Some thoughts about our Co-op plans have come in to the web site and via emails. As the year is just getting started it seems like a good opportunity to address these. Maybe other readers are wondering about these same things. I'll send them out one at a time for the next few days.
The first came in as a comment on our mission statement...
“Ecologically aware is not enough. Lets engage the activists... We should get out there on the true agressive/progressive front, and then compromise if necessary... THe statements seem watered down, especially as far as my Co-op experience is concerned.“
We’ve done more than a year and a half of research on this project so far and haven’t found a successful cooperative that takes such a harsh stance. The closest we found was in Boulder Colorado. At least according to one reviewer, their adamant approach backfired and alienated customers. The Boulder Cooperative closed in 2007.
At our meetings we hear regularly from community members that want a more positive experience. They seem to want a better grocery store option, a way to vote for a better world with their shopping dollars. The founding team understands that our food supply has been compromised in a lot of ways, yet has decided to help change things by pulling together the community. With this approach we feel we’ll be more successful in the long run.