Honest
SLATE
Honest Weight Food Co-op’s Community Newsletter for Membership • Staff • Governance • Management Published monthly by the Communications Committee to promote transparency, report without bias, and sustain community.
June 2O21
Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Avenue, Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667
honestslate@honestweight.coop • https://www.honestweight.coop/
Voting Results from May’s Remote MemBership Meeting We were happy to have 140 Member-Owners join us at HWFC’s May 23 Remote Membership Meeting. Results were as follows: • Resolve that we adopt the proposed budget for July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022. 119 valid ballots were cast by MemberOwners (MOs) present. 118 MOs approved the proposed budget. 1 MO rejected the proposed budget. The proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2022 was approved. Thank you to all who joined us and helped to make this meeting a success! —The Board of Directors Please note: data recorded from “nonconfidential” votes by phone or Survey Monkey were used only for May 2021’s voting/counting and will not be “data mined” or used for any other purpose.
Highlights Running any business is
challenging, and “rules are changing fast” nowadays; but CCO Rick Mausert, who is retiring this fall, stated that he believes his successor will be comfortable with this budget in place. Rick presented a thorough overview of Honest Weight’s financial picture in preparation for the Membership vote to approve next year’s (FY 2021–22) budget. Describing the now-approved budget as conservative, Rick presented an overall financial picture of the Fiscal Year ending June 30, 2021, recapped highlights from 2020–21, and along with CFO Erin Martin, shared perspective on HWFC’s long-term goals and probabilities.
honestslate@honestweight.coop
“Covid has made this an interesting year financially,” Rick said. “The budget reflects our best thinking.” MOs praised Rick’s presence and availability during his 5-year tenure as CCO. “Having management on the floor is nice,” said one participant. Erin offered perspective on our financial picture. Stressing that we want to remain conservative even after debts are paid down (many of which were incurred with the move to our new building 8 years ago), she advised all not to allow a lack of loans to “become a free-for-all. We want to remain fiscally responsible, build for the future, and still be thinking long-term.” Board President Janet Sorell acknowledged that the Board has discussed long term planning with both Rick and Erin. “It’s certainly on our radar. Covid threw a wrench in everything but we want to address it sooner rather than later,” she said. What’s happening now? Food Services is picking up • Café reopens June 7.
What’s new? • HWFC is now support-
)
ing public transit via ads to appear soon on local bus shelters •All kinds of Co-op “merch” are available for purchase at the front desk—including a T-shirt supporting Soul Fire Farm that “will be coveted throughout the building.”
Immediate plans • EnviroTokens pro-
gram ends Aug. 21, when we kick off a new version of community support with a rounding-up program at checkout (see “Up for Change” on page 3). • Marijuana is not part of the budget. • Maria College food service program will feature a soft opening in early August followed by a live opening at month’s end.
Comments on Maria College ranged from Rick’s appraisal as “a very low risk project that won’t drain our finances” to an MO’s idea that “students could [even] research the impact of good food! It will be a wonderful change.” Money allocated for this project is in the current budget; sales will not show up until next year’s budget.
Short-term goals also include continu-
ing to strengthen community connections in hopes of returning to previous engagement levels by early fall • expanding MO discount options (i.e., increasing coupon eligibility—not our savings percentage).
Long-term plans include seeing our
EBITDA* (*Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization) decrease substantially, placing Honest Weight in a better financial place. See page 3 for more Meeting Highlights.
CONTENTS Book Group Notes ‘n Quotes..... 2 Come to the BBQ!..................... 3 Got Vegan Burgers?................... 4 Soil-grown vs. Hydroponics....... 5 Q&A............................................6 June Board Decisions..................7 Committee Corner......................8 Co-Opportunities....................... 8 https://www.honestweight.coop/
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Honest Slate
Book Group Notes ‘n’ Quotes May’s selection: Cannibals with Forks: The Triple Bottom Line of 21st Century Business
Permaculture. Zero waste. Fair labor practices. Sustainability oversight. B corps. HWFC’s future. All these are just the tip of the iceberg. We were warned that this book was dense (“a tough assignment”), but that failed to deter Member-Owners (MOs) gathering for the Membership Committee’s third bimonthly reading group book discussion on May 13 in partnership with the Finance Committee. After coining the phrase “triple bottom line” circa 1994 to denote people, planet, and profit in a threefold approach to sustainability, author John Elkington wrote Cannibals with Forks in 1997. In accounting and everyday usage, “bottom line” refers to profit or loss. In his book, Elkington voiced the philosophy Honest Weight aims to embrace, supporting: •People, the social equity bottom line: organizational, individual, and community needs •Planet, the environmental bottom line: reduce, reuse, recycle •Profit, the economic bottom line: sales and growth People, Planet, Profit: the 3Ps Host Cara Benson asked Finance Committee (FC) member Erin Martin what inspired her to suggest this book for discussion. “I felt it was important for folks to understand the origin [of the 3P approach],” Erin responded. “The book is more focused on big business…One thing that struck me was that I’d lived through seeing big business getting outed in the media for unfair practices and the profound impact consumers were able to have.” Erin described how, some years ago, her increasing awareness of the origin and pro-
by Carol Ostrow
duction of consumer goods steered her toward business sustainability. “It got me thinking about corporate responsibility,” she shared, adding that this then led her to gravitate toward her position as Honest Weight’s CFO. “There’s no real framework for the 3Ps, but it influences decisions on what comes across my desk,” Erin said. “We have the luxury of being able to view our decisions through this lens.” Recognizing that the concept may be new to some, Erin recalled an MO with a traditional business background joining the FC the same year in which HWFC initiated its living wage program for employees—and being surprised at the new committee member’s perceived erosion of net profit numbers. It was explained that we are committed to donating 5% of our profits to charity annually thanks to our mission-based approach.
“We were willing to adjust our bottom line for the 3Ps.” All-Inclusive Equation For HWFC, the “people” in 3Ps refers not only to employees but extends to our Member-Owners/Owners, vendors, and community—even the bankers who facilitated building this store, and in no special order of priority, as the 3Ps are all equal. To spur longevity awareness, the book mentions “the 300-year plan.” How do we maintain and grow business responsibly? One way is to plant trees outside community spaces, one attendee suggested, so that in 300 years the timber can be used to replace aging wood beams. “Seventh generation” stewardship encourages the current generation of humans to live and work for the benefit of seven generations into the future, a concept believed to have originated with the Iroquois. One distinction between the book and our day-to-day focus is that of scope. Elkington writes of measuring impact globally whereas we at Honest Weight tend to concentrate on local impact.
June 2021 “Don’t extract from the earth more than you can replenish.” Conversation referenced local B corps which align with the 3Ps in sustainability practices. B corporations choose to improve social and environmental performance via certification. Troy-based 1st Playable Productions, creating educational material for kids, is one local such business. HWFC could choose to become B certified. Sustainability is part of our mission. In a gesture perfectly timed with the Coop’s recently announced campaign to recycle glass more sustainably, the Environment Committee (EC) has proposed a book called Can I Recycle This? for July, looking into issues of cross-contamination, breakage, and other aspects of single stream recycling— often dubbed “wish-cycling” to denote discrepancies between what we think can be recycled and what works for the system. How do we move toward zero waste? By reusing waste to help the environment and benefit people, and also profit, some businesses have already managed to achieve all three pillars of the 3Ps. “[Big] companies kept getting better at practicing zero waste,” said an MO, citing Xerox Corporation as an example. “We could do the same.” Readers can check HWFC’s FY 2019–2020 Annual Report (AR) for information on our sustainability practices. The most recent AR covers composting, plastic bags saved, our EnviroTokens program, etc., with narrative and supporting data.
“In biology there is no waste, but in the world of industrial production there’s toxicity,” said one attendee. Some companies call it “zero landfill” and burn waste at a high risk of releasing toxins such as carbon and neonicotinoids into the atmosphere. Our EC has contacted a Bellingham, WA coop regarding its employment of a full-time sustainability coordinator and is working on an HWFC sustainability manual. It was agreed that we should commit to practices that meet the needs of the present without compromising the needs of the future. It’s hard to get people to think longterm, but we ought to ensure that Honest continued on page 3
Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Ave. Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 • https://www.honestweight.coop/ • honestslate@honestweight.coop
June 2021
Book Group
Meeting Highlights
continued from page 2
continued from page 1
Weight is around to celebrate its 80th anniversary. It was noted that more concern has been expressed about current conditions (such as wages) than about longevity issues. Collaborative Leadership Discussion circled to include management, specifically the recent decision made by our Board of Directors to continue our current management structure pending the retirement of our CCO, Rick Mausert, this fall. Participants expressed a desire to see the Co-op become a more democratic workplace. “Someone has to make the tough calls,” Erin said, calling HWFC the most collaborative workplace she’s ever been involved with. Others concurred. While the idea of a 5-person leadership team was appealing, participants honored the conclusion based on efficiency (not delaying decisions) and, ultimately, accountability. “It’s nice to divide responsibility but we need a leader,” said one, while another stated: “As a member of a cooperative I support what the group decided.” Fostering Communication “Book group is where we can have conversations that are theoretical [about the book] and also where the rubber meets the road for progress at the Co-op,” said Cara. Finally, any qualms about the book’s accessibility were put to rest with an MO’s final appraisal: “It was dense visually but easy to read with sidebars and highlights,” he said, praising the “leanness of prose, precision of content, and readability.” And despite its originating over 20 years ago, it was deemed “still contemporaneous and relevant.” What’s Next: Titles & Partnering Committees
July: Can I Recycle This?
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Honest Slate
by Jennie Romer
with the Environment Committee (EC) Sept.: Mindful of Race: Transforming Racism from the Inside Out by Ruth King with the Anti-Racism Committee (ARC) see page 7 for log-in information.
The group is also interested in finding a good book about democracy in the workplace.
May’s Membership Meeting provided not only clarification, but also a natural forum for attendees to openly express their gratitude for management’s leadership. Many expressed appreciation for Rick’s work at this meeting—Rick’s last as CCO—citing accomplishments over the past 5 years.
“You helped us make it through the toughest year possible.” Pleased to hear participants chime in and share best wishes, Slate editors reflected on the discussion’s personal touch. “It made it even sadder that he’s leaving because he’s such a perfect fit,” stated a team member. “A number of comments reflected a consensus of feelings about him.”
“The Board, staff, and MOs took time to thank Rick, almost jostling each other for the opportunity.”
What?
BBQ!
Who? All of Us! When? June 10
Our annual Employee & MO BBQ is on the horizon! Mark your calendar for Thursday, June 10. Join us at one of two sessions: 11:30am–1:30pm or 4:30pm–6:30pm. You can enter raffles to win amazing prizes (some require attendance while others automatically enter employees), plus loads of tasty food. Please plan on attending: it’s always nice to spend some time outside together enjoying ourselves. Employees will get a free T-shirt! We have a tent in case of rain, but we’re hoping for sunshine and blue skies. Hope to see you there! —Morgaen Hansen
In-Store News So Long, Customer Counting COVID guidelines are changing. New York State removed indoor capacity limits as of May 19. Following state guidelines, the Coop will no longer count the number of customers in the store.
Indoor Dining Returns! We plan to re-open the Café’s indoor seating area June 7 with some key changes. • Long tables in the center will still be there, but rather than seating diners, they’ll have merchandise and serve as a space buffer. • Small tables will be spaced along the edges of the room with 4 chairs per table. • Room capacity will be 25 diners at any time with a 30-minute time limit for those eating indoors.
Up for Change? During May 23’s Membership Meeting presentation, one slide showed the pesticide commercially known as “RoundUp” in reference to naming our next checkout fundraising campaign—as in rounding up purchases to the next whole dollar amount. This left some MOs wondering about the picture’s context. It was then revealed that the idea of HWFC using that title was meant to be a joke. Marketing Director Alex Mytelka concurred, saying that “the product Roundup is just about the most anti-co-op thing out there.” Readers can submit name ideas for the new program until July 1 (with zero possibility of using the word “roundup”) via this link: tinyurl.com/hwfcroundup “We’ve had over 50 name submissions/ votes via the online form so far, and a handful more via email and people stopping me in the aisles!” Alex reported. The form is the best method, but folks can also email Alex, Katie, or Amy at:
AlexM@honestweight.coop; katie@honestweight.coop; or amy@honestweight.coop.
Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Ave. Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 • https://www.honestweight.coop/ • honestslate@honestweight.coop
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Honest Slate
Vegan Burgers by Susan Andrews First in a series on alternative meat [aka “cultivated protein”], a significant and rapidly evolving topic. This introduction is not meant to be conclusive. It is my hope to encourage your own investigation. I fell down a rabbit hole recently. I was so moved by David Attenborough’s latest documentary (A Life on Our Planet, which I highly recommend), I decided that I really needed to step up my current personal strategies to address my carbon footprint, and make some additional changes. I honestly feel I’ve done a relatively good job at curbing my energy consumption and waste stream, but there is so much more to do!
Each year, a single cow will belch about 220 pounds of methane. Add this all up with concerns about animal welfare and the health consequences of eating meat, and you have a compelling argument to reassess meat consumption. According to the Mayo Clinic, people who eat red meat are at an increased risk of dying from heart disease, stroke, or diabetes.
So I opted to address my meat consumption. I feel that this is something that is manageable for me, and measurable. Honestly, it has been on my radar for some time now. Ultimately, I’d like to eliminate meat; but if I could make a significant reduction, that would be great, for me and for the environment. Baby steps. Meat consumption is a large contributor to many environmental problems. First, there are issues with water. Livestock farming contributes significantly to water pollution in the form of substances like pesticides, metals, and hormones. In addition, a significant amount of clean water goes to animal production, and clean drinking water is scarce in many areas around the world, including the United States. Second, huge amounts of land must be used to raise livestock and to grow feed for those animals. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), livestock production is the world’s largest user of land resources. And then there is methane. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, able to absorb far more heat than carbon dioxide.
I was surprised to find that one of the biggest areas out there in regard to curbing meat consumption is around the idea of meat alternatives. A meat alternative is something that approximates certain qualities of meat-like texture, flavor, and appearance or has the chemical characteristics of meat. Meat substitutes can be dairy based (such as paneer), fungi derived (mushrooms), fruit based (like jackfruit or coconut), legume based (tofu, tempeh, soy pulp), and “other” (meat that is produced by in vitro cell culture of animal cells). Yes, cell grown meat, or cultured meat. Cell grown meat is a form of cellular agriculture.
Vegetarian burgers are now a fixture at fast-food restaurants.
June 2021
HWFC carries several brands of meat alternatives. As a meat eater, I never considered trying an alternative until now. Interestingly, meat alternatives have been around for some time, and they have grown significantly in the past few years into a mainstream phenomenon. Plant-based alternatives such as vegetarian burgers are now a fixture at fast-food restaurants around the world, and, believe it or not, there is a significant market for cultured meat. You can order cultured meats in many restaurants around the world. In addition to its beneficial impact on human health, switching to plantbased diets could make a real contribution to the efforts to combat climate change. It is difficult to quantify the specific greenhouse gas savings because it depends on numerous scenarios, but research released by the University of Michigan and Tulane University found that replacing 50% of animal products with plant-based foods in the United States could prevent more than 1.6 billion tons of greenhouse gas pollution by 2030. If beef consumption were reduced by 90% alongside the 50% reduction in other animal products, it would prevent more than 2 billion tons of greenhouse gas pollution annually. That’s roughly equivalent to taking nearly half the world’s cars off the roads for a year.
The planet cannot continue to support billions of meat-eaters. For those who find giving up meat challenging, alternative meat products could make the transition easier. In A Life on Our Planet, Attenborough urges people to cut back on meat eating to save species from extinction and produce more food. He stresses that we must change our diet; Earth can’t support billions of meat-eaters. The true tragedy of our time is still unfolding, Attenborough added: the loss of biodiversity. Stay tuned for more on this topic.
Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Ave. Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 • https://www.honestweight.coop/ • honestslate@honestweight.coop
June 2021
Honest Slate
5
Food for Thought New Rules for Organic Produce by Rebekah Rice, Nutrition and Education Committee
Many Honest Weight Food Co-op shoppers choose to buy organic produce, for a variety of reasons. We may choose organic to avoid toxic sprays (herbicides and pesticides) for our health, out of concern for insects and birds, or to protect clean water. If you choose organic produce out of your concern for soil life as a part of the whole environment, this article was written for you. Back when the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) was created, the intention was to build healthy soil and organic matter to support the entire ecosystem. The requirements for soil building if one grows in soil are still in place, as is the list of prohibited substances, but something very surprising happened in the last few years without many people noticing. After many years of intensive lobbying by industrial growers to allow hydroponics to be called organic, and multiple rounds of voting against that on the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), and a 2016 report created for NOP regarding hydroponic, bioponic, and aquaponic growing practices that concluded that hydroponic practices were NOT acceptable while bioponic and aquaponic practices are acceptable, a very slight majority of NOSB board members voted in favor of allowing it. The Center for Food Safety (CFS) and a number of respected organic farmers who formed a group now called the Real Organic Project (ROP) challenged the USDA decision to allow hydroponics to be sold as “organic.” On March 22, 2021, a federal judge in California decided to uphold the USDA’s decision. No additional labeling is required, so buyers and customers in the US no longer know whether “organic” produce was grown in soil. It may interest you to know that Canada does not allow hydroponically grown “organic” produce to be sold as organic in Canada. If you care about this and want to avoid hydroponically grown produce, labels to
look for include “Real Organic Project” and “Demeter,” both of which follow or exceed the organic standards and don’t allow hydroponics. When available, greens at Honest Weight are locally produced in soil by Slack Hollow or Miller’s Crossing. Out of season greens are largely sourced from Lady Moon (Real Organic Project). Produce Manager Brendan Kelly has no reliable way to find out whether most non-local organic produce was grown hydroponically as producers and distributors “have no responsibility to be transparent about hydroponic production. Distributors do not know. And, because of subcontracting, large brands may not even really know.” Brendan noted that it seems probable that non-local organic tomatoes are the most likely organic category to be grown hydroponically. “Some items are explicitly labeled as hydroponic, e.g., watercress, [and] this is usually true for brands or operations which want to be identified with hydroponics as a distinction from conventional alternatives,” he stated. Several sources online indicated that the majority of blueberries and strawberries are being grown hydroponically—however, there really is no way to know if that’s factual. Brendan thinks it’s unlikely the array of small brand and East Coast berry producers on Honest Weight’s shelves are utilizing hydroponic systems, but added, “long term, it does seem that Driscoll believes in a soilless future. Their long-term goals internally speak to tabletop container-based ‘farms’ beneath covered structures (and eventually even robotic pickers) completing a vision for Driscoll in which all variables are under maximum control. Truly dystopian stuff.” So what is organic about hydroponically grown berries, tomatoes, or leafy greens? No, they were not sprayed with pesticides or herbicides, but they may have been grown in an artificially lit warehouse, and have certainly not been grown in soil. There are rules about the substrate* on
which they may be grown—most frequently coir is used (coconut husk fiber, which is a renewable resource) either floated in a plastic foam board or contained in plastic pots or piping. Ground rock soil amendments** don’t work in hydroponic systems because they cannot become bioavailable in the absence of soil microorganisms. I looked in the organic standards for any indication of requirements for the contents of the liquid, and there don’t yet seem to be any! Several international companies produce products that they claim are compatible with NOP standards, just a couple of which are actually OMRI certified (which is the certification organic growers must meet for purchased products for soil amendments or pest control). As a soil-based farmer, my admiration for the soil food web is undeniable. The assistance of the many identified (and presumably also many as yet unknown) microorganisms that contribute to making nutrients bioavailable for maximum flavor and nutrition in fruits and vegetables is magnificent. These processes are also carried out to some degree in bioponic and aquaponic farming, as noted in the hydroponic report. For all three liquid-based farming methods, there is a reliance on pumps, on frequent testing, on plastics for the tanks and pipes, and on buying in substrates. They all tend to have quite a high carbon footprint (particularly if dependent on artificial lighting), which has been highlighted by ROP as a matter for concern. All these liquid-based methods actually use less water than soil farming, which is one of the major benefits. If land has become too contaminated to grow in (with lead or mercontinued on page 6 *Substrate: specific to hydroponics; instead of using soil, the roots are surrounded by fiber, ceramic bits, or other materials that allow them to spread out and suck up the liquid.
**Amendments: specific to soil farming; you
feed the soil in order to allow the microorganisms in the soil to feed the plants.
Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Ave. Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 • https://www.honestweight.coop/ • honestslate@honestweight.coop
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June 2021
Honest Slate Q: The Tuna Mac salad has been great lately. Thank you for following the longtime recipe with peas + parsley added. A: We’re glad that you like our Tuna Mac.
A: The digital clock there now was one that we had on hand when the old clock broke. We will replace the clock with one that is easier to read.
Q: Lid saver device does not work for dispensing coffee lids. Promotes waste, does not save any lids. A: This is the first that we’ve heard about that. We’ll keep an eye on it.
Q: Please, please make a stuffed bread w/o meat? Like a caprese or something? Thanks for considering it!...Actually, you did it! Buffalo Cauliflower. Thanks Deli!! J A: You’re welcome! We had a lot of fun doing that and we hope to feature it as a special in the future.
Q: The Co-op’s restrooms are the cleanest anywhere and always! Thanks! A: Thanks for noticing and thanks for taking the time to write about it.
Q: Please order more than the current amt. of sourdough rye bread from Bread Alone. You always run out! A: We will request that they bring us more. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.
Q: Coffee from the café is always spot-on! Delicious & a wonderful burst of caffeine. J A: Thank you so much! We use about 5–6 coffee vendors in our team effort to get you caffeine.
Q: We love Dominick’s Sauce...However, you do not carry Dominick’s Pizza Sauce which is also excellent. It’s local! Thanks! A: We’ll look into fitting Dominick’s Pizza Sauce to our selection.
Q: Staff in Food Services were hustling & organized. Great workers, great service, great food! A: Thanks for recognizing our team’s efforts!
Suggestion Box
Q&A
The Pie I cannot Eat
Q: Can you please start selling gluten free cherry pie by the ½ pie? Takes me too long to eat a whole one. Thx so much. A: We have no plans to offer ½ pies on a regular basis. As our production process allows, we may offer ½ pies on occasion in the future. [Editor’s note: some pies can be frozen.] Q: Can you let members know how to make suggestions + where answers appear? A: You have succeeded in the first part with your inquiry. Some answers are published in Honest Slate. We plan on reopening the café in early summer and answers will again be posted on our bulletin board. Q: Can you carry Fruition Seeds Fish and Kelp Emulsion? A: We have no plans to order Fruition soil amendments at this time. Look for Fish and Kelp Emulsion at www.fruitionseeds.com. Q: A cookout for the people who work here. A: We are planning a barbecue for employees and MOs on June 10. See page 3! Q. Will Nitro Cold Brew return? A. Unfortunately it will not return. Sorry.
Q: Honest Weight used to carry Carla Lee’s Nut Tacos, but they are no longer here. Can we get them back or another kind, pretty please? Thank you! A: Carla Lee’s has been discontinued. We’ll watch for it to return or for a suitable substitute to become available. Q: Can someone make more Basil + Red Pepper Chicken Sausage? It’s good. A: We’re glad you like it! It’s one of our more popular flavors. We try to keep it available on a weekly or biweekly basis. Q: Please include all natural collars for dogs & not just for cats, please. A: We’ve been unable to find a natural collar for dogs offered by any of our suppliers. Q: What happened to the organic green grapes you carried in January? Best I ever had and none since have come close. A: We’re glad you liked them. The season for grapes will be starting up again soon. Q: Really like that new guy in the Deli (Gaylon maybe?). He remembers what I like. Awesome. J A: Thanks for recognizing Galen’s efforts. Q: I miss the face clock over the suggestion board in the café. It was easier to read than the digital clock.
Q. Longer tongs for back of the salad bar, PLEASE. Had my face pressed against the sneeze guard to reach. Please don’t tell me to ask for help. Just get longer tongs...ongoing complaint by other customers also. A. We try to keep the small 3" tongs in the front and 6" in the back. We’ve found that the 9" tongs fall over and touch other food with the hinge end, thus resulting in contamination. Q. SOBA Noodles are back! & the watermelon daikon are very nice. A. We’re glad you like them! Thanks! We plan on adding more noodle varieties in the near future.
food for thought continued from page 5 cury or long-lasting herbicides or pesticides) it actually might be a better option for local food production than a soil-based farm. If having a wall growing system brings people back into contact with the food they will harvest and eat, great! (But spare me the pump maintenance and constant testing.) I’m concerned that independent technical articles haven’t been published comparing the nutrient density of hydroponic produce to soil-based organic produce. I wish there was much more transparency about what hydroponic growers are feeding their plants. And I especially think that if farmers are proudly growing hydroponically they should want to label that as such, the same as I think that if farmers are growing GM (genetically modified) crops they should want to label those. HWFC does not provide medical advice. Please check with a health care practitioner before treating any condition. See page 7 for all policies and full disclaimer.
Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Ave. Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 • https://www.honestweight.coop/ • honestslate@honestweight.coop
June 2021
• On-site committee meetings are suspended until the next meeting of the Board of Directors.
Board Decisions The HWFC Board of Directors approved the following at the 6pm June 1 Board Meeting:
• The Nominating and Voting Guide submitted by the Elections and Nominations Committee was approved. • The Nutrition and Education Committee 2021-2022 work plan was approved.
• Member-Owners investing time on the floor or in admin from June 1 until the next • The Paid and Unpaid Leave policy in the meeting of the Board of Directors are to re- Employee Manual was updated. ceive one-and-a-half (1.5) hours for each • Jack Mahoney was elected Treasurer. hour of time invested. • A resolution to add Jack Mahoney as a signatory to HWFC accounts was approved.
Member-Owners: 1.5 time investment credit continues until the July 6 Board meeting. We’re so glad to see everyone who is able to come in; thanks for your help and stay safe! See MO Opportunities, page 8.
• The Board approved, until the next meeting of the Board of Directors, Employees who are not absent due to COVID-19 related reasons may access sick time accruals without the need to supply a doctor’s note other than for compliance with applicable laws and regulations. • Extend until the next meeting of the Board of Directors the suspension of the one-year service requirement and the requirement for a doctor’s note for those with a personal illness to use the Leave Transfer Bank Policy with the modification that FFCRA eligible Employees are not eligible for the Leave Transfer Policy.
• The Graphic Designer and Marketing Coordinator job description was approved. • Reporting Personnel Issues policy was approved for addition in the Employee Manual. • Committee Liaison assignments are: · Anti-Racism Committee: Warren Hamilton · Communications Committee: Janet Sorell · Elections and Nominations Committee: Avery Cotton · Environment Committee: Mollie Lampi · Finance Committee: Jack Mahoney · Honest Arts Committee: Kim Kaiser · Membership Committee: Mollie Lampi · Nutrition and Education Committee: TBD · Personnel Committee: Gregor Wynnyczuk To donate hours to the Member-Owner hours bank, or to request a donation due to COVID-19 hardship, reach out to Yevette at memberservices@honestweight.coop.
s June 2O21 Submissions Policy for articles & contributions: • Preferred maximum length is 800 words.
Editors & Contributors: Susan Andrews
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Honest Slate
Elisa Grimm
Alex Mytelka
Yevette Buddeau Morgaen Hansen
Carol Ostrow
David Bulnes
Rebekah Rice
Cindee Herrick
Stephanie Conde Lynn Huntington
Janet Sorell
Erin Donahue
Tyler Varese
Don Kennison
• Material is published at the discretion of the Honest Slate team. • Only signed work is accepted; items are edited for length, grammar & style. We may consider unsolicited material but encourage individuals to submit ideas first. Letters to the Editors do not require preapproval.
Contact honestslate@honestweight.coop with questions, comments, or article suggestions.
To learn more about Honest Weight Food Co-op committees, visit https://www.honestweight.coop/page/ committees-of-the-board-14.html
To attend HWFC Zoom meetings, visit our website here.
July
book
discussion Can I Recycle This? by Jennie Romer Thursday, July 8 • 7–9pm Join Zoom Meeting Online https://zoom.us/j/93245124472 Meeting ID: 932 4512 4472 To join by phone +1 929 205 6099 US (New York) Meeting ID: 932 4512 4472
WE Owe YOu The Co-op has money waiting for a number of individuals whom we cannot locate. If you or anyone you know appears on the list below, the Finance Department urges you to contact the Co-op at your earliest convenience: finance@honestweight.coop. Hank Adams Nishi Beharry Timothy J. Cowper Stephen Dornbush Gillian Eastwood
Eva Foitzik Laurel Holden Maria Kuhsel Emily Mowel Mark Pranys
Lily Ringler Elias Saifan Kimberly Truitt Kenneth Windstein
Statement of Purpose: Honest Slate is a platform for HWFC Membership, Staff, Management, and Governance: promoting transparency, reporting news without bias, and sustaining community.
Honest Slate articles 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 ©2021 Honest Weight Food Coop; no material appearing in Honest Slate may 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
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Honest Slate
Co-opportunities: mEMBER-oWNER
June 2021
Announcements
by Yevette Buddeau, Membership Manager (MM)
Happy Pride Month, y’all.
We celebrate and stand in solidarity with all the ways that Pride is celebrated this month and throughout the whole year. Thanks to all the Member-Owners (MOs) who stuck with us through the April and May Membership Meetings; Board Elections were barely over and we were right on to the Budget meeting! We had great participation at both meetings and plenty of positive feedback about the experience from many people. We do want to remind everyone to be super aware of what media you are simultaneously consuming while waiting for any Zoom meeting to start: specifically, you should be on mute and others should not hear what you are listening to. Staff and active Member-Owner BBQ alert! On June 10, we’ll give it a go for the first time since 2019. This BBQ is specifically for staff and MOs. To keep it manageable, we’ll check MOs in so they can get a raffle ticket and enjoy the BBQ. We’ll use a system like we did for in-person Membership Meetings, with a couple of MOs at a check-in table and a list of all the MOs who are up to date on payments and hours. Did you know that we enjoy the participation of around 800 MOs and 200 staff on a monthly basis? This is appreciation for all the effort we do together to keep our cooperative alive. Thank you! Come get involved in the fun! Outreach is looking for MOs who can “staff” an HWFC table at the Washington Park Farmers Market this summer. The tabling starts Saturday July 3 and runs each Saturday until the end of September from 10–2pm. There will be training ahead of time. Share your love of the Co-op with the community by chatting with others and promoting Honest Weight. Sign up once a week, once a month, or whichever dates work for your schedule. Contact Amy@honestweight.coop. Get your hours helping out at the BBQ or at the June 12 E-Waste Collection tent. These are great outdoor activities with plenty of safe social interaction. We’re using an on-
line signup—please note that only Owners may sign up for shifts at the Co-op! If you’re not an Owner yet, please reach out to Yevette at memberservices@honestweight. coop to sign up for an orientation. Sign up to help at the BBQ here. Sign up to help at the E-Waste tent here. We need MOs to come help as Courtesy Clerks on the weekends at the Co-op. Contact Katie@honestweight.coop or MorgaenHansen@honestweight.coop to sign up. This is a fun and interactive customer service position helping to bag customers’ groceries, support cashiers with last-minute customer needs, and help with carry-outs if necessary. Do you love early shifts, leaving the day open to do all the rest of your daytime life? The Bakery is looking for weekly MOs who can consistently do a 6–9 am shift on Saturdays or Sundays. Responsibilities for this shift are cleaning the bakery case, helping to tray baked items for sale, cutting bars, and assisting the morning baker in what-
COMMITTEE C O R N E R by Stephanie Conde Preliminary committee reports submitted for the Board of Directors’ June 6, 2021, meeting. See meeting packet for details. Full Board-approved committee reports are posted on HWFC’s website.
Personnel Committee (PC) ∙ Continue Employee Manual revisions. ∙ Requested BOD approve proposed language changes to Employee Manual on Paid and Unpaid Leave Benefits. Elections & Nominations Committee (ENC) ∙ Made Nominating & Voting Guide changes per BOD request, submitted for approval. ∙ Discussed perceptions of April Membership Meeting (MM) flow, ways to encourage BOD candidates to submit forms prior to election. Propose submitting final draft ballots to BOD only (not committees or BLP) before BOD work session.
Interested in joining Honest Weight Food Co-op’s Team as an Employee? Check out our Employment Page. ever they need. No bakery experience is necessary; strong multitasking skills and an ability to move around for 3 hours consistently are a plus. Contact AshleyP@honestweight.coop to sign up. We send condolences to the family and friends of Rachael Cavosie. News of her passing was reported to us this month;read her memorial page. We also send condolences to family and friends of Raissa Yanovskaya. No formal report was made about her death and there is no obituary, but we have reason to believe she has passed—her mail was returned with a printed “deceased” sticker and upon going to her apartment I was told by her neighbors that she had passed. Raissa did many hours in our Grocery Department and was deeply committed to HWFC and the cooperative principles. We will watch for and post an obituary if one becomes available. Hug your loved ones, call your friends, and celebrate every person you know, y’all.
∙ Prepared for May 23 MM. Discussed work plan; continue to streamline processes. Nutrition and Education Committee (NEC) ∙ Submitted new 2021–22 work plan to BOD. Sole change was to combine FPM compliance research and GMO research (previously separate initiatives). FPM tabling remains on hold until deemed safe (COVID concerns). ∙ Article for June Honest Slate on hydroponically grown fruits and vegetables; recent decision to let soil-less hydroponic operations be certified organic. Communications Committee (CC) ∙ Acquired MO familiar with governance to join team as a new proofreader. ∙ Welcome those with a nose for news to suggest or write articles. ∙ July copy is due June 25.
Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Ave. Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 • https://www.honestweight.coop/ • honestslate@honestweight.coop