Cooperatives

(Learn what a cooperative is!)

Interested in starting a coop?

Big Idea Bookstore	thebigideapgh.org
Black Urban Gardeners and Farmers of Pittsburgh Co-op	@blackurbangardeners
Borland Green Ecovillage	527 N. Beatty in E. Liberty
Dirt Landscaping Collective	dirtlandscapecollective.com
East End Cooperative Ministry	eecm.org
East End Food Co-op	eastendfood.coop
EEFC Credit Union	eastendfood.coop/co-op/credit-union
Farmers’ Market Coop of East Liberty	farmersmarketcooperativeofeastliberty.com
Fishes and Loaves Cooperative Ministry	fishesandloaves5000.com
Fourth River Workers Guild	languageoftheland.com
Hill District Credit Union	hilldistrictfcu.org
Justseeds Artists’ Cooperative	justseeds.org
Mr. Roboto Project	facebook.com/robotoproject
Penn’s Corner Farm Alliance	pennscorner.com
Pinup Posters Courier Collective	pinupcouriers.com
Pittsburgh Central Federal Credit Union	pghcentral.com
Pittsburgh Chamber of Cooperatives	pittsburghchamber.coop
Pittsburgh Toy Lending Library	pghtoys.com
Riverset Credit Union	riverset.com
Triboro Federal Credit Union	triboro-fcu.org
Ujamaa Collective	ujamaacollective.org
Union Project Ceramics Cooperative	unionproject.org
Work Hard Pittsburgh	workhardpgh.com

A cooperative is an organization that is owned and democratically controlled by its members, who may be individuals or independent organizations (including other co­ops). Within this model, there is a lot of flexibility. Cooperatives exist with different structures, across many sectors, and with a variety of target members. Some of the main cooperative types are consumer (which includes buying clubs and credit unions), worker, producer, and housing co­ops.

Cooperatives are typically based on seven core principles:

• Voluntary and open membership
• Democratic member control
• Economic participation by members
• Autonomy and independence
• Education, training, and information
• Cooperation among cooperatives
• Concern for community