Interested in a new
LAND CO-OP?
Vers. 2.01 To organize under Wisconsin co-operative law. Articles of Incorporation won't be filed until there is enough interest and activity to proceed. We need at least 3 additional persons willing to be initial incorporators at this date.
2 This
will be a land-based workers' co-operative, based on 10-20* acres
initially, without a house** on the site. The location is central Wisconsin--the
Stevens Point/Portage County area.
*This small tract is suggested to
avoid a large debt load.
** We are still in a "real-estate bubble" in central Wisconsin.
Suburban homes are useless for co-housing, and would simply add
unsustainable cost to any small parcels in our region. Initially, it's not planned as a co-housing or eco-village.
3 As
with all co-ops, it will be based on simple co-op principles such as Rochdale,
based on economic interest, basic democracy of one member, one vote, etc.
Regardless of how large each nember's equity or investment may be, each
member still gets one vote. A major goal is allowing students and low-income
people to participate, by setting lifetime membership cost at a reasonable
level which can be paid in small, monthly increments.
4 Mission will be to serve as a sustainability project studying methods of sustainable organic growing of food and other agricultural products while preserving biodiversity. Permaculture and other low-impact growing methods such as no-till and grazing could be studied. By keeping fossil fuel inputs low and gradually decreasing, a sustainable and healthier use of land can result. Preparation for life post-peak-oil is central to this mission, we believe.
a In keeping with the results of Klimaforum09 in Copenhagen December 2009 (the people's climate summit, not the official), part of the mission will be to promote methods of growing food that aid in capturing and storing carbon.
5 To engage in growing for sale to various markets, emphasizing a local market of working families, as a profitable co-operative venture. Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) and related models can be built. This is the members' "economic interest" essential to co-operatives. It is important that the co-op provide livelihoods for those members doing significant amounts of work. Dependence on volunteering is not long-term sustainability.
6 Also this site can serve as a "retreat" spot for members, allowing for camping, special events, music & arts fests, celebrations of the changing seasons and "wheel of the year," etc. This provides a connection for those who don't plan to be engaged in agriculture.
7 Co-housing component to follow later only if compromise can be found with county zoning regulations. These are usually not favorable to "eco-villages" nor low-cost, low-impact housing that is oriented toward low-income people.
a County zoning regulations seem to always and everywhere favor corporate homebuilding interests and are almost always oriented toward suburban-style single-family, high-cost lucrative housing construction. This is profitable for the builders, but in the peak oil era, is not a long-term sustainable method of housing people.
b When these obstacles can be overcome then the co-operative could include a housing component for members. This may involve a lot of work in changing mind-sets, then local codes, toward allowing eco-villages to develop. This region is culturally conservative even if it votes politically progressive.
8 No restrictions on the scope or scale of this project are envisioned or proposed. It can grow to whatever size members might wish.
9 Not much more is proposed at this time to allow for a member-designed project with as broad a vision as possible.
10 How much will long-term membership cost? You ask. Click the link for some ideas.
· If interested, please email us!
Originated 10/2006
Vers. 2.0 12/2009
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