Register for just $5 at Eventbrite by using the code "ownit"
Successful employee-owned businesses are excellent examples of how we can achieve a sustainable and just economy. Co-sponsored by the Boston Area Sustainability Group.
To move towards an economy that is about more than making and using stuff, we need to dig deeper into the structure of the companies and organizations driving that economy, and what we can create for ourselves, our communities and our employers when we, as employees, have a seat at the table.
Just think about it – there is so much potential here. When employees are co-owners of a company, opportunities for integrating sustainability into the DNA of a company’s operations and growth plans seem immediately within reach.
Employee-owned cooperatives are a powerful model for aligning sustainability and corporate culture, and New England is a hotbed for this awesome trend. On October 1st we will be exploring this nexus of sustainability and the economy, and answering these questions:
- What are worker-owned cooperatives and employee-owned companies?
- Why and how do they matter to sustainability?
- How can your company or organization become one?
- Why it is important to seek out and support these companies?
- How you can find them?
Register for just $5 at Eventbrite by using the code "ownit"
Speakers
Dan Clapp, General Manager & Partner of ReVision Energy – Dan Clapp graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Conservation. He opened the New Hampshire branch of ReVision Energy in 2010 and has overseen the growth of the Brentwood, Upper Valley, and North Andover, MA offices. He volunteers his time on the board of directors for Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire. ReVision Energy is an employee-owned solar and renewable energy contractor, whose mission is to “lead our community in solving the environmental problems caused by fossil fuels while alleviating economic and social injustice.
Lor Holmes leads venture development and capitalization strategies for CERO COOP, an award-winning, Dorchester-based commercial composter. CERO's mission is to “keep food waste out of landfills, save money for clients and provide good green jobs for Boston's hard working communities." Lor received her Master’s degree in community economic development from Southern New Hampshire University and has led economic development initiatives in Boston for over 20 years.
Danielle Robidoux is Organizer at Equal Exchange, a 33-year-old worker-owned co-op in MA sells fair-trade coffee, chocolate, tea, fruit, and nuts with a mission to build economically just and environmentally sound trade partnerships fostering mutually beneficial connections between farmers and consumers. She is a Masters graduate of the International Relations program at the University of Massachusetts Boston with research in international political economy, Corporate Social Responsibility, and alternative economic systems. The Equal Exchange network encompasses 4,000 people across the United States and abroad.
LEAF (Local Enterprise Assistance Fund) – is one of three US Community Development Financial Institutions focusing on co-ops. LEAF's mission is to promote human and economic development by financing and providing assistance to co-ops and social purpose ventures. Since its founding, LEAF has invested and leveraged more than $122M.
We are co-sponsoring this event with the Boston Area Sustainability Group.The mission of the Boston Area Sustainability Group (BASG) is to break down the silos of knowledge within sustainability, to assist the perpetual education of ourselves and our peers, and to grow a robust community of subject matter experts equipped to collectively drive sustainability forward. We are an affinity group of 1600+ sustainability professionals representing a myriad of industries, academia, government, NGO, and not-for-profit entities in the Boston area. Since 2009, we have come together on a regular basis to network, to learn, and to exchange on critical topics of sustainability.
