This page contains a draft of a proposed HCoop Environmental Policy. As always, add comments or proposed revisions here.

==Background== One of the defining SevenPrinciples of cooperatives is "Concern for Community," or more succinctly, Social Responsibility. A cooperative that ignores its social responsibility has ceased to be cooperative at all and has become a mutant, renegade firm. Environmental responsibility, then, is an extension of a cooperative's greater social responsibility.

The greatest single resistance to a solid

On to the substance:

==Power== Baseline: Zero carbon emissions, ideally from clean energy offsets.

How: Purchasing renewable energy credits or carbon offsets equal to the number of kW/hours consumed by HCoop servers.

Where: Two of the better options I have found:

• [http://www.nativeenergy.com/ NativeEnergy] WindBuilders.

• [http://www.carbonfund.org/ Carbonfund] Carbonfund offsets.

Immediate cost: between $0.05 and $0.15 per member monthly. Future cost: the same or lower, as hardware utilization rates increase, and more efficient hardware is acquired.

==Hardware== Baseline: Ensure that no HCoop electronics end up in landfill.

How: At a minimum, send all hardware not sold or donated to a reputable recycling facility.

Where: Suggestions?

Immediate cost: none Future cost: Selling hardware could save money. Recycling could cost some money as hardware is retired.

==Paper== Baseline: Minimize use of paper. Use only post-consumer recycled/tree free paper.

Where:

• [http://www.livingtreepaper.com/ Living Tree Paper]

• [http://www.vanguardpaper.co.uk/ Vanguard Paper] - post-consumer / hemp / flax paper

Immediate cost: none, Future cost: cost savings through conservation. Paper is such a tiny portion of cost that nominal premium for recycled or tree-free paper is nothing.