The Pink House plans to establish a vegetarian co-op out of its kitchen starting in the fall of 2017.
Located at 99 Alexander Street just north of the Forbes College New Wing, the Pink House currently serves as special interest housing for upperclassmen. It focuses on sustainability and environmental issues. It is part of Forbes College, and the 2016-2017 academic year is the first year the house has been used in such a way.
According to a document prepared by current Pink House residents and circulated via email, the new co-op would be “an excellent way to strengthen Pink House’s sense of community and commitment to sustainability.”
The co-op will be vegetarian to maximize sustainability, but meat eaters are also encouraged to join. Fees for the co-op have not yet been finalized, but they are estimated to be $400-500 per semester. Like existing co-ops on campus, members of the co-op at the Pink House will eat dinner together daily and will be required to take one cooking shift per week. They will also be able to use co-op ingredients to make their own breakfasts and lunches.
“Demand for co-ops has been quite large for the past few years, and we hope that this will be a resource for people who are interested in alternative eating arrangements,” wrote Gavin Hall ’18, a Pink House resident, in an email.
He said the co-op will serve those who do not want to join an eating club but who may not want to be fully independent.
“99 Alexander is fortunate to have a private kitchen, and we feel that using the kitchen as a base for a co-op would be both a valuable use of the space and would further our mission of sustainability,” Hall said in the email.
Members of the co-op will not all live in the Pink House, and those living in the Pink House will not be required to be members of the co-op. According to the document, the co-op will tentatively have about 20 members, with preference being given to those living in the Pink House. The remaining spots will be filled by a lottery system, with more information being released later this semester.