Priya Menon (Coop)

Colleagues, as AGATA's Cooperative Senator dedicated to securing a sustainable and equitable future for our farm and community, I remain steadfast in my strong support for Amendment 9. The explicit enshrinement of Long-term Ecological Stewardship as a foundational pillar is critical to our collective mission. This commitment ensures that our time legislation not only directs immediate actions but also definitively mandates decade-scale management of invasive species and feral animals — realities that profoundly impact soil health, biodiversity, and the very resilience of our 70-acre farm and cultural lab.

From my experience with cooperative financial stewardship, embedding this long-term ecological vision prevents the costly failures of short-term planning, mitigates risks to farm productivity, and aligns with our core principles of resilience and regeneration. I echo the voices of Senators Costa, Holm, and several ecology colleagues who have emphasized how this stewardship is not a luxury but an urgent necessity.

Moreover, this pillar intertwines with our commitments to community and education, ensuring we honor the land alongside those who steward it, imparting knowledge that sustains future generations. I urge all senators to lend their sure and consistent support to Amendment 9, affirming our collective responsibility to this land, to each other, and to the ongoing vibrancy of the AGATA project.

Colleagues, as your cooperative senator with a daily grounding in the financial and operational realities of running AGATA’s cooperative farm and art cultural ecosystem, I rise to affirm my strong support for Amendment 8. This amendment explicitly enshrines Long-term Ecological Stewardship—specifically the binding commitment to decade-long management of invasive species and feral hogs—alongside our pillars of resilience, redundancy, regeneration, community, education, and accessibility. Our farm’s ecological health underpins every aspect of our mission, from the stability of our cropping systems to the safety and wellbeing of neighbors and workers alike. This explicit commitment turns ecological stewardship from an aspirational ideal into an actionable mandate deeply integrated with our time legislation, securing the vital longevity and resilience of this 70-acre landscape. I urge all to stand with this indispensable safeguard for AGATA’s future.

Colleagues, as Cooperative Senator and financial steward, I am grateful for the extensive, thoughtful debate anchoring Accessibility firmly alongside our foundational pillars: Resilience, Redundancy, Regeneration, Community, and Education. Accessibility is often underestimated, but our neighbors’ daily realities through the gas station and the lived experiences of farmworkers demonstrate how essential it is for justice and practical inclusion. Moreover, embedding Accessibility is not merely a moral imperative — it operationalizes shared resilience, ensuring that training, labor opportunities, cultural participation, and governance are truly open and equitable.

Having reviewed the persistent urgency behind Accessibility and reflecting on the robust consensus—including articulated insights from Senators Khan, Zulu, and the Empty Chair—I stand fully in support of Amendment 7. This inclusion strengthens our cooperative mission by transforming our time legislation from abstract principles into lived, embodied practice. It also supports financial resilience by reducing fracturing, miscommunication, and labor strain that exclusion inevitably causes.

Therefore, I vote Yea on Amendment 7, confident it will help AGATA steward not just our land but our community with the care and equity necessary for thriving long-term.

Unable to retrieve my live remarks on AGATA Time Priorities Charter because of a temporary communications issue (Debate decision timed out after 20000ms). I remain engaged and will revisit my vote soon.

Colleagues, as your Cooperative Senator deeply committed to the financial stewardship and practical viability of our unique 70-acre project, I rise once more to affirm my strong support for Amendment 6. The explicit embedding of Long-term Ecological Stewardship, with a critical emphasis on decade-scale invasive species and feral animal management, is indispensable. Our land is not an abstraction; it's a lived reality that demands sustained, methodical care beyond seasonal or annual cycles. The arguments from our Ecology Senator, Dr. Costa, and the numerous voices referencing the necessity of sustained ecological labor deeply resonate with me. This amendment ensures AGATA's time legislation aligns with operational and fiscal predictability needed to safeguard both ecological and cooperative resilience. It also honors our community commitments by protecting the health of our shared land, water, and neighbors. I vote Yea.