Cooperatives (Co-ops)

Formed in 1985 by members representing a broad range of sectors including private industry, local government and nonprofits, Rochester District Heating (RDH) provides City institutions, businesses, and residences with cost-saving, steam-based heating services.  Established as a consumer cooperative, members participate in shaping RDH’s policies, costs and budget, and share RDH’s annual cost-savings. Read more about Rochester District Heating Cooperative...

Established in 2006, The Ecology Center of San Francisco (ECOSF) is a cooperative that cultivates ecological awareness in the San Francisco Bay Area and aims to grow public spaces into empowering, enriching, and educational neighborhood centers.  ECOSF encourages and promotes the cooperative model by using consensus-based processes for all ECOSF decisions.  One of its core programs is Design and Build, which relies on permaculture principles to design, plant, and cultivate bountiful food bearing and native habitat gardens to transform schoolyards and other outdoor areas into ecological, experiential learning spaces.  In 2010, ECOSF established The School Farm, an outdoor experiential learning space on the shared campus of two local high schools, which includes a productive, organic farm, an on-site compost production, a greenhouse nursery operations, a rainwater catchment system, an outdoor classroom/kitchen, and small, functional examples of natural building techniques.  Committed to education, it also runs a range of workshops focused ecological gardening, urban homesteading, natural building, and related topics.

Established in 1935, the Indianapolis-based Indiana Electric Cooperatives (IEC) was the first electric cooperative service organization created in the U.S.  Today, the enterprise supports 39 member electric cooperatives located across Indiana.  Its services aim to provide electric cooperatives the tools and resources they need to operate safely, efficiently and legally, and include job and safety training, advocacy and government relations, regulatory compliance support, and professional development training.  IEC also runs numerous programs for students to learn more about energy and the cooperative business model, including a youth energy summer camp.