Fiscal Note
No appropriation is required.
Title
Co-Cycle Project Week
Body
WHEREAS, The Co-cycle Project is a youth-led, bike-powered tour, linking co-operatives across the United States to encourage communities, through workshops and public events to take notice, ask questions, and seek out connections with their own local co-ops; and
WHEREAS, they educate others and each other, generate research on different co-operative models, strengthen regional co-operative networks and draw attention to co-operatives as economic, social and ecological alternatives to conventional business models; and
WHEREAS, Co-cycle has been a student-driven idea motiviated by a wide range of intersecting passions across different academic fields, from public health to gender studies, from agriculture to sustainable business; and
WHEREAS, on August 6, 2012, the Co-cyle Project group was welcomed to Madison by the Mayor, Cuna Mutual Group, the UW Center for Cooperatives and the Madwocs; and
WHEREAS, The Madison Cooperative Business Conference was held in Madison on June 6th and 7th, 2012 and included an exploration of Madison's existing cooperative business community, cooperative best practices, and a discussion of what we could do to advance business cooperatives; it raised $10,000 from a dozen sponsors and there were over 150 attendees representing diverse interests including co-op owners, entrepreneurs and service providers; and
WHEREAS, City staff and members of the cooperative community involved with the conference will continue to meet and discuss ways to better collaborate and build Madison's cooperative community; to better facilitate the use of cooperatives in the City of Madison and to continue successful businesses upon the retirement of their owners and to encourage new entrepreneurship; and
WHEREAS, we recognize that even in a "better-off" community such as Madison, that we must explore new and innovative ways to form and grow businesses as our economy continues to transition; cooperatives have already demonstrated their success in the Madison market and we look forward to the continued important role that they will play in the years ahead;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that I, Paul R. Soglin, the Mayor of the City of Madison, Wisconsin, do hereby proclaim August 6th through August 10th, 2012 as CO-CYCLE PROJECT WEEK In Madison, Wisconsin.