Ways to take part
The draft gives people and businesses a level of responsibility that matches what they are ready for. Not everyone has to run the cooperative to benefit from it, and nobody is asked to carry more than they signed up for.
| Class | Who it is for | Pays dues | Their say |
|---|---|---|---|
| Member | The shops that run the cooperative, through the Founding Circle. Held to the highest standard of participation. | Expected to, once dues are set | Decides as part of the Founding Circle. Equity and profit sharing are proposed, once a legal structure allows them. |
| Sustainability Partner | Sustainability organizations that help with the cooperative's operations, data, funding or strategy. Circular Earth is the first. | Expected to, once dues are set | Proposed to share the Members' rights, if the legal structure allows. |
| Junior Contributor | Businesses working toward becoming a Member: serving in circles, learning the agreements, building trust. | Expected to, once dues are set | An advisory voice in the Founding Circle. |
| Casual Contributor | Businesses that want the cooperative's benefits without the work of running it. | Expected to, once dues are set | May join circles and shape their work. No vote in the Founding Circle. |
| Volunteer | People who help with circles, projects or community work. | No | No decision rights. Receives updates and public resources. |
| Invited advisor | Experts invited for one topic: composting, legal structure, finance, grants, food safety. | No | Advises. Governs nothing unless given a specific, limited role. |
A participant who stops attending or paying becomes an Inactive Contributor: they keep access to public information, may observe circles when invited, and return to full standing by meeting the agreed requirements.
Becoming a Member
Membership is earned through the work, not bought. The draft lays the path out in six steps:
- Start as a Casual Contributor, using what the cooperative offers.
- Say you would like to work toward becoming a Member, and join as a Junior Contributor.
- Serve in one or more circles, which is where the cooperative's practices are learned.
- Read and accept the conduct agreement, once the Members adopt one.
- Take part long enough for the Members to know how you work and what you care about.
- The Founding Circle decides to welcome you as a Member, by unanimous consent.
Good standing
A cooperative run by busy owners only works if the owners show up. Members are expected to attend meetings or send someone, and to say so in advance when they cannot.
Under the draft, a participant may be placed on inactive status after missing three meetings in a row or attending fewer than three quarters of meetings over twelve months without letting anyone know, or after two absences nobody was told about. Continued non-participation after a review can lead to removal by a two-thirds vote. Inactive status comes with a way back: the participant and the group agree what restores good standing.
How we treat each other
Until a full conduct agreement is adopted, the draft asks everyone to:
- assume good faith while still naming real risks clearly;
- respect each shop's independence, limits and capacity;
- never make a commitment on another shop's behalf;
- raise concerns early, tied to purpose, risk, fairness or feasibility;
- help improve a proposal when objecting to it;
- keep one shop's information private unless that shop agrees to share it;
- use review dates to change what is not working.
What it costs
Nothing yet. The draft says dues should be tied to what Members can see they get and to what the cooperative costs to run, and the Members will set them, or decide on project contributions instead, once those are known. When the cooperative needs money for shared work before then, the starting rule is equal contributions from the shops in the Founding Circle, and nothing is spent without the Founding Circle and the affected shops agreeing.
Interested? Tell us about your business.
Published October 5, 2026.