Most of my experience with Co-ops is with Food Co-ops in college and after

For example, a really Big Food Co-op in Berkeley likely started by students in the 1950s and 1960s eventually I believe turned into Whole Foods before Amazon.com bought them in the last few years.

So, the idea of being able to buy organic foods locally grown here in California which sort of spread from the San Francisco and Santa Cruz areas then all over the country and to different parts of the world started in some ways with University sponsored and started Food Co-ops in places like San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Eugene, Seattle and Portland which encouraged Organic food growers to continue growing organic foods wherever they could. As those college students from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s and after became professionals they continued to support either food co-ops or organic food outlets including Whole Foods and other places around the country and now all around the world.

If you eat inorganic food (that is treated with pesticides or herbicides) it causes serious neurological problems. For example, bees have neurological problems from the sprays and cannot find their way back to the hives which is something happening wherever neurological pesticides or herbicides are used.

Therefore, not buying organic foods I believe leads to Senile Dementia and Alzheimers in old age if you haven't died from suicide or other ways from the neurological damage from insecticides or herbicides already before that in inorganic foods. For example, I would say a leading cause of the opioid crisis is from eating inorganic foods and not being able to think straight and make good decisions as a direct result.

Also, too much alcohol or marijuana also prevents people from making decisions good enough for them to survive often as well.