This week Her Campus Leeds talks to Rachael Mott, Chair of Green Action (GA).
Hi Rachael! So, tell us a bit about yourself?
Hi! I’m Rachael and I’m in the second year of my French degree. My hometown is Loughborough in Leicestershire.
How did you get involved in the Green Action society?
I walked past the quirky-looking Green Action Food Co-op in the Union towards the end of my first year. It was just so colourful and full of stuff that I had to ask what it was all about. I bought a membership straight away and went to the AGM – I was hooked! I really agreed with the ethos of the group, and I think it strikes a chord with a lot of people at the moment. We’re all about growing and sourcing good food that doesn’t harm the planet or its producers, preserving the environment and bringing together communities.
What’s your favourite thing about the society?
We have three different sub-groups: the Food Hub, who deal with our Food Coop next to Santander in the union, the Allotment group, who work on our allotment in Hyde Park, and the campaigning group. It’s great that you can focus on one interest or be part of all three groups. Another important thing about us is that we’re a Cooperative, so everyone involved is a member and has equal status and responsibility. This means that even though I’m technically the chair, my voice is as important as someone who’s come along for the first time. It really helps to make everyone feel welcome and valued – we have a wonderful community of people at GA.
How can people get involved in Green Action?
We’ve got a General Meeting on December 1st where we’ll be throwing around lots of new ideas – it’s a great opportunity for newcomers to hear from all the different areas of GA and get inspired and involved! We also have a Facebook page, where you can find more information about us and how to get involved at the coop shop, weekly allotment sessions, campaigns or socials!
Anything exciting planned that we should know about?
There’s our Christmas ‘Food Café’ social where we try out and discuss the ethics of different foods. We’ve just had a one about the special Coffee and Chocolate that we stock in the co-op, and this time we’ll be tasting and discussing ‘drinks’. Because it’s Christmas there’ll be a tipple or two – I expect there’ll be some home-brewed beer and special spirits to try! There’s tons more coming up too, which will all be on our Facebook page!
Anything else to add?
Whenever we make a group decision we use the Consensus decision making model. This means that everybody has to be happy with a decision before it can go ahead, which can take a little more time but means that everybody comes out happy with the result!