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The Organic Manifesto of a Biologist Mother
And then I eloped with a sculptor and got pregnant. Now, well into my forties, I am wife to a man with a lot of power tools and mother to a four-year-old daughter and a one-yearold son. I live in a log cabin in rural upstate New York and have seen the same basswood trees bloom four times. Now, I make my living as an environmental writer, analyzing the data of other scientists rather than generating my own. These days, my field research extends about as far as the backyard birdfeeder, which services migrating songbirds heading north to Canadian pine forests or south to Latin American rainforests. “I’m no longer one of you,” I laugh while watching them refuel for their journeys. I teach their calls to my daughter Faith, to whom I have bequeathed my grubby ornithology guide. I whisper their names to my son Elijah, as I nurse him in the old rocking chair that is stationed near the picture window. And when we all sleep upstairs in the big bed together — one child holding on to my hair, the other flung across my chest, I know that I have never lived more symbiotically. A source of food, a place of comfort, a mattress for napping, I myself am now a habitat. And I balance my checkbook. Having children after twenty years of a childless adult life has brought with it at least two revelations. One is an acute awareness of the brevity of infancy. You only get a fourmonth-old for a month. And even at 4am when baby-ness seems eternal, it still passes more quickly than you can believe. So Jeff and I compete to be the primary parent. We don’t want to miss anything. The second is the realization that young children — in spite of all kinds of advertising to the contrary —require few possessions. What they do need, in seemingly unquenchable quantities, is the loving attention of their parents. Which brings me to the checkbook. In our household, with its two self-employed adults, money is a means to buy time with Faith and Elijah. The farther I can stretch a dollar, the more hours I have for berry-picking, story-reading, and line dances around the kitchen table. To this end, Jeff and I recently sought out the advice of a financial counselor. We thought a third pair of eyes looking over our household budget might identify places where we could take up even more slack. And Becky Bilderback — who runs a bed and breakfast, cans her own garden produce, and sews her own curtains — seemed to possess the ideal eyes for the job.
ORGANIC agriculture promotes public health photo: Carrie Branovan
Becky wasted no time scanning down the list of our monthly expenses. But, to both our relief and disappointment, she couldn’t find much room for improvement. We own one car, buy clothes at consignment shops, pay off our credit card in full each month. And there wasn’t much that could be done about those health insurance premiums. Finally, she tapped her finger on one of our line items. “Here,” said Becky. “Right here. This seems high to me.” We leaned over the table. It was our groceries: $140 per week for food for a family of four. “And another thing,” she said. “I don’t see a line item for charitable giving.” Was this, she wondered, an expense that we had perhaps overlooked? I took a deep breath. It wasn’t. Indeed, the absence of charitable donations and our generous food budget were directly related to each other. Virtually all the groceries Jeff and I buy for our family are organically grown. As well as an investment in a healthy environment for my children, directing my food dollars toward organic farmers is part of my spiritual practice. Simply put, we choose to support an agricultural system that does not rely on toxic chemicals to produce the food we eat. In attempting to articulate the depth of my commitment toward organic food, I realized it was time to write my organic manifesto, complete with all the reasons why I believe the decision to buy organic is rational, ethical and in the long-run, cost-effective. And here it is.
Organic food contains fewer pesticide residues than conventional food.
the
author by Sandra Steingraber, Ph.D. The reasons for our ignorance are many. When researching my book, Living Downstream, I discovered that many pesticides on the market have never been adequately screened for their ability to cause cancer. Even less thoroughly have we tested their ability to affect fetal brain growth, contribute to miscarriages, disrupt hormonal signaling, alter the onset of puberty, or undermine fertility. Evidence from animal studies suggests we have reason to be concerned about these possibilities and investigate them further.
Children fed ORGANIC FOOD have lower residues of certain pesticides in their bodies than children fed CONVENTIONALLY
GROWN FOOD. might seem a self-evident truth. After all, organic farming prohibits the use of synthetic pesticides and intends to offer crops virtually free of residues. And yet the evidence to support this claim has only been available since spring 2002, when a peer-reviewed scientific journal published the first systematic comparison of pesticide residues in organic and non-organic foods (1). Examining the data from more than 90,000 samples of produce, the authors of this study found that nearly three-quarters of conventionally grown foods had detectable pesticide residues. Three-quarters of organic crops had none. And among the one-quarter of organic samples that did test positive, levels of pesticide contamination were far lower. Conventionally grown foods were also more likely to test positive for multiple pesticides than were their organic counterparts.
I also learned that most human dietary studies of pesticide exposure presume adult eating habits. And yet, as any mother will testify, children dine on fewer foods in proportionally higher quantities than their parents do. (I do not routinely consume two bananas and two avocados a day. My 27-pound son does.) Finally, consider that young children lack many of the biological defenses that protect adults against the toxic effects of pesticides. All of us grown-ups, for example, possess a blood-brain barrier. It works quite well to keep neurological poisons from entering the gray matter of our brains. However, we did not acquire this cerebral suit of armor until we reached the age of six months. Infants are thus far more susceptible to the brain-addling potential of insecticides and at much lower doses.
Organophosphate insecticides kill by attacking the nervous systems of insect pests. They are frequently used in fruit and vegetable farming. A 2003 study measured levels of these chemicals in the urine of pre-school children living in Seattle. Children with conventional diets had, on average, nine times more organophosphate insecticides in their urine than children fed organic produce (2). So, are organic foods healthier for our kids? Here is where science yields to mother wisdom. We in the scientific community do not yet know what levels of pesticide exposure are sufficient to endanger the health of human adults and we know even less about their effects on children. Thus, the wide gray area called “uncertain risk.”
Pesticides, by design, are poisons. The science shows us that most organic produce is free from pesticide residues and most conventionally grown produce is not. The science shows that children fed organic produce have significantly lower pesticide residues in their bodies than children fed conventional produce. Whatever we do or don’t know about threshold levels for harm, my intuition tells me that food with no poison is better for my children’s developing minds and bodies than food with some.
This
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photo: Janice Fullman
For
nearly two decades, I lived the life of a gypsy biologist — investigating the interactions between organisms and the environments they inhabit in places as varied as Costa Rican rainforests, Sudanese deserts, Mexican tidal pools, and Minnesota pine forests. I slept in tents, dormitories, farm houses, huts with grass roofs and at least one military bunker. I left for airports at 4 AM. I never balanced my checkbook.
mothers day special A Community - Owned Natural Foods Grocery Store La Montanita Cooperative Nob Hill 3500 Central S.E. Albuq., NM 87106 265-4631
organic manifesto continued from page 1
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Valley 2400 Rio Grande Blvd. Albuq., NM 87104 242.8800 Administrative Staff: General Manager: C.E. Pugh 265-4631 ce@lamontanitacoop.com Store Team Leaders: Michelle Franklin/Nob Hill 265-4631 John Mulle/Valley 242-8800 Accounting/Toni Fragua 217-0108 Computers/Info Technology/ Ahmed Elmaghlawi 232-8202 Human Resources/Sharrett Rose 217-0105 Marketing/Edite Cates 217-0106 Membership/Robyn Seydel 217-0107 Co-op fax line: 217-0104 or 265-6470
bodies are the first environment. So says Native American midwife, Katsi Cook. This simple truth became the starting point of my book Having Faith, which explores the intimate ecology of pregnancy. It was a project that I began during the first month of my pregnancy with the real-life Faith and finally finished a week before I gave birth to her younger brother. Those four years of research and writing can really be summed up in two simple sentences: If the world’s environment is contaminated, so too is the ecosystem of a mother’s body. If a mother ’s body is contaminated, so too is the child who inhabits it. The placenta, which does such an admirable job at keeping bacteria and viruses out of the womb’s watery habitat, is ill-
Pesticides do not adhere to the fields in which there are sprayed. They evaporate and rise into the jetstream. They drift for miles in the wind. They fall in the rain. They are detectable in fog. They insinuate themselves into the crystalline structures of snowflakes. They follow storm run-off into gullies and streambeds. They descend through soil into groundwater. Organic agriculture does not poison wells and reservoirs. It does not bring ruin to vineyards and orchards. It is respectful of snow, fog, wind and rain — our life support system.
Organic agriculture protects wildlife. My most beloved landscape, the Illinois River valley near Peoria, is an ecologically diminished place. Poisoned by insecticide run-off, the river’s fingernail clams disappeared in 1955. The diving ducks that depended on the clams for their food source soon followed. Ring-necks. Canvasbacks.
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ORGANIC agriculture is part of good prenatal care
Co-op Connection Staff: Managing Editor: Robyn Seydel memb@lamontanitacoop.com Layout and Design: foxyrock inc Advertising: Robyn Seydel Printing: Vanguard Press Membership information is available at the Co-op, 3500 Central S.E. (Nob Hill location), or 2400 Rio grande Blvd. N.W. (Valley location) Membership response to the newsletter is appreciated. Address typed, double-spaced copy to the Managing Editor, memb@lamontanitacoop.com email: bod@lamontanitacoop.com website: www.lamontanitacoop.org Copyright © 2004 La Montanita Co-op Supermarket Reprints by prior permission. The Co-op Connection is printed on 65% post consumer recycled paper. It is recyclable.
The Co-op Connection is published by La Montanita Co-op Supermarket to provide information on La Montanita Co-op Supermarket, the cooperative movement, food, nutrition, and community issues. Opinions expressed herein are of the authors and are not necessarily those of the newletters or the Co-op.
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ORGANIC AGRICULTURE
does not poison wells and reservoirs. It does not bring ruin to vineyards and orchards. It is respectful of our life support system. equipped to serve as a barrier to toxic chemicals. Pesticides that are made up of smaller molecules are afforded free passage. They slip easily from the mother’s bloodstream into the blood of the baby ’s umbilical cord. Pesticides made of bigger, heavier molecules are partly broken down by the placenta’s enzymes before they pass through. But, ironically, this transformation sometimes renders them even more toxic (3). We have much to learn about the reproductive effects of pesticides in use today. In the meantime, organic farming — like sobriety, seatbelts and not smoking — makes good prenatal sense.
Organic agriculture protects air and water.
Last
year, I received a phone call from a reporter at my hometown newspaper. He asked me to comment on the news that herbicide drift had now made it all but impossible to grow grapes commercially in central Illinois (4). In other words, in the place where I grew up, the wind itself now contains so much weed killer (2,4-D) that grape leaves curl up and die. Illinois’ cherry trees are perishing for the same reason. Looking out at my son stacking blocks on our back deck, a spring breeze ruffling the blond feathers of his hair, I wondered what effect this pesticide-laden air was having on the children who were breathing it. After I hung up, I thought about my pregnancy with my daughter Faith, the first five months of which were spent in downstate Illinois. While researching the drinking water data for the town in which I was living, I discovered that two herbicides — alachlor and atrazine — were routinely found in the tap water there. Neither had ever exceeded its legal maximum contaminant level. However, I was not entirely reassured. These limits were never set with human embryos and fetuses in mind.
Scaups. They are all gone now. Then, poisoned by herbicide run-off, the river’s lush vegetation vanished from the shallows. Wild celery. Coontail. Sago. The seeds of these aquatic plants fed the river’s dabbling ducks. And so they vanished too — the wigeons and the gadwells. By the time I was born in 1959, the riverbank near my home had become an eerily silent place.I learned to identify native Illinois ducks not by direct observation but by studying stuffed specimens in ornithology labs. I learned their calls by listening to instructional tapes. I felt myself a natural historian of ghosts. New studies identify pesticides as a leading suspect in the ongoing decline of North America’s frog populations. For example, trace exposures to certain common weed killers emasculate male tadpoles. They do so by stimulating an enzyme that converts male hormone into female hormone. Thus altered, male tadpoles metamorphose into hermaphroditic adults (5). Similarly, nitrates from synthetic fertilizers can trigger deformities in developing tadpoles or kill them outright — at levels well below their legal limits in drinking water (6). Faith and I are sometimes kept awake April nights by the shrill EEP!EEP! of the spring peepers who inhabit the wetlands out behind our cabin. Peepers are a cricket-sized species of tree frog with a piercingly loud method of finding suitable mates. The peepers’ cries, which signal the advent of spring more reliably than any bird song, are soon joined by the quieter ZZZIPPP… ZZZIPPP of the chorus frog, whose call most closely resembles a finger drawn over the tines of a comb. Later in the season comes the loudspeaker JUG-ORUM of the bullfrog, whose booming pronouncements make Elijah jump and laugh out loud. I want the songs of frogs to remain as familiar to my children as the lullabies we sing together. I want my grocery-buying habits to help sustain the annual spring amphibian festival in our backyard. Let frogs keep us up all night. No more animal ghosts. continued on page 3
cover photos by Edite Cates
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may 2004
mothers day special
of a biologist mother continued from page 2
Farmers
have higher rates of certain cancers than the general population. So do farmers’ children (7). An emerging body of evidence suggests that exposure to pesticides on farms may be part of the reason. Other studies have revealed possible links between agricultural use of pesticides and birth defects. For example, according to a recent California study, living near agricultural fields where pesticides are sprayed raises the risk of stillbirths due to birth defects. Researchers found the largest risk among babies whose mothers lived within one mile of such areas during their first trimester of pregnancy. Similarly, a Minnesota study found that the children of farmers, as
we pay in the grocery store, but they are reflected in our tax bills and insurance premiums. As the demand for organic food rises, prices at the cash register will fall. In the meantime, here is how I make organic food more affordable for my family: instead of donating to the American Cancer Society or the March of Dimes, I fold my charitable giving into my grocery bill. By buying organic, I feed my own family and, at the same time, work toward the prevention of cancer and birth defects in rural America.
Organic farms promote community.
All dread, grief and human suffering aside, cancer and birth defects are expensive. And here lies the ECONOMIC SENSE of organic agriculture. well as those born to families living in agricultural areas, have elevated rates of birth defects. Similar findings come from Iowa (8). All dread, grief and human suffering aside, cancer and birth defects are expensive. And here lies the economic sense of organic agriculture. Food that is grown organically often does cost more than conventionally grown foods. There are at least three reasons for this higher price tag. Organic foods are more strictly regulated. Organic farming practices require more labor. And organic farms tend to be smaller. However, conventionally grown foods carry with them many indirect costs. The price of cleaning up contaminated water, the loss of wildlife and the increased health care needs of farm families are just a few. These costs may not be incorporated in the price
Sources 1. B.P.Baker et al.,“Pesticide Residues in Conventional, Integrated Pest Management (IPM)-grown and Organic Foods: Insights from Three US Data Sets,” Food Additives and Contaminants 19 (2002): 427-446. 2. C.L.Curl et al.,“Organophosphorus Pesticide Exposures of Urban and Suburban Pre-school Children with Organic and Conventional Diets,” Environmental Health Perspectives 111(2003): 377-82. 3. R.G.Gupta,“Environmental Agents and Placental Toxicity: Anticholinesterases and Other Insecticides,” in B.V. Rama Sastry, ed., Placental Toxicology (Boca Raton: CRC Press,1995), pp. 257-78. 4. S.Tarter, “Grapes Struggle in Illinois Due to Chemical Drift, Overspray,” Peoria Journal Star, April 30, 2002. 5.T.Hayes et al.,“Herbicides: Feminization of Male Frogs in the Wild,” Nature 419 (2002): 895-96. 6. A.Marco et al., “Sensitivity to Nitrate and Nitrite in Pond-Breeding Amphibians from the Pacific Northwest, USA,” Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 18 (1999): 2836-39. 7. Cancers found in excess among U.S.farmers include blood and nervous system cancers. Cancers found in excess among their children include
Rising just west of our cabin is Snyder Hill, a long, steep rocky ridge that blocks the afternoon sun far sooner than I’d like during the too-short days of the too-long winters here. On top of that hill is a flat, wide expanse of good drainage and good views that is also the location of an organic vegetable farm. We are grateful to this farm, as the snow and rain that falls on its fields eventually descend the slopes of Snyder Hill and seep into the hollow where we live, recharging our drinking water well and filling up our froggy swamp. Our home shares a watershed with this agricultural operation.
brain cancers, leukemias, Wilms’ tumor, Ewing’s sarcoma, and germ cell I n tumors. L.E. Fleming et al.,“National Health Interview Survey Mortality Among US Farmers and Pesticide Applicators,” American Journal of Industrial Medicine 43 (2003): 227-33; L.M.O’ Leary et al.,“Parental Occupational Exposures and Risk of Childhood Cancer: A Review,” American Journal of Industrial Medicine 20 (1991): 17-35; J.L. Daniels et al.,“Pesticides and Childhood Cancers,” Environmental Health Perspectives 105 (1997): 1068-77. 8. E.M.Bell et al., “A Case-Control Study of Pesticides and Fetal Death Due to Congenital Anomalies,” Epidemiology 12 (2001): 148-156; V.F. Garry et al, “Pesticide Appliers, Biocides, and Birth Defects in Rural Minnesota,” Environmental Health Perspectives 104 (1996): 394-99; R. Munger et al.,“Birth Defects and Pesticide Contaminated Water Supplies in Iowa,” American Journal of Epidemiology 136 (1992): 959. Birth defects associated with pesticide exposure include cleft lip and palate, limb defects, heart malformations, spina bifida, hydocephaly, undescended testicles, and hypospadias. See also G.Solomon et al., Pesticides and Human Health: A Resource for Health Care Professionals (San Francisco: Physicians for Social Responsibility, 2000), pp. 40-42.
In addition to this ecological link, we are also joined economically. Organized on the principle of community supported agriculture (CSA), the farm atop our hill sells its produce directly to consumermembers who purchase a share of the season’s harvest in early spring. As shareholders, Jeff and I help pay for seeds, machinery, and labor, thereby guaranteeing the farmers’ production expenses. This investment is returned throughout the months that follow, in the form of a parade of fresh produce. Our farm, as Faith calls it, also provides us flowers, berries, honey, herbs and eggs. Once a week we gather in the barn to collect our share. Some of the crops are picked and packed for us. Some lie out in the fields for us to harvest ourselves. Along with the food has come other intangible benefits. My four-year-old knows how to pick green beans. She knows about how many potatoes make a pound. My one-year-old can recognize a tomato vine at twenty paces. They both know the joy of fresh raw sugar peas. And I see them coming to understand the relationship between those who eat food and those who grow it, between the dinner on the table and the land from which the dinner comes. When a summer cloudburst cut short a family expedition last July, my daughter said cheerily, “Our carrots are drinking now.” And our farm provides us a sense of community. Among its hundred or so members, recipes are exchanged along with child care. Last summer, some fathers got together and constructed a children’s play area out by the bean fields. Monthly potluck dinners are organized, with offerings so dependably delicious that I insisted on attending one of them when Elijah was only three days old. A year later, at another late-summer farm feast, I found myself dancing with my sweetheart while a bluegrass band played in the barnyard and a yellow moon rose over the fields. Around us, a stream of sticky-mouthed children, including two of our own, ran and scattered in the tall grass. I thought back to that household budget of ours. “And another thing,” I imagined telling our financial advisor, “organic agriculture saves us a bundle on entertainment.”
Sandra Steingraber, Ph.D., lives with her husband and children in Ithaca, New York. Biologist author, and cancer survivor, she is the 2001 recipient of the Rachel Carson Leadership Award from Carson’s alma mater, Chatham College. Her two books, Living Downstream: An Ecologist Looks at Cancer and the Environment and Having Faith: An Ecologist’s Journey to Motherhood, from which portions of this essay are adapted, have received numerous awards for science writing. Her research on children’s environmental health was recently featured on the PBS show, “Now,” with Bill Moyers.
Organic Valley Cooperative Organic Valley, Family of Farms, was organized fifteen years ago by a half dozen family farmers who shared a love of the land and a belief in sustainable agriculture. Now made up of more than 600 organic farmers in 16 states and one province in Canada, the Organic Valley Cooperative today is achieving record success. In the last year alone, the cooperative: • added 15,000 acres into the organic system for a national total of 90,000 acres • brought 118 farmers into the cooperative for a national total of 633 organic farmers • added 2,675 cows being raised organically for a national total of 20,475 cows.
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In addition, the Organic Valley farmer pay price was 40 percent higher than that paid to conventional farmers. Organic Valley paid a national average premium of more than $8 per hundredweight of milk. The Cooperative also realized the best sales in its history, $156 million, a 20 percent jump over 2002.
"The success of Organic Valley proves that organic agriculture can be a lifeline for America's struggling family farms," says George Siemon, a founding farmer of Organic Valley who serves as the cooperative's CEO. "In an era of rising and falling agricultural prices, Organic Valley employs a model that is unmatched anywhere on earth." Delegations of farmers from all over the world trek regularly to Organic Valley's modest headquarters in rural LaFarge, Wisconsin to study their model of success. Stewards of the earth who tap nature and the wisdom of generations of farm families as their teachers, Organic Valley farmers produce more than 130 delicious organic foods. Look for Organic Valley milk, cheese, butter, spreads, creams, eggs, produce, juice at both La Montanita Coop locations. Thanks to Organic Valley Coop for commissioning and letting us reprint The Organic Manifesto of a Biologist Mother, by Dr. Sandra Steingraber.
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mothers day special
Healthy Beauty at Any Age Natural Tips From Around the World This month we celebrate mothers. Ladies, what is it that we all love to do? That’s right, pamper ourselves. Here are some natural, easyto-prepare beauty treatments gathered from around the world. Take some time to indulge and have a Happy Mothers Day.
1 Part: Orange Peel 1 Part: Fennel seed Suggestions: Grind well in a blender, bottle and store. To use: mix a little with milk or water to a paste, apply to face. Rinse with water or milk.
From Europe, some wonderful treatments for our eyes:
Rose Water is one of the oldest skin fresheners discovered by an Arabian dermatologist in the 10th century. In order to make rose water at home, mix rose essence in distilled water and shake thoroughly. One tablespoon essence of roses is sufficient for 2 quarts distilled water. To store keep in the refrigerator in a bottle with a mister, spray on as needed for a refreshing feeling.
Recipe for Sparkling Eyes • Purpose: Relaxation of eyes & lightening the darkened area around eyes Grate 1/2 cucumber, strain it and store it in the refrigerator. Mix it to an equal quantity of rose water. Use a cotton ball dipped in the lotion, place it on your eyes at least twice a day. • Purpose: Reducing puffiness of eyes. Dip cotton or wool in a solution of witch-hazel and use as eye pads. • Purpose: Reducing swelling Strain the juice of grated potato and saturate cotton or wool pads with it or lay the grated vegetable on the eye between the muslin. Slices of raw potato will soothe swollen eyelids and reduce swelling. From Bulgaria comes a wonderful hair mousse for dry brittle hair: 2 Tablespoons coconut oil 1 Tablespoon jojoba oil 1 drop rose essential oil Stir together all the ingredients to form a nice thick mixture. Apply from roots to end of hair. Cover your hair with a shower cap, the heat will help the oil to penetrate better. Let sit on hair for 15 minutes to an hour. Wash and condition your hair as usual. Exotic Morocco gives us this: Rosemary Orange Exfoliate 3 Part: Steel-cut or whole oats 3 Part: Organic dried milk or goat milk 1 Part: Sea Salt 1 Part: Rosemary
From India, we have these excellent remedies to get rid of acne scars: Blend sandalwood paste and rose water and apply on the scars. Keep on overnight and then wash off with cold water the next day. This does wonders for your skin! Dried orange peels mixed with milk help reduce blemishes and scars. Wash it off after 15 minutes with cold water. In Pakistan, they say that this little remedy help with wrinkles:
2. 3. 4. 5.
Spread the mixture over your face and neck. Leave it on for 15 minutes. Rinse well with cool water. Pat dry. Enjoy!
Ancient Milk Bath 1 cup powdered milk 2 Tablespoons almond meal 2 Tablespoons barley or oat flour 1 Teaspoon powdered honey A few drops of your favorite essential oil Mix ingredients thoroughly. Shelf life is 2-3 months. Peppermint Lotion 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup rubbing alcohol 3-4 drops peppermint oil Oil of eucalyptus or wintergreen can be used in place of peppermint, if you prefer. Pour the water and alcohol into a bottle, and then add the oil. Shake well. Apply to your skin with a clean cotton ball. This is a very easy-to-make lotion and it works well to relieve itching. Thanks to my sisters from around the world for the use of these recipes. by Nalini Goordial
Wrinkle Removal Recipe Banana is wonderful as an anti-wrinkle treatment. Mash 1/4 banana until very creamy. Spread all over face and leave for 15-20 minutes before rinsing off with warm water followed by a dash of cold. Gently pat dry. This wonderful face mask comes to us from Egypt: 1 egg, beaten 1/2 teaspoon olive oil 1 tablespoon ground oatmeal 1/4 teaspoon sea salt 1 tablespoon whole milk 1. Mix everything together until creamy and well-blended.
TRY THESE NATURAL TIPS
Mothers Day Parade! Moving from Concern to Action by Albuquerque Mothers Acting Up In 1870 Julia Ward Howe, best known for being the author of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” called for women to rise up and oppose war in all its forms. Thus, she declared a Mothers Day for Peace. She asked women, “Why do not the mothers of mankind interfere in these matters, to prevent the waste of that human life of which they alone bear and know the cost?” In a century that has seen two wars already in its first four years, her question remains pertinent. Though her message has been diluted over time, the celebration of Mother’s Day remains. It has become a day to pamper mother and give her thanks, worthy exploits most mothers will agree, but not as close to the heart as every mother’s most burning concern — the well being of her children. It seems a natural result of mothering that we mothers move from being concerned for just our own children to being concerned for all children. And in our economically and politically interconnected world, true security means ensuring the health, education and safety of all children everywhere. Julia Ward Howe’s words inspired Mothers Acting Up (MAU), a group dedicated to mobilizing the gigantic political strength of mothers, to host Mothers Day parades. MAU recognizes that we live in a world that does not prioritize our children’s well-being and that this will not change until we find the personal and political strength to protect them. The 2004 MAU Mothers Day parades, “VOTING FOR OUR CHILDREN: 2004 & BEYOND!" are invitations to SHOW UP! for our
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children by supporting candidates who are committed, in word and in action, to prioritizing children in our federal policies and budget. This year, mothers from LA to Baghdad are concerned about "National Security." To begin creating true and lasting security, US leaders must be committed to supporting international treaties, protecting the environment, reducing weapons of mass destruction and most importantly, funding programs that ensure the health, education and safety of every child, not just a privileged few. Local community members are hosting a NON – PARTISAN MAU Mothers Day Parade on Saturday, May 8th, 2004, the day before Mothers Day. We will meet at Civic Plaza at 2pm and march to Tiguex Park for a true celebration. We invite everyone to attend and encourage all to don high hats, hoop skirts, stilts, colorful scarves and/or any costume that makes visible to the world the exuberant strength of mothers! Bring the whole family for an event that will include stilt walking, music, dancing, a raffle and more. Bring your own picnic and listen to the wise words of our guest, Dr. Sherri Alderman, who will speak on the Rights of the Child Legislation. You will also have the opportunity to rate the candidates on important children’s issues. Pick up your Voting Score Card! In this election year, we have an opportunity to elect leaders who are committed to prioritizing the well-being of children around the world. Let’s sing out in the streets, “We will protect our children with our personal & political strength—wherever they live on earth!” For more information, call Kendra at 255-4746 or visit www.sign2speak.com/mau. See you at the parade!
may 2004
co-op news Local Product Spotlight:
Sweetwoods Dairy For the past 13 years Sweetwoods Dairy, located a few miles north of Albuquerque in Pena Blanca, New Mexico, has supplied La Montanita with their delicious, fresh goat cheeses tied with a “RED RIBBON.” Their new offering, Snow Rose Goat Camembert has met with immense excitement among all of us who love great cheese.
and we think it will really please people with worldly cheese tastes. We've been working to get it just right for nearly four years — it's very tricky to ripen a cheese here in the desert. We had to build a special ripening cave, inside our dairy building and monitor the humidity constantly to get it just right.”
During the 1980’s Harrison and Patrice Inglis were climbing corporate ladders in the Silicon Valley when their first child Ben was struck with cancer at only 18 months old. They realized they wanted a different life: a healthier one that allowed them more time with their children. (Les, their second child, was born while Ben was going through his cancer treatment.) Patrice had helped write a number of business plans as part of her job, and as a lark wrote up one that would allow them to fulfill their dreams. Harrison said “Let’s do it” and having grown up in Clovis, searched New Mexico for a piece of land that would support a goat dairy farm. Using the business plan to secure loans, Harrison built the barn and dairy building himself, with the help of now healthy Ben, jumping through all the FDA and USDA hoops it takes to get their Grade A Dairy Certification.
La Montanita was one of the very first places in all of New Mexico that carried their delicious, locally made goat cheese. And except for a month or two, here or there when the goats weren’t milking, for 13 years the Coop has been honored to have Sweetwoods goat cheeses continually in our cases. Please try the fresh Red Ribbon cheeses if you haven't already and if you have, please don't forget them. And in May, look for the debut of Sweetwoods "Snow Rose Goat Camembert" in the cheese case at both Coop locations.
Licensed Massage Therapist # 4199 Nationally Certified Cranio Sacral, Polarity, Swedish, Reflexology (505) 243-1701 cell 410-3741
An Acoustic Music Listening Room The Kennedys Sunday, May 16, 7:30pm “jangly guitars, tight harmonies, positive energy and smart lyrics” - AllMusicGuide.com
Contact Jeff at abqmusic@att.net or 842-5073
FRESH DELICIOUS GOAT CHEESE
They began with 20 Saanen and French Alpine dairy goats, and now pasture 90 goats on their family home and farm in Pena Blanca. “March is the month the young kids are born; they drink most of the goat milk during their first few weeks, but in April the cheesemaking begins.” Their delicious “Red Ribbon” cheese is their “beginner's goat cheese,” fairly easy to make with a fresh taste perfect for so many recipes. Patrice says, “For 13 years the Red Ribbon cheese has been so good to us, but we wanted to expand with a more sophisticated cheese. The Snow Rose Camembert with its ripening process is real traditional cheese-making
Stone River Massage
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Take the Fresh Produce Challenge! by Rich Bowditch and Alica Dadian Do you feel more aches and pains, have less energy, or have any health conditions which make you feel less alive than you’d like? If your answer is yes, then you are composting yourself. Why does the COOP carry fresh organic produce? Because it’s more alive, less toxic, and sustainable compared to conventionally grown produce… in essence it’s a healthier, more life-enhancing choice for our bodies, our environment, and our world.
their job of decomposing your leaves, spoiled produce scraps, and other ingredients into beautiful alive soil. Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m not ready to start turning myself into soil quite yet.
What creates a healthy bio-terrain in our human body? It’s a terrain in our body’s blood and tissue maintained at a more alkaline than acid ratio. In essence, the more you keep yourself alkalized, the more healthy and alive you are; your body’s bio-terrain is compromised by acidity. Are you composting yourself? If your body’s bio-terrain is more acidic than alkaline, you are.
Increasing your consumption of fruits and vegetables directly relates to increasing health and energy, and helps reverse chronic conditions and diseases. At the “28-day Fresh Produce Challenge” beginning June 5th gain simple, easyto-use tools to understand and assess your own personal health situation.
When you make a compost pile, you are creating an acidic environment. Why? Because you want to create the optimal anaerobic (oxygen free) environment for all those tiny little microbes like bacteria, yeasts, fungus molds, etc. to multiply and do
Lauri Norton
What’s the solution? Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables! Why? Because fresh produce is the most alkalizing category of food we can consume to create a vibrant bio-terrain.
The challenge starts with a kickoff workshop on June 5th, followed by a weekly Wednesday evening potluck, support and discussion group for four weeks, culminating in a celebration party on July 3rd. To register or find out more, call Rich and Alice (The Wheatgrass People) at 877-6218.
Located at Uptown Acupuncture 7111 Prospect Pl. NE Albuquerque, NM 87110 Call 269 0194 for an appointment
Hot Stone Massage, Swedish Myo, fascial release and Healing Touch
Basic Permaculture Design Course sponsored by Earthcare Education
Regenerating the Earth, starting in your own personal and professional life When: June 24 - May 2 Where: Monte Del Sol Charter School, Santa Fe Cost: $690 (includes materials and snacks) For more information and registration, contact Earth Care: 505-983-6896 or taylor@earthcare.org.
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IN MEMORIUM Aspen Evan, long time Albuquerque native plants advocate and educator passed away on April 1, 2004. Her joyous smile and infectious dedication will be deeply missed. Aspen brought native plants from the Santa Ana Pueblo Nursery to our Celebrate the Earth Festival every year for many years. This year's festival was dedicated to her and to carrying on her work with native plants. Aspen died of what she believed was an enivromentally caused cancer: an important reminder of the links between food health and the environment. In honor of Aspen Evan's contributions to the world of native plants and xeriscaping, the Rio Grande Nature Center will dedicate a Bosque Reclamation xeriscape in her name. Anyone who would like to participate with donations of time or money can contact Jonathan at jvalley@salud.unm.edu, 363-5126 or Lynn Atkins at 344-7240. Aspen Evans was born November 22, 1946 and died April 1, 2004.
may 2004
Anti-Aging Therapy PMS Through Menopause Natural Hormone Choices Holistic Lifestyle Choices Osteoporosis Prevention & Treatment Stress & Nutrition Management Unique Weight Loss Program For Appointments: (505) 797-1944 jo a n n e @w o me n sh e a lth c o n c e p ts.c o m
Women’s Health Concepts,
LLC 5
co-op news
may 2004 6
LOCAL SALE ITEMS Co-op Social Responsibility Research SHOP LOCAL & SAVE
PEDRO’S SALSA Albuquerque, NM. All of Pedro’s Salsas will be on sale for $1.00 off. Pedro’s Hot, Medium, Mild and Jalapeño salsas 16 oz, $2.99 each
PURPLE ONION Santa Fe, NM. Purple Onion hummus and dips are on sale. Look for them in the deli case. Purple Onion Hummus and Dips 12 oz, $3.59
CLOUD CLIFF BAKERY Santa Fe, NM. Cloud Cliff’s Desert Amaranth Granola and “Pan Solo” breads are all on sale! Desert Amaranth Granola $3.99/lb • Pan Solo Breads 1lb Whole Wheat, Spelt, Nativo $2.79 each
SANTA FE BITE SIZE BAKERY Santa Fe, NM The entire line of Santa Fe Bite Size Cookies: Bizcochitos, Fiesta Wedding, Piñon Nut Chocolate Chip, Córdoba Coffee, Chocolately Chocolate, and Lemon Verde Pistachio are on sale! 6.5 oz, 2/$6.00
BUY LOCAL KEEP YOUR $$ AT HOME SPECIALS GOOD DURING THE MONTH OF MAY
Committee Report Business practice definitions: The coop requires a method to measure, qualitatively and quantitatively, its business practices. In popular culture there is much confusion and disagreement on what constitutes legal, ethical and socially responsible business behavior. The Social Responsibility Research Committee (SRRC) has therefore assembled the following definitions as a foundation upon which to make future policy recommendations and decisions.
The business follows the letter and spirit of the law, taking into consideration the interests of all stakeholders (affected parties), not just stockholders. The business practices ethics—in terms of justice and equity—as a good corporate citizen in the community to the extent possible without creating conditions whereby a greater harm might occur. The intent is not to make a profit at the expense of employees and the community, but to serve the public good.
Illegal and hence nearly always unethical: the business skirts or outright breaks laws and regulations set up to govern them. The exception: It is ethical for a business to act illegally if the laws being violated are unethical, i.e., a law that requires certain businesses to discriminate on the basis of race or gender, etc.
An ethical business will take steps to mitigate environmental impact, and to the extent possible (given resources and creative use of them) to repair past environmental damage. To purchase goods from environmentally-conscious producers IS fulfilling part of this obligation, directly and indirectly: supporting these producers encourages repairing past damage at those sites. The business provides full benefits and living wages to workers.
Legal and possibly unethical: the business obeys all the laws and regulations, but does everything it can to make money within those legal constraints. The business follows the letter but not the spirit of the law. (Note: if “legal” is the standard of behavior, the business tends to see nearly all laws as restraints). Ethical: A business that is “Ethical” is also “Socially Responsible” in that it not only acts ethically, but takes responsibility for social and environmental side effects of doing business. To be ethical is not by happenstance; it assumes and requires the intention to act in an ethical manner. This means that being ethical is a process of continually striving to meet ethical goals. The guideline is “Do no harm,” which means that the business considers a holistic view of the consequences of their decisions to act. This does not mean the business is obligated to act in a “supererogatory” manner to assist others or to promote their well-being.
Transformative: This means that a business will act above and beyond the call of duty, as a paradigm-shifting organization that accounts fully for externalized costs in social (i.e., political, economic, educational) and environmental forms. The ideal business turns back the hands of time on past damage. This committee is chaired by Board of Directors member Eric Chrisp. For more information, contact him at bod@lamontanitacoop.com. Because of the “Do no harm” guideline and the social responsibility to hold oneself responsible for past harm, any ethical business, will have as its goal to be transformative and realize this level of performance, and will continually review its capacity and resources to seek ways to achieve this higher standard. by Eric Chrisp
Governance and Your Co-op by Marshall Kovitz When Coop member/owners think of governance, what usually comes to mind is the Board of Directors. But it's important to realize that the Board is only the most obvious manifestation of governance and that there are other entities that impose requirements regarding how the Coop is run. This is the first in a series of articles exploring the institutions, documents and people behind the La Montanita's governance. The foundation of La Montanita's governance is the state law which deals with cooperative associations organized in New Mexico. States provide for businesses to organize themselves in a variety of ways, the corporation being the most common. But most states also have laws specifically addressing cooperative associations. While the laws vary in detail from state to state, all address the democratic nature of coops, requiring that certain procedures are followed to allow full member/owner participation. Several requirements of our state law are also embodied in the general coop principles we are already familiar with: one member, one vote; limited return on investment; net profits distributed in proportion to members' patronage. Our State law requires a minimum of five directors (La Montanita has 9), describes in general terms their oversight responsibilities and the various means by which they may be elected and removed. The law also addresses such issues as member eligibility and removal, regular meetings and special meetings called by the membership.
Since the law is over 20 pages long, it would be impractical to describe its contents in detail but we should note that our bylaws were written in such a way as to mirror and satisfy the requirements of the State law. The law also specifies the contents of the Coop's Articles of Incorporation. Next come the Articles of Incorporation, a document first filed with the state when the Coop was founded. La Montanita's Articles include: the date the Articles were filed, (December 1, 1976); the location of the principle office, (106 Girard Blvd. SE, the Coop's original location); the fact that it was organized without shares; a list of the organizers (who went on to become some of its first board members); and finally the purpose. The manner in which the founders wrote the purpose is instructive. The purposes of La Montanita "...are to acquire, sell, produce, build, operate, manufacture, furnish, exchange, or distribute any type or types of property, commodities, goods, or services, primarily foodstuffs, and for the transaction of any lawful business." The founders had very ambitious plans for the Coop. But regardless of what we actually accomplish, it makes sense to keep the purpose broad so we don't have to amend the Articles at a later time. Keeping governance documents broad is a theme that will reappear next time,when we examine the Coop's bylaws. Members rarely ask about the State law and our Articles but they are available if you want to see them. Contact the Board at bod@lamontanita coop.com.
Understanding Annuities Seminar: May 18, from 6:30 - 8p.m. Learn how Annuities work, how they differ from other investments, their unique tax benefits and how to evaluate performance. You can reserve your place for this free, no-obligation seminar by calling New Mexico Educators Federal Credit Union at 889-7755. Or you can register online at www.nmefcu.org.
co-op news
may 2004 7
General Manager’s Column The weather cooperated and we enjoyed another fabulous Earth Day celebration at our Nob Hill location on April 18th. Our membership coordinator Robyn Seydel did her usual great job this year with this event and we are all very grateful for her leadership and work on Earth Day. We are also grateful for the many volunteers who helped with this event, as we could not hope to do it without them. Michelle Franklin and the Nob Hill staff also put in long hours before, during, and after the event, and we thank them as well for their hard work in making this another great Earth Day celebration.
transition that I believe should be completed by the end of May. We have also had e-mail address changes as part of this transition and if you have any of us in your address book the “lamontanita.com” is now “lamontanitacoop.com.”
Our Board of Directors recently approved the following additions to the Board Policy Manual: In the “Staff Treatment” section: “1. The general manager shall not fail to be aware of, and when appropriate, implement best current practices in employee empowerment and participation in decision-making and report annually on how such practices are defined and the status of their implementation. 2. The general manager shall not fail to examine the staff wage grid annually in January and report annually on how the grid compares to the Albuquerque job market and report on any planned changes.” scoop
Thank you for your support of our March volume discount event. We received 1,705 discount postcards; a 39% increase over our Oct. event. Our next event will be our June member survey and I promise this year’s will be much shorter than last year’s very lengthy sur- the inside vey. You will receive a 10% discount on one shop when you return the completed survey anytime during June. We are now putting this survey together and we would appreciate any input from you on potential survey questions. If there are any issues or topics you would like us to include in the survey, please let me know by May 12th.
We are currently experiencing some difficulty in our ability to automatically update our membership databases from one store to the other. I apologize for this inconvenience and I believe we will have this corrected shortly. Our staff at each store is communicating back and forth to make sure when you renew your membership at one location, we are recording that at the other location. We are also in the middle of a complete upgrade to all of our telecommunication systems and during this transition we do expect some difficulty. This new system will provide us a 15% savings in our telecommunication costs. I hope you will bear with us during this
In the “Communication and Counsel To The Board” section: “1. The general manager shall not fail to notify the Board within 24 hours of any change in circumstances, which is or could be of strategic, significant legal, or long-term impact and which might reasonably be of concern to the Board.” The Board also directed the general manager to produce a report, due at the April Board meeting regarding a staff Living Wage Scale. This report is to include a definition of a Living Wage Scale for Albuquerque and the feasibility of implementation and possible timeline. The Board Policy Development Committee (PDC) is a standing committee that works in a process of continuous improvement and regularly submits policy for the Board’s consideration.
Calendar of Events 5/4 5/4
Finance Committee Meeting, 5pm Co-op Annex Social Responsibility Research Committee 5:30pm 122 Tulane SE
5/18
Board of Directors Meeting 5:30pm Immanuel Presbyterian Church
TBA
Member Linkage Committee Meeting 5:30pm Annex
Nature’s Way to Better Health Mary Alice Cooper, M.D. classical homeopathy craniosacral therapy visceral therapy St. Raphael Medical Center 204 Carlisle NE, Albuquerque, NM 87106 (505) 266-6522
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Thank you for your support. C.E. Pugh 265-4631, ce@lamontanitacoop.com
Local Co-op’s Build National Presence by Dave Gutknecht, Cooperative Grocer By late May, 90 local co-ops from 9 regional groups will vote on joining the new National Cooperative Grocers Association (NCGA). Approval of the new plan will establish these co-ops as the second largest retail buying group in the natural/organic industry and position them to attain lower cost of goods on core grocery items. The NCGA reorganization aims to strengthen other shared programs and to bring co-ops improved visibility and industry services. Vision: national strength, local focus All the co-ops in NCGA are independent organizations; a dozen or so operate more than one store and all but two of them are under thirty-five years old. The overall aim upon which the reorganization plan is based retains those local roots. Although co-ops have achieved and learned much through regional collaboration, they face additional pressure to move beyond the existing system by continuing growth and consolidation in the natural/organic industry. The two-year agreements to join the new national body will require transfer of most regional association assets to equity in NCGA. That equity will be held at least three years before potentially (at the board of directors’ discretion) being revolved back to member co-ops. A major benefit visible in 2005 is reduced cost of goods through a national purchasing program negotiated with the primary supplier for almost all NCGA co-ops, United Natural Foods. Other activities, including regional product promotions such as CAP (Co-op Advantage Program), regional training, peer support and purchase of
other non-core goods and services, will similarly be extended from their present bases to other regions, new interest groups, additional services and national service staff. Trust – or bust Coops from around the country gathered in San Diego this winter where spirits ran high. Disagreement and hard questions were addressed and leavened with humor. By the end, a hundred cooperators had established a high degree of unity around a vision and trust in a plan to achieve it. For the organizations involved, earlier co-op history underscores the importance of the new organization. One example is the Cooperative distributors that supported retail development in earlier years but were lost after failing to unite. In a surprise move, the Midwest Association inspired all by announcing they were contributing $100,000 to NCGA (proceeds from the sale of their former co-op distributor Blooming Prairie). At the CCMA conference, to be held June 10-12 in Minneapolis, these themes will be revisited, the next steps discussed and the new landscape surveyed and celebrated. The recent NCGA meeting and anticipated support for the reorganization signify shared commitments that are matched by widespread professional experience and organizational maturity along with a well-grounded plan for achieving the vision: “Thriving retail food co-ops working together with the strength of a national organization and the focus of a locally owned cooperative.”
FRESH DELICIOUS ORGANIC SHOP YOUR CO-OP Local Product Spotlight
ORGANIC ALCHEMY FROM TIJERAS Rejuvenating hair and skin care products made from all-natural plant extracts and essential oils. Tijeras Organic Alchemy taps into the ancient secrets of the desert by using certified organic ingredients in salon-tested formulas. Find Tijeras products in the Health and Beauty Aids Department at either Co-op store.
outdoor eats perfect
picnics
Picnics are one of the great joys of this time of year. From Mothers Day to Fathers Day and anytime you get the chance in between. Fresh air and fresh food; what could be bad about that! Here are a few suggestions to spice up or sweeten the experience. Enjoy!! Adapted and reprinted from: www.alanskitchen.com www.razzledazzlerecipes.com www.recipelink.com www.ivillage.com www.thatsmyhome.com www.thefunplace.com www.recipezaar.com
1/2 teaspoon salt 2 medium-size tomatoes, diced 1 large jalapeno chile, diced 1 green bell pepper, diced 1/2 cup scallions, chopped 1/2 cup (2 oz.) shredded Monterey Jack cheese 1/2 cup (2 oz.) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese 1/4 cup cilantro, minced Cilantro sprigs to garnish In a heavy medium-size saucepan, place rice, water, and salt. Bring the rice to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 45 minutes. Drain the rice and return to heat to dry, stir with a fork. In a large salad bowl, combine the rice, tomatoes, chile, bell pepper, scallions, cheese and minced cilantro. Cover and refrigerate until chilled. Before serving, you may garnish with cilantro sprigs.
Black Bean and Salsa Salad Garbanzo Salad 1 can (12 oz) corn, drained 1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained 1-1/2 - cups celery, chopped 1/2 cup green onion, chopped 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped 1 can (14oz) salsa 1/4 cup wine vinegar dressing In a large bowl, blend the corn, black beans, celery, onion, and cilantro. In a separate mixing bowl, mix the salsa and vinegar dressing. Pour the mixture over salad and toss well. Cover with plastic wrap, place in refrigerator and chill. Cheese and Wild Rice 1/2 cup wild rice 2 cups water
1 can (16 ounces) garbanzos, rinsed and drained 1 small onion, minced 2 tablespoons parsley, minced 2 medium carrots, diced and cooked 1/4 cup olive oil 2 tablespoons vinegar 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pepper 8 lettuce leaves, washed and dried 1/2 cup green olives, sliced 2 hard-boiled eggs, quartered 1/4 cup mayonnaise In a mixing bowl, mix the garbanzos, onion, parsley, carrots, oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator 1 hour to chill.
april 2004 10
Place lettuce leaves on 4 salad plates, and spoon chilled mixture into each. Garnish with olives and eggs and serve with mayonnaise on the side Pecan and Red Pepper Macaroni Pesto 3 C. cooked macaroni 1 red pepper, roasted, peeled, and cooled, or equivalent of canned roasted peppers 2 cloves garlic, minced, or to taste 1/4 C. pecans, toasted 2 T. parmesan cheese Juice of one lemon 1/4 C. water or vegetable broth 1/4 C. olive oil 1/4 C. pitted and thinly sliced kalamata olives In a blender or food processor, combine red pepper, garlic, pecans, Parmesan and lemon juice. As needed, add water or broth and olive oil until the pesto dressing is smooth. In a serving bowl, combine macaroni and dressing. Sprinkle with olives. Pineapple Chicken Salad 2 chicken breasts, cooked and crumbled 4 green onions, chopped 1/2 cup celery, chopped 1 medium head cabbage, chopped 1 cup pineapple tidbits, drained (reserve 2 tablespoons for dressing) 1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted l/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted 1 package ramen soup noodles, crumbled
For the dressing: 3 tablespoons vinegar 3 tablespoons sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons pineapple juice 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 teaspoon black pepper 3/4 cup oil (can reduce to 1/2 cup) 1 package of seasoning from noodle soup mix Mix chicken, onions, celery, cabbage and pineapple. About 30 minutes before serving, add sesame seeds, almonds and noodles. Toss to combine. Combine all dressing ingredients and add to salad just before serving. Serve with hard rolls and fruit. Blue Cheese Coleslaw 1 1/2 lbs. green cabbage, shredded 2 carrots, peeled and shredded 1/4 C. sweet onion, finely chopped 1/3 C. cider vinegar 3 T. sugar 1/3 C. good quality mayonnaise 1/3 C. sour cream or yogurt 1/3 C. crumbled bleu cheese Salt and pepper to taste Combine cabbage, carrots and onion. Heat cider vinegar and sugar to boil. Toss with vegetables and let sit 15 minutes. Drain the vegetables well and combine with remaining ingredients. Prepare at least 2 hours ahead or overnight so flavors can mingle. Balsamic Marinated Pasta Salad 1/4 cup olive oil 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1 1/2 cups cooked pasta (bowties or
outdoor eats
april 2004 11
other small shapes) 2 tablespoons chopped sundried tomatoes 1 tablespoon chopped olives Salt and pepper
cilantro. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until ready to serve.
Whisk together olive oil and vinegar. Toss together with pasta, sundried tomatoes and olives. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
The Dressing: 1 small mango, peeled, pitted, diced or mango nectar, 2 1/2 cup grapefruit juice 1/4 cup fresh lime juice 1/2 teaspoon chili powder 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (a fresh minced serrano pepper is good, too!) 2 tablespoons chopped shallots 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 clove garlic salt and pepper
Peas and Berries Salad 1 C. sugar snap peas 2 C. fresh sweet cherries or strawberries 1 medium cucumber, halved, seeded and sliced 1/2 inch thick 1 C. red radishes, cut into wedge-shaped pieces 3 T. white wine vinegar 2 T. Balsamic vinegar 1/2 t. sesame oil 1/4 t. salt 1/2 t. each, toasted sesame seeds and grated fresh ginger root 1/8 t. ground pepper Blanch peas in boiling salted water 1 minute; plunge into iced water to cool. Drain. Mix cherries, cucumber, radishes and peas. Combine remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour over cherry mixture and toss to coat. Marinate at least one hour in refrigeration. Pineapple Orange Salad 1 large navel orange 2 cups diced fresh pineapple romaine lettuce leaves, washed and crisped 2 cups shredded lettuce 1 8-ounce can sliced beets, drained 2-3 cups jicama, peeled and cut into thin julienne strips 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 1/4 cup minced red onion 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro Working over a bowl to catch any juice, peel and section oranges. Combine the orange sections and pineapple cubes. Line a large round serving platter with romaine lettuce leaves. Top with the shredded lettuce. Arrange the orange-pineapple mixture in a pile across the middle of the platter. Tuck two rows of sliced beets on both sides of the fruit. Sprinkle beets with the julienne strips of jicama.
Fiesta Slaw with Mango
The Salad: 3 cups shredded cabbage 3 cups thinly sliced iceberg lettuce 1 1/2 cups diced peeled pitted mango 1 cup diced peeled jicama 3/4 cup chopped red onions 1 jar roasted red peppers, drained,diced 1/3 cup shelled pumpkin seeds, toasted 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro Make the dressing: Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Make the salad: Combine cabbage, lettuce, mango, jicama, onion, peppers, pumpkin seeds and cilantro in large bowl. Toss with dressing. Season with salt and pepper.
berries: fresh organic
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shallots The shallot is a genteel cousin of the onion family. The flavor of shallots is milder and more delicate, appreciably different from the flavor of onions. For those to whom the scent of onions is overly pungent, bordering on offensive, shallots may be a surprisingly enjoyable discovery; for those who do like onions, shallots may be equally flavorful. Shallots are grown in mountain areas and where temperatures are cooler, mostly during the dry season as they cannot tolerate heavy rainfall. They are usually propagated by planting mature bulbs about 1/4 inch in diameter in well-prepared beds with plenty of organic matter, including composted manure. They are slow growing and take about six months from planting to harvest, needing little watering. They may be harvested while green to use raw in salads. The mature cloves should be pulled before the tops become dry and papery. After harvesting they are allowed to cure in the sun for a week or so. They may be stored for up to a month in a cool dry place with good air circulation (warmth and humidity breed spoilage in shallots). Shallots may be used wherever green onions are called for in a recipe. Their true character comes
out when cooked under mild heat and added to sauces, soups, and stews. A ‘creamed’ asparagus and shallot soup can be made by cooking yukon potatoes, celery, asparagus, shallots, marjoram, tarragon, savory, and salt in water for 10-15 minutes; and then blending all except some of the asparagus tips and shallots, which may be then added with clarified butter to the blended mixture. This soup is delectable cold as well as hot. Shallots are featured in French and Thai cuisine. When chopped and pounded they give a depth of flavor to curry and chili pastes, especially if roasted first. To roast shallots or garlic, cut off the root tip to prevent the clove from bursting and place with skins on in a toaster oven at about 200-250 till soft, about an hour. Shallots may also be sliced and fried in oil and used as a piquant addition to salads. They should cook in the oil at low heat for 20 minutes to allow the slices to dry up before browning, so that they will crisp after draining and cooling. Shallots contain potassium; and the onion family is a source of quercitin, a bio-flavonoid which may be helpful in relieving hay fever and sinusitis as a result of its ability to reduce inflammation in the airways and prevent release of histamine (which causes congestion and allergy symptoms). by Mary Grube
farming & gardening Water, Water Everywhere... by Brett Bakker espite record rainfall in early spring, despite overflowing acequias, despite sodden fields too wet to plant or cultivate and despite more water at one time in one place than most of us desert rats have seen in many years, the drought is not yet over. Drought is not an isolated event but a cumulative effect of many events (or, I guess, non-events as in not raining and not snowing).
D
water flow down my rows of corn, chile and melons, I have a great love for it. And love for the elder native farmers (indios y 'manitos) I've observed wielding a shovel on the ditch as gracefully as an artist wields a brush on canvas. But it is this practice of controlling & damming (and damning) the Rio madre that has halted needed bosque flooding and trapped nutrient-rich silts in reserFor example, the Great Dust Bowl drought began about 1931, was in voir bottoms rather than full effect by 1935 and lasted well into 1940-1. letting them spread along It was the culmination of not only a cluster of the Rio Valley. Although low-rainfall years but the depletion of moisture the Spanish brought some naturally held in the soil, used up by crops and new techniques as well as wasted through poor management by farmers complex water-law they ever more desperate to feed their families on learned from the Moors, land their grandparents homesteaded. there has always been diversion of water for irriWater is naturally held in the soil. Deep rootgation by Puebloan peoples ed trees and perennials don't necessarily die in but only when there was one or two years of low or no rainfall. By their enough river flow to do so. nature, roots delve deep for moisture (and itchy green thumb nutrient) reserves in soil. But after prolonged drought these reserves are not replenished and there is no more moisture to draw upon. In many cases it’s not the lack of moisture per se that may finally kill the plant but diseases and insects which naturally attack those with already low defenses. This season, with the unexpected flow of run-off into our rivers, streams and lakes we may have Case in point: the continuing die-off of New Mexico's pinon trees is received another year's respite for crops and a process begun by the drought. Thirsty trees with lowered defensminnows. But rain and snow has generally been es are attacked by bark beetles who thrive in dry conditions. The below average here for many years; it will take beetles host a fungus that blocks moisture movement through the many more years to just break even. tree's system so that even when rains return, the trees cannot effectively use the moisture and by then may also have contracted other And as always, politicians and developers raise diseases, further lowering immunity. the cry that our water is too important to be used for farming. The sad part is that they're actually Along agricultural corridors, our problems are compounded. Many right but they're only right in that we raise so lityears of redirecting Rio Grande stream flow into a defined channel tle of our own food in this state. If New Mexico rather than its naturally meandering habit, of impounding water in man-made lakes & reservoirs has benefited irrigation agriculture but not the bosque. Cottonwood seedlings, for example, need flooding of riverbanks and surrounding habitat to germinate. No flood and no seedlings equals no new cottonwoods to replace the old that are slowly dying off.
may 2004 12 crops fed New Mexicans (as they once did), farmers would need no defense in their use of water. No offense to many of my friends who grow alfalfa but raising feed for animals in the desert makes little sense. The conversion factor of plant calories & nutrients to meat calories & nutrients is too low to justify growing hay here (that's not to say that there aren't good natural pastures here; there are. Wisely managed, they can produce meat without damaging the eco-system). The real hay conundrum arises when it comes to water rights. Alfalfa is simply the best crop to grow in order to maintain your water rights: relatively simple to grow and less time to care for than an equal area of vegetables. “Use It or Lose It” (whether supported by actual law or not) is the way it works here. There is no incentive for the farmer to conserve water because, to the politico, that only means more water freed for development. And still, the anti-farm faction can't see the drought past our borders. When California is worrying about their own water resources, how long can they possibly be expected to feed the
... and Not a Drop to Waste
I'm not condemning New Mexico's acequia irrigation system. After spending many years leaning on my shovel watching sparkling
Educational Offerings Celebrate the Season
We have a terrific line-up of educational workshops and classes for young and old alike. Our Saturday morning children’s workshops include: • May 1, 10am - noon: MAY DAY CELEBRATION - bring a picnic lunch, dress festively and come dance around the May pole. $5 per child, $10 max. per family. • June 5, 10-11:30am: LOOKING AT POND LIFE (ages 7-12): Rebecca Salem will examine and draw the magnificent living things found at Los Poblanos’ pond. We will use microscopes and other tools.
232-2358
www.EricsTreeCare.com “Your Professional Team of Arborists” “ISA” Certified Arborist Certified Tree Workers on Staff All Employees First Aid & CPR Certified “Care About Your Air” We use B20 Biodiesel Alternative Fuels in our truck and chipper
Services • Fruit and Shade Tree Pruning • Technical Removal • Planting • Cabling & Bracing • Pest Management • Prescription Fertilization • Tree Root Rehabilitation Services
You can bet food will be imported from somewhere long enough to distract us from the fact that our water supplies have dwindled. But without a drink of water to wash it down, that food might just stick in our throats…
erda Gardens by Erica Harding With all the rain, we have hopes for a bountiful growing season this year. Although distribution begins at the beginning of May, we still have a few extra shares and half-shares available for anyone interested in the CSA (community-supported agriculture) style of growing and eating organic vegetables. For more information, call 261-9468 or go to www.erdagardens.org.
Member of International Society of Arboriculture and Society of Commercial Arboriculture ISA Certified, Licensed & Insured
rest of us? Although increasing amounts of our produce comes from Mexico, they have their own water woes (especially northern Mexico where the Rio Grande slows to a heavily polluted trickle) and even less-stringent agricultural chemical regulations than our lax ones.
Our adult/family series will also begin in May and includes the following: • Sat., May 1, 10am-noon: The Art and Science of Tree Pruning: Corva Rose of Divine Earth Gardens will demonstrate and discuss making correct cuts, dead wood removal, maximizing fruit tree production and balancing healthy growth with aesthetic structure. • Sat., May 1, 12-1pm - Introduction to erda Gardens and the CSA model: Farmer Jimmy Pettit and long-time erda core group member Erika Harding will talk about our farm. At Plants of the Southwest, free. • Wed., May 19, 6:30-8pm - Introduction to Rudolf Steiner’s Waldorf with Sally Rutledge, artist; witness the operation of Steiner-inspired Bio-dynamic farm. For more information or additional events see our website: www.erdagardens.org and watch upcoming issues of the Co-op Connection or call 261-9468.
farming & gardening Urban Permaculture by Scott Jackson Most people live in urban or suburban areas. Cities and suburbs typically require great expanses of land and lots of energy to meet their food and other resource requirements. Since our culture is still mired in the habit of consumerism and throwaway consciousness, large amounts of waste and pollution are created. Many of the most damaged lands are in urban/suburban areas. Noise and light pollution are also big issues. In urban permaculture we aspire to grow as much of our food as possible, create strong communities, take advantage of 'waste' resources that surround us, strive to bring in wildlife (usually birds, insects, and in Albuquerque, other small animals), take advantage of the existing infrastructures, heal damaged lands and create/ allow spaces that encourage peace, sanity, and healing. Evolving Systems In the long term it is a good investment in terms of food production to create edible landscapes. Perennial plants over time tend to be more waterefficient than annuals. In Albuquerque and all deserts this is crucial! Imagine if former Mayor Tingley had decided to utilize fruit and nut trees instead of elm trees many, many years ago. Productive native plants are especially valuable. Cacti, which produce fruit and pads, are especially water efficient. Edible weeds such as lambs quarters, wild mustard, pigweed, malva and purslane are tremendous resources. One advantage of living in the city is access to diverse and vast amounts of recyclable solid waste. All of the organic waste (food waste, paper, yard waste, and so on) is easy to transform into food for something. During the fall, it is easy to collect materials such as bagged leaves and pine needles that can be constructed into compost piles, sheet mulches, wicks, mulch, worm beds and other systems. Food waste can be collected from restaurants to put in these systems or fed to chickens. I have raised chickens for years in the University neighborhood, and I haven't needed scratch (chicken food from the feed store). In fact I usually don't have enough
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chickens to eat all of the food waste I easily collect each day. Naturally I get eggs and lots of great fertilizer in return. Creative Resource Use Taking advantage of existing buildings, houses and other infrastructure to aid in edible landscaping deserves our attention. Walls (especially hot west-facing walls) or other vertical structures can be made into a structure for vines and espalier fruit trees. Roofs can be cooled and made productive by raising food on them, provided they are thoughtfully designed. Each side of a structure fosters different microclimates. The south side collects sun in the winter, making a good place for greenhouses, passive solar systems and outdoor spaces for plants that are frost tender, such as fig or pomegranate. The north side of a structure is good for apple, pears and stone fruits, since the cooler microclimate in the late winter retards flowering, hence reducing the chance of a late freeze destroying the fruit. In the summer, the east side gets the cooler morning sun and less afternoon sun, making it a good place for plants that have a hard time in the heat, such as many vegetables. The west side is good for large trees mixed with bushes and small trees to provide shade from the often brutally hot afternoon sun. The palette of possible edible landscaping plants that can be used in Albuquerque is almost endless, if the systems are correctly set up. A good way to arrange plants is in guilds. Guilds are small systems of plants and animals (and possibly other elements) that function in interconnected ways. Often they are based or anchored on a nitrogenfixing tree (mostly, but not limited to legumes) and a food-producing tree. Then smaller plants can be arranged around the anchors and help the anchor plants in various ways. Some of these plants function as nitrogen fixers, soil miners and living mulches and attract insects helpful to the anchor plants. Water Storage: Wicks, Swales & More Recently, utilization of gray water was legalized. There are a number of gray water systems that can be used, from the primitive system of using buckets to save dish-washing/shower water for direct watering of plants to constructed wetlands, storage tanks, and so on. continued on page 14
Donna Earp
natural, gympsum & clay plasters cement stucco (505)
344-2111
fax: (505) 343-9397
I
B.W E A . R
lath
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Free Workshops! Saturdays at Noon May 8 MOTHER’S DAY SALE! May 15 Introduction to Permaculture May 22 Butterfly Gardening May 29 Plant a Garden That Supports Fruit Trees Mon-Sat 8am-5:30pm Sun 10am-5pm 6680 4th St. NW 344-8830 www.plantsofthesouthwest.com
CHICKENS = E G G S A N D F E RT I L I Z E R ! Body-Centered Counseling
Integrated Counseling, Therapeutic Bodywork and Movement
Penny Holland M.A., L.P.C.C, L.M.T.
505-265-2256 LPCC Lic. 0494, LMT Lic. 1074
environment special Earth Soul Reunions Turn your full attention to your living relationship with Earth’s patient stillness. Explore your dialogue with our planet.
Chama River Trip • 22-25 July 2004 Pedernal Camp • 9-12 September 2004 Facilitated by Jeff Hood • 505 983 8420 • adventuresinspirit.com
Coalition Envisions a Healthy Valles Caldera by Marty Peale, Valles Caldera Coalition If you had a chance to help identify the right questions to ask in designing a grazing program that wouldn't harm a remarkable montane grassland/woodland, what would you suggest? If you had a chance to help ask the right questions to help manage the Jemez Mountain elk herd, which is responding to wildfire, winters with little snow, associated changes in habitat, disparate hunting pressure and competition with livestock, what would you suggest? If you had a chance to help design a transportation and trail system to optimize opportunities for both access and solitude, what would you suggest?
Office Space Available Approximately 1400 sq ft On Carlisle near Comanche Lots of windows, shaded by mature trees Ideal for those working in complementary healing and community service professions
may 2004 14
livestock grazing, financial self-sufficiency, and optimal collaboration with its neighbors. The "experiment" here is social, ecological and financial in nature. The Act, notably, did not presume to say how to reconcile apparent conflicts, but it dares to imagine that it is possible to do so and it sets in motion an experiment to try. The Trust is now asking us: • Is the vision and goals for the Preserve and its resources on-track as stated in the draft? • Is the range of potential programs appropriate and complete? • What issues and questions should we consider as we manage resources and develop programs and projects?
For the first time in three years, the Valles Caldera Trust is actively asking for feedback about "the big picture" - how to manage the 89,000-acre Valles Caldera National Preserve, in the Jemez Mountains due north of Albuquerque.
Your response to these questions could actually help shape a holistic interdisciplinary approach to planning and a state-of-the-art effort to both anticipate and monitor cumulative effects.
By law, the Preserve must be run as a working ranch, but the enabling legislation did not define "working ranch." The Act did spell out several mandates - including that the Preserve's ecological and cultural resources must not be damaged, and that the Preserve must accommodate equitable public access, recreational uses, timber production,
For a copy of the Framework, contact the Trust in Los Alamos (661-3333; info@vallescaldera.gov; www. vallescaldera.gov (under "Library" and "Comprehensive Management"). To contribute to a cogent response that the Valles Caldera Coalition will submit in June, contact Coalition Coordinator Marty Peale in Santa Fe (9830841, mpeale @vallescalderacoalition.org).
Call 766-7663 for information
TERRITORY/AMERICAN FRONTIER Installation by Edie Tsong
About the Valles Caldera Coalition The Valles Caldera Coalition is a broad-based group of 18 environmental and recreation oriented organizations and 13 individuals with expertise about the Preserve and its resources. Coming together in 1997 to lobby for the purchase of the Baca Ranch, we continued as a community group when the enabling legislation for the Preserve came out of Congress. The Coalition is basically a watchdog group monitoring how the federal government, in their experimental land-management regime, is running the Preserve.
• The Coalition's primary concern is that ecosystem health be the guiding principle in all management decisions. We also support an adaptive-management, science-based paradigm. • Our goals are to help individuals in the larger community contribute substantively to a program of exceptional Preserve management; and to help build bridges where New Mexico's environmental, economic and cultural issues have otherwise divided our communities. For info call 983-0841 or mpeale@vallescalderacoalition.org.
APRIL 30 - MAY 19
Slide presentation: May 7, 6 PM Reception: May 14 • Friday, 6 PM to 8 PM
HARWOOD
1114 7th Street NW
ART
at Mountain Road for more information, call 505-242-6367
THIRSTY EAR AMERICAN ICONS SERIES
CENTER
THIRSTY EAR & AMP CONCERTS ARE PROUD TO PRESENT
TAJ MAHAL
Urban Permaculture
& THE HULA BLUES BAND May 5 — 7:30 pm El Rey Theater, Albuquerque 622 Central, SW $27 advance/$30 door. Age 21 and over only.
May 6 — 7:30 pm Lensic Theater, Santa Fe 211 W. San Francisco $25, $29, $33, $37 reserved
“A well-seasoned gumbo, spiced with influences that originate in the Caribbean, West Africa, the southern states, and the inner cities of America.” –Rolling Stone
CHARGE BY PHONE: 505-988-1234 Get tickets for Santa Fe shows at Lensic box office, CD Cafe, and Gordon’s CDs in Los Alamos. Tickets for Albuquerque shows at Bound to Be Read, The Book Stop and tickets.com outlets, including Raley's supermarkets.
ONLINE AT: ThirstyEarFestival.com
continued from page 12 Rainwater is a precious resource that has just begun to tap its potential for storage and use. In most houses, buildings, parking lots, roads, sidewalks and so on, rain has been treated as something to get rid of rather than use. But if we save and store our rainwater in storage tanks, retention ponds, swales, in the roots of plants, in organic matter, under mulch or in many other systems, we minimize our reliance on city water or irrigation water, and perhaps help recharge the aquifer too.
cally large holes dug out of the soil and filled with a material that stores water. Pumice wrapped in landscaping fabric will exclude roots, if that is preferable. If root penetration of a wick is desired, the holes can be filled with a straw bale, paper, sticks, brush, leaves and any other organic material. For me these are a great place to put waste paper. Over the years the wicks evolve microbial, fungal and other communities that eventually transform the wastes into food for plants.
A strategy for directing and storing rainwater should gracefully connect with the landscape. If a property has the advantage of having hills or slopes, often the slope of the land will dictate where the water is stored. Form the land with hills, basins, streambeds, swales, raised pathways and so on; it will be anything but flat! This follows the permaculture concept of increasing edge, which creates opportunities for more microclimates and other types of diversity.
There are ways to integrate existing 'problems' into the overall solution. Some examples are using notorious elms as 'nurse' plants for more appropriate trees, pumice or scoria used in many xeriscapes can be used in wicks, construction waste can be re-used and concrete rubble can be used in landscapes and some foundations.
I like to construct what are known as 'wicks' or 'sponges' to store water in low areas. Wicks are basi-
The goal: to live in tune with nature treating everything with respect. If we can improve our cities, more space can be returned to wildlife and wilderness. Start small, and let your success be the nucleus of further endeavors.
community forum
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5th Annual GreenBuilt Tour See examples of environmentallyA beautiful guidebook will serve as friendly houses at the GreenBuilt Tour your ticket to the self-guided tour. 2004. Homeowners will open their Each guidebook is $5 and admits doors for you to see how sustainable one adult; children under 12 are design concepts are actually applied. free. Guidebooks will be on sale Produced by the U.S. Green Buildbeginning May 6th at both La ing Council, New Mexico Chapter Montanita Coop locations. (USGBC NM) and sponsored by PNM, this tour will inform and For more information, call 242inspire. These unique projects de6484 or email GreenBuiltTour monstrate energy-efficiency, water @yahoo.com. harvesting and conservation, green May 22nd & 23rd building materials, green design The USGBC NM is a nonprofit principles, community design concepts and more. organization whose mission is to transform our Designers and builders will be on hand to discuss built environment through education, collaboraconstruction techniques and cost-effectiveness. It’s a tion and outreach to promote environmentally great way to learn about homes that are attractive, responsible practices that are economically and affordable and sustainable! socially beneficial to the community.
OFFCenter's Large Scale Puppet OPEN STUDIO SERIES May 1- June 5, every Saturday, 10-2: To be held at VSA/North Fourth Studio, 4909 4th St NW. Learn to build large-scale and hand-held puppets and other parade paraphernalia. Come to one session or all. For teens and adults. Artists: Sunny Birklund, Micaela Seidel & Mary Lambert. Materials fee: $8.00/session. Please Call OFFCenter for more information: 247-1172.
Eating for Optimum H eal th with David Wolfe considered to be the foremost authority on RAW FOOD
May 26, 6-10pm New Mexico School of Natural Therapeutics Q & A • FOOD • MUSIC $25 ADVANCE (BY MAY 15) • $35 AT THE DOOR TO REGISTER CALL DAWN AT 646-408-4355 OR 247-9039
Youth in Transition: Opens Doors for Youth in Need Youth in Transition (YIT) was formed in 1995 in response to the needs of Albuquerque's increasing street youth population. They are a non-profit 501(c) (3) agency, serving primarily young peopleple, ages 14-24, who cannot or will not access other services. Without YIT, much of this population would remain, at best, underserved. They provide a no-strings-attached, open-door, open-arms type of approach while working with some of Albuquerque's toughest and most in need youth; providing case-management, crisis-intervention, advocacy and outreach services. While providing these services in some very creative and patient ways, they also provide food, showers, clothing, hygiene supplies, a contact phone number, a mailing address and transportation, all in a safe and nurturing environment where kids can learn to trust and be healed. By giving them hope, YIT helps them to strive for, believe in and desire a better life.
Please help fill in the gaps left by other existing service providers. Help in the fight against societal indifference, apathy and ignorance, against the reaction to the fear of things not understood or maybe of a reality too painful to face. Help YIT to continue to exist as Albuquerque's street youth "first response" and "triage" agency. Please join in the fight for the basic human rights and dignities that these young people are entitled to.
YIT needs: Money to pay the bills, a bigger building, a van or a small bus, volunteers, mentors, fundraisers, transportation and donation pick-ups, grant-writers, veterinarian support, mechanics and Board Members who are good at raising money, have backgrounds in finance, who have experience in community organizing and/or public relations. Call 265-7690 for more information
AT HOME FOLK HOUSE CONCERTS Enjoy some of our country’s finest singer/songwriters in an at home environment. Call (505)842-5073 or e-mail abqmusic@att.net for reservations and directions. June 24: A Thirsty Ear preview featuring The Red Stick Ramblers (6-
ALBUQUERQUE PEACE & JUSTICE CENTER
by Judith Kidd For over twenty years the Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice has been a resource for education and action in areas of local and global concern with a focus on nonviolence, undoing racism and strategies for peaceful resolution of differences. It is a “school” of awareness and action. Just one year ago, through the generousity of our supporting members, we began purchase of our own building, which has enlarged our capacity making possible films, musical events, discussion groups, art events and project planning. Over thirty-six peace-related organizations are members of ACP&J. Their concerns include nuclear proliferation, war, the death penalty, sweatshops, homeless youth and Third World struggles. They foster independant media, academic freedom, nonviolent communication and economic justice. Members and member-
ship organizations fund the Center’s work and our two excellent part-time staff persons. Now, through our current membership drive, we hope to double our membership. We are inviting many of you who support our work and attend our events to become members. Call ACP&J at 268-9557 or stop by 202 Harvard SE. And come to a pre-Mothers Day pancake breakfast - a celebration of our first anniversary in the new home - on May 2 from 10 am to 2 pm. The men will be the chefs.
YOUR MEMBERSHIP
Makes it
Possible!
8th Annual Bike to Work Day Bike ABQ is hosting the 8th annual Bike to Work Day on Friday May 21st and we are promoting the Bike Swap and other events as part of Bike Month. Ride your bicycle to the Alvarado Transportation Center or to Charlie’s Two Wheel Drive on Friday May 21st between 7:30 a.m.-9:00 a.m. and get a free breakfast and chance to enter a raffle for a new $400 commuter bicycle and other prizes. If you need someone to ride with, or if you would like to join a convoy ride to this event visit www.BikeNM.org or e-mail info@bikenm.org to learn more or to sign up for a Bike Buddy. Bike Buddies are also available if you would like someone to ride with you to your workplace.
The Bike ABQ organization promotes bicycling and bicycle safety. Our mission is: “To increase the number of bicyclist in Albuquerque by promoting cycling, providing safety education and advocating for the rights of cyclists.” We believe that healthy and active lifestyles are good for individuals, our communities and the environment. Our fundraising supports three main programs (the 3 E’s): Bicycle safety education and the purchase of bike helmets for kids (Education), promoting bicycling through events like Bike to Work Day and Bike to School Day (Encouragement), and transportation planning to ensure that roads and bikeways are well-designed (Engineering). • For more info contact Julie at 224-3454 or Astrid at 265-2394.