March 2022 Council News
from Kara Cusolito, Council Vice-President
GreenStar Council News for March 2022
The road toward “normalcy”
While the world creeps back to life as we knew it pre-pandemic, we at GreenStar are looking forward to a renewed commitment to Cooperative Principle #7: Concern for Community.
We believe that GreenStar has long been, and can again be, a “third place” – a gathering place for community members that is not home or work, but a place important for the healthy democracies and social networks that anchor our community. There’s a lot that goes into building and sustaining this third place, but having actual space available to people is a good first step.
Our hot bar and seating area are now fully open at the Cascadilla Street store! This has been truly a team effort, with our deli and kitchen staff creating and executing a menu, our admin and management team helping to facilitate the project and the marketing department working to get the word out. Join us for a meal or a snack and celebrate this milestone! Check out the menu.
Also in recent months, the management team has given our DeWitt location a much-needed facelift, putting down a new floor and revamping the seating area in the back of the store.
DeWitt’s hot bar will reopen soon, so keep an eye out and plan to meet a friend for lunch!
GreenStar’s Next GM coming soon!
The GM Search Committee has begun interviews to fill the GM position and Council expects to have a new GM in place by late spring or early summer.
In the meantime, our interim team of Deb Peskin and Giles McCarty, along with the entire GreenStar staff, continue to keep the ship moving. We are so grateful for everyone’s dedication, commitment and hard work!
Highlights from the March Council Meeting
For several years Council has been working to make the governance of our cooperative more efficient, transparent and effective. At the March regular meeting, Council monitored the quarterly B.1 Financial Condition report and found it to be in compliance.
Council monitors its own work each month and in doing so, approved an amendment to Policy C.7 – Council Committees to create a new committee. The Council Elections Committee will organize, promote and supervise the annual Council elections. More specifically, this means that the committee will manage the recruitment of a diverse and competitive pool of Council candidates and ensure that all candidates meet necessary qualifications. The committee will also maintain all necessary materials and contacts for running said elections. This work was previously handled by the Membership Engagement Committee and before that, the Governance Committee.
Council now has six standing committees: the Council Elections Committee, Governance Committee, Finance Committee, Membership Engagement Committee, Personnel Committee and Executive Planning Committee.
Next GreenStar Council Meeting:
Tuesday, April 12th beginning at 6:30 PM
Meetings are held online. Email boardadmin@greenstar.coop for instructions on how to attend. Meeting agendas are posted online 6 days before the meeting, linked here: April 2022 Council Meeting Agenda
Member-Owners are always welcome to attend.
Come early for a Conversation with Council!
From 6:00 – 6:30pm GreenStar members are invited to join Council members for an opportunity to engage in conversation. This 30 minute period is an “open-mic” format and will be recurring – taking place ahead of the GreenStar Council meeting every second Tuesday of the month. Email boardadmin@greenstar.coop for instructions on how to attend.