What a way to start the new year! The Occupy movement has evolved in scope and in purpose; spilling like a tidal wave into 2012. People the world over are now seeing the opportunity for massive change – to take back what is rightfully ours and using the power of the majority, the 99%, to do so.

In realizing the need to strip the world of corporate greed, what better place to start than by freeing our campuses from the hands of multinational corporations? College campuses are over-run with corporations like Starbucks. It has happened in communities everywhere: small businesses have been fading out to larger multinational corporations, companies that control the majority of wealth and power in their markets, allowing for little to no competition. The college campus is one such community. Today, you would be hard-pressed to find a campus that has not been overtaken by fast food and corporate influence.

This is exactly why students, the leaders of the Occupy movement, are choosing to occupy their campus food systems. We here at CoFED are watching in awe as some of our CoFEDerates in Seattle and Philadelphia, leaders in their local Occupy movements, manifest the ideals of the Occupy movement through the creation of sustainable local business that support people through cooperation.

Anshika Kumar, a CoFEDerate from the University of Washington in Seattle, reports that,

“The occupy movement has ignited a fire behind, and created a worldwide platform for, the beliefs and injustices that drive the work that I do every day… One of the most exciting prospects to me of this movement is the collective awakening of the fact that our current economic system does not work for the people… This mass mobilization of people who are realizing these truths and are actively seeking answers and alternatives represent an unparalleled opportunity to introduce the concept of cooperatives, and cooperative principles, into the mix of solutions that [are] going to get us out of this mess”.

And we find that the idea is spreading; students at the Bogazici University in Istanbul, Turkey, recently reached out to Anshika and her team in Seattle. Students there have been occupying the Starbucks on their college campus for more than a month. Here’s a look into the Occupy Starbucks protest – through a youtube video and a blog.

Occupy Starbucks evolved out of a desire for healthy and affordable food on their campus after Starbucks – among other multinational corporations – encroached upon their campus – forcing out a student-friendly canteen which once fed students whether they could afford the meal or not.

“With the introduction of these global firms, the university has become a market for the commercial activities of multinational corporations. There is enough space for everyone but us: from the CEOs who teach in our school to the employers that scout young employees for their companies. There is no affordable food, no place for having a real conversation, and nobody asks what we want. We could tell them if they asked us. But, because they have no intention of asking, we must make ourselves heard. We have decided to reclaim our campus”.

Similar stories are materializing around the world. We are thrilled to hear of the strength and commitment among those Occupying Starbucks at Bogazici and look forward to hearing more of their story in the coming weeks. It is now that we must bring these realizations to life on campuses and in communities around the world. If 2011 was the year of the protester, then 2012, the International Year of the Cooperative, sets the stage for the birth of an entirely new social structure.

High-fives and congratulations to students working hard to realize the dream of a student-run food co-op in downtown Washington, DC – the GW Food Co-Op has won the $10,000 inaugural Knapp Fellowship for Entrepreneurial Service-Learning award!

This means that their goal of a cooperative café at George Washington University – within walking distance to the White House – is now a few steps closer to being achieved. So the next time 10,000 youth converge in DC for a sustainable future, they’ll be able to buy lunch at a student-run food co-op that’s fully aligned with our generation’s ecological values. YEAH!!!

GW Food Co-op student leader Melissa Eddison (second from left) wins the $10,000 inaugural Knapp Fellowship for Entrepreneurial Service-Learning award – April 26, 2011

GW Food Co-op leaders Melissa, Ellie and Erin say, “Basically, this humble idea of ours has been recogniz ed by GW as a promising and desirable addition to campus and for that we must be thankful! So much has happened since January when we started this journey and it will continue to grow, change, and evolve in the

coming months. If any of you are going to be here over the summer and would like to get in on some of the negotiations for space, organizational structure, suppliers, inventories, fundraising–we’ll take any spare time you have. If not, let us know if you would like to do any work remotely! If nothing else, keep checking our blog for updates and we look forward to all of your continued support in the Fall.”

A Café for the Community

A co-op that sells locally grown food wins the inaugural Knapp Fellowship for Entrepreneurial Service-Learning award at GW’s 2011 Service-Learning Symposium April 26.

April 27, 2011 — GW Today

Junior Melissa Eddison’s idea of a nonprofit, community-run co-op cafe that will feature sustainable, local food earned her the first Steven and Diane Robinson Knapp Fellowship for Entrepreneurial Service-Learning award at the university’s 2011 Service-Learning Symposium April 26.

“Melissa’s project takes on an important social issue —healthy, sustainable food— and responds with an innovative business model that also serves as an educational platform for GW students and the surrounding community,” said John Forrer, associate director for GW’s Institute for Corporate Responsibility, who served as Ms. Eddison’s project adviser.“It is a perfect example of how taking corporate responsibility to heart can spawn a great business plan, promote community values and help improve people’s quality-of-life, all at the same time.”

Melissa and Ellie representing FJA and GW Student Food Cooperative at GW's Earth Day Fair

As president of the GW Food Justice Alliance, Ms. Eddison helps manage GW’s community gardens and teach the GW community how to

grow and compost food. The next step, she said, is showing the community how to prepare it— and she said the café is the “missing piece.”

“When I learned that I won the award, a wave of relief came over me,” said Ms. Eddison. “It was a moment of re-enforcement—that this idea that I had, that I have been sharing with whoever will listen, is being recognized by GW as an institution. GW has instilled faith in the idea, and it’s our turn to deliver!

“We want to inspire students and the community to make it their own space—putting local art on the walls, holding events there and using it as a place to raise funds and awareness about whatever people feel passionate about,” she added. “It’s all about enriching GW as a community.”

“Service learning is a mutually beneficial tool for both the student and the community and in an overarching sense, it strengthens the relationship of the university and the city of D.C.,” said Ms. Eddison. “Whenever possible, get students out of the classroom and into the field; treat them like grownups and they will exceed your expectations, guaranteed.”

To visit the George Washington Today homepage, click here.