The United States has suffered significant job losses, and the gap between rich and poor is widening. Our people are unaware of simple economic principles. We have bought the concept that workers and consumers are different groups, and we no longer understand that we make things and do things for each other, trading our labor with each other for the things we need. We somehow believe that people somewhere else in the world are the workers making us cheap stuff and that our good jobs are going to come from somewhere else. Good jobs are continuing to leave our communities. Labor unions, the most valuable resource for supporting the rights and interests of working people, are losing ground. Public assets are being privatized. Capital has been uprooted; it can move anywhere in the world in milliseconds. We continue to hold onto a dream that says we can become wealthy overnight, all on our own, using up natural resources, polluting if we need to, using the labor of others, using the good will and resources of the communities we profess to serve.

This Co-op model realizes the proven multiplier effect of re-circulating money in local communities. The Co-op creates a network of workers and consumers looking to support one another socially and financially through the current economic crisis and into a more sustainable way of living while reducing our carbon footprint as individuals and a community. One way to promote the well being of local communities and the global community is to "Think Globally, Act Locally."

Think Globally

• The US is at war to secure and protect access to dwindling fossil fuel supplies. 
• Peak Oil is a reality and distributed energy production can reduce our dependence on oil and coal, while increasing our National Security.
• Air quality has, and is, being compromised, and respiratory illness is on the rise.
• Greenhouse gasses are significantly contributing to changes in Earth’s atmosphere.
• The US consumes a disproportionate share of the world’s energy resources (24% in 2002 according to DOE).
• Energy-related carbon dioxide emissions represent 82 percent of total US human-made greenhouse gas emissions.
• New energy efficiency and production methods have made it cost effective to install for most homeowners.
• Our food supplies are controlled by huge agribusinesses, with centralized processing that has led to major recalls.
• The nutrient quality of our food has been diminished by the processing and additives that have become common.
• The energy cost of our food has increased, with the average distance to market now at 1,500 miles.

Act Locally                                          

Local Energy cooperatives allow Members to invest their money in their own homes to save on energy. They also create and invest in new green businesses and jobs that contribute to the financial stability of their local communities. Members benefit through direct discounts and patronage dividends; and their local communities benefit from the proven multiplier effect that comes from re-circulating money within those communities.