Ruby Levine is a student at
Macalester College in St. Paul, MN. She believes that a healthy
relationship to the environment is not merely the concerns of
individuals, but communities as well. She saw how making households
more sustainable would benefit the owners and the environment alike.
But rather than wait for someone else to step in, Ruby took action.
Along with half a dozen other students across Minnesota, she started Cooperative Energy Futures in the
fall of 2009. She writes:
I'm inspired by the potential of the
cooperative structure to create profitable businesses that are owned
and operated by and for communities. Cooperative Energy Futures, the
cooperative that I work with, is about finding a way that everyday
people can participate in the green economy not as advocates or as
consumers, but rather as producers and owners. I see Cooperative Energy
Futures as a powerful model to move us to renewable energy, sustainable
prosperity, and revitalization in communities of all types,
demographics, and locations.
Cooperative Energy Futures is
creating solutions that are at once market- and community-based. We fit
in with other climate- and energy-focused organizations by doing the
work of building a green economy from the ground up. I found
Cooperative Energy Futures through its collaboration with the Summer of
Solutions program, which engages youth community-based sustainable
development projects.
Cooperatives unite the financial
self-sufficiency of a typical for-profit (rather than relying on grants
and charity) with the vision-driven element of a non-profit, adding in
a healthy dose of community ownership. I highly recommend studying or
working with a cooperative or cooperatives generally. If you want to
study or work with Cooperative Energy Futures specifically, we're
always looking to add new members to our team!
to get involved. |
