I am FairShare Co-op.
I am FairShare Co-op.
I am FairShare Co-op.
I am FairShare Co-op.
We are FairShare Co-op.
We began as GOAT Co-op in the early 1970s in a West Paris barn.
Ordering bags of rice and beans and cases of organic produce.
In 1978, we opened FairShare Co-op and incorporated as a main nonprofit.
In 1980, FairShare moved to this building on Tannery Street in Norway.
Twenty years later, the town made us an offer that we did not refuse.
Move to Main Street.
Town Manager David Holt believed that a grocery store in downtown Norway
would inspire revitalization and provide walking access to healthy food
for hundreds of neighborhood residents.
Moving would also enable the town to save this rundown historic building.
After thousands of volunteer hours, we moved into our new home in April 2001.
Today, we have grown to include more than 500 member owner households,
businesses on the second floor, and partnership with many local nonprofits.
FairShare is a cooperative business.
FairShare is volunteering.
FairShare is diversity.
FairShare is an educational resource.
FairShare is a cornerstone of downtown Norway.
FairShare is a local food hub for farmers and cooks.
But FairShare is also this.
It costs a lot to heat such a big old building.
We contributed to both the pollution of the air and our national guilt over global warming.
And we wanted the flow of oil into our building to stop.
So how do we move FairShare toward energy independence?
Because we have a flat roofed building in an open area, solar makes sense for us.
But first, we need to fund several improvements so that we can be solar panel ready.
This will happen in four phases.
Phase one, investing in electric fuel heat pumps will save us $4,000 each year.
Plus, installing LED lights with the help of Efficiency Main saves $1,700 each year.
Phase two, with the help of a USDA grant,
installing a new efficient cooler and the necessary system upgrades
allows us to display more healthy local produce.
Phase three, improving the insulation in the walls and windows
will ensure that our heat pumps run efficiently.
Repairing and painting the building's exterior walls and doors will save money and energy too.
Phase four, finally, we will be ready to install solar panels,
the culmination of this long-range project.
We want to be completely energy self-sufficient and fueled by the sun.
When we add up the costs for phases one through three,
we've determined that $35,000 will allow us to become solar ready.
In fact, $135,000 would pay for our final goal.
We may be small, but we are growing, and with your help,
we can keep fossil fuels in the ground, become energy independent,
a model for our community and the state of Maine,
and harness the power of the sun.
Help fair share co-op those solar!
Please donate today!
