COOP ACADEMY Class of Spring 2012

Here’s a peek at the next wave of worker cooperatives soon to make their mark on the world. Each is currently fundraising to cover their registration fee for the Coop Academy. Make a donation to the ones you’d like to see hit the ground running.

Concrete Green

The team of mostly Bronx youth launching Concrete Green (Elisabeth, Andre Christopher, Mario, Cesar, and Taleigh) promise to help make your green dreams concrete by providing green products and services to evolve your lifestyle and space through green roofs & walls; rain gardens, tree planting & maintenance; solar installations; and non-toxic home & body care.

Caracol Interpreters Cooperative

Wherever people are organizing for social justice and attempting to build an accessible and inclusive movement, eventually they’re faced with a need for translation services. Three women of color, Ana, Karen, and Telesh, with years of experience interpreting for social justice organizations are launching Interpreters Without Borders to provide quality interpretation services. They’ve decided to take this step out of their commitment to a strong and diverse social justice movement inclusive of all our voices.

 Nourishing Cities

Out of their commitment to strengthening the local food system and increasing  biodiversity in the city, Sharon, Philip, Gil, Shirley, Justin, and Tom are launching Nourishing Cities, a cooperative dedicated to installing edible landscapes in the borough of Queens. They place great value on the fair treatment of workers with rights and responsibilities in the running of the business and most important of all for them, operating sustainably without taking more from the planet than it can replenish in a lifetime.

New Leaf Workers’ Cooperative

Most housecleaners and landscape workers don’t have the opportunity to earn a living wage.  They have to rush through their jobs, using whatever chemicals, equipment and methods their employers decide will maximize profits, often at the expense of the health of the workers, their clients, and the environment.

There is a better way.

Valerie and Thomas are launching New Leaf Workers’ Cooperative to provide top-notch green housekeeping and landscaping services in New Brunswick, NJ.