Cooperative Development Institute: Northeast Center for Cooperative Business

Pedal People co-founder Ruthy Woodring was interviewed on WRSI by Monte Belmonte ("Ruthie the Pedal Person"), and the Valley Advocate's Tom Sturm wrote a profile, "Re-Cycling: Northampton's Pedal People are the unsung heroes of the Valley's bike trails." Congratulations to this successful 8-year-old cooperative showing a real path to sustainability. Now delivering lunch!

Franklin County, MA – Twenty-seven intrepid community seekers spent a full Saturday traveling the rainy hills and valleys of rural Franklin County together to explore what it takes to build sustainable and affordable housing in community. Some came to meet new people, others to get ideas for projects back home – but all left with a sense of greater possibilities.

The Neighboring Food Cooperative Association (NFCA) is an alliance of over 15 New England food co-ops. Founded in 2004, NFCA has defined its primary long-term desired outcome as a thriving regional economy. A thriving regional economy will include a food system that provides all people with access to healthy food from the region as much as possible. At the heart of such an economy, we see cross-sector collaboration among a variety of cooperative enterprises.

There are some great ideas being proposed at the "Revelation to Action" contest sponsored by Green Mountain Coffee and Ashoka's Changemakers. They want to find and help fund the most innovative ideas and organizations that strengthen and improve communities in Maine, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Massachusetts.

Cooperative Development Institute is seeking a new hire to join the Housing Program. The main work of the program is to assist the residents in the nearly 500 manufactured home parks in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island to purchase their communities and manage them as resident-owned cooperatives. The program is part of the highly successful ROC USA Network.

The Neighboring Food Co-op Association (NFCA) has an immediate need for an Executive Director.

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TOGETHER ON THE LAND
Options for Ecological Living in Community
MULTI-SITE GUIDED TOUR
9am-5pm Saturday June 12th, 2010
Franklin County, MA

CDI Cooperative Development Specialist Lynda Brushett is teaming up with the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance to work with a number of Community-Supported Fishery (CSF) projects underway in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Maine. Several of these were detailed in a pair of Boston Globe articles by G. Jeffrey MacDonald on January 24, 2010:

Co-op Power's Energy Efficiency programs are launching this month under Paul Schmidt's leadership. Paul has 23 years experience in energy efficiency and Co-op Power excited to be able to now be able to insulate and air seal your home. Email pam@cooppower.coop if you're interested in finding out how to upgrade your home.

Equal Exchange seeks highly motivated individuals to work as Interfaith Program Representatives. Equal Exchange’s Interfaith Program works in partnership with 12 national faith-based organizations and thousands of congregations across the country to involve communities of faith in Fair Trade. Our work includes sales, outreach and education.

To apply, please send a resume and cover letter to:
Susan Sklar, Interfaith Program Hiring Committee
Equal Exchange