Cascadia Cooperative Conference 2025
August 25 & 26 | Seattle, WA
The Northwest Cooperative Development Center (NWCDC) will host our first bi-annual Cascadia Cooperative Conference (CCC) on Monday, August 25, and Tuesday, August 26, 2025, at the Parkview Event Space in Seattle, WA.
CCC will celebrate the incredible diversity of the cooperative economic model in the bioregion of Cascadia (connected to the Salish Sea and the Columbia River), which includes communities throughout British Columbia, Canada, and the U.S. States of Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. The conference aims to leverage the strength of co-ops in these communities to create a stronger and more resilient cooperative ecosystem and to advance the goals of the International Year of Cooperatives.
There will be presentations, panel discussions, and workshops that explore the co-op model in the Cascadia bioregion with special attention to how co-ops empower underserved communities in both rural and urban contexts.
Additional areas of focus will be in building solidarity within and between communities, engaging in sustainable development goals, and aligning governance and operations with the Statement on the Cooperative Identity and the Cooperative Enterprise Model.
We also plan to curate a conference that allows for both learning and connection, with good food and breaks to pause and talk with your colleagues across the bioregion.
Location & Schedule
Parkview Event Space
200 8th Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98109
https://parkviewseattle.com/
Monday, August 25th
8:00a – Doors & Registration Open | Breakfast Available
9:00a – Opening Plenary – People’s Keynote
10:15a – Morning Break-Out Sessions – 75 Minutes Breakouts:
A1DesignBuild, a Worker-Owned Cooperative, is Born. 3 Perspectives on its Conversion
Land and Housing
- Overview of Cooperative Housing and Land Sharing Arrangements
- Cooperative Land Stewardship and Community Building
Co-ops & Technology
- Evicting our digital landlords: How we liberate our tech and build sustainable, democratically-run software
- Cooperation in Mobility–ZEV Co-op
Financial Support for Cooperatives
Central Co-op’s Journey to the Solidarity Model: A Retrospective Case Study
12:00noon – Lunch
1:30p – Afternoon Break-Out Sessions – 90 Minutes Breakout Topics
Co-ops in the Food System
Grocery Co-ops in Rural Communities – What’s Worked, What Hasn’t, and Where We Are Now
How Farmer-Owned Food Hubs are Changing the Food System Landscape Through Cooperative Networking
Engaging New Co-op Pathways in Cascadia
Understanding Public Banking and Credit Unions
Building a Self-organizing Cascadian Cooperative Network of Networks: A Multi-Track Workshop
3:00p – Break
3:15p – Closing Plenary
6:00p – Social Hour at Conor Byrne Pub Cooperative – Snacks will be served, and there will be a live Irish band!
Tuesday, August 26th
8:00a – Doors Open & Breakfast Available
9:00a – Longer Form Facilitated Strategy Sessions:
A Cooperative Response to the Housing Crisis
Cross-Sectoral Cooperative Education in the International Year of Cooperatives
Cooperative Development for Microenterprises
11:30a – Closing Plenary
12:30p – Conference Ends
12:30p – Post Conference Seattle Co-op Tour
12:15 Meet-Up (In front of Conference Bldg) | 12:30p Departure.
This tour is organized separate from the conference by our colleagues at Shared Capital Cooperative. Space is limited and registrants will be given the option to sign up after registration closes.
Consider Being a Sponsor
- Make a deeper impact in our daily work
- Secure an inclusive, accessible venue and cover event costs
- Provide impactful programming and keynote speakers
- Pay expert speakers to share their insights
- Offer scholarships for underrepresented attendees
- Strengthen ties across the cooperative movement
- Offer accessible pricing
Request for Presentations
Do you have a passion for co-ops that you want to share? Lead a workshop! Organize a panel! Give a presentation!
We are seeking presentations for sessions & plenary topics among the following themes.
- Democratic Management
- Economic + Community Impacts of Co-ops
- Conversions
- Union Co-ops/Labor Concerns
- Worker Co-ops
- Panel Discussion with Regional Co-op Groups
- Rural Communities + Co-ops
- Multi-Stakeholder Co-ops
- Financing Co-ops
- Limited Equity Housing Co-ops
- Policy and Advocacy for Cooperatives
There will be four 75-minute sessions on Monday morning and four 90-minutes sessions on Monday Afternoon.
On Tuesday morning longer breakout sessions will be held to have deeper strategic discussions based on the monday presentation.
