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Monthly Headlines, May 2004

Front Page: Electric Co-ops Power Up for Green Energy
1st Rochdale Offers New Yorkers Green Energy Alternative.
Farmers Team with Utility Co-ops on Green Energy Projects.
As Prices Rise, Economics Pushes Utility Co-ops Toward Renewable Fuels.

Page Three: Regional Co-op Grocer Groups to Disappear in July 1 Reorganization
A network of 11 regional cooperative grocer alliances will go out of existence July 1 under a reorganization approved overwhelming by the individual retail co-ops. Under the reorganization, the regional groups will be merged into the National Cooperative Grocers Association.

Guest View: The Spirit of Generosity
Bill Gessner, based in Minneapolis, provides consulting services through Cooperative Development Services. He writes: "If each of us genuinely examines our motivation, purpose, and desired end in working for and with cooperatives, we are likely to find that many of us are motivated by a global goal or end. We wish to make the world a better place for all to live. The spirit of generosity, then, is more than a value reflecting that end. Generosity becomes a tool."

Co-op Conference Highlights
Record attendance at the 2004 Cooperative Conference organized by the National Cooperative Business Association. Highlights included - the Festival of America's Cooperatives on Capitol Hill; Mara Liasson, political correspondent for National Public Radio analyzing the presidential race; the Hall of Fame Dinner honoring Ralph Paige, Federation of Southern Cooperatives, Allen Thurgood, 1st Rochdale Cooperative and long-time co-op educator and advocate Henry H. Schriver; and the kick off of the Finance and Tax Council formed by NCBA to provide a forum on financial and tax issues that affect all types of co-ops.

Co-op Development: WoodWorks Helps Small Landowners Harvest Sustainably
Two thirds of the wood harvested in the United States comes from private land, where landowners can find themselves at the mercy of unscrupulous loggers who pay little and destroy the profitability of the forest in the bargain. Following the example of landowners in Canada, Finland and Japan, Woodworks has formed 30 local forestry co-ops and non-profit associations in five years to achieve economies of scale and protect the land.