The 1960’s saw Melbourne, Australia sprawling out from Port Phillip Bay into the beautiful green hills that stretch away from the water. Both the city’s population and housing speculation boomed. Developers snatched up land, segmented it into lots, prepped it for construction—tearing out trees and installing streets, sidewalks and utilities—and then sold bits of land […]
Fun and Games and Cooperatives
When the game Monopoly was originally designed in 1903, its end goal was not driving other players to bankruptcy, but to encourage players to cooperate, paying rent into a common pot and achieving a happier shared prosperity. But when the game was patented and sold to Parker Brothers in the 1930s, its economic lesson changed. […]
Traditional Art at Fair Prices
At the cobblestoned corner of 4 Norte and 4 Oriente, 400 indigenous women sell their work. Embroidered shirts, jewelry, paper hangings and other traditional handcrafts fill shelves and line walls. Craft shops are no rare thing in the historic downtown of Puebla, Mexico and tourists flock through the streets clutching plastic bags stuffed with gifts […]
Is Your Insurance Sustainable?
Sustainable design, sustainable agriculture, sustainable energy: all fairly familiar concepts these days. But what about sustainable insurance? The Co-operators Group, a Canadian-owned insurance and financial services organization, is at the forefront of bringing the principles of sustainability to financial products. “There is so much dialogue about sustainability around the globe,” explains Kathy Bardswick, the President […]
From Village Shops to Online Banking
Finland is one of most cooperative countries in the world, with almost 4 million cooperative members out of a total population of 5.4 million. Over 1.9 million of them are members of the Suomen Osuuskauppojen Keskuskunta (SOK) Corporation, also known as the S Group, a union of 22 regional retail and service cooperatives. The S […]
America’s Electric Cooperatives: Showing the Way to a Sustainable Future?
Martin Lowery believes cooperatives are responsible for what might be greatest engineering feat of the 20th century in the United States: bringing electricity to millions of rural homes after private companies refused to provide the infrastructure to extend power lines into the heart of the country. Lowery is the Executive Vice President for Member and […]
Diversifying Over 50 Years
Wedding catering, school uniform tailoring, expedited freight: just some of the diverse services offered by Koperasi Warga Semen Gresik (KWSG), one of Indonesia’s largest cooperatives. The cooperative’s unique history is closely intertwined with that of the country’s biggest cement producer, PT Semen Gresik (Persero) Tbk, recently renamed as Semen Indonesia, the first state-owned enterprise to […]
Union of Rose Producers Agricultural Sales Cooperatives (Gülbirlik)
Due to special climate requirements, only a few number of countries in the world produce attar of roses. Turkey is one of the countries that produce it. Rose damascene cultivation is realized in Isparta Province and environs of Isparta in Turkey. Gülbirlik is the only higher unit of rose damascene cultivators’ cooperatives, which consists of […]
Union of Rose Cultivators Agricultural Sales Cooperatives
Rose and attar of roses are agricultural products that are known and used in each and every part of the world. In addition, attar of roses is one of the most important raw materials that is used in perfume and cosmetics industry. Rose damascane, which is one of the most significant types of rose in […]
Les Scop
Scop endeavour to satisfy the individual and collective training needs of employees by offering technical, managerial and cooperative training programmes. Through employment and activity cooperatives (CAE – Cooperatives d’Activité et d’Emploi), the Scop network actively support and accompany individual entrepreneurs in the pursuit of their initiatives. In addition, the Scop network also promotes the creation […]