EMERGING SANTA BARBARA COOPERATIVE NETWORK HOLDS FORUM

The “2nd Annual Local Cooperatives Forum” will highlight and strengthen cooperative organizations and enterprises in our community

Santa Barbara, CA — The United Nations declared 2012 the Year of the Cooperative, but for Santa Barbara and Isla Vista, the year of the co-op may be 2013. On the heels of an unprecedented (and successful) campaign to crowd-fund the purchase of the Isla Vista Food Co-op’s property, local activists are now turning their attention to building a larger cooperative movement in our area. The keystone of this effort will be a community forum held next week: the 2nd Annual Local Cooperatives Forum.

“You might not guess it, but there is a strong cooperative movement bubbling up here in Santa Barbara,” said Andrew Dunn, one of the organizers of the forum. He, along with four other community members, comprise the new organization Interplay, which seeks to build a network of groups and people dedicated to advancing the ideals of collaboration. “When you work together, instead of competing against each other, you can achieve so much more, and we believe collaborative decision-making is the future for businesses and organizations, and will be vital to creating a sustainable world,” said Dunn.

The Local Cooperatives Forum is being created—you guessed it—collaboratively, with other like-minded local groups, including the I.V. Food Co-op, the Santa Barbara Student Housing Cooperative, the Santa Barbara Permaculture Network, and the Bonfire Collective, a group aiming to launch a worker-owned coffee shop and bookstore in downtown SB. The forum intends to create a space where interested community members can learn more about these efforts, and get involved. There will also be time dedicated for participants to share their own ideas and to get feedback on them.

“This is a truly participatory event, and we hope to create more like it,” said Dunn. “You won’t just be sitting and listening to someone lecture. That’s not collaborative. At this event, you’ll get to be an active player in getting exciting projects off the ground.”

The forum will be held on Thursday, March 14, 6:30—9:30pm at the Faulkner Gallery in the SB Public Library, 40 E. Anapamu Street, 93101. Refreshments will be provided by the I.V. Food Co-op. The event is free, but donations are gratefully accepted.