After hurricanes, co-op drones hasten power restoration
Had Hurricane Harvey raked central Texas last year, Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative members near the San Marcos River might have waited up to 10 days to get power back.
Congratulations to Unicorn Grocery
How can I fail to respond to the press release that has come through from the Manchester-based workers’ co-operative Unicorn Grocery?
The press release is advising me of some good news which, in fact, I had already heard elsewhere: that Unicorn has carried off the prize in the BBC Food and Farming awards as the best food retailer.
Support Frontline Puerto Rican Communities in the Recovery from Hurricane Maria
The devastating effects of hurricane Maria on Puerto Rico are still unfolding, but one thing is certain—the island's most vulnerable communities are likely to be pummeled the hardest and face the longest road to recovery.
Platform Co-ops Conference Nov. 10-11
Experiments with cooperatively owned online platforms are demonstrating that democratic business models can be a dynamic force in building a more equitable economy for people across various income, race and class strata, starting with the most vulnerable populations.
Roadmapping (for Facilitators)
One of the bread and butter skills of a good facilitator is getting everyone on the same page. I use the term "roadmapping" to cover this, and there are two ways that facilitators use it to help guide meeting participants:
New Book from Cooperation Jackson
Finally, it's here—arriving October 2017 from Daraja Press! Pre-order your copy today!
Union Cooperative Strategy
In 2009 I participated in a factory occupation. Workers at the Visteon plant in Enfield had barricaded themselves in, demanding a humane redundancy package after being given five minutes notice to clear out their lockers. Living next door, myself with several others volunteered as guards during the graveyard shifts to make sure management thugs didn’t try to remove the machinery at some unfortunate hour like 4am.
Making Movies About Systems
Making movies about systems, not symptoms, this week on The Laura Flanders Show we'll talk with one of the directors of the documentary Whose Streets?. As the news cameras left Ferguson, Missouri, after the police killing of Michael Brown, Sabaah Folayan and her team stayed on to document what happens to people subjected to police violence as a matter of routine.
How to Finance Your Worker Coop
For business owners who are considering selling their company to their employees, one of the first questions is often how the sale can be financed. As with any small business loan or investment, there are a range of options as to the sources and types of capital. A selling business owner and the potential new worker owners need to think carefully about how to finance the sale of the business, and the timeline and terms of payback.