Evergreen Cooperatives

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.

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.

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  People & Blogs

[Robert Hennecke]

Excellent job. Clever using hospitals and universities as anchor customers as they aren't going anywhere soon. This DESPERATELY needs to be exported to Detroit. I have been trying over and over to get Detroiters to get this kind of idea a try. I don't live in Detroit but used to work in Windsor as a tool designer/maker. I think packaging could be a wroker owned co-op that could be viable in NA as it is something that has to be done most of the time in NA. My theory: Modernized Craft Guilds.

[LiturgicalChants]

You need an entire co-operative infrastructure, not only one co-operative. It has to be a like a beehive of multiple co-operatives that support and boost one another. It is a very sophisticated system, if US citizens can not understand that model, they will not be able to replicate it, they may be inspired by it all they want, but if you don't copy it precisely, the inspiration is wasted. That's my lesson for you. Best wishes.

[LiturgicalChants]

The real lesson from Mondragon is THIS: If you do not start with a co-operative BANK and a co-operative INSTITUTE/UNIVERSITY your co-operative will FAIL. Other than ethnic unity, faith in God, and no other options, that is the nearly sole reason their co-operative is successful.

[LibertyDownUnder]

you've disabled PM on your profile so you probably won't be able to post to others.

[Erik Boyd]

well, i wanted to send it to your PM but i couldn't. is there some way i can send you the links?

[Erik Boyd]

sure. i'll PM you with links to PDF files.

[LibertyDownUnder]

What 'empirical studies'? I'd like to see the details of those.

[Erik Boyd]

see, here's the thing: it DOES work. it has been working for OVER A CENTURY. in fact, empirical studies have shown that worker cooperatives are, on average, more productive, ensure job and income security, and last longer than capitalist firms. regardless of if they are partially funded by state facilities or privately funded, they work. there is literally not 1 iota of resemblance between Evergreen and Solyndra. it's like comparing Walmart to your favorite mom and pop clothing store.

[LibertyDownUnder]

I didn't say it was the same, I said the ending will be the same.

If YOU opened up a small business like a cafe / restaurant - you would call the shots as it is entirely your risk and your intestement. If you think letting each one of your staff calling their own shots, and setting their own hours will make you successful - go right ahead and try,

[Erik Boyd]

this has nothing to do with any of that. Solyndra wasn't worker owned. study the worker cooperative model for a while and also study some of the reasons why Solyndra actually failed (a quick wiki search can even give you a better understanding of how this is different). Solyndra is NOTHING like Evergreen. Evergreen is owned directly by its workers. Solyndra was a business owned by investors hence them laying off workers abruptly and the workers sued. in a coop they would reduce wages temporarily