Earthworker Cooperative
Earthworker Cooperative is a grassroots network of worker-owned cooperatives based in Victoria, Australia. Founded as a response to both the climate crisis and economic inequality, its model is to build community wealth by structuring enterprises as worker cooperatives — where employees are co-owners with equal voice, and profits are distributed locally rather than extracted by external shareholders.
The network operates across several domains:
- Earthworker Energy Manufacturing Cooperative (Morwell) — manufactures and installs solar and heat pump hot water systems
- Earthworker Smart Energy Cooperative — integrated energy services, helping households and communities benefit from the energy transition
- HOPE Co-op — supports young adults from asylum-seeking backgrounds
Antony McMullen, who has spoken at Designing Open Democracy events on economic democracy, has been involved with the cooperative ecosystem around Earthworker.
Links
- Website: earthworker.coop
- Energy cooperative: earthworkerenergy.coop
See also
History
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2011-01-01
Formally became a registered cooperative, rooted in discussions dating to the late 1990s
Sourcing: High
Earthworker only formally became a cooperative in 2011, though discussions date back to the late 1990s.
Title previously said "1970s Green Bans movement" — corrected to match the source, which dates the actual Earthworker discussions to the late 1990s, not the unrelated 1970s Green Bans movement.
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2016-01-01
Bought a hot water tank manufacturer in Morwell, becoming the Earthworker Energy Manufacturing Cooperative — its flagship worker-owned enterprise
Sourcing: High
In 2016, the network bought a hot water tank manufacturer in Morwell and began making their own tanks and solar hot water systems as the Earthworker Energy Manufacturing Co-operative.
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