Pedal People has been collecting trash, compost, and recycling for the residents of Northampton, MA for 23 years, having grown to 28 members and completed over half a million pick-ups in that time. This week, we have a day-in-the-life video following one Pedal Person as he makes his daily rounds and discusses the success of this unlikely cooperative. Â
Then, Rick Wilson writes about the urgency of building a solidarity economy in the United States to help "reweave the social fabric" and create alternatives to the state and market systems that have failed to provide for an increasingly large portion of the population.Â
This Job Is Trash — But Everyone Loves It
by Cottage and Company
They ride like the pro cyclists you see on TV, logging long hard miles, day in and out, but you won’t see them at the Tour De France. Instead, they tow 8-foot trailers stacked with over 300 pounds of trash through the streets, 365 days a year.Â
Why We Need a Solidarity Economy Now
by Rick Wilson
For this kind of economy to grow...there need to be easy on-ramps for people with diverse backgrounds and opinions to engage in these alternatives. I’m convinced that the more people experience the humanizing benefits of direct connections and mutual support, the more bridges can be built in the future.Â
Boston Ujima Project Is Investing in a Community Land Trust
Next City — The Boston Ujima Project has made 10 investments so far. Most recently, in June, the group’s voting membership approved a $300,000 loan as part of a construction financing package for the Boston Neighborhood Community Land Trust to build a new six-unit affordable condominium on what is currently city-owned land adjacent to one of the land trust’s existing buildings...
How bulk food has helped Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco thrive for 50 years
ABC 7 News — In a supermarket world where Amazon owns Whole Foods, and private equity investors own Safeway and Albertsons, Rainbow Grocery Cooperative in San Francisco has succeeded by sticking to what its founders envisioned 50 years ago. The San Francisco supermarket was founded in 1975 by activists of the People's Food movement. They formed a worker-owned collective that sold local, organic food in bulk. Fifty years later, that mission lives on...
Welcome to Riverdale Co-op
CHF Canada (YouTube) — The Olympia City Council unanimously proclaimed 2025 as the Year of Cooperatives, recognizing the vital role cooperatives play in fostering a resilient and inclusive local economy...
Union Co-op Symposium
Co-op Cincy — In a time when so many systems are failing us, cooperatives are showing the world what’s possible. That’s why Co-op Cincy and 1worker1vote are thrilled to present a powerful, in-person edition of the Union Co-op Symposium—a not-to-be-missed event for anyone committed to building a more just, democratic economy...
Caring for Our Communities: The Power of Black Home Care Cooperatives
NDCC (Zoom) — This webinar explores how home care co-ops are creating sustainable jobs, improving care quality, and addressing the systemic inequities in the caregiving industry. Learn from frontline workers and co-op developers about starting, sustaining, and scaling this vital sector of community care...Â
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