Green Worker Cooperatives
Location
Green Worker Cooperatives is a community-based business incubator building a local, green, and democratic economy in the South Bronx. Through our Co-op Academy and business incubation programs we provide the training and support local residents need in order to launch worker-owned businesses capable of improving environmental conditions.
About You
Section 1: You
First Name
Omar
Last Name
Freilla
Website URL
Organization
Green Worker Cooperatives
Country
United States, NY
Section 2: Your Organization
Organization Name
Green Worker Cooperatives
Organization Website
Organization Phone
(718) 617-7807
Organization Address
461 Timpson Place Bronx, NY 10455
Is your organization a
Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization
Organization Country
United States
Your idea
Name Your Project
Green Worker Cooperatives
Country and state your work focuses on
United States, NY
Describe Your Idea
Green Worker Cooperatives is a community-based business incubator building a local, green, and democratic economy in the South Bronx. Through our Co-op Academy and business incubation programs we provide the training and support local residents need in order to launch worker-owned businesses capable of improving environmental conditions.
Website URL
Innovation
What makes your idea unique?
Green Worker Cooperatives utilizes a bottom-up approach that enables residents of a community to create profitable businesses that are environmentally responsible; hire residents of the community; and enable those residents to collectively own and control the business. Our approach broadens the concept of a “green” business to one that empowers workers and can be held accountable to the community it operates in. The worker cooperatives we incubate are just the type of alternative businesses that environmental and economic justice activists have long called for. By focusing our efforts on the South Bronx we are also establishing a model for homegrown business development within a community that has been historically marginalized and ignored by typical business development initiatives. Our approach to developing these cooperatives is also unique. Through our 16-week Co-op Academy training program we assist small teams of aspiring co-op entrepreneurs in the development of their very own business plan. The development of the business plan is a collective project, involving all members of the future cooperative. Participants not only gain an understanding of business basics, they also learn key principles and skills needed for the democratic management of the cooperative as well as the implementation of environmentally sustainable business practices.
Do you have a patent for this idea?
Impact
This Entry is about (Issues)
What impact have you had?
In the spring of 2008, we launched our first cooperative, ReBuilders Source, a retail store for salvaged & surplus building materials. It is an environmentally sustainable alternative to the wasteful practices of the construction industry. Over the past year ReBuilders Source has diverted almost 200 tons of valuable building materials such as doors, sinks, and windows from renovation projects and made them available for sale to the general public at a fraction of their suggested retail value. The cooperative has grown from 4 to 7 people since it opened and has become a valuable resource for local homeowners, contractors, non-profits, and small landlords.
In addition to ReBuilders Source, we have another six cooperatives that have completed our training program and are currently in development. These include a diner specializing in locally grown healthy food (The Worker’s Diner); a manufacturer of solar thermal panels and other solar and water quality products (Aquatecture); a repurposed furniture and sign-making business using salvaged materials (ReFab); two healthy food caterers (Sabor Latino and B- Blossom); and a green youth center owned and run by the center’s workers and the young people served (BronXchanges).
Our work has been featured in numerous print, online, radio, and film media outlets, including The NY Times; Men’s Vogue; ABC; CNN; BBC America; Black Enterprise; and Van Jones’ book “The Green Collar Economy”. Additionally, numerous local community development organizations around the U.S. have reached out to us for assistance replicating our model of community-based and environmentally responsible economic development.
Problem
Our work is focused on the economic, environmental, and social development of the South Bronx, an area that has been plagued by environmental degradation and poverty. Our approach is an effort to address both the lack of jobs and lack of businesses in our community, particularly businesses that model environmental solutions instead of environmental problems. Our emphasis on worker ownership addresses two other problems. One is the speed with which profits generated by businesses that are not locally–owned leave the community. Since worker co-ops are locally owned, profits are able to circulate within the community for a longer period of time. Lastly, worker ownership creates an empowering opportunity for workers to gain control over their lives and engage in democratic decision-making on the day to day issues that matter to them. This is especially important in a marginalized community where people feel they have little control of their surroundings.
Actions
Through our Co-op Academy training program we assist cooperative entrepreneurs in the development of their business plans. Participants are recruited via referrals; information sessions; and direct marketing; among others. Upon completion, graduates receive ongoing support through our incubation program, which currently consists of business coaching and access to qualified legal; financial; sales; and marketing practitioners, among others. For example, we were able to secure legal assistance; bookkeeping; and marketing support for our first cooperative, ReBuilders Source. We are currently establishing partnerships with a number of academic institutions and business development agencies in order to be able to offer expanded services, including seminars; industry-specific trainings; and financial counseling.
Since our success is most affected by our ability to plan our work and to put that plan into action, we will be developing a strategic plan for the organization that will help guide our efforts.
Results
Each year, as a result of our efforts, we expect to launch new worker-owned green businesses in the South Bronx. The businesses themselves are expected to reach profitability and provide new “green collar” jobs while also serving as a model for environmental and social practices within their industry. Over time, a large concentration of green worker-owned cooperatives will develop, drawing significant attention to the worker ownership model and popularizing it as a viable alternative to traditional business structures. Each of these cooperatives will be connected to each other through Green Worker Cooperatives, which will be responsible for growing this new sector of the economy. The success of our effort will build upon itself, with older cooperatives helping to generate new cooperatives capable of providing secondary support services, as well as policy initiatives aimed at growing the worker cooperative and green business sector
What will it take for your project to be successful over the next three years? Please address each year separately, if possible.
We define success by our ability to launch profitable worker cooperatives that are good to the environment. The success of each cooperative indicates the extent to which our recruitment, training, and incubation programs adequately prepare co-op members for the challenges to come. The following initiatives are aimed at improving the success of each co-op as well as our overall co-op development strategy.
Year 1: Develop formal structure and partnerships for incubation program.
As a consequence of the Co-op Academy now being able to graduate multiple cooperatives, there is now even greater pressure on our incubation program to adopt a formal structure of services; staffing; and partnerships. We have already begun such an effort and are in the process of securing partnerships with business development agencies, academic institutions, providers of support services, and others.
Year 2: Develop a Green Worker Co-op Development Fund.
A significant constraint on the development of any business is its access to capital. Due to the overall lack of familiarity with cooperative ownership, worker co-ops have a hard time obtaining the capital needed to become successful. In response, GWC aims to develop a fund that is geared towards providing capital to worker co-ops. We will be conducting a review of best practices and model structures for loan and investment funds in order to develop a framework for a fund that would provide either loans or equity investments to the cooperatives we incubate.
Year 3: Promote public policies that encourage worker ownership and green businesses.
In order to assist the growth and viability of each of our co-ops, GWC will assist each in promoting public policies that favor green practices such as those which they themselves are innovating.
What would prevent your project from being a success?
The greatest threat to our success is not having the capacity to meet the needs of the cooperatives we incubate. Developing a profitable business is a difficult undertaking requiring a great deal of planning and skilled execution. Aspiring entrepreneurs require a great deal of support in launching their venture, whether its business planning; identifying resources; or making sure that all aspects of the business are being covered. Each individual in the cooperative faces a steep learning curve in the process of launching a new business. This is true even of those who have industry experience. Providing the support needed to not only inform but challenge entrepreneurs is the key ingredient we believe is needed to move start-up businesses to the point where they are able to directly face challenges. Regardless of whether the support is made available directly via our staff or through partnerships with other organizations, what is most important is that it is available. Our experience launching our first cooperative, ReBuilders Source, taught us this lesson firsthand. As we were able to dedicate more staff time and resources into supporting the worker-owners of the enterprise, their sales performance significantly improved. Each business has unique needs and it is important that we be able to respond to each of these needs efficiently and effectively.
How many people will your project serve annually?
Fewer than 100
What is the average monthly household income in your target community, in US Dollars?
$100 ‐ 1000
Does your project seek to have an impact on public policy?
Yes
Sustainability
What stage is your project in?
Operating for more than 5 years
In what country?
United States, NY
Is your initiative connected to an established organization?
If yes, provide organization name.
How long has this organization been operating?
More than 5 years
Does your organization have a Board of Directors or an Advisory Board?
Yes
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with NGOs?
Yes
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with businesses?
Yes
Does your organization have any non-monetary partnerships with government?
Yes
Please tell us more about how these partnerships are critical to the success of your innovation.
Our programs have benefited greatly from a number of partnerships with local academic institutions and community development organizations as well as regional, national, and international networks that support our mission. One of these is Bronx Community College, which sponsored our recent Co-op Academy graduation. Additionally, we have established partnerships with a number of local workforce development training initiatives that have resulted in valuable recruiting opportunities for our programs. We have recently partnered with other service providers that cater to small businesses and are willing to provide business education and financial assistance to participants in our program. These include the NYC Department of Small Business Services and two business lending and education programs, Project Enterprise and the Business Outreach Center. Additionally, we have gained valuable insights and best practices through our membership in networks such as the U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives and the National Business Incubation Association.
What are the three most important actions needed to grow your initiative or organization?
1.Complete development of the Co-op Academy curriculum.
In order to ensure that we generate a high quality work product, the format and curriculum for the Co-op Academy will be reviewed by an experienced curriculum developer and any deficiencies will be corrected. The final curriculum will then be made available to interested organizations and educators for a fee. In addition to improving the quality of the Co-op Academy this will also enable us to adequately respond to the numerous inquiries we receive requesting copies of the Co-op Academy curriculum.
2.Develop a formal structure and partnerships for the incubation program.
As a result of restructuring our Co-op Academy program we are now faced with the need to provide incubation services to multiple cooperatives simultaneously. As a result we are now developing a structure for services and staffing for the incubation program. Associated with this effort is outreach to numerous business development programs; academic institutions; individuals with business experience; and providers of support services. Such partnerships would provide us with access to coaches; lenders; trainers; and space providers, among others.
3.Develop strategic plan and complete evaluation of organizational structure.
In order to assess and improve our own performance, and identify a multi-year course of action, we will be undertaking a strategic planning process that will also include an evaluation of the organization's governance structure with an aim towards establishing a model structure grounded in our principles of democratic decision-making, transparency, and worker empowerment.
The Story
What was the defining moment that led you to this innovation?
GWC was founded in order to meet the need for work in a way that exemplified good environmental practices with a strong community connection. GWC arose directly out of a frustration with standard green business development initiatives of non-profit organizations and government agencies. These approaches typically centered on identifying existing businesses and encouraging them to relocate or expand their operations in communities like the South Bronx. It was one such collaboration between environmental and environmental justice groups and labor organizations that led to the creation of GWC. The collaborative produced no results, the South Bronx remained in need of green jobs, and there appeared to be no immediate prospects for the creation of such work. Furthermore, it became evident that even if such a strategy were effective in enabling a business to locate in the South Bronx, the fact remained that the business would be owned by people who did not live in the community and that, as a result, profits would always follow the businesses owners out of the community. Out of this frustration, GWC's founder, Omar Freilla, formed the idea of creating a green business incubator that would specialize in worker-owned cooperatives. Instead of seeking out businesses that would agree to be good neighbors we would instead grow the businesses ourselves with our own neighbors. The emphasis on worker-owned cooperatives came about as a means to maximize wealth retention in the community as well as address a principal concern of the environmental justice movement - holding businesses accountable to the community in which they operate in. By workers serving as the principal owners of an enterprise, a business is able to be held directly accountable to its employees. And since most people live close to their place of work, the business is also firmly integrated and able to be held accountable to the community of neighbors, family, and friends of each worker.
Tell us about the social innovator behind this idea.
GWC's founder, Omar Freilla, is passionate about creating a green and democratic economy in the community of the South Bronx, where he was raised, a child of immigrants from the Dominican Republic, and currently lives. Omar is a nationally recognized public speaker and environmental justice activist who since founding Green Worker Cooperatives in 2003 has integrated worker ownership and environmental justice into a strategy for community-led grassroots economic development. Through Green Worker Cooperatives, Omar co-founded ReBuilders Source, a retail home improvement store specializing in salvaged and surplus building materials that keeps valuable goods out of landfills and incinerators and puts them back into circulation. Prior to launching Green Worker Cooperatives, Omar coordinated programs for Sustainable South Bronx and, prior to that, the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance. Omar has a Master's Degree in Environmental Science from Miami University of Ohio and is a graduate of Morehouse College, where he founded the organization Black Men for the Eradication of Sexism. Prior to that he attended a string of public schools in the Bronx, including the Bronx High School of Science and several underfunded and marginalized schools you never heard of. Omar is a recipient of the Rockefeller Foundation's inaugural Jane Jacobs Medal for New Ideas and Activism (2007).
How did you first hear about Changemakers?
Email from Changemakers
If through another, please provide the name of the organization or company
50 words or fewer
 | Green Worker Cooperatives has been chosen as a finalist in Revelation to Action: Your Place. Your Idea. Your Change.. - 611 days ago |
| omarfreilla said: Alexis, So far all we've been able to do is share our ideas and what we've done with whoever will listen. But even that is helpful. We ... about this Competition Entry. - 690 days ago read more > |
| Alexis Ditkowsky said: Hi Omar, Thanks so much for your entry. You mentioned that other organizations have reached out to you about your cooperative model. Do ... about this Competition Entry. - 691 days ago read more > |
| omarfreilla updated this Competition Entry. - 705 days ago |
| omarfreilla submitted this idea. - 708 days ago |
