The Pittsburgh Clean and Green Initiative is working with the drivers of the Cleveland Evergreen Cooperatives program to replicate that remarkable effort in Pittsburgh, the Mon Valley and Western PA. The Evergreen co-op model is based on the Mondragon industrial cooperatives of Spain, an economic powerhouse with tens of thousands of worker-owners.
The Mondragon worker ownership and empowerment model has proven capable of transforming the current workplace into one that is more participatory and more accountable to the workers and more successful in the marketplace than non-employee owned companies. It builds worker equity based on meritocratic participation and enterprise success, engendering self-driven wealth in disadvantaged neighborhoods. This model simply is a better way of doing business.
It would be our intent to create worker ownership initiatives across the Pittsburgh region and examine the potential for expanding this initiative state and region-wide, and over time, explore opportunities for national replication. In order to accomplish this, the SVA is exploring the development of a dedicated center that provides technical assistance, a revolving loan fund that provides early stage capital for new co-op businesses, and a training program that provides specialized training for company leadership are required.
Our Vision: “Green” worker-owned cooperatives occupy and thrive in the economic corridor from western Pennsylvania through Eastern Ohio (Pittsburgh to Cleveland) such that they provide a significant impact on local economies, much as the Mondragon Cooperatives dominate the economy of the Basque region of Spain. Wealth is created for the individuals, their neighborhoods, their cities, and the region, not only through wages but also through the wealth created from ownership. The companies are self-sustaining and raise living standards for all involved. The region serves as a model for other regions of the country that have suffered through economic hardship.
Project Goals:
