* Inspiring: Cleveland’s Evergreen Cooperatives *

2009-11-19

Richard Moore

Bcc: you know who you are
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This is really good news, another initiative in the US, inspired by Mondragon. And from the video we learn that the people involved are fully conscious of the transformative potential of the worker-co-op movement. This is much more than a jobs creation program. It’s a grassroots economic reform movement that needs to go viral.
rkm
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Introductory videohttp://blip.tv/file/2749165
Evergreen websitehttp://www.evergreencoop.com/
     The Evergreen Cooperatives of Cleveland, Ohio are pioneering innovative models of job creation, wealth building, and sustainability. Evergreen’s employee-owned, for-profit companies are based locally and hire locally. We create meaningful green jobs and keep precious financial resources within our community. Our workers earn a living wage and build equity in their firms as owners of the business. 
The first Evergreen Cooperative businesses – Evergreen Cooperative LaundryOhio Cooperative Solar, and Green City Growers Cooperative – are launching in 2009–2010. Watch the video.
Evergreen is a partnership between the residents of six of our city’s neighborhoods and some of Cleveland’s most important “anchor institutions” – the Cleveland Foundation, the City of Cleveland, Case Western Reserve University, the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, and many others. Help us build community wealth to transform Cleveland and change lives. 
Support the growing network of Evergreen Cooperatives. Together, we can transform our community.

Related:
Introductory video to Mondragon:
Steelworkers initiative