the monetary cost. But he suggested that we also consider the other hidden costs, like how many people it took to process and bottle the goods. How many miles it traveled and at what cost to the environment? How many natural resources were depleted in producing this product?
He talked about things that are self-renewing and sustainable and what the differences might be. He said we must evaluate the sustainability not only by one measure, but by several. Is it sustainable economically, by the community, environmentally? All the prongs are important. It's not enough to just focus on one. For whom is it profitable, and for how long - for a limited time, for a long time, until the ground/water/air is depleted?
Becker discussed a more biological approach. He used a carpet company as an example. He suggested that we re-conceptualize waste. He said we must focus on becoming creators, not consumers. We should think about improving rather than depleting soil, air and water. Reduce the waste stream by looking at what we throw out and identify ways of using what we already have. The carpet industry is looking at other mediums for producing carpets, rather than by-products of the oil industry and newly developed plastics. So perhaps one of our reused Honest Weight grocery bags, after five or six carryings, will eventually become an indoor/outdoor carpet on the porch of one of our members.
He talked about the willingness to take risks. Taking them in an environment where there is a 20 percent growth in natural foods might be easier than in an environment of no growth. In an arena where four companies control 85 percent of our food (isn't that shocking?) it feels like the universe is begging us to try to bring the control of our food back to our communities. He talked about Ben & Jerry's and Stonyfield - about how, when they got to a certain size, their only option was to sell. Is getting big enough to sell the new goal, or is it OK to just be as big as you are and do good work? Ben Cohen started with "doing well by doing good."
Becker challenged each co-op to think about setting environmental goals, transportation goals, and report our success or failure in our annual report. People want to know why we support the things we do, and we have to tell them.
Economies of scope like living wage, safe working conditions, environmental issues, helping each other, quality of life and pure food should be just as important. He suggested we do a modified CSA approach with other producers as well. If a farmer wants a hoop house, then give her the money to buy it and enjoy reduced cost produce later. Help the farmer buy feed for the chickens or dig a well for fresh water for their animals, rather than paying top dollar at the end. Buy a spinning wheel for a local entrepreneur who wants to branch out from raising sheep or jars for the local jam producer. If we are in a position of comfort, then we have to extend that to others to keep the resources in our neighborhood.
He thought the idea of starting with kids was a good one. Teach them about where their food comes from. One co-op has a camp called Summer Sprouts that they run for a week to educate kids about farming, eating and packing food. We have talked about developing an after- or in-school program about grains for elementary students, but haven't done it yet. What's holding us back? What can we do? You've taken a step by belonging to a co-op (or at least shopping at one - but why haven't you joined?), which in itself supports some of the ideas he's addressed, among others. No individual is getting fat off our profit.
What more can you do? We can focus on local products in word and deed - and it doesn't stop with food. Support local businesses of all kinds.
o Join the Coop if you haven't already. If you are a member, participate in committees or on the Board. Participation is what sets us apart.
o If you have a choice between buying carrots from Vermont and California, buy the ones from Vermont.
o Buy the local pickled green beans and the locally grown/ produced and packaged herbal teas.
o Eat local cheeses - we stock a fabulous selection.
o Visit the farms - take your children and grandchildren with you - or even your neighbor's children.
o Join a CSA farm this year.
o Volunteer your time or donate your money to the Regional Farm and Food Project, the Community Loan Fund or other local economic initiatives.
o We sell meat that is humanely raised and slaughtered. If you eat it, order some through the Coop. It's another way to support your local farmers.
o Buy that wooden spoon, cutting board or handmade quilt at a local craft fair. Chances are it will last longer because it's made well.
o Especially buy the things that someone has taken the time to make out of someone else's garbage.
o Remember: Be a creator, rather than a consumer
Results of the Neighborhood Co-op Congress breakout sessions:
Co-ops were interested in working together to…
1. Support local agriculture
2. Share financial resources for new projects
3. Benchmark true values to individual co-op at regional level
4. Centralize services
5. Work with schools
6. Increase community outreach and education to non-coop shoppers
7. Develop youth and school programs
8. Document and illustrate hidden costs and benefits of food production
9. Complete a basic assessment of where we are, our economy of scope
10. Complete a food web/community mapping
11. Support and market local producers.
