April 2019 Honest Slate by Honest Weight Food Co-op

Honest

SLATE

How Honest Slate was born To comply with HWFC Bylaws, the Board of Directors mandated the Communications Committee to come up with a name and logo for a new Membership newsletter in early 2018 in the event that the Board and another official newsletter candidate could not agree on an effective, pre-publication Membership accountability structure. (Every Member-Owner is accountable to the Co-op for the sake of fairness and, legally, for our protection.) Comm Comm conceived and was approved to use the name “Honest Slate.”

Slate has several meanings. It can

be a rock, or foundation; a list of topics or agenda; or a roster of candidates. It can also imply a fresh start, as in “clean slate.” Since there already exists a publication with that word, we needed to tack on a descriptive word. “Honest” came naturally; as a news source we need to be factual, accurate and transparent. While the Board charged the committee with the responsibility to create and develop Honest Slate—always in progress— we do not represent the Board in any way aside from printing governance and committee-related news. We stand for the Membership and also strive to reach the greater Honest Weight community—Staff, shoppers and all who make the Co-op successful. Some of you may wonder, “Why do we need Honest Slate when we have the Coop Scoop?” The Coop Scoop is, in its current iteration, a public-facing marketing and educational tool. It serves to introduce the reader to our store, with no assumption of prior knowledge regarding cooperatives,

honestslate@honestweight.coop

HWFC’s community newsletter

april 2019

Published monthly by the Communications Committee to promote transparency, report without bias, and sustain community among Membership • Staff • Management • Governance Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Avenue, Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 honestslate@honestweight.coop • https://www.honestweight.coop/

membership, or Honest Weight’s history. A team of Member-Owners writes articles, edits and designs the bimonthly Coop Scoop magazine with guidance from Honest Weight’s Marketing Department. In it, you’ll find vendor profiles, recipes, human interest stories, profiles on local organizations, book reviews, mission-based work updates, a kids’ page, and even occasional poetry; and it is distributed throughout the Capital District. Governance-related coverage would not be appropriate in the Coop Scoop. In Honest Slate ’s short existence thus far, we have received consistent, thoughtful articles and feedback from department and general managers, fellow committees, Board members and M-O’s. We collect and consider feedback from shoppers and try to help connect the dots between the public and operations from our own small corner. But our main goal is to nurture the unique community that is Honest Weight by providing a means of communication at the next level, too—to engage you who have questions, perceptions, opinions and struggles. We know much needs to be said. Thus we reach out periodically to encourage readership, inform you of opportunities to participate, and invite dialog. Last month we introduced a readership survey. It is still open—see page 8. We want to be responsive and enliven our pages with the power to transform as well as inform. How would the newsletter best work for you?

share the word and let your Co-op

colleagues and friends know that we are here; and that all are welcome to write letters, ask questions or suggest articles at any time by emailing honestslate@honestweight.coop. This is the place to air qualms and kudos alike, so bring it on! —Janet Sorell and Carol Ostrow

environment

committee

HELP NEEDED Members with expertise in Solar Energy Systems If you have these skills and are interested in being on this committee,

PLEASE CONTACT TRACY FRISCH at tracy.frisch@gmail.com

•CONTENTS• Streamlining Recycling ............. 2-3 Departments Shrink Wrap .......... 4 HWFC Intros Eco-Commuting!..... 5 Do We Owe You? ........................ 5 Not JUST Egg .............................. 5 From the Board........................... 6 Committee Corner ...................... 7 Board Decisions .......................... 8 Slate Reader Survey .................... 8 Earth Month News & Calendar ..... 9 Q&A/Suggestion Box................. 10 Governance Workshop Recap...... 11 MO News/Membership Mtg..... 12 Coffeehouse News..................... 13 Run for the Board...................... 14

“Governance determines policy; Management implements policy.” —see page 11

https://www.honestweight.coop/

Honest Slate

April 2019

Undoing the Crisis created by Single Stream Recycling By Tracy Frisch, Environment Committee Chair

Recycling can be a source of wealth and jobs and greatly reduces greenhouse gases. When reuse or refusal isn’t possible, recycling is a good way to avoid the use of virgin resources, whether from forests, minerals or petroleum. According to a Tellus Institute study, if the U.S. recycling rate reached 75 percent, recycling would reduce carbon emissions equivalent to removing 50 million cars from U.S. roads each year while also creating a net 2.3 million domestic jobs! But what will it take to get our society to achieve that goal?

At the January Membership meeting, at the request of the Environment Committee, Honest Weight Member-Owners voted to add Zero Waste language to our Co-op’s Statements of Conscience. Since then, in response to EC recommendations, Honest Weight management has begun offering customers the option of buying coffee and soup in reusable mugs for in-store consumption in place of throwaway single-use cups. (Their lining with a thin plastic coating renders them un-recyclable.) Now you will get a discount at the cash register when you purchase hot coffee in a reusable mug. These are significant actions toward changing customer habits and stopping the wasting of resources with single-use disposables, such as cups, containers and tableware (forks, spoons and knives). But looking at the bigger picture, I find that our ability to make progress toward Zero Waste at Honest Weight is constrained by the city of Albany’s waste policies and services and inadequate local infrastructure for effective recycling and composting. In this article, I consider the relationship between single-stream recycling and the untapped potential of recycling. And I ask the question: Does single-stream recycling help or hurt our efforts to move toward the goal of Zero Waste? How much waste do we make and how much do we recycle? The amount of waste generated per capita in the U.S. is on the rise. Each American now produces nearly 5 pounds of waste per day. That is 4.5 percent more than we produced in 2010. According to the most recent EPA data, the nation’s recycling rate has been hovering around only 35 percent of what’s possible to recycle. That figure came out before China’s recent decision to ban imports of certain types of recyclables. China established the ban to protect itself from the high levels of unrecyclable waste that imports of recyclables often contain. Since then, it’s gotten much harder to unload recyclables from single-stream programs in the U.S. Why is single-stream recycling so contaminated? In a memorable statement in their article published in August 2018 by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, “Single Stream Recycling: Explaining the Waste-Knot,” Neil Seldman and Bob Gedert com-

Did you know that design for disposability has only been around for about 70 years? Prior to that time, few products were manufactured to be immediately discarded. Plastic shopping bags, excess packaging, and single-use cups, plates, and tableware are examples of disposability by design. municate the problem beautifully: “Single-stream recycling has given households another garbage can, only this one is contaminated with recyclables that have to be recovered through ever more expensive MRF1 technology.” Single-stream recycling cannot function without expensive, dangerous2 sorting facilities as an intermediary step. Studies find that in dual3-stream recycling systems, people put an average of 2 or 3 percent non-recyclables in their recycling bins. With single-stream, the contamination rate rises to a whopping 15 to 27 percent! The sale of recyclables used to be a big source of revenue for recycling programs and brokers, but single-stream contamination has helped destroy that important income stream. I found widespread agreement on this point in the dozen diverse sources that I read as background for this article. The lower cost of collection single-stream has been a big selling point for cities and towns, but cost savings have now been wiped out on the other end. Municipalities are being hit with steep new costs for sorting their excessively contaminated single-stream recyclables. Sierra Processing now charges the city of Albany $400,000 a year for sorting its recyclables. (Did you know that Waste Connections, the third largest vertically integrated waste services corporation in the U.S., owns the Sierra processing plant in Albany, and that Honest Weight contracts with Republic Services, the second-largest waste corporation in the country, to take our recyclables there?) Continued on page 3

1The abbreviation MRF stands for material recovery facility, the term for sorting plants where different types of co-mingled recyclables are separated for re-processing in smelters, paper mills, plastic plants and glass factories. 2

The Times Union reported that last December a temp worker named Hendrik Werkman was killed at Sierra Processing in Albany after being pulled into a conveyor belt. (Sierra uses a temp agency called LeadPoint to employ temp workers for doing the most dangerous jobs there— hand-sorting materials rolling past them on conveyor belts.) 3

Dual-stream programs collect paper and cardboard separately from metal cans and plastic and glass jugs, bottles and jars.

Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Ave. Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 • https://www.honestweight.coop/ honestslate@honestweight.coop

Honest Slate

April 2019

Single Stream...

Continued from page 2

Taking responsibility to stop wish-cycling As a long-time Zero Waste enthusiast, it is not my intention to discourage anyone from recycling. Nor am I blaming you or others for mistakes that you may make in sorting your discards into recyclables, trash, and organics. But I do encourage you to take a few minutes to educate yourself about what is acceptable in each category. It’s up to each of us to act responsibly. Wish-cycling—the well-meaning act of putting things into recycling because you wish them to be recyclable—compounds the out-of-control problem of contamination in recyclables. Since wish-cycling undermines recycling, if uncertain that an item is recyclable, it is better to put it in the trash than to “recycle” something that could contaminate a load of recyclables. And dirty containers containing food, beverages, or other substances should never be put in recycling until they are cleaned. Empty them first and then rinse them out well.

We need to advocate an upstream solution… Addressing waste with upstream solutions In our throwaway consumer society, waste proliferates because we have not forced the industries that generate it to take legal responsibility for their mess. Waste is an externality. As with other types of pollution, taxpayers and residents have to bear the cost. If producers were made to be responsible, do you think they’d be so cavalier about generating excess packaging waste and other unnecesary trash? Or would they persist in manufacturing so many types of plastics, with all different capacities to be recycled, even though they are difficult or even impossible to tell apart? We need to advocate an upstream solution that would prevent anything that quickly turns into waste from being produced in the first place. Purity gives recyclables their value

It’s the purity of a load of recyclables that gives recyclables value for recycling. By purity I mean a bale of just clean newspaper or only of aluminum cans or nothing but clear number 2 plastic containers, such as milk jugs.

While single-stream usually increases gross recycling rates at the collection end, that’s meaningless if a smaller portion of recyclables actually gets reprocessed. Since the quality of materials collected is greatly inferior to dual-stream recycling, much more of the stuff collected ends up discarded as waste due to contamination, whether it’s thrown away here or in countries in the Global South that import wealthier countries’ recyclables. In the absence of hard data (municipalities don’t get data from the far-flung countries where sorted loads of recyclables are sent to report to the EPA), we can credibly assume that not all single-stream recyclables get reprocessed, given the rampant problems with contamination. As sorting costs for single-stream rise—and market opportunities to sell recyclables decline—some municipalities are deciding to send recyclables to a landfill or incinerator and to discontinue collection. Such was the case recently in Philadelphia, and in Fort Edward, NY.

Let’s rethink our municipal recycling systems. Rather than heaping blame on China for its embargo on contaminated recyclables, Seldman and Gedert characterize China’s action as “a much needed wakeup call for cities and recyclers.” For them, it serves as the missing feedback we need to spur changes to our failing systems. Let’s listen to that feedback and rethink our municipal recycling systems. Seldman and Gedert report that big waste corporations blame the public for not recycling correctly. But in their view, single-stream is the cause for our confusion. Since recycling represents less than 10 percent of these waste service corporations’ business and recycling is less profitable than waste disposal, these firms haven’t felt the need to put more resources into educating their customers. Instead these waste corporations have led the race to the bottom, leading to poor quality, contaminated recyclables that cannot find a paying market.

Recyclables ... should not be construed as waste. A first step in making change will be understanding recyclables as a resource, rather than as waste.

Why did we fall for single-stream recycling and what is the fallout?

Seldman calls on communities to take back control of their recyclables. He doesn’t think we will be able turn the corner until we start understanding recyclables as the important resource and source of jobs and wealth that they could be. Indeed why are municipalities giving away their recyclables to large corporations whose mission is turning a profit by disposing of waste? The bottom line is that recyclables have value and should not be construed as waste. In the “Waste Knot” article Seldman offers guidance on how towns and cities can regain local control of their recyclables. From there, municipalities will be able to make better choices for residents, workers, and the planet. As the former president of the nonprofit Institute for Local Self-Reliance in Washington, DC, Seldman is available to assist communities around the U.S.

Single-stream recycling was sold to residents and municipal governments as a cheaper, more convenient way of collecting recyclables. In their Waste Knot article, Seldman and Gedert explain how a couple of decades ago large waste corporations used the convenience and savings of collecting single-stream recycling as selling points to further consolidate their waste businesses.

Contact me for a list of pertinent articles available online. The Environment Committee welcomes your talent and energy, whether as a new committee member or an ally. I can also suggest a couple of ways that you can participate in organized Zero Waste efforts locally outside of the Co-op. Email me at tracy.frisch@gmail.com or call my landline, 518-692-8242.

Why would a manufacturing facility accept glass for reprocessing when it’s mixed up with plastics? What a mess! Similarly recycled paper mills can’t deal well with loads of post consumer paper contaminated with glass shards, water bottles, and bits of metal. You get the picture.

Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Ave. Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 • https://www.honestweight.coop/ honestslate@honestweight.coop

Scoring ibig in sustainaibility,

Honest Weight recently revealed its latest incentive for shrinking plastic use by promoting reusable containers and specialty products— acquired in a joint effort between the Cheese & Specialty and Mercantile Departments.

April 2019

Honest Slate

Shrinking In Cheese & Specialty

Plastic use

Honest Slate spoke with C&S Manager Linda Donegan and Mercantile’s Emily Collins about their Departments’ mutual plan to improve sustainable packaging at the Co-op—and how information about the change will reach shoppers. Starting April 8, customers can bring their own containers to purchase most cheeses and take advantage of new storage products. “The goal in the Cheese Department is to be environmentally friendly by reducing the quantity of [plastic] cheese wrap,” Linda told Honest Slate. “We will encourage customers to bring their own containers or reuse beeswax cloth.” Where can shoppers find beeswax cloth? According to Emily, products are now sold in Aisle 4 (see photo) under the brand name Bees Wrap and will soon be displayed prominently on the slat wall directly across from Cheese & Specialty.* As with weighed products in bulk, produce, wellness or food services customers will be directed to obtain tare weight for homebrought containers at the Front End service desk (not in the Cheese Department itself). “Mercantile is providing containers so we’ll cross-merchandise cloth and earth-friendly silicone containers that you just wash out and reuse,” said Linda, adding that the idea is for customers to come in and do the usual tare weight at the Front End, whether using cheese cloth, jars or containers to put cheese into.

Shared Plan Arrives With Earth Month As of April 8, shoppers can buy cheese using home-brought containers.

“The key is that the customer must wait for cutting [as opposed to picking up pre-cut portions] but we’ll be prepared for that. We won’t make people wait for us to cut a 40-lb block of cheese; we will have them ready to work with in manageable sizes.” Since more customers will be new to the process. the department is also expecting help from Director of Operations Stephen Quickenton to prioritize presentation. A little over, a little under With the new system, the department expects more shoppers to request custom cutting and wants shoppers to know that wedges or chunks may vary by a few increments when weighed—but that “we’ll get as close as we can…if they want one pound, for example.” Look for a display coming soon featuring more reusable products. As part of the cross-merchandising plan, Honest Weight now carries Stasher brand silicone ziplock-style bags, also located in Aisle 4. “They’re amazing,” Emily said. “You can freeze, cook and store in them.” —Carol Ostrow *For more information on these new products, visit https://www. beeswrap.com/pages/q-a and https://www.stasherbag.com/. Made by a Vermont company as an alternative to plastic, reusable “Bee’s Wrap” can be found in aisle 4.

Customers should be aware that it may not work for softer cheeses like brie, which can get messy. If in doubt, ask C&S associates for help deciding the best way to package your purchase. “The whole goal is, when cutting the cheese, to cut back on the amount of wrap being used,” Linda stated. “We can’t get away from that 100% because with paper, the customer can’t see the product. We’ll encourage customers to use paper but they can ask for their preference.” The new system also depends on preliminary packaging methods for different cheeses. Cheddars, gruyeres, manchego, blue cheese and goudas, for example, work well because they do not come in prepackaged units, Linda explained. If a cheese portion comes already prepackaged, the department will sell it as prepared rather than duplicate wrapping materials; customers also have the option of requesting cheese cut fresh to order to avoid plastic altogether.

Clear Stasher bags will be available in the Cheese & Specialty Department.

Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Ave. Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 • https://www.honestweight.coop/ honestslate@honestweight.coop

Unclaimed

Funds

The Co-op has money waiting

for a number of individuals who we cannot find. If you or anyone you know appears on the following list, the Finance Department urges you to contact the Co-op at your earliest convenience at:

finance@honestweight.coop. Timothy J Cowper Eva Foitzik Elizabeth Yoquint Elias Saifan Gillian Eastwood Druis Beasley Mark Pranys Nishi Beharry Maria Kuhsel Lauren Holden Daren Zal

Honest Slate

April 2019

Kimberly Truitt Shavon Taylor Lily Ringler Joseph Gietl Ras Vance Cathey Kennedy Estelle Fach Theresa Haman Susan Fuss Dan Spillman

Why Why HWFC HWFC No No Longer Longer Stocks Stocks

JUST Egg… JUST Egg is a self-proclaimed “egg-free, Non-GMO, Just for all, Plant-based scramble”—a vegan egg substitute using mung bean protein as a base, proving yet again that you don’t actually have to break a few eggs to make an omelet. According to the company’s website, JUST Egg is already distributed on multiple continents and is receiving a huge push in the

HWFC Launches Eco-Commuting! Member-Owners:

looking for ways to help the environment and collaborate in making room in the community? Here’s your chance! On April 2 the Board approved a six-month trial for an Eco-Commuter proposal to give time credits to Member-Owners who commute to their shift at the Co-op by riding a bike, using CDTA, or walking. It’s our way of saying thank you for contributing to the Co-op’s Statements of Conscience on supporting environmentally sound practices—and a timely attempt to improve our parking situation, with decreasing space available on surrounding streets for car parking while we are at the Co-op for our shifts. The program will work like this: Member-Owners planning to participate in the Eco-Commuter program will fill out a preliminary sign up form. When they sign-in for their Co-op shift they’ll see a pop-up screen asking if they if they walked or used a bike or bus to commute to their shift that day. Each Eco-Commuter will then click yes or no. Have no fear about confusion: People who do not sign up for the Eco-Commuter program will not see that pop-up screen upon check-in. For each Eco-commute logged, participants will receive .25 hour of time credit and hours will add up—but with a maximum of 1 hour monthly and 12 yearly. The time credit isn’t the only thing you’ll be gaining. You’ll be freeing up parking around the Co-op and helping reduce our carbon footprint as well! Contact memberservices@ honestweight.coop for details and to sign up. —Yevette Buddeau

US this year as a few national grocers have committed to carry it. The idea of a nonegg egg is alluring for more than just vegans. Egg is one of the top 8 allergens listed by the FDA. It’s no surprise that a number of Honest Weight shoppers have requested that HWFC carry JUST Egg; and, at one point, it did make it onto the shelves. In February, I saw a picture of JUST Egg sitting near a box of liquid egg whites. However, when I made it to its spot in person, the shelf was empty. This would not be surprising for something that might be a popular new product, but there wasn’t even a tag for the item. According to the Grocery Department, JUST Egg was pulled from shelves after someone noticed that the product conflicted with the Food & Product Manual (F&PM).

According to the JUST Egg website, the product contains Potassium Sorbate, which is on the F&PM’s “HWFC will not knowingly sell” list. However, customers still have the option to purchase JUST Egg at HWFC. The F&PM section on Special Orders allows for ordering products which may not “meet the standards in our Manual.” Special orders can be made through each department and are usually a whole case of the item ordered (JUST Egg can be ordered through the Grocery Department.) If you are unsure which department your product would fall under, contact the service desk. “It is worth noting that the product often goes out of stock at our distributors due to its popularity,” adds Grocery Manager Alex Mytelka. —Avery Cotton

Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Ave. Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 • https://www.honestweight.coop/ honestslate@honestweight.coop

Honest Slate

From the Board

Every April, Member-Owners have the opportunity to set the course of the Co-op we own by electing fellow Member-Owners to serve as Directors on the Board of Directors. Next month, we will choose six new Directors. The types of decisions the Board makes Carolynn Presser cover all aspects of the Co-op’s functions: photo by Drea Leanza how we treat each other as co-Owners, how we behave as employers, how we function as a business, how we treat our planet as consumers and stewards, and how we treat local farmers and vendors who rely on us to be a reputable marketplace. In what direction do you want our Board to lead your business? Over forty years ago, Honest Weight was established with the bedrock principle that Owners who invest their time in the store they own have the right and privilege to run the operations of the store and are the ultimate authority in setting the policies and principles under which Honest Weight functions. That fundamental vision is embodied in Bylaw 330.1: “The Membership has ultimate authority and responsibility regarding the operation of HWFC. The Membership may delegate authority to the Board and Management. Such delegation shall be specific and all residual authority shall remain with the Membership.” Every Member-Owner and Staff Member-Owner has the power and ability to influence and affect policy because they have direct access to the Board and Membership through Member-Owner items on the Board’s agenda and via the petition process.

CALL FOR ART The Honest Arts Committee is now accepting painting, drawing, prints, photography and mixed media entries for GREEN. Contact us for instructions and send in your entries by:

Monday, April 8, 2019 Complete entry instructions are available by emailing us at

HonestArtsCommittee@honestweight.coop.

April 2019

What does a “co-op” represent to you? How do you want your values to be reflected in the business policies of the Co-op that you own? Do you want your Co-op to continue to reflect the bedrock principle on which Honest Weight was founded—that Member-Owners retain the authority to set the polices regarding what we sell, how we sell what we sell, and how we manifest our values in how we treat our Employees? Or do you want to cede more active and values-driven Member-Owner authority to a contrasting structure whereby Member-Owners’ authority is limited to making only policy governance decisions, and instead Management is vested with the ultimate authority in how policy is implemented and how, if at all, Co-op values are reflected in those policy decisions? Policy governance results in a business vastly different from the Honest Weight Food Co-op that we’ve toiled together to build and create over the past forty-plus years. A little over three years ago, Member-Owners overwhelmingly rejected the idea of policy governance for Honest Weight. In reaffirming Member-Owners as the ultimate authority at Honest Weight, what did Member-Owners reject? Co-ops run under policy governance may be called “co-ops,” but they are distinctly different from what we at Honest Weight have come to understand the nature of a co-op to be. Stores operating under policy governance tend to share common features: no Member-Owners invest time in operati ons or in governance; only paid Staff interact with customers and run store operations; corporate growth occurs for growth’s sake; Member-Owners make no decisions beyond an advisory vote on a budget formulated by Management without Member-Owner input; neither Member-Owners nor Staff get any meaningful discounts at time of purchase; Member-Owners may get 10-15% off purchases of the day on two or three ‘Owner Days’ per year; and Member-Owners may receive a negligible annual dividend check based on each Member-Owners’ total annual purchases (for example, a family who spent $7000 in one year at a store run with policy governance received a dividend check of $170. Another family who spent $650 in one year at the same store received a dividend check of $1.80.). At the end of this month, Member-Owners once again will have the important opportunity to direct the future direction and the very nature of our Co-op. What direction do you want the Board to lead us in? Are you casting your votes for candidates who are committed to your vision? Are you casting your votes for candidates who are willing to take the time and make the effort to contribute to a Coop that meets your vision and expectations? As you review Board Candidates’ applications and attend Meet the Candidates sessions, keep in mind the important decisions that the Board must make, and evaluate each candidate’s application and skills, as well as the depth and breadth of their HWFC experience, with those decisions in mind. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of each of us as co-Owners to ask questions of Board candidates that provide insights into their vision and talents for the Co-op we own, because our votes will determine the nature of the Board—and Co-op—we deserve. —Carolynn Presser

Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Ave. Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 • https://www.honestweight.coop/ honestslate@honestweight.coop

COMMITTEE CORNER: Monthly HWFC Meeting Summaries

by Stephanie Conde

This article includes a summary of preliminary committee reports submitted to the Board of Directors for the April 2, 2019 Board meeting. See the Board meeting packet for details. Committee reports are available on the HWFC website upon Board approval. Sales and Fiscal Performance •For the eight months ending Feb. 28, 2019, Ordinary Income decreased 4% and Net Income increased 50% compared to the same period in 2018. ○ Sales were up 3.8%; Costs of Goods were up 3.6%; and Overall Gross Profit was up 4.1% at $107,436 or 1.4% over budgeted $7,456,812. ○ Expenses were up $326,938 or 5% to $6,855,813 v. 6,528,875 last year; or $2,363 over budget Finance Committee (FC) •Submitted a living wage proposal to the BOD with a two-year phase-in and contingent upon HWFC being able to meet its debt covenants in future years. Governance Review Council (GRC) •Per Member-Owner request, will examine HWFC contract procedures and policy related to service performed as time investment versus service contracted for payment. •Reviewed GRC meeting rules of conduct. •Will change Feb. report to BOD’s recommended language to describe newly-elected BOD members as “serv[ing] per election by the Membership” rather than “pending.” Elected BOD members serve unless and until deemed ineligible by NYSLA. •Will explore which version of the Employee Manual new employees receive; what updates existing employees receive; and HR’s use of bulletin boards to share changes. •Discussed confidential information contained in the Historical Document Archives; as an open body, GRC cannot archive this material and will revisit responsibility for this information. •Discussed Bylaws Panel decisions. Bylaws Panel (BP) •Reviewed BOD’s request for clarification of “supervisory employee” in Bylaw 410.3(c). BP recommends including the

Honest Slate

April 2019

National Labor Relations Act definition of “supervisor” in 410.3(c). “…the term “supervisor” means any individual having authority, in the interest of the employer, to hire, transfer, suspend, lay off, recall, promote, discharge, assign, reward, or discipline other employees, or responsibly to direct them, or to adjust their grievances, or effectively to recommend such action, if in connection with the foregoing the exercise of such authority is not of a merely routine or clerical nature, but requires the use of independent judgment.” and listing job titles that meet these criteria in the Employee Manual. •Discussed concerns regarding a petition proposing to increase the limit of employees concurrently serving on the BOD from two to three in Bylaw 410.3(b). The BP requested the BOD include information (in the Notice for the April Membership meeting and on the HWFC website) about why the BP and BOD proposed the two-employee limit in Sept.-Oct. 2016. Personnel Committee (PC) • Continues revising the disciplinary process contained in the Employee Manual. Communications Committee (CC) •Requests 30 minutes at the June Membership Meeting to present its research on current and potential publishing platforms and to survey the Membership on preferences for newsletter format. •BOD will consider proposed additional Honest Slate funding for FY 2018/19 and FY 2019/20. Membership Committee (MC) •Positive feedback on Open Mic—Coffee House; placed a want ad for new members; continues to discuss possibilities for Membership engagement events; revising Member-Owner Manual and will hold feedback sessions.

•Requested time at April General Membership Meeting to announce need for additional members and provide information on Member-Owner Manual revisions. Elections and Nominations Committee (ENC) •Discussed the Apr. 28 BOD election timeline and tasks. •Fillable electronic nomination form on HWFC website since Mar. 22. •BOD Governance Initiative workshop: ENC’s workshop held on Mar. 21. Will post the presenter’s (Evelyn Wright) slides on HWFC website. Nutrition and Education Committee (NEC) •Requested permission to provide hours to non-NEC members to help with GMOs and out-of-compliance products research. •Forwarded Member-Owner inquiry regarding elevated heavy metals in some fruit juices to Management to determine if HWFC sells any of these fruit juice products. Environment Committee (EC) •Will submit workplan to BOD for approval at the April meeting. •Developing a zero waste workshop curriculum for Member-Owners. •Awaiting Management to find a contractor to collect post-consumer café organics to compost. Working on signage for recycling and composting bins. Requests recycling and organics bins in the Teaching Kitchen and Community Room. Honest Arts Committee (HAC) •The Roots/Routes Show opened in March. •Discussed ways to improve entry form and expand the call for upcoming shows, including galleries and college art departments and use of social media (Facebook and Instagram). •The theme for the HAC’s next juried show is “green” and will be in the Gallery between Apr. 8 and Apr. 22. •Recommends installing practitioner room quilt opposite the juice bar above the monthly calendar so it can be seen by more people. Full Committee Reports

Full Committee reports are routinely posted on the HWFC website once approved by the Board.

Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Ave. Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 • https://www.honestweight.coop/ honestslate@honestweight.coop

Honest Slate

reader

SURVEY

Our survey from March is still open because we want to hear as many new voices as possible. If you haven’t yet done so, take a moment to tell us what you want to see in future issues.

Click here to take the survey. 3. How useful do you find the content?

1. How often do you read Honest Slate?

• Very • Somewhat • Not at all Comments:

• Every month • Occasionally • I haven’t yet Comments:

2. How do you access Honest Slate?

4. What content have you found to be most valuable?

• e-mail • website • hard-copy in Co-op • N/A Comments:

5. What content would you like to see included in Honest Slate?

Comments:

6. Any additional feedback?

2a. If reading online:

Comments:

• I like the current electronic format (reads like a newspaper) & find it easy to read • I like the current electronic format but find it challenging to navigate • I do not like the current electronic format • I prefer an electronic format but not as currently displayed Comments:

Suibmissions Policy Maximum length for contributions is 500 words unless otherwise requested. Material is published at the discretion of the Honest Slate team; only signed work is accepted; items are subject to editing for length, grammar and style.

We will consider unsolicited material including letters to the editors but encourage individuals submit article ideas or outlines before writing. Spontaneously submitted articles are not guaranteed to earn time investment or acceptance for publication and are subject to the same editing practices as assigned work.

Any articles deemed controversial in nature shall be reviewed before publishing. Writers must substantiate claims with facts and avoid inflammatory language. Articles regarded as harmful to individuals will be returned to the writer for non-personal rephrasing.

NOTE: Letters to the Editors are welcome any time and do not require approval. Contact Honest Slate with questions, comments or suggestions: honestslate@honestweight.coop.

april contriibutors Avery Cotton Linda Donegan Susan Flack Tracy Frisch



Congratulations…for leading the people you have gathered to make the Honest Slate monthly publication a most definite success! I look forward to future issues. —Joan LaChappelle

Articles relating to HWFC policies and practices will be referred to the appropriate individual or body prior to publication.

We welcome articles & contributions.

Deanna Beyer Yevette Buddeau Emily Collins Stephanie Conde

• letter to the editors



Kim Fujioka Elisa Grimm Joan LaChapelle Lorraine Orsini

Carol Ostrow Carolynn Presser Stephen Quickenton Janet Sorell

April 2019

Board Meeting Decisions HWFC’s Board of Directors approved the following at the 6 p.m. Board Meeting April 2, 2018:

•The Member-Owner Coordinator was asked to develop and promote an eco-commuter program to reward Member-Owners who take public transport, walk, or bike to the Co-op to fulfill their time investment at .25 time investment hours per eco-friendly trip to the Co-op with a maximum accrual of 1 hour per month. •The 2019-2020 work plan of the Environment Committee was approved. •The Board approved funds for contracted production and layout of the Communications Committee newsletter, Honest Slate, through the end of FY 2019/20 at the rate of $1000 per month. •The Notice to the Membership of the April 28 Regular Membership Meeting, to take place at the Albany Ramada, was edited and approved pending addition of statements regarding the Bylaws Revision Petition. •Finance Committee living wage recommendation was approved. •Five hours were added to the Personnel Committee work plan to provide for a note taker. •The HR Recruitment & Retention Specialist position is to be included as part of the Identity-based team.

Statement of Purpose: Honest Slate is a platform for HWFC Membership, Staff, Management, and Governance: promoting transparency, reporting news without bias, and sustaining community. Articles in Honest Slate are for informational purposes and are not intended to diagnose or treat disease. Opinions expressed in Honest Slate do not necessarily represent the views or policies of Honest Slate or Honest Weight Food Co-op. All contents ©2019 Honest Weight Food Co-op; any material appearing in Honest Slate may not be reproduced in any form without the express written consent of HWFC.

Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Ave. Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 • https://www.honestweight.coop/ honestslate@honestweight.coop

April Earth Month Events at Honest Weight

Honest Weight Earth Month Plan

AY IS EART D H Y

Sunday

Y DA

AT HONEST WEIGHT!

EVE

Honest Slate

April 2019

Monday

Tuesday Wednesday Thursday

All are welcome to join us for these special Earth Month classes and events:

Thur. Apr. 11 • 6-7:30 p.m. • Bulk 210: Techniques for Zero Waste Household Management with Tom Sun. Apr. 14 • 12-4 p.m. • E-recycling

E-recycling

EA R

21 22

DAYOGATH TH

FUNDRAISER

Saturday

Dirty Rice! 6-7:30 p.m.

24 Coffee 25

Sustainable Zero Waste Surf-n-Turf Household Management

Wildflowers!

Wed. Apr. 10 • 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. • Sustainable Surf-n-Turf with LenKu & Josh

See article at left for exact times.

Making decisions with consideration for environmental impact is part of our mission, and we strive to satisfy a triple bottom line of People, Planet, Profit. During the month of April, we will celebrate the Earth and take the opportunity to educate and encourage eco-friendly behaviors.

Sat. Apr. 6 • 6-7:30 p.m. • Dirty Rice! Zero Waste Bulk Cooking Class with Justin

Friday

Body Scrub SOIL SALE

Vegan Soups

HONEST WEIGHT

Soil Testing Bike Workshops So Many Seeds!

(nominal fees may apply for certain items—see details at www.honestweight.coop/earthday)

Wed. Apr. 17 • 12:30-1:30 p.m. • Wildflowers! Presentation by Linda Ford

Mon. Apr. 22 • 6-7 p.m. • Earthdayogathon fundraiser to benefit Protect Our Breasts Wed. Apr. 24 • 12:30-1:30 p.m. • DIY Coffee Body Scrub with Seriously Spotless

EVERY

Saturday April 27 11 am-2 pm • Cornell Cooperative Extension Soil Testing ($3 fee) • 12-5 p.m. • Albany Bike Rescue Workshop • 1-4 p.m. • So Many Seeds! Planting/ Seed Pod Making Event for Kids • 5-6 p.m. • Albany Bike Rescue Safety Clinic •

Sun. Apr. 28 • 12:30-2:30 p.m. • Detoxifying Vegan Soups Cooking Class Apr. 22-27 • Organic McEnroe Soil on sale! All Month • Demos, sampling events, and sales on eco-friendly producers and vendors See Honestweight.coop/earthday for details, including a full list of acceptable electronic waste for April 14th’s recycling event.

Look for these events throughout April and in the upcoming year! For updates and all the details, visit:

HonestWeight.coop/EarthDay • Earthdayogathon in support of Protect Our Breasts • Fabric Collection • Green Giveaways • E-Waste Recycling • Soil Testing • Zero Waste Classes • Albany Bike Rescue Repair Workshop + Safety Class • Seedling and Seed Blossoms Workshop for kids

Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Ave. Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 • https://www.honestweight.coop/ honestslate@honestweight.coop

Q &A From the Suggestion Box Don’t see your comment here? Check the bulletin board in the café. Q: Salt free-corn chips A: We stock “Garden of Eatin” No salt-added Blue corn ships in aisle #3 above the “Red Hot Blues.” Is there a different brand that you prefer? Q: Please carry “Malk” in the dairy—a refrigerated non-dairy milk. It’s delish, unsweetened, gum-free, and very clean—only 3 ingredients. Thank you!  A: We carry two varieties of Malk in our cooler, stocked on the shelf above “Good Karma” and below “Silk” Almond milk. Q: Have you considered adding fish sauce to bulk?  Also does rice fettuccini = pad thai noodles? 

Honest Slate A: We had not thought about fish sauce in bulk up to now. We have not seen it offered by any of our bulk distributors but we will keep our eyes open. You may find rice fettucini an acceptable substitute for pad thai. Q: Tea seed oil for cooking as well as for skin. (Organic cold please.) This is a 2nd request. Reply was never put on bulletin board. Thank you. Q: Tea seed oil sounds like the best thing for cooking or anywhere you use olive oil. Of course organic is best. A: Thank you for letting us know about this unique specialty item. Your requests are the first we’ve received. We’ll monitor demand and will continue to research availability and how it may fit into our selection. Do you recommend a particular brand? Q: Please sell bulk/loose spinach + spring mix greens! That’d be fantastic! A: For food safety reasons we are reluctant to offer bulk spinach and greens. We offer heads of lettuce with only a twist tie as packaging. To minimize food waste, we’ve found bagging to be the best approach.

April 2019 Q: www.facebook.com/eteereusables Try E-Tee Food Wrap. It’s very good to replace Plastic Wrap. Could be a good companion to the product we have. A: Have you tried out Bees Wrap? We have it available in the Cheese Department and also in Aisle 4 above the pizza stones. We have 3 varieties. [See article, page 4.] Q: Many of us folks medically need “lower carb” goods i.e. breads; tortilla; pita, etc. It’d be great!!! Thanks. A: We carry a number of “lower carb” foods throughout the store. You may find some breads that will suit your needs in our freezer case. We stock “riced cauliflower” by Cascadian Farms in our freezer. You may find that an acceptable substitute ingredient in some recipes. We also have frozen pizza crusts using cauliflower made by “Live Life on the Veg” on sale. Q: Two requests for Steve’s Paleogoods PaleoKrunch Original Grainless Granola Bars: Please add to inventory. A: We’ve ordered some Steve’s Paleogoods bars. Thanks for letting us know about it.

STORE SUGGESTIONS Q: Please please give us a women’s bathroom. Otherwise we always have to use men’s room—pee on seat + floor. A: We made the switch to gender neutral lavatories over a year ago. We take pride in the cleanliness of our bathrooms. If they need attention, please let us know immediately. They are cleaned every hour.

PREPARED FOOD Q: Meat & butter on breakfast bar for Paleo/Primal/Carnivore folks. A: Butter is available at the deli counter at all times. We’ll incorporate meat in recipes but cannot offer meat as a stand-alone option for pricing reasons.

Q: Bought reusable produce bags that have the tare weight in ounces; perhaps it would be helpful to have a conversion chart into the digital pounds at the checkouts so I don’t have to Google it every time A: Please bring your reusable bag to the service desk and they will place a tare weight sticker on it. It is store policy to have all reusable containers weighed and inspected at the service desk.

Q: At the bakery counter, please ask “For here or to go?” and place orders for here on a reusable plate. A: We now offer reusable mugs at the coffee bar and soup station. We currently have no room behind the counter for plates. Please feel free to bring a plate from the food bar to the bakery counter for your bakery selection.

Q: At the bulk Kombucha stand are 2 PLU codes, one for original and one for flavored, but there’s no original. Why not just remove that code? A: Thank you for pointing this out. We’ve found that the original flavor Aqua Vitae to be the slowest seller and we have no plans to stock it anymore. We’ll correct our sign to reflect our change.

Q: Please, please, please make the chocolate Guinness cake again! Thanks, and let me know so I can come and buy it. A: We’re glad you like it and thanks for letting us know! We will be making chocolate Guinness cake again periodically.

EMPLOYEE COMPLIMENTS Q: David Aube is wonderful! this Store is lucky to have him here!!! A: Thanks for letting us know! We also think David is wonderful and are happy to have him on staff. Q: Gent in Produce is super knowledgeable, great! Justin[is] a pleasure to deal with. A: We’re glad to hear that! Thanks for letting us know.

Q: More pineapple sage pork in deli! ♥ A: We’re glad you liked it! Thanks for letting us know. We’ll work on having more pork dishes in the service case. Q: At the hot bar: Gluten-free options appear to be kept toward the right. At the far right, there are gluten-containing rolls. Could the rolls be placed elsewhere? A: We do our best to avoid cross-contamination on the bar. Please bear in mind that we are not a true gluten-free facility.

Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Ave. Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 • https://www.honestweight.coop/ honestslate@honestweight.coop

April 2019

Honest Slate

Co-op Governance Workshop: What Does Our Board Do, Anyway? by Kim Fujioka What is the Co-op Board’s purpose? To whom do Board members answer? The March 21 workshop “Co-op Governance Workshop: What Does Our Board Do, Anyway?” answered these questions and much more.

ond round of “Whose job is this?” wherein attendees met to answer the same questions as earlier but at a deeper level, answering how the job gets done within HWFC’s governance and management structure.

M-O Evelyn Wright, who answered the Elections and Nominations Committee’s call for a workshop leader, began with an informative slide presentation on the Co-op’s infrastructure and respective roles/responsibilities for Membership, Management and the Board.

Groups were also challenged to identify the policy associated with specific management jobs. The assumption was that workshop attendees learned more about Co-op roles and responsibilities having watched the slide presentation and engaged in lively small group discussions.

Participants experienced an interactive workshop as well as gaining information. A game entitled “Whose Job is this?” allowed workshop attendees to test their knowledge of Co-op job roles and responsibilities. Players broke into groups of 2-4 to answer nine questions such as “Who decides what cheeses the Co-op carries?” and “Who sets the employee wages?” The questions stumped most people, revealing that roles and responsibilities are not always clear. Board members highlighted this at length during the workshop’s wrap-up panel discussion. Evelyn highlighted points while entertaining participants’ questions; one slide focused on the Board’s legal duties as follows: Duty of care: act in good faith in the best interests of the organization Duty of diligence: exercise in a diligent manner. Duty of obedience: make sure the organization fulfills its mission Duty of loyalty: avoid conflicts of interest Warren elaborated specifically on duty of diligence, citing as examples doing research and reading reports to understand each topic more fully—ultimately to arrive at conscientious decisions and informed answers. Also of interest was the seemingly conflicting agendas of governance and management. Evelyn directed our attention to slides stating that the role of governance is to determine policy while that of management is to implement policies. A bold slide reading: “Do the right things (established by governance) vs. Do things right (established by Management)” led to a sec-

•Rita Nolan (chair), Mollie Lampi, Karen Roth, and Lieta Washington of the ENC did a stellar job organizing. •Marketing and the MOC did a great job getting the word out. •This workshop drew 17 non-Board or committee-related attendees. •Board members present included Warren Hamilton and Janet Sorell and Board Administrator Tyler Varese.

The workshop’s final segment was the panel discussion with Board members Warren during this segment: why a person would Hamilton and Janet Sorell; and Board Ad- become a member of the Board, and what ministrator Tyler Varese. One topic covered they liked about being on the Board. was how the Board makes decisions. “What I like best is to step up to a big chalWarren explained that they sometimes lenge and solve problems,” stated Warren, get complaints from Owners and Employ- explaining that the Board deals with mulees. They decide what needs to be accom- tiple issues simultaneously; and that each plished within a limited budget and time issue or problem is multilayered, involving constraints. “Nothing is clean,” said Warren interaction with many people with varied of decision-making. “We all find an efficient viewpoints. way with the diverse input we get.” This goes back to the legal responsibility of Janet chimed in specifically on the Policy due diligence. How are requests prioritized? Governance Model, which demands strict “According to health, safety and then to adherence by Boards to certain practices like make the workers happy,” Warren respond“speaking with one voice” and which virtual- ed. Janet enjoys being on the Board because ly eliminates Membership participation. she likes “learning a lot [and] working with people on solving problems.” She identified the pitfalls of such a model as taking policy-making power away from “More important, we were also asked why the Membership and putting it solely in the someone would want to run,” Janet added. Board’s hands. While policy governance has “We both said, basically, to help the Co-op successfully been used by non-profit organi- thrive and to make it a better place for Ownzations, it has proven devastating to Co-ops ers and Staff.” that have—or have lost—Membership rights similar to ours. In conclusion, the workshop was both informative and surprising in that it revealed how Honest Weight in effect decided not to sub- little we understand the actual roles and scribe to this governance model at its Nov. responsibilities of the governance structure 2015 Special Membership Meeting. Hence, at Honest Weight Food Co-op. Let’s go back Owners can express their concerns, be to the beginning: To whom do Co-op Board heard, and influence major decisions. And members answer? The Membership. There“Bylaws are not clear cut; they can’t be,” said fore, Membership awareness of governance Janet; so even something as inviolable as a roles and responsibilities/structure is critical bylaw can be altered by a Member-Owner or to Honest Weight’s democratic process so Owner who petitions the Membership. that we can capably respond: not only to hold Board members accountable but also Attendees asked Board members numer- to ensure that Membership’s needs are fully ous questions about their duties and roles represented.

Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Ave. Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 • https://www.honestweight.coop/ honestslate@honestweight.coop

Honest Slate

April 2019

Care to Memiber-Owner Announcements & Opportunities

share?

APRIL

Interested in Joining the HWFC Team as an Employee? Check Out Our Employment Page Don’t miss out on the chance to vote at our Membership meeting this month! Please note we have some changes for this meeting and we want to all help to make sure we all know: The meeting will be held at the Ramada Plaza across from the Co-op on Watervliet Ave Extension. Before the meeting, the Meet the Candidates session and the Dessert Potluck will be held in the Co-op Community Room from 5 pm until 5:45 pm. For the meeting time of 6 p.m., we are all asked to park our cars at the Ramada while we’re at the Ramada for the Meeting. For those staff and MO’s who are on the clock at the Co-op and will be popping over to the Ramada for some portion of the meeting, please cross the street at the crosswalk at the corner of Watervliet Ave and Watervliet Ave Ext. (right next to the Co-op) and then walk on the sidewalk to the Ramada on the North side of Watervliet Ave Ext. For questions about eligibility or details about the Membership meeting, contact Yevette at MemberServices@ honestweight.coop. Other news for Member-Owners: Keep your eyes open for opportunities to help with Earth Month activities, Springtime outdoor help, gardens and plants, and café attendant duties! Reach out to Yevette at Member Services for all inquiries.

Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Ave. Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 • https://www.honestweight.coop/ honestslate@honestweight.coop

April 2019

Honest Slate

Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Ave. Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 • https://www.honestweight.coop/ honestslate@honestweight.coop

Honest Slate

April 2019

Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Ave. Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 • https://www.honestweight.coop/ honestslate@honestweight.coop