Coworking?
Our Core Values
Collaboration: One of the great benefits of working in a coworking space is that you will meet all sorts of people with all sorts of knowledge.
Openness: We believe in transparency and openness. In a world where people are free, but ideas are not, only a few benefit. When ideas are free, everyone benefits. Therefore, we encourage open spaces and discussions. Canopy is a Community of Trust.
Accessibility: In order to be fully open, we must make the effort to be accessible to all. Diversity is core to our community’s success. This means that we endeavor to create both a financially and a physically accessible space. We are committed to this principle and welcome feedback on how we can make it even more accessible.
Community: We thrive on connections and mutual support here. It is important that everyone give into, as well as benefit from, the strong (international) community coworking has become.
Sustainability: Sustainability is a two-fold mission for us: not only is the sharing of resources generally a green practice for individuals and business, but our overall business principals are based on sustainable relationships and exchanges. Every decision is measured by its ability to be sustained by the community in the long term.
What’s the Big Deal?
What is the difference between a coworking space and any other shared office space?
In short, a combination of community (our eco-system) and core values (our laws of nature). Canopy isn’t about the desks, but about what the desks and space enable when a certain set of values are aligned. And for Canopy it also includes a strong connection to our planet and the life around us.
We liken our space to an eco-system over any business model. Why? An eco-system is organic, adaptable, and built for sustainability. It’s ALIVE!
Organic
We are living beings, not widgets being passed down the assembly-line of life. We don’t do well in boxes, forced to wear the uniforms or defined by any calculated formulas of the past. Like all living organisms we need certain key things to survive, but beyond those things, we are very unique. When we see ourselves as people of worth, it changes everything.
Adaptable
Each person and each job must be ready to change to fit changes in the organization, and in the outside world. So the keywords would be adaptability and flexibility. Canopy and other coworking spaces allow for that flexibility through short term memberships, a variety of work/meeting space arrangements and the freedom to move around inside and outside!
Sustainable
Just like our natural eco-system, we try to live in harmony with our environment and other organisms in order to not deplete our resources or cause the extinction of other creatures. Canopy and its philosophy on work allows for the use of resources, while not overusing. It’s about sharing and preserving to allow for the growth of the community (eco-system), rather than focusing on the individual alone.
Our Manifesto
THE CHALLENGE
We believe that society is facing unprecedented economic, environmental, social and cultural challenges. We also believe that new innovations are the key to turning these challenges into opportunities to improve our communities and our planet.
THE SOLUTION
Coworking is redefining the way we do work. Inspired by the participatory culture of the open source movement and the empowering nature of IT, we are building a more sustainable future. We are a group of connected individuals and small businesses creating an economy of innovation and creativity in our communities and worldwide. We envision a new economic engine composed of collaboration and community, in contrast to the silos and secrecy of the 19th/20th century economy.
THE VALUE/THE CODE OF CONDUCT OF THE COMMUNITY
We have the talent. We just need to work together. Different environments need to overlap, to connect and to interact in order to:
transform our culture. In order to create a sustainable community based on trust, we value:
* collaboration over competition
* community over agendas
* participation over observation
* doing over saying
* friendship over formality
* boldness over assurance
* learning over expertise
* people over personalities
* “value ecosystem” over “value chain”
This new economy cannot thrive without engaging the larger business, creative, entrepreneurial, governmental, non governmental and technical communities
together.
THE FUTURE
We believe that innovation breeds innovation. We will transform the world culture into one supportive of the entrepreneurial spirit, of risk taking, of pioneering into the unknown territories as the great leaders of our times. This requires education, entrepreneurship and a large network of creative workspaces.
We are reshaping the economy and the society through social entrepreneurship and innovation. Our communities are coming together to rebuild more human scale, networked, and sustainable economies to build a better world.
We are the world coworking movement!