Presentation

Introductions

Mission Statement

The Washington University Cooperative, run by students, faculty and staff, seeks to foster community, environmental sustainability, social responsibility, and healthy living.

Community

o Connection to Wash U and greater St. Louis community

o Egalitarian democratic procedures

o Sharing responsibilities, tasks, experiences.

Environmental sustainability

o Recycle goods in and out of house

o Obtain foodstuffs from environmentally sound local providers

o Produce a portion of what we consume

o Purchase and use energy efficient appliances and environmentally friendly household goods

o Consume less energy

o Stay aware of the ecological consequences of our actions

Social Responsibility

o Educate each other about current events

o Exclusively support socially responsible companies

o Take an active role in community building and community service

Healthy living

"Through the Cooperative we will foster the realization of our ideas, ultimately bequeathing both the structure and the spirit to future generations of students and faculty, who in turn may actualize their own principles." --The Constitution

o An understanding and nurturing environment

o Spiritual, mental, and physical health

o Recognition of individuality within a community

o An example for the Wash. U. Community

Network&emdash;a resource

All these ideas&emdash;not new. But we're re-packaging them cooperatively.

Connections

Network organization:

Consisting of:

Garden

Potluck Dinners

Food Buying

Housing

Wash U Community

St. Louis Community

Webmasters (for recently gained webpage)

General Organizers

All these jobs: require ingenuity, creativity, and dedication. We are all learning. We are all leaders.

How it works:

o Each unit has a group of people dedicated to getting the job done

o All units will work together, coordinated by a group of coordinators

o Egalitarian, decisions are unanimous. There are no positions of power, only responsibility.

o Meetings: Weekly. All groups meet separately, but at same time (big room)

o Webpage&emdash;recently acquired. Will be a link between all groups

Garden:

Will become a source of some of our food

Will manifest our ideals concerning the environment: (will be organic)

What we have accomplished:

Contacted Green Givens (stud group dedicated to sustainability)&emdash;we have a plot of land that we can use near Givens

Plot of land near the Alumni house&emdash;going through the red tape to have it be a garden

Gateway Greening-St. Louis organization: turns empty plots into gardens. We have to have people around all year&emdash;put on hold for now.

Dr. Bauer&emdash;year-round care-taker

Positions/What needs to be accomplished

Finalize sites&emdash;Gateway Greening and/or Wash. U area

Workers&emdash;planting, watering, maintenance, harvest

Planner/researcher (what to grow, how to care for it)

Year-round care-taker

Coordinator/informant

Public representative

Potluck Dinners

Will be open to all Washington University members in order to foster informal communication and community within a diverse group.

The dinners will foster a sense of home.

Positions/What needs to be accomplished

Phone Tree/coordinator

Menu planner

Webmaster for potluck-related webpage

Coordinator/informant

Public representative

Explanation of System:

Depends on how many people want to be involved…but we imagine high numbers…

On website&emdash;calendar, with hosts, specifying how many people can come. Sign up for certain day, and part of menu. Example menus. Recipe exchange. Various levels of flexibility (some potlucks would be Italian food nights, others an array of different kinds of foods)

Food Buying

Will support local farmers and support organic farming.

Explanation

Order food in bulk, and pick it up weekly. Requires a certain number of work hours a week/household.

Positions/What needs to be accomplished

In touch with organization

Webmaster for food-buying related page

Drivers

Packagers

Secretary

Treasurer

Coordinator/informant

Public representative

Housing

o Through the University&emdash;so as to keep the housing option open for generations of Wash U students. Parkview apts? (We are in close contact with Chancellor Carroll and Dean McLeod)

o Apt. Style housing: combination of publicity and privacy. Work to be shared in housing "units"

o The cooperative living situation will provide a place for history and personality in the built environment (eco-friendly structure like Earthway's home)

o More effective to work on ideals together

o A strong community built through sharing responsibilities.

o Combination of the best of all the other housing options:

Kitchen (Millbrook)

Common space (South 40 Suites)

Traditions and culture (Fraternities)

Promotion of interests (Special interests groups in small group housing)

Self management (off-campus)

o Possibly lower priced because of self-sufficiency within the home (depends on deal with Wash. U)

Past Experience

o We have contacted other cooperatives of St. Louis. We had dinner and attended a business meeting of CoLibri, a 10-person housing cooperative in South City.

o We are in phone contact with North American Students of Cooperation (NASCO). They are an organization devoted to the creation of campus cooperatives across the continent.

o Spring Break trip planned to visit school Co-ops

o Close Contact with NASCO (Duncan)

o Other Universities as loose models.

Positions/What needs to be accomplished

… Researchers

… Coordinator/informant

… Public representative

… Webpage contributor

Wash U Community

… The Cooperative Network aims to be an integral part of Wash U culture, open to all.

Positions/What needs to be accomplished

… Student activities representative&emdash;We are an official student group

… Campus publicity/coordination&emdash;open up the network to the community&emdash;turn "jobs" into events"

… Event planner&emdash;fund raisers, yard sales

… Coordinator/informant

… Public representative&emdash;to get people involved.

… Logo Designers/flag makers

St. Louis Community

Positions/What needs to be accomplished

… In touch with U city (attends town meetings)

… In touch with Wash U build/other St. Louis focused groups

… Up-to-date on news/contributes to website

… Event planner

… Coordinator/informant

… Public representative

Web Gurus (for recently gained webpage)

… Resource for people currently involved, and people who want to be involved.

… Means of communication

o Newsletter and updates

o Pictures, movies, art

o Calendar

Positions/What needs to be accomplished

… Designer

… Webmaster

… Coordinator/informant

… Public representative

General Organizers

… To coordinate the group effort

At first will consist of the existing core group&emdash;with the most familiarity with the group. Will extend when people know more about the Co-op Network.

Positions/What needs to be accomplished

… Representative from each section of the network

… General Schedule keeper

… General Secretary&emdash;webpage contributor

… Email respondent

Vision

… Personality and tradition for Wash U

… All-inclusive (people may participate in one related event during their whole stay here, or may do something every day)

… Will tie all factions of the school together&emdash;undergraduates, graduates, professors, and staff.

… Will provide an avenue to increase our connection to St. Louis.

Examples:

Orientation for Housing: Building house furniture, getting started on kitchen, personalizing system of self-governing to fit the particular people, particular time.

Spring picnic in the parc&emdash;potluck held in public space.