Cooperation Makes It Happen!

They really got a lot right on the "Street" :-) Happy Friday



Dig it!

Your choice of TP really is important

I used to chuckle when I went to the grocery store at the sheer volume of TP choices. There seems to be every possible variation of recycled content, length, strength and ply available. I used to stare at the wall of glossy packets weighting price over absorbency, amused that I had to actually put thought into what toilet tissue to get.

Well it turns out that our choice of TP really is important. According to the good folks at Greenpeace, TP from made from virgin forests is responsible for untold amounts of environmental devastation.

To read a really good article on this visit www.guardian.co.uk

To learn more about Greenpeace's campaign and to download a pocket guide see www.greenpeace.org

Weekly Specials

The co-op has a new round of weekly specials good though March 3rd. Check them out!

http://www.coopportunity.com/

Hip, hip...

HOORAY!!! Celebrate, good times! Kathleen Merrigan, has been chosen to be the deputy agriculture secretary. Why is this cause for celebration? Well, she's known as a champion of organics, she's an academic and a former congressional aide who has helped establish the federal organic food-labeling rules. Let's hope that she will be a positive influence on the USDA to keep organics truly organic.

See the press release here: http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?contentidonly=true&contentid=2009/02/0047.xml

Happy Fat Tuesday!

I'm loving the following article posted on the NY Times website. I'm a big fan of Harold McGee, he takes a close look at food and the science behind cooking. In his article How Much Water Does Pasta Really Need? he takes a look at the amount of water used to cook pasta. He suggests that cooking with less water works just as well as cooking with the standard 6 quarts, plus it saves water and energy!

In the spirit of Mardi Gras, go visit www.epicurious.com, which is a great online resource for all kinds of recipes, and see all the yummy Cajun and Creole inspired dishes they have available. Also you can find a great recipe for Vegetarian Gumbo on one of my favorite food blogs www.101cookbooks.com!

Surprise its Monday!

Well, really no surprises here at all. There is a suggested link between the number of fast food restaurants in your neighborhood and the likelihood of stoke. Check out the LA Times article on it: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2009/02/fast-food-resta.html.

Right now I'm listening to KCRW's Good Food, I like to listen to it on the weekends but I've been behind on a few episodes. Check out this really interesting episode; Michael Pollan returns to Good Food to talk about what we can expect in the world of food policy in 2009. Chef Susan Feniger journeys through the wide world of dumplings. The legendary Marcella Hazan shares memories of her very full life, cooking and teaching Italian cuisine. Laura Avery tells us what's fresh at the Farmers' Market. See below.

Happy Friday!

Alice Waters writes an open letter asking the current administration asking to have the National School Lunch Program reassessed in this New York Times op-ed piece: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/20/opinion/20waters.html

Also there is a really yummy looking recipe over at Cookus Interruptus called Three Sisters Stew which is a delicious combination of corn, beans and squash. Mmm yummy, hearty and healthy!
http://www.cookusinterruptus.com/index.php?video_id=96

If you're interested in reading about food online, the Times Online has a list of 50 of the world's best food blogs according to their food editor. Many of the blogs look so amazing and could be good resources for recipes and meal ideas! Check it out:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/real_food/article5561425.ece

Have a great weekend!!

Vermicomposting

Here in Southern California, if you have a yard with a sunny spot you can pretty much compost outside year-round. Composting is a great way to help the environment since after recycling, your trash will most likely be taken up by food waste, if you eat or cook in your home. When that waste goes to the landfill it degrades anaerobically which releases methane gas, which according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is 20 times more harmful to the environment than Carbon Dioxide. By volume, food waste is the #1 contributor to methane gas production. Additionally, disposing of food waste costs the U.S. around $1 billion a year.

So what can you do if you live in an apartment or you just don't have room for a compost heap in your yard? Well, you can always turn to Vermicomposting!

Vermicomposting uses worms (usually Red Wrigglers) to break down your food scraps into beautiful rich earth, which you then can can use as potting soil for your indoor plants or sprinkle on your garden. I recently invested in a worm house, and I've been saving my kitchen scraps waiting on my worms to begin vermicomposting in my own home. Check back here for periodic updates on the worm bin, maybe even with pictures!

In the mean time check out this recent New York Times article on vermicomposting! http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/garden/19worms.html

Weekly Specials!

Hi Everyone!! The co-op knows that there are a lot of people out there who are on tight budgets right now. In order to help out, we're starting a new program where the managers of every department are putting select products on weekly specials. Check them out, go to our website www.coopportunity.com and click on the green "Weekly Specials" image! We'll also have them posted up around the store.

You are what you eat!

Two unrelated but equally interesting articles.

The first, from www.naturalnews.com, giving six compelling reasons why you should eat organic!

The second will appeal more to parents and has some really good advice on how to combat kid's picky eating habits. It comes to us by way of the Wedge in Minneapolis another really awesome co-op! Check it out www.wedge.coop

Low Carbon Diets

Hi everyone, hope you are enjoying the rain and Presidents Day!

There are a couple of articles posted today that deal with lowering your environmental impact with your diets. Check it out!

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iSFzzJTQlFBr3vjq1Nv2wixJXpmA
http://www.mercurynews.com/centralcoast/ci_11711104

Also, check out a calculator to see how your diet affects the environment at http://www.eatlowcarbon.org/

The Co-op is Hiring!

The co-op isn't just a great place to shop its also an awesome place to work!

Right now the co-op is hiring for a Produce Assistant Manager position. You will be assisting our Produce Manager in ensuring an organized and smoothly-run Produce Department, including ordering, pricing and inventory control. You will also be assisting in motivating produce staff and providing produce staff with all the tools necessary for ensuring the highest level of service possible to our shoppers. As needed, you will assist in obtaining all department objectives for sales, margin and labor.

A good candidate for the position: already possesses some retail experience, a plus if it is in the produce industry; customer service experience; initiative; an ability to work well without supervision; knowledge of natural/organic foods & cooperatives. 40 hours, is willing to work a flexible schedule; evenings and weekends.

Check our website for more info on perks and benefits!

Upcoming Community Events

Did you know that the co-op has a Community Events page on our website that features local Santa Monica and surrounding area happenings? Well we do, and we even update it every once in a while. Check it out!

www.coopportunity.com

OMG we're so hip!

Exciting news. Have you ever found that you just need more co-op? Well good news for people who like frequent news because the co-op now has a Twitter page!

Find us at: http://twitter.com/Coopportunity get up to the minute updates.

Does anyone think there is something weird about getting a Twitter account and being so excited that you just had to put it on your blog right away? Talk about the information age...

Tell Mars and Hershey's to sign the Non-GM Beet Sugar Registry

As a Valentine to Consumers, 73 Companies Pledge Not to Use Sugar from Monsanto's Roundup Ready Sugar Beets - Tell Hershey's and Mars to Sign!

Today the Center for Food Safety, along with environmental and corporate watchdog groups, launched the Non-Genetically Modified (GM) Beet Sugar Registry, documenting commitments from over seventy grocery chains and food producers including Organic Valley not to use or sell GM beet sugar. This call to halt the introduction of GM sugar beets into the food supply comes on the heels of public outcry over mercury contamination of our nation's dominant sweetener - high fructose corn syrup - and on the eve of the year's sweetest holiday - Valentine's Day.

By signing on to the Registry, companies:
* Pledge to not support the introduction of sugar from GM sugar beets;
* Pledge to avoid, wherever possible, using GM beet sugar in their products;
* Pledge to ask the sugar beet industry to not introduce GM beet sugar into our nation's food supply

Companies have rejected GM sugar beets not only because they have not been proven safe but also because the EPA had increased allowable levels of herbicide residues on GM sugar beet roots by up to 5,000 percent when USDA approved the crop for planting. This action was taken at the request of Monsanto, the sole manufacturer of GM Roundup Ready sugar beets. Extracted from the roots of the GM sugar beet plant, this type of sugar will be used in processed food and sold, unlabeled, to consumers beginning this year. The Registry website is a place where people can go to identify and support those companies that choose to publicly renounce the use of GM beet sugar.

In 2001, Hershey's and Mars announced that they would not use GM beet sugar, but both companies have been noticeably silent on the issue ever since. Members like you have sent more than a hundred thousand letters to food companies asking them to publicly refuse to use GM sugar in their products - let's tell Hershey's and M&M Mars to show us the love this year!

Tell Hershey's and Mars to Kiss GM Sugar Goodbye! Send your Valentine to Hershey's and Mars urging the companies to publicly reject the use of GM sugar in their chocolates and other sweets.

To learn more visit truefoodnow.org

To see a list of companies see: www.seedsofdeception.com

Eggs! It's what for dinner...

If you eat breakfast for dinner that it. Turns out that eating eggs is a-okay, new research has confirmed that limiting egg consumption has little to do with you cholesterol levels. Check it out the article.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7882850.stm?lss

Chocolate Love!

Hi Everyone! Just to let you know that we have all kind of delicious organic fair trade and natural Chocolate available here at the store including:

Chocolove - in a variety of flavors

Just $1.69

Happy Tuesday

Hey check this out! The Green Gadgets Design Competition is underway at www.greenergadgets.com! Go check it out and vote to help them select 10 products for live judging at the Greener Gadgets Conference in New York City on February 27th, 2009. Some really great ideas there...

Love Your Co-op? Show It! NCGA Hosts Nationwide "My Co-op Rocks" Video Contest

IOWA CITY, IOWA (February 2, 2008) - Lights, camera...arugula! This spring, National Cooperative Grocers Association (NCGA) invites individuals and groups to submit short, up-to-2-minute videos in the My Co-op Rocks Video Contest, a nationwide contest where co-op fans get to share the reasons their co-op rocks. Submissions will be accepted online beginning March 1 at www.MyCoopRocks.coop with $3,500 in prizes to be awarded to the best videos in "people's choice" and "judges' choice" categories.

My Co-op Rocks Video Contest is NCGA's first contest that asks co-op shoppers across the country to share their favorite co-op moments, memories and stories online. NCGA is hosting the contest in celebration of all the qualities and quirks that make co-ops integral parts of communities.

"No matter the times or economic environment, shoppers remain passionate about co-op grocers and the sense of community that they inspire," said Robynn Shrader, chief executive officer for NCGA. "Everyone loves their local co-op for different reasons; this contest provides an opportunity for shoppers to tell us in their own words."

Whether shooting with a cell phone or in high-definition digital video, all skill levels are welcome to shoot, edit and submit their "Top 10" video or create a video with an original co-op-related theme. Participants are encouraged to unleash their sense of humor and creativity.

Once posted, videos will be viewed and voted on by the general public with prizes awarded to the top three "people's choice" entries. A panel of judges will also score entries based on creativity, theme, and overall appeal, with prizes awarded to the top three "judges' choice" entries. The deadline for submissions and online voting is 11:59 p.m. CST on April 17.

Suggested themes include:

* Top 10 reasons I love my co-op
* Top 10 foods at the co-op
* Top 10 funniest sights at my co-op
* Top 10 ways to get a date at the co-op
* Top 10 reasons to become a co-op member
* Top 10 reasons why shopping at a co-op is just better


Prizes to be awarded include MacBooks, $500 gift cards to an NCGA member co-op, and digital video cameras.

For the official rules or to enter the contest, visit www.MyCoopRocks.coop.

About NCGA
National Cooperative Grocers Association (NCGA), founded in 1999, is a business services cooperative for consumer-owned food co-ops located throughout the United States. NCGA is owned by 111 food co-ops operating more than 130 stores in 32 states with combined annual sales of over $1 billion. NCGA helps unify natural food co-ops in order to optimize operational and marketing resources, strengthen purchasing power, and ultimately offer more value to natural food co-op shoppers everywhere. For a map of co-op member locations, visit www.ncga.coop/member-stores. To learn more about NCGA, click here. To learn more about co-ops visit www.go.coop.

USDA Gives Preliminary Approval to New Pesticide-Promoting GE Corn Variety

From the Center for Food Safety: "USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has given preliminary approval to the first of a new generation of pesticide-promoting, genetically engineered crops designed to survive spraying with multiple herbicides. This GE corn variety was developed by DuPont subsidiary Pioneer Hi-Bred International to tolerate applications of glyphosate (the active ingredient in Roundup) and acetolactate synthase-inhibiting herbicides (ALS inhibitors). This latest petition to deregulate a new, untested, and complex GE crop poses food safety, environmental, and agronomic concerns that were not adequately evaluated by the Bush Administration's USDA."

To read more about this and to take action please visit the Center for Food Safety website at: http://ga3.org/campaign/PioneerCorn