La Montanita Coop Connection September, 2006

La Montanita Co-ON Food Market 303 San Mateo NE Suite 201 Alb NM 87108

Sat. Sept. 16

Santa Fe River Clean Up and Recycled Art

co op September 2006

connection

and Community Swap Day see page 1 for details

12 GREAT REASONS TO BE A CO-ON MEMBER: 1. YOUR CHANCE TO SUPPORT A STORE that is committed to bringing you the highest quality organic produce, antibiotic and hormone-free meats, rBGH-free dairy products, imported and domestic cheeses, healthiest grocery, bulk foods, fresh deli and juices, natural body care cosmetics, vitamins, herbs and more!

2. MEMBER REFUND PROGRAM: At the end of each fiscal year, if earnings are sufficient, refunds are returned to members based on purchases.

3. PICK UP OUR MONTHLY NEWSLETTER full of information on food, health, the environment and your Co-ON. 4. WEEKLY MEMBER-ONLY COUPON SPECIALS as featured in our Weekly Sales Flyer. Pick it up every week at any location and save more than your annual membership fee each week.

5. EASY CHECK WRITING AND CASH ($40) over purchase amount. We also accept ATM cards, VISA and MasterCard.

6. BANKING MEMBERSHIP at New Mexico Educators Federal Credit Union, with many Albuquerque branches to serve you.

7. INSURANCE AND FINANCIAL COUNSELING: Call Robin Chall 823-9537 8. FREE DELIVERY for seniors, housebound and differently-abled people.

9. MEMBER-ONLY DISCOUNT DAYS: Take advantage of our special discount events for members only — throughout the year!

10. SPECIAL ORDERS: You can special order large quantities or hard-to-find items, at a 10% discount for members.

11. GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS, Board positions and voting. Co-ops are democratic organizations; your participation is encouraged.

12. MEMBERSHIP PARTICIPATION PROGRAM: Members can earn discount credit through our community outreach committees or skilled member participation program. Please ask at the Information Desk for details.

Now More than Ever: Support Community, Support Cooperation

JOIN LA MONTANITA COOPERATIVE The Only Community- Owned Natural Foods Grocery in the Albuquerque Area

MEMBERSHIP: ONLY$15 ANNUALLY, OR $200 LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP • Nob Hill: Central & Carlisle, 505-265-4631 • Valley: Rio Grande & Matthew, 505-242-8800 • Gallup: East Coal & First St, 505-863-5383 • Santa Fe: Alameda 2 blocks west of St. Francis, 505-984-2852

Building a Sustainable Foodshed

free

Your Co-op: Building the Movement for 30 Years

Buy FRESH , Buy FAIR , Buy LOCAL

by Robyn Seydel t’s heartening to see the buy local movement gaining ground! Even many corporate chain and big box stores are jumping on the “local is the new organic” bandwagon, though for them it’s most likely just a “hot” new business strategy used to further their image and help increase or ensure their profit margins. Here at La Montanita Co-op, a community-owned grocery, our buy local initiatives, along with our support of organic production methods and certification, are an integral part of who we are and have been for the past 30 years.

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The Real Deal In 1976 a group of 300 Albuquerque families pooled their resources to bring trucks carrying organic and natural foods to their neighborhood. At that time, things we now take for granted, like brown rice, non-hydrogenated peanut butter, tofu and organic carrots were not available in their University District community. Over the past 30 years, what began with a handful of dedicated pioneers, crazy “hippies” and small family farmers has rapidly become an “industry.” Fueled by increasing awareness of the health and environmental costs of conventional agri-business, the double digit growth in what was originally perceived as a “niche” market is not lost on corporate giants who want a piece of the multi-billion dollar organic and natural foods pie. Corporate buy-outs and natural foods corporate chains selling lifestyle image quickly defined the highly competitive environment that is today’s natural food marketplace. Now even Wal-Mart and Costco sell national natural and organic food brands.

Through it all, one of the things that allowed La Montanita Co-op not only to survive in this increasingly competitive environment, but to thrive (beyond some dedicated long

A Genuine Commitment Over the decades, the Co-op’s commitment to locally produced food has become legendary with many small local producers saying that the bulk of their farm income comes from the Co-op. To see how much the Co-op actually buys from local producers and how much that amount can be increased, over the past few years La Montanita began a local product tracking system that is coupled with an active advertising program (articles in the Co-op newspaper and ads in other local media outlets) and a “Buy Local” signage program on Co-op store shelves.

Currently purchasing well over 1000 items from over 300 local producers, it is the Co-op’s goal to continually increase the amount of food sourced from local growers and producers. In 2002, 16% of all Co-op purchases were of local products; in 2003, 18%; in 2005, 20%. As of this writing, figures are not yet complete for 2006, but with our four Co-op locations (two in Albuquerque, one in Santa Fe and one in Gallup), we are hoping to exceed 20%, purchasing between 2.5 and 3 million from local producers. We look forward to the day when 30-40%, even 50% or more of all the products we purchase and sell are locally produced.

Over the past few years, due to the difficulties local producers face both economically (making ends meet, transportation costs, etc.) and environmentally (droughts/water shortages/ flooding, Curley top virus, bee mites and more) many of our local producers have been lost. We watched sadly as Sunrise Juice, Gourmet Bagel and others disappeared. We quickly realized that it would be impossible to attain our local product purchasing goals if our farmers and suppliers kept going out of business. The Co-op extended support to several local growers, including helping the new, regional Beneficial Farm and Ranch Collaborative, a group of a dozen or so small family farmers; cooperating to market their produce and get up and running. Co-op shoppers know them from their “Beneficial Farms” eco-label in produce departments and on egg cartons in the dairy cooler.

Sunday Oct.15, 1-5pm

30

years!

the CO-OP’S 30th

BIRTHDAY BASH!

Great Co-op Food! Music and Dancing (to Wagogo!) then enjoy a community music and dance jam organized by Armando Ortega; musicians of all genres bring your instruments!

Harvest Festival Farmers Market: Celebrate the local harvest with farmers and gardeners from around the state. Farmers and local crafters interested in setting up, please contact Robin at 2172027 or toll free at 877-775-2667 to reserve your free space.

Set amidst the Cottonwoods at Los Amigos Round-Up, located in the far North Valley (just south of where Second and Fourth Street divide). Come help us celebrate 30 years of Local Food for Local People!

The Next Stage: Developing a Regional Foodshed We regularly hear from local farmers that one of their greatest challenges is getting their product to market. To help alleviate the drain on their time and energy so they can concentrate on production, we decided to take the next logical step: lease a truck and use Co-op staff to drive it. As we had already been coordinating local produce purchases with Beneficial Farms, we began our “great cooperative truck experiment” by having Beneficial Farms help coordinate the farmers

DON’T

MISS IT!

actively engaged in asking and responding to what we believe are the appropriate questions to see it succeed. Will we make mistakes and have to overcome challenges both known and unknown? No doubt! Will we learn from them and continue to move forward with the intent to do the very best we can for local farmers and producers and the larger Co-op community? You bet!

At the CO-OP our buy local initiatives, along with our support of organic production methods and certification, are an integral part of who we are and have been for the past 30 years! term staff, savvy business management practices, food, health and environmental education, community activism programs and plain old dumb luck) was an active program to encourage local farmers. Twenty plus years ago it was nearly impossible to find locally grown produce or other local or organic products.

Back in the 1980’s, La Montanita set about cultivating local producers by recognizing the true costs of local, unsubsidized food production and paying fair prices for locally produced goods. At the time there was only one farmer’s market (at the Caravan parking lot on east Central Ave.) and farmers and gardeners came to depend on the Co-op to sell their products and bolster their income. Farmers and producers got paid for their product immediately, often right out of the cash register as they brought their products to the store (no waiting 30, 60 or 90 days for payment like with the big corporate chains).

For years, the Co-op has sponsored local farming and gardening festivals and conferences, supported the formation and growth of local growers’ markets and continues to work with growers who sell to us to coordinate planting efforts ( e.g.“we had plenty of tomatoes last year but no onions”). We’ve also organized educational conferences and community events, including the second conference held anywhere in U.S. on the cancer causing, endocrine disrupting effects of agricultural chemicals. More recently, we organized the Common Ground Summits that brought together regional farmers and environmentalists with the Wild Farm Alliance to overcome land use and water challenges.

we would truck for in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. We also now haul product for long time New Mexican diary farmer Scott Rasband, our only supplier of locally produced and bottled milk, and Canyon River Beef of Roy, New Mexico.

So far things have been going well. The truck is running mostly on schedule, product is reaching Co-op locations and the other small businesses we service in good condition, and the poundage we haul is covering some of the expenses. But we realize we still have lots to learn. Both here at home, as in the case of the Santa Fe Farmers Coop, and nationally, as evidenced by numerous studies and reports posted on reputable websites (Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, among others), many similar endeavors undertaken around the country have failed, usually when the grant money ran out.

How to make our effort succeed is a topic many of us spend a good deal of our waking (and other) hours examining. In order to safeguard the cooperative as a whole, we are going about this “experiment” in a slow and careful manner and are

We see this Co-op truck as a first step in a larger, long-term vision born of cooperative principles and values: a vision of a sustainable, regional foodshed. This vision requires coordination and collaboration between the Co-op, farmers, ranchers and producers (and we recognize that given the independence and self reliant nature of most farmers, this may be a bit “like herding cats”) to produce the diversity of fruit, veggies, meat, eggs, beans and grains necessary for a stable food supply. We also recognize that utilizing the different growing seasons and conditions around our state to have year round product is an important piece of the collaboration. Wouldn’t it be great to have greens from the Mesilla Valley in winter rather that bringing them in from California? Thanks to the support that farmers, ranchers, producers, Co-op shoppers and the larger community have so far expressed, the experiment continues.

Santa Fe River CLEAN-UP and Community Swap • Sat., Sept. 16, 9am-1pm

Help us clean up the reach of the Santa Fe River at 913 West Alameda, (Across the street from the Co-op’s Santa Fe Location).

• 9-11am: Clean up the Santa Fe River Co-op Members sign in and get one (1) 18% Discount Shopping Card for your effort. Good for one shopping trip at any Co-op location.

• 11am-12:20pm: CALLING ARTISTS OF ALL AGES! Make recycled art from the trash we gather. Win a Co-op Shopping Spree! Categories for Children, Teens and Adults. Juliet Myers, Site Santa Fe Director of Education and Public Programs, leads the judges.

• 9-1pm: Community Swap Bring a bag full of clothing, household goods and/or art in clean, good condition and take a Co-op bag full of items home. (All household goods must be in working condition. No Furniture Please!) No money! Swap only!

• Santa Cruz Farms will be roasting organic green chile, get your sackful!

RECYCLED Art Day

Co-sponsored by The Santa Fe Watershed Association, Re-cycle Santa Fe, The City of Santa Fe and La Montanita Co-op. For information, to volunteer or make art call Robyn at 877-775-2667.

our foodshed A Community - Owned Natural Foods Grocery Store La Montanita Cooperative Albuquerque/ 7am-10pm M-S, 8am-10pm Sun. 3500 Central S.E. Albuq., NM 87106 265-4631 Albuquerque/ 7am-10pm M-S, 8am-10pm Sun. 2400 Rio Grande Blvd.

Albuq., NM 87104 242-8800 Gallup/ 10am-7pm M-S, 11am-7pm Sun. 105 E. Coal Gallup, NM 87301 863-5383 Santa Fe/ 7am-10pm M-S, 8am-10pm Sun. 913 West Alameda Santa Fe, NM 87501 984-2852 Administrative Staff: 505-217-2001 TOLL FREE: 877-775-2667 (COOP) • General Manager/C.E. Pugh x113 ce@lamontanitacoop.com • Controller/John Heckes 217-2026 johnh@lamontanitacoop.com • Accounting/Toni Fragua x102 tonif@lamontanitacoop.com • Business Development/Steve Watts x114 • Computers/Info Technology/Mark Bieri x108 computers@lamontanitacoop.com • Human Resources/Sharret Rose x107 hr@lamontanitacoop.com • Marketing/Edite Cates x104 editec@lamontanitacoop.com • Membership/Robyn Seydel x105 robins@lamontanitacoop.com Store Team Leaders: • Michelle Franklin/Nob Hill 265-4631 mf@lamontanitacoop.com • John Mulle/Valley 242-8800 jm@lamontanitacoop.com • William Prokopiack/Santa Fe 984-2852 willpro@lamontanitacoop.com • Tracy Thomasson/Gallup 863-5383 tracyt@lamontanitacoop.com Co-op Board of Directors: email: bod@lamontanitacoop.com President: Martha Whitman Vice President: Marshall Kovitz Treasurer: Ken O’Brien Secretary: Roger Eldridge Susan Cizek Tom Hammer Tamara Saimons Jonathan Siegel Andrew Stone Membership Costs: $15 for 1 year/$200 Lifetime Membership Co-op Connection Staff: Managing Editor: Robyn Seydel robins@lamontanitacoop.com Layout and Design: foxyrock inc Covers and Centerfold: Edite Cates Advertising: Robyn Seydel Editorial Assistant: Ivy Edmondson ivye@lamontanitacoop.com Printing: Vanguard Press Membership information is available at all four Co-op locations, or call 217-2027 email: memb@lamontanitacoop.com Membership response to the newsletter is appreciated.

Address typed, double-spaced copy to the Managing Editor, robins@lamontanitacoop.com website: www.lamontanitacoop.org Copyright © 2006 La Montanita Co-op Supermarket Reprints by prior permission.

The Co-op Connection is printed on 65% post consumer recycled paper. It is recyclable.

CO-OP

YOU OWN IT

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Helping Local Producers South Valley Economic Development Center

by Ilana Blankman n August you learned that Heidi makes her fabulous jam at the South Valley Economic Development Center (SVEDC). This month we thought we’d fill you in on what the SVEDC is all about.

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Concerned with the threat to agriculture in the historically semi-rural South Valley and the lack of local employment opportunities, Bernalillo County, the Rio Grande Community Development Corporation and UNM’s Resource Center for Raza Planning joined forces in 2005 to build the South Valley Economic Development Center, a state-certified small business incubator and commercial kitchen.

Founded on small-scale agricultural production, the South Valley is one of the oldest communities in New Mexico. However, while nearly two thirds of South Valley residents have access to farmland, much of this land now lays fallow because, as large-scale commercial agriculture has grown and the cost of living increased, many families have given up on growing food. One mission of the SVEDC is to revitalize small-scale farming by providing a facility to process local produce into value-added products like jam, salsa, tamales and more.

But you don’t have to live or grow in the South Valley to use the kitchen. The SVEDC kitchen is available for rent twenty four hours a day, seven days a week for anyone interested in food processing, food production or catering. The state-of-theart kitchen is fully equipped and provides ample space for preparation and storage. Cost varies based on energy, equipment and space needs. Kitchen orientations are held twice monthly and you can stop by for a tour of the facility anytime Monday through Friday between 8am and 5pm.

Dedicated to helping small businesses of all types succeed, the SVEDC also offers low-cost office space and free or low-cost trainings of interest to start-up and expanding small businesses.

The SVEDC is located at 318 Isleta Blvd, SW, two blocks south of Bridge. For more information, please call 877-0373 or email admin@svedc.com.

Co-op’s ORGANIC Green Chile Roast

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ast year was a tough year for Albert and Connie Bustamante of Ranchos de las Rosas Farm near Socorro. Due to the drought and the alkali water that came through the acequias, like so many other Socorro farmers, the Bustamantes lost just about their whole chile crop. This year, salt of the earth that they are, they are back and although the heavy rains in August damaged their Big Jim Chile fields, their medium-hot and Sandia chiles are doing great.

For nearly seven decades the Bustamantes have been growing green chile in the traditional way. Albert was one of the first chile growers to stop using the chemicals of the so-called “green revolution” and get certified organic. The Co-op is honored to be able to offer this excellent certified organic, real New Mexican green chile to our members.

As usual Albert will be roasting his approximately 40 pound sacks at both Albuquerque locations (Nob Hill and the Valley). If you find that you cannot pick up your chile before 11am on chile roasting day where you reserved your sack, please call Christina at 853-4951 to either cancel your order so some other lucky New Mexican can have it or make other arrangements. Calling even as late as the Friday before roasting day to cancel would be greatly appreciated. Chile reservations will only be honored until 11am, after which it will be sold on a first-come first serve basis until it is gone.

Sign-up sheets will be available at both Albuquerque Co-op locations.

Quantities are limited so reserve your sack early. Special thanks to Arnold and Christina Mazotti of M Mountain farm for their help in keeping this great green chile coming to our Co-op.

CO-OP GREEN CHILE ROASTING and

PICK-UP DATES

Nob Hill Location: Saturday, September 9/ 9am to noon Valley Location: Saturday, September 16/ 9am to noon Call the produce department at your favorite Albuquerque location and reserve your sack today. Call Nob Hill at 256-4631 or the Valley at 242-8800.

NOW IN SANTA FE TOO! This year we are honored to have Don Bustos of Santa Cruz Farm roasting and selling his organic green chile at the Santa Fe Co-op location on Saturday September 16th in conjunction with our Santa Fe River Clean-up and Recycle Day. Don is one of our finest farmers and a farming and environmental justice activist. Come to the Co-op and get your sack and have it roasted. For more information please call Richelle at 505-984-2852.

Albert and Connie Bustamante

Fresh, Fair and Local:

Celebrate Our Harvest!

There’s a huge variety of local produce available this harvest season at the Co-op. Here’s a list of what should be on hand in the Albuquerque Co-ops this month: • Jake West in Fort Sumner (southern NM): corn and a wide variety of melons, including watermelon, cantelope, Ogen, Canary, and Jake’s own special variety.

• Beneficial Farm Collaborative: summer squash, onion, garlic, potatoes, green beans, beets, carrots, salad mix, spinach, and eggplant • M Mountain Farm, Polvadera, NM: green chile • Livity Farm, East Mountains: summer squash, greens, and salad mix • Cicilia McCord, Polvadera Farm: eggplant, peppers, summer squash, and many varieties of heirloom green beans • Amyo and Chispas Farm, South Valley: peppers, beets, cabbage, and all kinds of tomatoes • Excelsior Orchards, Paonia, CO: Gala and Fuji apples • Tony’s Orchard, South Valley: a variety of apples, including Cameos

• Old School Farm, Truth or Consequences: garlic • Sungreen Living Foods, Santa Fe, NM: sprouts of all kinds In Santa Fe from the following farmers: • Beneficial Farm Co-op, northern NM and southern CO: same • Santa Cruz Farm, Albuquerque, Espanola: salad mix, veggies, green chile • Cottonwood Lane Orchards, Velarde: blackberries, rasberries • Pat’s Peña Blanca Farm, Peña Blanca: onions • Excelsior Orchards, Paonta, CO: pears • Growing Opportunities, Alcalde: hydroponic tomatoes • Sungreen Living Foods, Santa Fe: sprouts • El Sagrado Farm, La Jara, CO: cabbage, cauliflower, chards, kale and more

buy

Local! september 2006

our foodshed

Rio Grande Agricultural Land Trust Preserving Our Farms and Green Valley

by Jim McCord s development pressures on our limited and precious irrigated farmlands mount, Rio Grande Agricultural Land Trust (RGALT) works to preserve those lands. RGALT provides landowners with a “non-development” option for dealing with the ballooning value of their working lands. Recent local news alerts us to mega developments planned for Sandoval, Bernalillo, and Valencia counties. While not being located specifically on irrigated farmland, these developments lead to significant “ripple effects”, especially due to the resulting increase in competition for water.

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To imagine how will these planned developments will impact farmland in RGALT’s service area, one only need look at Albuquerque’s north valley. West of Twelfth Street, and north from Griegos and Montano toward and beyond Alameda, one finds medium and high density residential developments. Land values in these areas generally exceed $100,000/acre, putting enormous pressure on owners of remaining undeveloped farmland to convert it into highdensity use.

Westland Corporation (the successor organization to the Atrisco Land Grant) has made public plans to develop tens of thousands of housing units in the rangelands west of the South Valley. Further north, a masterplanned community (named “Rio West”) of 70,000 people will be located just west of Rio Rancho in Sandoval county. For a Valencia county example, there are planned (and already platted with the county) literally tens of thousands of housing units on the mesa just east of Belen and Tome.

This list is far from complete, yet it should still sound alarms for those of us who would like to see our greenbelt of farmland and bosque preserved for our children. The time for action is now. RGALT’s ongoing efforts include partnering with farmers in Tome to work on farmland preservation in that historic Valencia county community, as well as working with the legislature to develop a permanent funding stream for farmland preservation.

Tome Efforts Shortly after making a presentation at a recent meeting of the Historic Tome— Adelino Neighborhood Association (HTANA) meeting, RGALT was approached by several landowners from the Tome area who expressed a serious interest in protecting their land in perpetuity through conservation easements. A conservation easement (CE) is a permanent deed restriction that extinguishes all or part of a landowner’s right to develop their property. In exchange for conveying a CE, the landowner can receive financial benefits, either through tax deductions and/or credits if they donate the CE, and/or by direct compensation for the value of those rights.

Conceptually, preserving large portions of farmland in the Tome area should be feasible, but practically speaking, few of the landowners in the area can afford to donate CEs. A purchase of development right (PDR) program for all interested landowners would likely cost more than ten million dollars.

Valley

RGALT Harvest Dinner RGALT’s Annual Fundraising Harvest Dinner is September 24 at Los Poblanos Inn and Organic Farm in Los Ranchos. Featuring all locally grown food prepared by some of Albuquerque’s finest chefs, this event is typically an evening to remember. Attendance is limited to 100, so please call Seasons Restaurant at 766-5100 to make a reservation.

Gallup

Santa Fe Railyard: Farmers’ Market

Benefit

by George Gundrey When the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market first started back in the late 1960s, it was a group of farmers who were selling out of the back of their pickups. Over the past 35 years, it has grown into New Mexico’s largest farmers market and one of the top ten nationally, according to Sunset Magazine.

During its 35 years, the Market has moved around a lot because of disappearing open space in the downtown area. When the City acquired the 50-acre Santa Fe Railyard, the Market decided to establish a permanent home so that it could remain downtown for future generations. The Institute has signed an 80-year lease for Lot H in the Railyard. The new Market will have both indoor and outdoor space. The building will feature an open Market Hall of approximately 10,000 square feet for year-round, indoor sales for up to 50 vendors. An additional 100 vendors will be accommodated outside the building with their trucks and stalls. In addition, the Market Hall will be an exciting and affordable community-based event center when the Farmers’ Market is not running.

The new Market will be one of the greenest buildings in New Mexico. We are seeking Silver LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certification. Some elements of LEED construction are harvested rain water, solar heat and hot water, and use of construction materials from within a 500 mile radius of Santa Fe. The Institute’s fundraising goal is $3.6 million, of which they have raised over $2.1 million as of August. The Institute must raise $1.5 million from the local community by the time construction begins in January of 2007.

On Fri., September 29th at the Santa Fe Brewing Company, the Institute is presenting the music of Kan’Nal to help get to their fundraising goal. For more information see the ad on page 15 or call 505-983-7726.

You can also make a contribution to the Institute or become a member. All contributions are tax deductible. Call 983-7726 for information. The Institute also is in need of volunteers for a variety of activities. For more information, please call 983-7726 or visit their web site at www.santafefarmersmarket.com/institute/.

Symposium for Sustainable Food and Seed Sovereignty

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Symposium for Sustainable Food and Seed Sovereignty is scheduled on October 6 & 7 at the Intergenerational Center at Tesuque Pueblo in Northern New Mexico. This Symposium features renowned regional experts and internationally recognized activists in the area of sustainable agriculture. Noted speakers include Iroquois Seneca Elder; author, educator and farmer John Mohawk; Winona LaDuke, Founding Director of the White Earth Land Recovery Project; and Ohki Simine Forest of Canadian Mohawk descent, 20-year resident/supporter of the Mayan movement in Chiapas, Mexico.

Panels include: dry land farming and water management techniques, heirloom seed saving and cleaning methods, traditional crops for nutrition and cultural health, medicinal herb gathering, cultivation and use, alternative plant uses, and spiritual agriculture, which is the essential starting and ending point of all efforts in traditional land-based cultures.

This past spring, The Eight Northern Pueblos of New Mexico, the All Indian Tribal Council, and the Pueblos of Pojoaque and Tesuque came into agreement and independently adopted resolutions banning the introduction of GMO/ GE seed on all tribal lands. A legislative update

Santa Fe

panel including both tribal leaders and invited state legislators will discuss current and future food policy and security plans.

These programs are collaboratively organized and produced by the Community Food Project of the Pueblo of Pojoaque, the Tesuque Pueblo Agricultural Resources Department, the Institute of Natural and Traditional Knowledge (INTK)/ Native Earth Bioculture Council, the New Mexico Herb Growers Association, Traditional Native American Farmers Association (TNAFA), and with generous financial support of the Lannan, McCune and Kellogg Foundations, USDA and the Institute of American Indian Art (IAIA).

Conference attendees are invited to join a Seed Walk and Rally sponsored by INTK concluding at the Round House in Santa Fe, for a Seed Blessing and Exchange to show spiritual solidarity with the land and dedication to supporting a sane and sustainable future for the Earth and her peoples. For registration and information, contact Michiella Sanchez at the Tesuque Pueblo Administrative Offices at 505-983-2667 or by e-mail at msanchez@pueblooftesuque.org.

Co-op Values Cooperatives are based on the values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity and solidarity. In the tradition of their founders, cooperative members believe in the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others.

Co-op Principles 1 Voluntary and Open Membership 2 Democratic Member Control 3 Member Economic Participation 4 Autonomy and Independence 5 Education, Training and Information 6 Cooperation among Cooperatives 7 Concern for Community The Co-op Connection is published by La Montanita Co-op Supermarket to provide information on La Montanita Co-op Supermarket, the cooperative movement, and the links between food, health, environment and community issues.

Opinions expressed herein are of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Co-op.

CO-OP

YOU OWN IT september 2006

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agua es

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What’s in Water? A Chemist’s View

by Miguel Trujillo

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n 2008, the City of Albuquerque is set to switch over to the Rio Grande as its primary source for its drinking water. Many Albuquerque residents are rightly concerned about a profound change that could have an impact on their health and well-being. Residents are accustomed to the water they have been drinking for decades, and they are apprehensive about this change in the water they depend on. As a result, many residents are asking, “What’s in the Water?� People want to know what is in the water we are currently drinking, and what will be in the water we will be drinking once the Rio Grande becomes the source of our drinking water.

There are numerous reasons why the City of Albuquerque will choose to use less aquifer water and rely more on treated surface water. The chief reason is that Albuquerque is simply depleting its underground aquifer. Our current water use and projected water use from population growth are eventually unsustainable if Albuquerque has to rely on a single water source.

However, a more immediate reason for the switch to river water is a response to a change in the regulation for the metal arsenic in drinking water.

Disinfection By-Products – In the water treatment process, water is disinfected to destroy pathogens in the form of harmful bacteria, protozoa, and viruses. Disinfection is also used to prevent the growth of pathogens such as Legionella once the water leaves the well or treatment plant for your house. Traditionally, chlorine-containing chemicals are used to disinfect water. However, while chlorine is very effective at eliminating a biological threat, it can generate a chemical threat in the form of chemicals known as disinfection byproducts. This trade off has traditionally been considered acceptable: to tolerate exposure to a smaller chemical threat in order to eliminate an immediate threat from water-borne pathogens.

Parts per billion (ppb) – In an effort to express concentration in more understandable and tangible terms than micrograms per liter, the unit part per billion is utilized. Since a liter of water weighs one kilogram, it is accurate to express micrograms per liter as micrograms per kilogram. And since one microgram is one-billionth of a kilogram, we can say part per billion. To conceptualize the unit part per billion, imagine a stack of small jewelry boxes stacked one-thousand wide, one-thousand deep, and one-thousand high—one billion boxes. These one billion boxes are empty except one, which contains a gold ring.

This is one part per billion. One may also think of a part per billion as one inch in 16,000 miles, or 1 second in 32 years, or one penny of ten million dollars. The abbreviation for part per billion is ppb.

People want to know what will be in the water we will be drinking once the Rio Grande becomes the source of our tap water.

Chlorination – Chemicals such as chlorine, chlorine dioxide, and chloramines are used to disinfect water. These chemicals are strong oxidizers and eliminate pathogens in water. The use of household bleach is a mild example of using chlorine (in the form of sodium hypochlorite) for disinfection.

Trihalomethanes, haloacetic acids, and chlorite are some disinfection by-products that result from the use of chlorine.

Ozone – a form of oxygen. Ozone is also called O3, whereas the oxygen we breathe may be called O2. Ozone is the gas in the upper atmosphere that is known as the ozone layer that protects us from the sun’s ultraviolet radiation. In water treatment, ozone is used as an alternative to chlorine-based chemicals in the disinfection of water. Ozone can generate disinfection by-products such as bromate.

Fluoridation – The water is also treated with sodium fluoride as a traditional way of preventing tooth decay. Sodium fluoride and stannous fluoride are also contained in our toothpastes. Some ground waters have enough natural fluoride in them, so extra fluoridation is unnecessary.

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Maximum Contamination Level – The maximum level of contamination allowed in any drinking water under the SDWA for certain regulated pollutants or primary pollutants. Maximum Contamination Levels are enforceable; water systems must be in compliance with the Maximum Contamination Level (MCL) for every regulated contaminant. If a water system is out of compliance, it must rectify the contamination or go off-line.

The Aquifer Deep aquifer water is the best water source to use as drinking water in terms of both purity and taste. One can think of deep aquifer water as naturally filtered water. Most of Albuquerque’s aquifer water is ready to drink the instant it comes out of the pump. Deep aquifer water should have no biological pathogens in it, and therefore require no disinfection with chlorine or ozone. However, the aquifer water is treated with hypochlorite to prevent the growth of microorganisms after the water is sent to the numerous storage tanks located within Albuquerque and ultimately to the pipes that deliver the water to our homes. As a result, Albuquerque currently has very low levels of

Definitions Before we have a discussion on the chemistry of drinking water, it is important to understand a few terms and concepts that are utilized to discuss water quality and water treatment. One does not have to be a chemist to understand the terminology used by water experts. Let’s start with a brief review of a few definitions.

Concentration – Pollutants are usually measured and expressed in concentration, usually in the amount of the chemical in micrograms present in a one-liter volume of water, in short, micrograms per liter.

Drinking Water Act (SDWA) as a contaminant that must be monitored for and regulated for in drinking water. All regulated contaminants are assigned a Maximum Contamination Level. A listing of all the regulated contaminants can be found on the US Environmental Protection Agency website (1).

Organic – Most people tend to associate the word “organic� with things natural, wholesome, and pure. In chemistry, this term has a more narrow and specific definition. Organic simply refers to chemicals that contain the element carbon. Many pollutants resulting from human activity are organic chemicals. Organic pollutants include gasoline, diesel, motor oil, solvents, pesticides, herbicides, fumigants, and plastics.

Inorganic – refers to chemicals that do not contain carbon. Salts of nitrates, sulfates, and phosphates are inorganic. Metals like arsenic, copper, and lead are inorganic.

Radionuclide – An isotope of an element that emits radioactive particles. Alpha, beta, and gamma radiation are forms of ionizing radiation that can damage living cells and induce mutations.

Isotopes of plutonium, uranium, and radium are examples of radionuclides.

Activity – some radioactive pollutants are not measured in concentration, but rather activity. Alpha emitters are measured in picoCuries/liter. A Curie is a unit of radioactive decay. Beta emitters are measured in millirems/year, an exposure parameter.

Regulated Contaminant – A bacterium, chemical, metal, or radionuclide covered under the Safe

disinfection by-products in its drinking water. The water is also treated with fluoride.

A

lbuquerque does have a problem with two natural contaminants: arsenic and uranium.

Arsenic exists in pockets throughout the aquifer underneath Albuquerque. The highest concentrations of arsenic are found in Albuquerque’s West Side and North Side. The new Safe Drinking Water Act standard for arsenic in drinking water is 10 parts per billion. The City of Albuquerque has been allowed an exception: it has until 2008 to comply with this new standard. Until then, the City must meet the old SDWA standard of 50 ppb. Arsenic can cause cancer, as well as skin and bladder problems. Residents of Albuquerque can find the levels of arsenic in their neighborhoods by visiting the City of Albuquerque website (2). A study of the arsenic levels in the City’s arsenic data shows that nine of the nineteen water distribution zones exceed the 10 ppb level. No distribution zones exceed the older 50 ppb standard.

Uranium also exists in aquifer beneath Albuquerque.

Uranium is chemically toxic as a heavy metal, and uranium is also radiologically toxic as an emitter of alpha particles. The current SDWA maximum contamination level for uranium in drinking water is 30 micrograms per liter of water, or 30 ppb. A study of the 2004 uranium data listed on the City of Albuquerque’s website shows that all water distribution zones comply with this drinking water standard (3). The citywide average for uranium is almost 4 ppb, with the highest concentrations between 5 ppb and 6 ppb found in the southwest quadrant of the Albuquerque.

Man-made pollutants have found their way into Albuquerque’s ground water. The organic chemicals perchloroethene (PCE) and trichloroethene (TCE) are two chlorinated solvents that are a problem in Albuquerque. Remember the movie “A Civil Action� starring John Travolta? It is based on a true story, and TCE was the toxic chemical that was the problem for the community of Woburn, Massachusetts. Albuquerque has several pockets, or more accurately plumes of PCE and TCE contamination as a result of dry cleaning operations. Within Albuquerque two large plumes of PCE and TCE are located near the 1500 block of 12th Street NW (4), and near Fruit Avenue and 3rd Street (5). Both of these chemical plumes extend eastward as they travel with ground water flows. PCE and TCE are both carcinogens and can harm the liver. The Maximum Contamination Level (MCL) for both these chemicals is 5 ppb. The Fruit Avenue Plume is already a designated EPA Superfund Site, so the clean up of this chemical plume continued on page 12

september 2006

co-op

news

Produce Spotlight: Delectable, Flavorful Melons!

T

he melon is a native of southern Asia, where it grows wild. It has been cultivated since ancient times by the Egyptians, Romans, and Greeks, among others. Melons arrived in America with the slave trade, though they were not grown on a large scale until the end of the 19th century.

Melons are now cultivated throughout the world in warm and temperate regions.

The plant is an annual trailing herb, which bears tendrils that can be trained over trellises. The flowers are both male and female (on the same plant). There is great variety in the size, shape, and color of melons, certain of which may be better tolerated by some digestions than others (for example, cantaloupes and honeydews are not as well tolerated by people with type A blood as Cranshaws or Casabas. You can read more about this in Eat Right for Your Blood Type).

Melons are another example of how diversity has helped sustain the living world. Melons have adapted to heat by storing water in their cells, not unlike succulents or camels. This provides the plant with not only water during dry times, but also with insulation. Through history melons have been important to humans during times of drought or water pollution: as far back as the ancient Egyptian civilization, thirsty travelers were traditionally offered watermelons. The electrolytes in the fruit help the human body retain water.

A melon’s ripeness can sometimes be detected by a delicate aroma, or by tapping it lightly for a hollow sound. Melons do not ripen after being picked, but do grow softer; a hard melon can be good if left to soften for a couple of days. Because melons are highly perishable, growers pick them early, making it more difficult to choose a flavorful melon. For this reason it is more advantageous than ever to buy locally grown melons, which do not require very early picking to allow for transport time.

Choose melons that are heavier and free of bruises.

Look at the navel, where the stem was attached, to detect mold or excess softness. If a shriveled stem is still attached, it was picked too soon.

Melons are best digested if eaten by themselves.

Melons are an excellent source of vitamins C and A (those with yellow flesh have more vitamin A), and a

Local Product Spotlight: Sandia

P

roduced in Albuquerque, Sandia Soap is the largest natural soap company in New Mexico. “If you told the kid I was thirty some years ago back in rural upstate New York I would be earning my keep as a soap maker in the Southwest, a puzzled look might have come to my face,” says founder Chris Norton. Yet, after selling over 60,000 bars last year alone, Chris envisions that kid playing in the mud with a Tonka truck giving the “thumbs up.”

Chris moved from the abundant, leafy farm lands of upstate New York “to the enchanted desert of the South west” in 1995. In the winter of 1999, he got the idea to try soap making by chance, glancing through a book in a local book shop. He decided to give it a try and was instantly hooked. “Over the next nine months, I made dozens of batches with different oils in different ratios. Then one day, I lathered up with the bar that was to be my signature soap, the one I would place my name on with pride.” The formula that he created that fall is the same one cured today by Sandia Soap Company. Each bar has a long life (over a month), with bountiful moisturizing suds, silky texture and lovely aroma to the end. He says that the bars cured in this “magical arid land” are naturally harder and more durable.

In ancient times, “soap” was discovered through the accidental blending of animal fats and wood ash in the remains of cook fires. Soap making has obviously advanced along with civilization and has been altered by it. Today, most commercial soaps are made with vegetable oils and caustic soda (lye) with the addition of cheap detergent and animal fat (sodium tallowate), which reduces the cost for the company yet damages the skin of the consumer, stripping away natural oils.

The same companies sell moisturizer and lotion, often containing petroleum-based ingredients that lower costs and maximize profits, but have no value in terms of the health of your skin. Sandia Soap, on the other hand, is made of high quality ingredients that clean without damaging the skin, moisturizing by maintaining the skin’s natural oils.

Sandia Soap is made with edible palm, palm kernel, soybean, and olive oils. Essential and fragrance oils

september 2006

good source of potassium. The best way to supplement the diet with potassium is with fruit, which contains more of the mineral than potassium supplements. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent, and can reduce the risk/effects of many medical problems which develop over time.

A large preliminary study has shown that young children with asthma experience significantly less wheezing if they eat a diet high in fruits rich in vitamin C. Another study showed that regular intake of selenium and vitamins C and E reduced risk for developing macular degeneration by as much as 70%. Most dietary studies have shown that women who eat large amounts of fruits and vegetables have less risk of cervical cancer (of course, women who eat a lot of fruits and vegetables may also be eating less nitrites, hormones from meat, etc.).

The Co-op offers a variety of melons grown locally without pesticides or herbicides. The season for local melons is not long, but the flesh can be dried and stored like fruit leather. The rind makes a delicious pickle, and the seeds can be dried and eaten as snacks.

by M. Johnson

MEMBERS: UPDATE YOUR ADDRESS Don’t Miss Important Upcoming Co-op Member Mailings, Member Meeting Notification, By-law Amendment Notification, Board Ballots, Discount Coupon Booklets, Patronage Refund Information and more.

If you have moved, or have had trouble getting your Co-op mail, please check with the Information Desk at the Co-op location you use most often and make sure we have your correct current address.

Questions or problems call 217-2027 or toll free 877-775-2667.

Thanks, Your Co-op Membership Department

YOUR EMOTIONS Easily Release Fear, Anger and Confusion— Feel Worthy, Peace, and Love!

Soaps

are used to scent the bars. The scents range from uplifting and awakening to calming and soothing.

“Where would the world be without a good plum, watermelon, lilac, or papaya bar?” asks Chris.

He credits the enchanting desert landscape and southwestern sunset ablaze with color with providing the inspiration for his colorful variety of soaps. Cocoa, tea, ultramarine, iron oxides, and other natural ingredients provide the color palette. “Soap making is a beautiful art,” says Chris. “I consider myself an artist since my soaps are colorful creations that come into this world in small, handmade batches. If you doubt this, I invite you to walk through my curing room. The sight and smell of hundreds of rainbow colored bars will definitely be overwhelming.”

Sovereign Light—Vibrational Sprays: Aromatherapy with a Twist of Energy! are designed as a healing system to work with your energy body and create positive change. Excellent for healers, yoga, feng shui and, of course, you!

NEW BOOK! Codes of Light— The Power of Our Beliefs $29.95

Available: The Herb Store, Nob Hill and www.SovereignLight.com (10% online only) 2 sizes: $17.98 & $11.98

UPCOMING CLASSES: Healing Emotions with Vibrational Medicine, Sept. 24 Chakra Healing, Oct. 6 Immerse Yourself in Divine Love! ABQ retreat Oct. 20-22 Sacred Egypt, March 17-31, 2007

www.PaulaMuran.com ● 217-3747

S

andia Soap is now a national company with a warehouse in Albuquerque mixing thousands of bars each month, literally working like a well oiled machine thanks to the high quality oils and other fine ingredients that go into the bars. Chris also has a side business, High Desert Essentials, producing superior quality incense made of local, high desert ingredients –pinon, sage, and juniper. It is a precious blend that requires special presentation. The incense is offered on a bed of rice ash nested in a ceramic bowl, an ancient Tibetan style of incense burning. This incense can turn any room it graces into a sanctuary and makes a unique and precious gift. Learn more at highdesertessentials.com.

La Montanita Co-op was Chris’s first account, and over six years later remains his largest. Sandia Soaps are abundantly available at all Co-op locations in Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Care for your skin and lift your spirits while supporting a great local business by purchasing Sandia Soap and High Desert Essentials products. Phone 505.228.6116 or visit Sandia Soap on the web at sandiasoap.com for more information or to place custom orders.

What is ElderGrace?

ElderGrace is: • A new cohousing community for people at least 50 years of age.

• 28 single family homes and a large common house • Motivated by these values: spiritual growth, community, mutual support, respect for the environment, service.

For more information: Jim Hannan, Santa Fe Community Housing Trust 989-3960

ElderGrace

www.eldergrace.org

(All information courtesy of Chris Norton and co-written

by Ivy Edmondson)

5

co-op news

september 2006 6

Member Profile: Louise Miller Digging Deeper

by Ivy Edmondson entered the nondescript, uptown office building on a cloudy day in early August, looking for the office of Louise Miller, psychotherapist. As I passed through the lower level, I experienced the upward expansiveness of the clean, white-walled atrium, accented with deep green plants and ironwork and open to the high, sky-lit ceiling. I took the stairs to the second floor office, surrounded on all sides by rows of doors, and entered a small waiting room.

I

Sitting on a cushy sofa, I considered what it would be like to have come for help coping with one of the issues listed on Miller’s business card – grief, childhood trauma, women’s issues, substance abuse. It’s not too hard to imagine this, since most of us have experienced some combination of these issues in ourselves or with family members. Thinking about these potential issues brought up some subtle anxiety, sort of a dread over the responsibility of trying to convey my story to another. I didn’t have too much time to mull it over, though. Louise was prompt and had a soothing demeanor that relieved any unease. I sensed that it would be easy to talk to her.

“The difference between psychotherapy and counseling is that psychotherapy tends to get more to the root of issues and is a deeper, more long last-

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Herbs, Etc. Santa Fe, NM ChlorOxygen, 1 oz, Original or Mint, Sale $8.99 Hatch Deming, NM Red or Green Chile Enchilada Sauce, 15 oz Assorted Varieties, Sale $2.69 Leona’s de Chimayo Chimayo, NM 8-inch White Flour Tortillas,13 oz, Sale $2.29 VALID IN-STORE ONLY from 8/30-10/3, 2006:

Not all items available at all stores.

ing process,” Louise explained. In opposition to our western tendency to want things to happen instantly, it takes time to locate the source that is within us, to tap that hidden spring of the subconscious and to decipher its flow. Counseling, on the other hand, tends to be geared toward specific problems that can be addressed in just a few sessions.

Miller’s approach to therapy is client-directed. The client provides clues to certain issues or patterns that need to be addressed, areas where there is a desire for change. Then Miller draws from various therapeutic traditions in her practice, based on the client’s communicated needs.

“I find the general focus on early childhood dynamics of Object Relations very instructive as a way to conceptualize a client's case,” she says.

Object Relations is a clinical approach to viewing our internal coping dynamics, the mechanisms that are employed from childhood and manifested in present relationships. Concepts from Jungian Psychology are also used, such as dream-work and active imagination, as a means to penetrate the unconscious and employ the archetypes and symbols there in order to understand deeper meanings. Transpersonal Psychology is generally used to assist clients in development beyond ego constraints and to follow a path to self-actualization. “From Jungian depth therapy and transpersonal lineages, I appreciate the use of mysterious, unseen forces as impacting a client's psyche, a general outlook of moving toward wholeness, and a focus on spiritual aspects as facilitating healing,” says Miller. “The humanistic tradition contributes certain techniques in listening, focusing, reflecting, honoring, and witnessing. Feminist perspectives bring in useful concepts related to power dynamics and [gender] roles.” The idea behind all these approaches is to help clients know themselves more

fully, make better decisions, meaningful connections with others, and to lead more plentiful lives.

In her practice, Louise seems to have a holistic and balanced approach. She utilizes relaxation techniques to assist in the relief of stress and anxiety. She notes that proper diet and exercise are important aspects of healthy mental well-being, as mind and body are inextricably linked. She is intrigued by many of the relatively new modalities in psychology and in healing, such as dialectical behavioral therapy, expressive therapies, and energy work. In relation to both ancient and emerging alternative therapies, Miller is hopeful about the future of psychotherapy.

She sees a place for it, with its approach toward self-awareness through a certain amount of journeying through one’s past, as enriching and deepening other more present-tense modalities.

Miller’s own personal process of self-exploration is what led her into studying and practicing psychotherapy. She was a registered nurse for many years before studying psychotherapy at Southwestern College in Santa Fe and has been a practicing therapist for nine years.

She feels that her authentic self and her choice of career are well aligned. When asked what makes her want to be a therapist, she said, “It’s exciting to witness such an intimate process and see the changes that occur over time.”

Louise sees the Co-op as an organization for positive change as well, and says it aligns with her philosophy of people working together for the common good. She has supported the Co-op as a member since the store was on Girard and Central in the early eighties. For current Co-op members, Louise offers an initial half-hour session free.

Louise Miller, MA LPCC NCC, treats a range of issues including childhood trauma, drug/alcohol abuse, loss, women’s/ lesbian/gay issues and offers guidance for personal growth.

More information at www.louisemiller.org, or call 505-3850562 for an appointment.

SEPTEMBER SPECIALS WANT TO SEE YOUR LOCAL PRODUCT ADVERTISED HERE? Contact Angela at angela@lamontanitacoop.com.

Member to Member Resource Guide

Who’s List Ar e You On? This year we will be printing our Third Annual Member to Member Community Resource Guide.

Help build our local economy with like-minded people who share your cooperative values and love of local organic food. The 2006-2007 edition of the Co-op’s Member to Member Community Resource Guide will be printed as a special pullout section in the October 2006 Co-op Connection News.

List your business and/or professional skill, in the Member to Member Co-op Community Resource Guide.

• Keep your dollars circulating in the cooperative community, enriching our local economy as you build your personal one.

• Give and receive discounts and other special considerations to fellow Co-op members.

• Get your FREE listing in the Member to Member Co-op Guide and on our web site.

• Share your skills, products or services with our nearly 12,000 member households in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Gallup.

SIGN UP or update your previous listing today.

Mail or e-mail your name, Co-op membership number (for verification purposes only) business name and description, address, contact information, and special discount or consideration you are willing to share with other members. Deadline for inclusion is Friday, September 15, 2006!

Send to: The Co-op Membership Department: 303 San Mateo NE, Suite 201, Albuquerque, NM 87108, Attention Robyn. Or email to: memb@lamontanita coop.com or ivye@lamontanitacoop.com.

Need more info: call Robyn at 217- 2027 or Ivy at 217-2016 or toll free at 877-775-2667. You must be a Co-op member to participate.

ELECTIONS CALENDAR • August 14: Nominations for Candidates for the Board of Directors Elections Open. Get candidate packets at all Co-op Info Desks. All candidates must have been Co-op members as of July 1, 2006 • September 24: Nominations for Candidates Close.

Members should be sure to update their address at the local Co-op Information desk if they have moved • October 15: Annual Membership Meeting and Co-op 30th Birthday party. Candidates have an opportunity to introduce themselves to the membership, 1-5pm, see page 1.

• November 1-14: Annual Board of Directors and By-law Amendment Elections.

Watch your home mailbox for your Co-op Election Ballot. Return ballot in the postage paid envelope.

your CO-OP

WANTS YOU!

co-op news

september 2006 7

DEAR MEMBER MAVEN Dear Member Linkage Maven, Please lower prices so that I can buy more stuff from here. Also, the staff is great and I think they should make more money.

Thanks, Loves the Nob Hill Store Dear Loves the Hill, The Maven is touched by your wish for superior staff compensation and agrees wholeheartedly about their greatness. That is why La Montanita employees have some of the best wages and benefits in the grocery business in New Mexico. Not only do staff enter the organization at a decent wage, and get bumped up to a living wage upon completion of general training requirements, but they have access to great benefits (health and dental care, 401K, vacation and sick pay) even as part-timers. They also receive a staff discount (18%) on their purchases and that ain’t peanuts. In addition, the staff gainsharing program gives departments an incentive to do well on sales by being creative.

Now then, on the dilemma of how to skate on the thin margins of the grocery business: La Montanita is different from its peers for many reasons, but one of the main ones, is that we believe that the origin of the food and the health of the environment in which it is grown matters. Your amazing Co-op has to reconcile that fundamental value with the fact that customers want fresh, organic blueberries in February (origin: Chile) and hothouse tomatoes in December (origin: Mexico). They want ground

Ever heard of Scylla and Charybdis? Rock and a hard place? You gotta make a choice and it’s difficult to maneuver through tough conditions without stiffing the supplier or scaring off the customer. Look around the economic environment and try to find something that fits the model of high wages and low prices that isn’t in Chapter 11. Find anything yet? You’ll be on that search until the cows come home.

Listen gentle reader, the Maven understands the allure of wanting to have it all but guess what? Wages are only going one way and that’s up.

Costs, especially fuel, associated with doing business, are all going up. The Co-op management makes admirable efforts to support local farmers and producers and to give staff the best wages and benefits that revenue can support. Most importantly, the Co-op is committed to give the customer the very best value given the fact that La Montanita does not have the buying leverage that a $100 million operation does. Customers know that the Co-op has heart and relies on an ethical set of principles that sets it apart from the competition. And if that weren’t enough for you dear reader, La Montanita is owned by and responds to the membership, a model you will not find duplicated anywhere in the Duke City.

That’s adieu from the Membership Maven. Be on the watch for next month’s column with another fabulous store and another provocative question.

-MLM

Cheese Dept. Spotlight Fabulous Cheddars for Fall Eating

by Lotti Abraham, Lead Nob Hill Cheese Clerk heddar is fabulous for the fall season. At La Montanita, we offer Mild Yellow and Mild White Cheddar for the kids grilled cheese sandwiches and for their school lunches. Along with provolone, mozzarella, Swiss, and Monterey Jack, they are two of many trusted sandwich companions. You may also want to spruce up some of the more traditional sandwich fixings of turkey, chicken, ham and salami, available at our meat and deli cases, with Havarti dill and Havarti plain, or smoked gouda for a change of taste.

C

Tillamook Co-op's mini medium Cheddar and mini Black Diamond Sharp Cheddar bars, or Organic Valley Cheddar singles, accompanied by a piece of fruit and a hand full of nuts, are an excellent nutritional, mid-afternoon pick me up or after school snack. And don't forget Tillmook's 8 oz. package of sliced Medium Cheddar. It’s great for grilling and is now rBGh-free. Tillamook cheeses were never so nutritional or tasted so good. Their Colby, at the economical price of $3.99 a pound, is versatile for all family needs.

Boar d Brief Meeting of July 18, 2006 Board Meeting Process. In order to be more effective in their meetings, the Board adopted a “consent agenda” format. Routine business items will be combined and approved (consented to) with minimal discussion.

This dramatically frees up Board meeting time to discuss more important strategic planning issues.

LANL Water Watch Proposal. The Board was approached to add its support to the Los Alamos National Laboratories (LANL) Water Watch’s notice of intent to sue the Department of Energy and the Regents of the University of California for violations of the Clean Water Act at LANL. Though it was past the deadline to join this effort, the Co-op will consider other ways of offering support.

Board Policy Manual. There were several authors for the original Board of Directors’ Policy Manual, which led to occasional inconsistencies in the document. An effort is underway to edit the language for consistency and clarity, and a style guide has been created for future Board members’ reference.

Calendar of Events

beef that is organic and local at Costco prices (origin: Impossible).

An all time favorite, Mammoth cheddar from Hennings, Wisconsin, will be returning to help add that something special to the apple season. Hot apple or broccoli soup are both enhanced by cheddar cheese toppings, which bring out their full flavor.

Grated or thinly sliced Three-year Wisconsin, New York State Sharp Cheddar, award winning Organic Valley Raw Milk Sharp Cheddar, Grafton 2-year aged Vermont Cheddar, or for the hard-core cheddar lovers, Carr Valley's 8-year Cheddar, are textured just right to do the job. And for Corn Chowder lovers; give your chowder that extra boost with a healthy, handful of grated pepper jack sprinkled on top.

Please do not hesitate to ask our friendly staff in the meat and cheese departments at any location if you need a special cut of any of our cheddars or other mouthwatering selections. From all of us here at the Coop cheese counters, we wish you a bountiful autumn!

Board Member Vacancy. Regular Board member Susan Cizek (from Gallup) and advisory Board member Michael Collins (from Santa Fe) have both given notice that effective immediately they need to resign their positions for personal reasons. Any Co-op members interested in filling a position through the end of the year should contact the Board.

Long-Term Plan. General manager C.E. Pugh, Nob Hill store manager Michelle Franklin, and Membership Coordinator and Newsletter Editor Robin Seydel presented management’s long-term strategic plan to the Board. The plan, “Building a Sustainable Food System,” emphasizes supporting local food growers and more sustainable food systems. One way to do this is to help farmers get produce to market by opening a distribution warehouse in Albuquerque. Management also expects to open additional retail locations, and local “branding” marketing materials are under development.

Board Meeting. Members are invited to attend monthly board meetings. The next meeting will be held on Sept. 19, 2006, at 5:30pm at the Immanuel Presbyterian Chrurch in Nob Hill.

by Shirley Coe, Administrative Assistant

9/11 9/16 9/19 9/20 9/23 9/24 TBA

Foundations Committee, Valley Co-op 5:30pm Santa Fe River Clean-Up, Recycled Art and Community Swap Day, Santa Fe Co-op 9am-1pm Board of Directors Meeting, Immanuel Church 5:30pm Member Linkage, Immanuel Church 5:30pm Coffee with the Board, Gallup Co-op 12-2pm Board Elections Candidate Nominations Close Finance Committee Meeting, 303 San Mateo NE 5pm

BUY

CODealsOP

Buy Fresh Buy Fair Buy Local

La Farmita de Suenos

valid in-store 8/30 - 10/03

South Mountain Goat Dairy: “Its all About the Girls”

On the eastern edge of the Sandia Mountains, thirty miles east of Albuquerque, tucked up against the “South Mountain” is La Farmita de Sueños (Farm of Dreams). Owned by Marge Petersen and Donna Lockridge it is home to South Mountain Dairy and about forty of the most charming milk goats I have ever met. A smiling Marge and the ever present Great Pyrenees dog, Gabriel, (who, I later learned, is the goats trusted protector at night) welcomed me at the front gate and ushered me into the yard where “the girls” were hanging out after their morning milking. I was immediately surrounded, gently sniffed and nuzzled —the equivalent of goat kisses—in an overwhelming display of gentle friendship and interest. “ We’ve hand raised them all” said Marge as if reading my mind, “bottle fed them and cuddled each one since they were babies. A lot of school classes come out here. The “girls” love the attention and the children get a real kick out of it too.” Donna joined us moments later and like us, was immediately surrounded, in what was a amazing experience of inter-species nurturance.

Eleven years ago Marge and Donna bought two pack goats (neutered males) for hiking and camping. Today they have a herd of Sable Sannans, Oberhasli, and La Mancha (the only recognized American Diary Goat breed, known for their “earless” look) that addition to “ the girls;” their milking herd, includes a gaggle of darling babies born this year, 7 weathers (pack goats), and 9 that for a variety of reasons are “dry” this season. Marge and Donna also have 6 breeding bucks and 2 baby bucks of each breed so that soon all breeding will be done on their farm.

South Mountain Dairy participates in the Dairy Herd International Registry (DHIR) program. Every month, this program tests milk from participating farms for a variety of indicators of herd health and milk quality including volume, protein and fat content. While Lisette, whose picture you see on every label of South Mountain Dairy “Yo Goat Drinkable Yogurt” and sweet and savory goat cheeses, may be “queen” of the herd, its another of their “girls” Katherine, her daughter, that is the national number one DHIR milk goat in both quality and quantity areas. This national recognition is but one more indication of the loving care this herd gets.

Edensoy Organic Soy Beverage

H O T$

Organic Valley Organic Butter

1

99

$

Peace Cereal

4

69 $

2

32 oz.

16 oz.

select varieties

Salted or Unsalted

R.W. Knudsen Organic Juice

2 5

10.5 - 17 oz. select varieties

Blue Sky Organic Soda

Westbrae Organic Beans

for$

99

99

$

¢

2

99

32 oz.

15 oz.

6 pack,

select varieties

select varieties

select varieties

Rudi’s Organic Bakery Organic Bread

Annie’s Naturals Organic Dressing

2

$

69

2

$

49

Cascadian Farm Organic Boxed Vegetables

2

$

49

But national honors aside you can taste the quality of this small herd dairy in every product. Each cheese, each run of yogurt is hand processed from start to finish. Although their goats are part of the family in this traditional small farm, Marge and Donna have made major investments in the latest dairy technology, including a carefully designed, comfortable milking barn, a spotless “clean” room for processing and special piping that moves milk sanitarily between temperature controlled holding tanks and processing equipment. FDA inspected and approved, they use the lowest possible pasteurization temperatures to retain the healthful nature of the milk while insuring its safety.

8 oz

22 - 24 oz.

select varieties

Newman’s Own Organics Fig Newmans

2 5 for$

In what is a prime example of sustainable farming and community development this investment has expanded out into their small rural community providing a number of “on the farm” jobs for people in their neighborhood including fair wage employment for some “ stay at home Moms” and local high school students. Donna says, “We choose to be only local.

We don’t want to get involved with the large chains. We sell only to our neighbors, at a few growers markets and to the Coop. ” Marge nods in agreement, “ we’re trying to get this place to the point where the “girls” support themselves. We just want to grow old here, and hopefully pass this farm on to someone who loves it like we do.”

Look for these fine local goat milk products in the cheese and dairy cases at your favorite Co-op location.

By Robyn Seydel

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whole food

Cuisine It’s that time of the year for roasting green chiles and other freshly harvested vegetables. The recipes below feature many foods that are in season right now: peppers, squash, potatoes, carrots, apples, plums, and more. Whether you are picking from a back yard garden or buying locallygrown produce at the Co-op, take advantage of the fresh foods available this harvest season, and feed your body the essential whole-food nutrients it needs to prepare for the change of seasons.

Roasting New Mexico Green Chiles at Home: Courtesy of Tale of Two Chiles Cookbook Whether you get your chiles from the local market or pick them fresh in the fields, select large, firm, meaty chiles with no sign of wilting. When handling chiles, either wear gloves or coat your hands with vegetable oil, and don't touch your eyes.

Wash the chiles, slit each pepper lengthwise, and scrape out the seeds and membranes with a spoon. (The seeds are easier to remove at this stage). If roasting the chiles indoors, arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet. A layer of foil or oil makes for easier cleanup later. Place baking sheet in the oven, 4-5 inches from the broiler element. The skin will blister and turn black. Turn the peppers as needed to blister all sides evenly. At this point, your kitchen should be filled with the mouth-watering aroma of roasting chile!

The same method works on an outdoor grill over high heat and without the pan.

Turn as necessary with tongs.

Whichever roasting method is used, the pepper skins should be evenly blistered, mostly black. Cover the hot chiles with a

september 2006 10

damp kitchen towel for 15 minutes or so.

This steams them and loosens the skins. If you're having green chile for dinner tonight, the peppers are ready to use now.

Just slip the skins off and stuff or chop.

Otherwise, package the cooled chiles in airtight bags for freezing. Leaving the peppers whole and freezing with the skins on tends to produce a better texture and flavor when thawed. When ready to use, thaw for a few minutes and the skins slip off easily. Drain on paper towels and you're ready to cook. (t = teaspoon/ T = tablespoon/ C = cup)

Oven-Roasted Whole Foods This dish is really EASY and TASTY! If I start it when I get home from work, by the time I’m done settling in, exercising or walking the dog, it’s done too. You may want to prep everything and marinate it ahead of time, but this dish still tastes great with minimal or no time marinating. ~Ivy 4 red or 2-3 russet potatoes 2 zucchini squash 1 each: red, gold, and green bell peppers -or- 2 serranos and 1/2 dozen mini-sweets 1 large onion and/or a few shallots 1 bulb of garlic 1 # tofu (or boneless chicken) and spray oil Marinade: 1/4 C high quality cooking oil (I use safflower oil with a splash of toasted sesame oil) 1 t each: salt, tumeric OR paprika, coriander, black pepper, garlic powder 1/2 t cumin 1/4 t chile flakes (or more TT) 1 t tamari To make the marinade whisk all the seasonings except the tamari into the oil. Pour half the marinade into a separate container and whisk in the tamari. Divide the tofu

into 3 1/2 inch thick squares by making 2 slices into the side of the block; slice the squares into about 8 triangles by slicing in the shape of a cross and then an X on the squares’ diagonal. (If using chicken, cut into strips.) Spray a 10 x 10 casserole dish with oil; arrange tofu (or chicken) flat in the dish and pour the tamari-seasoned half of the marinade over the top.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and wash vegetables. Quarter larger potatoes or halve smaller potatoes length-wise and pierce the skin about 3 times. Slice peppers in half to remove seeds or remove from the top. Pierce whole zucchini 3-4 times and leave whole; no need to slice. Slice onion in half. If using shallots, leave whole. Spray oil into another large casserole or baking pan and place the potatoes in the pan cutside down and spaced so that the other vegetables can fit between them. Some peppers can go over the top of either the potatoes or the tofu or chicken. You may want to break apart the garlic bulb and put half in each pan. (Note: It is not necessary to peel garlic or shallots, but do spoon some extra oil over them).

Pour the rest of the marinade over the top, making sure it gets through to the bottom.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour or more, checking after 45 minutes of cooking to shift or turn things if necessary. (If using chicken, it will be ready within 45 minutes). The dish is done when a fork inserts easily into the potatoes. Garlic and shallot “paste” can be squeezed onto the other veggies when plated, and onion can be arranged as edible garnish. Tomatillo-chile sauce (below) is also a nice addition to the meal.

Tomatillo-Chile Sauce 10 to 12 fresh picked garden tomatillos 3 large chile peppers, roasted, peeled and seeded (Follow safe-handling instructions above) 1 jalapeno pepper, roasted

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4 cloves of garlic, halved 1 C stock 1 bullion cube 1/2 C lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped Pepper to taste Salt to taste Peel husks off tomatillos and rinse well. In a medium stainless steel saucepan, cover tomatillos with water. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer covered for 5 minutes. Drain off water, leaving tomatillos in saucepan. Add chiles, garlic, and chicken stock. Simmer covered for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool.

Pour mixture into a blender or food processor. Add the fresh cilantro and puree. Adjust salt and pepper. Store covered in a bowl or jar. Makes approximately 2 1/2 cups.

Hearty Russian Casserole 4 potatoes, washed 1 or 2 carrots, washed 4 T fresh vegetable oil or olive oil 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped 1 yellow onion, chopped 1 t fresh-picked dill (or 1/2 t dried) 1/4 C each: red and green bell pepper, chopped 2 fresh tart apples, cubed 2 t mustard seeds, freshly crushed 2 C each: green and Russian red cabbage, shredded 1 # ring of Kielbasa (polish sausage, or vegetarian alternative), sliced 1/2 inch thick 1 15 oz can sauerkraut, drained 1/2 C broth 2 T organic brown sugar, (optional) 2 T fresh parsley, chopped Peppercorns, freshly ground Salt when dish is served Parboil potatoes and carrots in boiling water for about 10 minutes. Drain and cut them into 1/4-inch slices. Preheat your

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All of the farms in the collaborative grow their products with organic production methods, but not all are certified organic. Products are identified by individual farm, and that information is available to consumers.

Give yourself the good feeling that comes from participating in a vibrant and growing local food system while shopping at the co-op. www.beneficialfoods.org

fresh

harvest

oven to 350°F. In a large deep skillet or Dutch oven, heat the oil and garlic. Add onions, dill, peppers, apples, and mustard seeds. SautÊ until vegetables and fruit are softened. Add the cabbage, stirring until wilted. Add the potato and carrot slices, sausage, sauerkraut, broth, sugar, parsley, and ground peppercorns to taste. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Carefully place hot mixture in a casserole dish, cover, and bake for one hour. Serve with fresh baked bread and your favorite beverage. It's especially satisfying as the weather cools. Skol (enjoy)! Serves 8 - 10.

Morel Fettuccine with Chevre 2 C cleaned, halved, fresh morels 2 oz butter (whole organic is best) 4 C cooked egg fettuccine 1 T fine minced shallot or red onion 1/2 C peeled, seeded and chopped tomato 4 oz crumbled fresh Chevre (goat cheese) 2 oz medium body Chardonnay Chives for garnish Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 C organic raw sugar 1 t baking powder 1/2 t salt 1/2 t grated lemon peel 1/4 t mace 1 egg, beaten 2 T cold water Topping: 5 C organic plums, halved and pitted 3/4 C sugar 2 T flour 1 t cinnamon 1/4 t nutmeg 1/4 C slivered almonds Begin by preparing the pastry. Cut butter into flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, salt, lemon, and mace until mixture is fine crumbs. Mix egg and 2 tablespoons cold water; stir into flour mixture. Press pastry into a ball; knead until smooth, about 5 times.

Press evenly on bottom and side of an un-oiled 9" cake pan.

Heat a medium size sauce pan on high until hot.

Turn down to medium heat. Add butter and shallots and sweat until translucent, then add morels.

Cook morels until soft and add fettuccine that has been warmed (so as not to shock the pan).

Add tomatoes, herbs and white wine. Toss all together and season with salt and pepper. Plate using a swirling motion to create height, and garnish with the chevre. Serves 2. (Look for wildharvested morels at the Valley Co-op. If you would like to use dried morels, it is best to reconstitute them in milk. Heat milk almost to boil then turn off burner, add about 1 1/2 cups morels and cover. Let stand for 10 minutes. Drain off milk and reserve for later use in a white sauce).

Simple White Sauce Make roux by melting 2 tablespoons of butter/ ghee/margarine in a hot skillet and stirring in 2 T any kind of flour. Reduce heat to medium-low and slowly add milk or soymilk 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly, until consistency is that of a thin gravy. Add a pinch of nutmeg, salt to taste, and your favorite seasonings, such as garlic powder , red chile flakes or parmesan cheese. Use on pasta or steamed vegetables.

Sweet Yankee Salad with Anise 4 fresh picked red apples 6 oz anise stalks, sliced 3 T freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 t organic raw sugar 2 fresh ripe bananas, sliced 3/4 C walnuts, coarsely chopped 1/2 C mayonnaise Lettuce leaves Garnish: fresh parsley and red apple peel Core the apples, leaving the apple peel. Use some of the apple peel as garnish. Mix the lemon juice and sugar in a medium-size bowl, then toss the apple into the mixture. Add the anise stalks, banana and walnuts to the apple. Mix in the mayonnaise and chill. Garnish with the reserved apple peel and fresh parsley.

Preheat oven to 375°. Place organic plums, cut sides down in pastry-lined pan. They will overlap slightly.

Mix rest of ingredients, except almonds, and sprinkle over plums. Sprinkle with almonds. Bake for 3545 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and dish is bubbly. Cool and Enjoy! Serves 6.

1 whole chicken breast, skinned and cut into cubes (or substitute 8 oz cubed tempeh marinated 20 minutes in 2 t tamari) Brown paper bag 2 t paprika 1 t salt (or less to taste for marinated tempeh) 1/2 C all-purpose flour 1/4 C sesame seeds Black pepper to taste Garlic powder to taste (optional) 1 C sesame oil

All recipes reprinted and adapted from the following sources: http://www.zianet.com/focus/chile/chile2.html http://www.wild-harvest.com http://familyfun.go.com/recipes http://www.pcrm.org/health/recipes Please send your recipes and comments to: ivye@lamontanitacoop.com

fresh, organic

green chile at your

CO-OP

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Shake the chicken (or tempeh) cubes in the brown bag with the seasonings. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the nuggets until golden brown. Drain well on absorbent paper and store in the refrigerator. Reheat in a microwave or toaster oven, dabbing with a towel to remove excess oil as needed. Wrap them in foil before packing in a lunch box. (You can also send these with a bit of ketchup or honey mustard for dipping.) Serves 4.

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What’s in Water? A Chemist’s View continued from page 4 has fortunately started. The remediation will cost millions of dollars and likely take two decades.

O

ld landfills also present a threat to Albuquerque’s aquifer.

Older landfills did not use the impermeable linings that prevent the leaching of toxic chemicals into the ground water below. These landfills contain numerous chlorinated solvents like PCE and TCE, as well as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), also known as Freons. These CFCs are the chemicals that are responsible for the depletion of the ozone layer that surrounds the Earth and protects us from the sun’s ultraviolet radiation. These landfills also contain petrochemical waste, basically the hydrocarbons found in gasoline, diesel,

Surface water is especially vulnerable to pollution from upstream sources. The wastewater discharged from the treatment plants in Espanola, Los Alamos, Santa Fe, Bernalillo, and Rio Rancho enters the Rio Grande. As the saying goes, “their effluent is our influent.” In other words, their treated wastewater will blend into the source of our drinking water. The water that goes down the sinks and toilets is eventually returned to the river. While wastewater treatment plants do a good job in cleaning most waste, the water discharged is not pure. Wastewater treatment plants are designed to treat sewage: the removal of large volumes of solid waste, the breakdown of greases, oils, detergents, ammonia and nitrates, and the elimination of pathogens. However, it is difficult to remove from water all of the chemicals that go down our sinks and toilets.

River water is a challenging and difficult water source to use as drinking water. and motor oils. Fortunately, these old landfills are localized and the pollutants are closely monitored. Remediation of the worst of the City’s old landfills has started.

The River Surface water, and more specifically, river water, is a challenging and difficult water source to use as drinking water. The chemical make up of river water is different from aquifer water. While the Rio Grande might start off as pristine snowmelt from the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, it is something quite different when it gets down as far south as Albuquerque.

River waters support an extensive ecosystem of plants, trees, insects, fish, and waterfowl. As a result, surface waters contain nutrients and microorganisms that are an integral part of the biological activity of the fauna and flora of the river ecosystem. However, human activity can upset the natural balance of the river ecosystem. Despite our best efforts to limit the levels of harmful pathogens in surface water, problems do occur. The City of Rio Rancho has had accidental releases of untreated sewage into the Rio Grande. While river waterfowl do contribute normal levels of waste into the river, dogs, people (mainly in form of discarded diapers), rodents, cattle, and horses contribute an additional amount of untreated fecal coliform bacteria into the river (6). Surface water must therefore be treated in order to target water borne microorganisms like Cryptosporidium, Giardia lambia, E. coli, and other bacteria.

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Pharmaceuticals in wastewater effluent are becoming an emerging concern as pollutants in river waters. Antibiotics and medications used for high blood pressure, pain management, birth control, and hormone-replacement therapy are the most prevalent. These pharmaceuticals are not completely metabolized and are excreted by the body. Unused medications are sometimes directly discarded into our toilets. Some of these pharmaceuticals do get past the wastewater treatment process. Pharmaceuticals are not regulated pollutants under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

R

While there is not a lot of industry north of Albuquerque, Los Alamos National Laboratories (LANL) is the closest thing that comes to an industrial pollution source.

Tritium, plutonium, perchlorate, hexavalent chromium, and now recently 1,4-dioxane are contaminants that have been problematic (7). Mortendad Canyon and other areas around LANL are known to have problems with these radionuclides and chemicals.

While these contaminants present an immediate threat to the regional aquifer and the pueblos that depend on this ground water, it is not certain what threat these radionuclides and chemicals present to Albuquerque this far south on the Rio Grande.

S

Numerous pollutants are still present in treated discharge and do enter the river.

Albuquerque’s South Valley and Corrales have special problems with nitrates in the ground water as a result of private septic tanks, livestock, and fertilizer use in agriculture over several decades. This problem affects the shallow aquifer and can present a problem to those residents that use home wells as a drinking water source.

Farming activity upstream also introduces fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides into the river. Fortunately, the Rio Grande Valley is not the Mississippi Valley. So chemicals utilized in farming and agriculture should not be present in any high concentrations.

ainstorms and snowstorms also introduce pollution into our river. When it rains in Albuquerque, motor oils, motor fuels, tire dust, pesticides, and herbicides are washed off our streets, parking lots, and yards. These chemicals are washed into storm drains and into storm diversion channels. Most of Albuquerque’s storm runoff ends up in the North Diversion Channel. Storm runoff water enters the Rio Grande at a floodway located at the south border of the Sandia Reservation. This point is located upriver from the new diversion dam located just south of the Alameda Bridge.

This storm runoff is not treated. The diversion dam is where river water will be taken in for the source of our drinking water. Organic chemicals known as polyaromatic hydrocarbons and phthalate esters are components in storm runoff.

The chemical benzo(a)pyrene is one polyaromatic hydrocarbon that is especially carcinogenic. The MCL for benzo(a) pyrene in drinking water is 0.2 ppb. Benzo(a)pyrene, a major component in soot and tar, was responsible for the high incidence of cancer for chimneysweepers in England during the 1700s and 1800s. Phthalate esters, used to soften plastic products, are ubiquitous pollutants in the environment. They are carcinogenic and they affect the endocrine system. Di(2ethylhexyl) phthalate is the most common phthalate ester; its MCL in drinking water is 6 ppb.

o unlike the aquifer water, river water will require extensive treatment before it is fit for drinking. It will require disinfection. If chlorine is used, high levels of trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids can result. These chemicals are carcinogens, and trihalomethanes can increase the incidences of miscarriages. The MCLs for trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids are 80 ppb and 60 ppb respectively. If ozone is used to disinfect, high levels of bromate can result. Bromate is also a carcinogen; the MCL for bromate is 10 ppb. Albuquerque plans to use ozone as the primary disinfection agent for the treatment of river water, and chlorination will be used in post-treatment disinfection to ensure that pathogens do not grow in our pipes. The water will also require filtration of the organic pollutants; an activated charcoal system or something similar will likely be utilized.

Obviously, since Albuquerque’s large water treatment facility is not yet completed, there are no data upon which to make any definitive conclusions about the efficacy of the treatment technology the Water Utility Authority intends to use. However, we can make some guesses about what the water quality of the treated river water will be. We can expect a decrease in arsenic once Albuquerque switches over to river water as the City will close arsenic-laden wells or blend down arsenic-laden water with treated river water. We can still expect traces of uranium to remain in our water since uranium is present throughout New Mexico.

Uranium is in our aquifer and it will likely be in our river from up stream run off. We can expect to see an increase in disinfection byproducts and some other organic pollutants that will make it past the filtration process.

The City will face the challenge of keeping bromate levels below the maximum contamination levels. Once the testing data are in, we can know for sure what’s in our water.

Miguel Trujillo is an analytical chemist specializing in the analysis of pollutants in the environment.

USEFUL REFERENCES 1) A list of regulated contaminants can be found at the Environmental Protection Agency website: www.epa.gov/safewater/mcl.html 2) Arsenic data for your distribution zone can be obtained at the City of Albuquerque website: www.cabq.gov/waterquality/results/arsenic.html 3) Other water quality data on other chemicals are also available a related site: www.cabq.gov/waterquality/results/zonemap.html 4) June 10th, 2005 press release from the New Mexico Environment Department website: www.nmenv.state.nm.us/OOTS/press_releases.html 5) Fruit Avenue Plume information available at EPA website: www.epa.gov/region6/6sf/pdffiles/0604068.pdf 6) Microbial Source Tracking of the Middle Rio Grande, Press Release for November 9th, 2005: www.nmenv.state.nm.us/OOTS/press_release.html

7) NMED press releases on LANL contamination are archived and can be located at: www.nmenv.state.nm.us/OOTS/press_releases.html Access to testing data for Albuquerque and other water systems throughout New Mexico can be obtained at: www.eidea.state.nm.us/SDWIS/ For more information on SDWA regulations for radionuclides in drinking water, visit www.epa.gov/safewater/rads/quickguide.pdf For more information on SDWA regulations for the disinfection of drinking water, visit www.epa.gov/safewater/mdbp/qrg_st1.pdf

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12

september 2006

agua es

vida

It Ain’t Over ’til it’s Over

D

espite record rainfall, despite flooded disaster areas, despite corn fields tassel deep in water, the drought in New Mexico is not over. Repeat: Not. Without going into too much detail (which I’ve done here often), drought is a cumulative event, building up over years of low snowpack and rainfall, deep drying of the soil and elevated stress on plant and animal life. Likewise, it takes years to counteract these conditions with not only increased precipitation but sustained and consistent rain and snow.

We seem to sorta sneak by each year with just enough moisture to keep our state from drying up and blowing away, just enough to keep everyone complacent that it’s ok to overwater the lawn and run water down the drain. And just enough to keep the Silvery Minnow controversy alive for future legislative arguments.

long hard look at what they’re doing, where, why and how. (Y)our environmental impact — (y)our behavior — affects not only (y)our life and location but everyone else around the city and state.

Plans to increase the city’s water supply by tapping into the Rio Grande or importing San Juan/Chama water affect not only the proposed recipients of the water, but the people, watersheds and flora and fauna surrounding those waterways, up and down stream. This is to say nothing of the greed and sense of entitlement that leads anyone

Drought is a cumulative event, building up over years of low snowpack and rainfall...

Too, not every corner of New Mexico has been as inundated as the Middle Rio Grande on down to El Paso. Up in the northeast, organic ranchers in Roy — a dustbowl town since, well, the old dustbowl days — still struggle under some the driest conditions in the state. A little further down, organic peanut and dairy farms from Portales on down to Hobbs are getting by at best. In fact, most farmers I speak with east or north of Albuquerque report heavy but intermittent localized rains, still not always enough to sustain crops without supplemental irrigation. No doubt about it, we’ve picked a hell of a place to sustain a population and economy of our size. There’s many good reasons why the Pueblos and the Spanish pobladores afterwards didn’t permanently settle in really all that many places; lack of water is just one.

It’s true there are some pretty places in Albuquerque with lots of green and trees but none of that actually belongs here under our environmental conditions: it’s all sustained by pumping (mining, actually) groundwater. Take a look out on the undeveloped west mesa: that’s what most of the ‘burque should actually look like.

So what’s the answer? No, it’s not that everyone who got here after you and me should leave. It’s everyone who is or will be here — and builds and develops and lives and conducts business here — needs to take a

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itchy green thumb to believe that their water needs are more important than those of their downstream neighbors and that another watershed’s moisture is theirs for the taking, based on legal documents and attorney wrangling instead of natural flow and drainage of precipitation.

Every drop of water you and I waste is a vote for more drilling and further lowering of the water table, more expensive water rights adjudication cases and more taking — and wasting — of what isn’t truly ours to begin with.

Ok, enough doom and gloom. The good news is, yes, we’ve gotten a heck of a lot of moisture and the reservoirs, while still not anywhere close to full, are a wee bit higher than before. Lots of crops will be looking better at harvest than we ever imagined at planting time. And every farmer I speak with — even the ones who’ve been flooded or hailed out — are grateful for the blessing of water falling out of the sky. That phenomenon is still one of the most amazing things I can think of.

by Brett Bakker

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Bringing Together Indigenous, Western Perspectives

by Robin Globus and Glenn Aparicio Parry estern science has its limits,” says Native American ecologist Dennis Martinez, founder of Indigenous Peoples’ Restoration Network and presenter at the upcoming conference “Oil and Water: Can They Mix? Western and Indigenous Approaches to Economy, Ecology and Community.” The conference, co-sponsored by 15 organizations is organized by SEED Graduate Institute and will be held October 28-Nov 1, at La Fonda in Santa Fe.

“W

“While quantitative analysis is a powerful and successful methodology within its proper sphere,” continues Martinez, “other valid epistemologies such as Traditional Ecological Knowledge offer complementary approaches to understanding the natural world and our relationship to that world with which we have coevolved since time out of mind.”

The good news is that leading-edge Western science is now coming full circle to embrace whole systems approaches which are in consonance with Native approaches, but what has been conspicuously absent, until now, is deep dialogue between Western scientists and Native knowledge holders.

The Oil and Water conference is about healing the split that has developed between indigenous and Western thinking and the words “economy” and “ecology” themselves, originally of the same root meaning. The conference brings Native American elders and scholars together with economists, ecologists, eco-psychologists, biologists, systems thinkers,

activists, political leaders, and rural and urban planners to dialogue around the interconnected themes of ecology, economy and community. Live local music, an art show around the theme of oil and water, and a Halloween costume party add to the festivities.

Many of the critical issues of our time will be explored, including the quality and security of food and water supplies, peak oil, local and global economic systems, global warming, indigenous rights issues and the integrity and health of Mother Earth and all her residents. Participants in the conference will offer new ways of envisioning an economy based on restoration of sustainable principles that draw upon indigenous wisdom in ways that do not ignore the human-made economy.

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There are thirty total presenters, including Gregory Cajete (Santa Clara), Director of Native Studies at UNM; David Abram, author of the Spell of the Sensuous; master storyteller and author Larry Littlebird; economist and independent futurist Hazel Henderson; Leroy Little Bear (Blackfoot), former Director of Native Studies at Harvard; and author Linda Hogan (Chickasaw).

For more information about the conference, visit SEED’s website at www.seedgraduateinstitute.org.

Contact SEED with questions or to register at (505) 792-2900 or seed@seedgraduateinstitute.org.

For information on any of SEED’s programs, including its new Native Foods Farmers market on Sundays 9am-1pm, see SEED’s website www.seedgraduateinstitute.org.

We are looking for consistent, committed volunteers with these skills: • Excellent customer service • Knowledge of tools &/or home decor • Interest in home improvements/furnishings • Mechanically inclined Your commitment will: • Support recycling & reusing instead of filling up landfills!

• Use your talents & skills to help others with remodeling & home repair projects • Keep you active & vital mentally; physically & socially Email: lschindler@habitat.org or call (505) 265 0057 ask for Michael or Laurie

CO-OP turns 30 in October september 2006

don’t miss the party

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health &

healing

september 2006 14

Allergies and Congestion: The Ear Bone is Connected to the Nose Bone

by Stacey M. Kerr, MD arents are often concerned about their childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability to hear well. This concern goes beyond the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;selective hearing lossâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; we all laugh about â&#x20AC;&#x201C; those times when your child simply chooses to ignore you. True hearing loss in children is no laughing matter; the consequences can be long lasting and heartbreaking. Even a mild loss can affect your childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability to speak and understand language, sometimes with effects that last a lifetime.

P Classical Homeopathy Visceral Manipulation Craniosacral Therapy

MARY ALICE COOPER, MD St. Raphael Medical Center 204 Carlisle NE Albuquerque, NM 87106

505-266-6522

There are three parts to the ear: the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear. The outer ear is the ear canal. This is the part we can see and the part that captures sound from outside the body. This ear canal carries sound to a thin translucent membrane called the eardrum.

Just on the other side of the eardrum is the middle ear, an air filled chamber that contains three tiny bones all connected to each other. When the eardrum vibrates with sound coming in from the canal, it transmits those vibrations to the three tiny bones in the middle ear. For sound to travel well, this middle part of the ear must be ventilated and must keep the air pressure equalized, so it has a narrow tube connecting it to the back of the nose. When your ear pops at a change in altitude, it is this eustachian tube clearing the middle ear for you. And, if all is clear, the three tiny bones in the middle ear transfer sound vibrations directly to the inner ear. Within the inner ear is the cochlea, where the vibrations are translated into electrical signals that are picked up by nerves and sent to the brain. Quite an elegant design!

However, the most common cause of hearing loss in children is due to problems with the conduction of sound, and this is directly linked to the nose. The eustachian tube is smaller and more nearly horizontal in children than it is in adults. Therefore, it can be more easily blocked by conditions such as large adenoids and infections. Clearing congestion and opening the eustachian tubes to allow the middle ear to clear can cause remarkable changes in a childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s world.

The most common causes of eustachian tube dysfunction are allergies and respiratory infections.

Traditionally doctors have given antihistamines to dry up secretions and decongestants to clear the passages.

However, the side effects of these two medications can be problematic. Sometimes these medications are warranted, but an effective first line treatment that is much safer and often more effective than medication is nasal washing with hypertonic-buffered salt water.

connect

Reaching Out With Reiki There will be 2 weekends of FREE Reiki for Cancer Survivors, beginning Fri., Sept 29 thru Sun. Oct 1st from 1-4pmand again on Oct 27-29th. Reiki practitioners call 891-9796 or 247- 2788 to participate. Cancer Survivors who would like to receive Reiki please call 280-4612 or Carolyn Butler at 816-4280 Carolyn Butler, or Kathy Araki at 271-6900 Ext 101.

If the ear canal is blocked (with wax or fluid), the sound can not get to the eardrum. If the eardrum is broken, the sound cannot make the three little bones vibrate in the middle ear. If the middle ear is full of fluid and the eustachian tube is blocked, the three bones cannot vibrate, and the sound does not reach the inner ear or the cochlea. And if the cochlea is missing or not functioning, the sound cannot reach the brain. Every part of the ear must be working well for good hearing to occur.

Many newborns these days are given hearing tests shortly after birth. This kind of test can rule out congenital problems which are usually due to problems with the cochlea or the nerves that connect the cochlea to the brain. Cochlear implants, one of modern medicineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s miracles, have allowed many congenitally deaf children to hear.

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Children as young as four years old can learn to rinse their nose with a hypertonic salt solution. Hypertonic saline is a natural decongestant. It acts to shrink the mucus membranes, allowing the eustachian tube to open and drain.

Regularly washing the nose with hypertonic saline will help keep the middle ear open and healthy. In addition, washing routinely will decrease the incidence of upper respiratory infections and allergies by keeping your childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nasal filter clean and clear of particles. The washing does not hurt, and once children learn the technique they start asking if they can wash when they get congested. They know what makes them feel good!

Pediatrician Dr. Hana has been treating children with ear and nose problems for years. When she realized the benefits of nasal â&#x20AC;&#x153;washingâ&#x20AC;? she developed Nasopure Nasal Wash System for her own patients and their parents.

Through good hearing a child learns language skills and an appreciation for the world around her. If you are concerned about your childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability to hear well, speak to your physician. If the problem is chronic congestion or infections, ask about nasal rinsing.

Look for Nasopure Nasal Wash System at Co-op locations, or special order at any Co-op Health and Beauty Department.

Dr. Kerr is a Board Certified Family Physician / Special Education Teacher drkerr@the-doctors-inn.com.

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Books

that affect sensitive people. From toxins to foods to the common everyday things we come in contact with in our homes, our schools and throughout daily life, Borger articulates in simple clear language what the triggers are and how to avoid them. Also included are sections on shaping an allergy free diet and helpful cooking tips, advice for caregivers of highly sensitive children and an excellent resource list.

Written by local author Mimi Borger this book is an excellent jumping off point for anyone who has allergies or thinks they have allergies. It is especially useful for parents whose children are struggling with health or behavioral symptoms that could be related to food or environmental sensitivities.

The first few chapters tell the story of Mimiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s son Michael, who struggled with severe allergies. But the real meat and potatoes, so to speak, of the book are the chapters on recognizing and overcoming the many allergens The Story of Mr. Allergyhead:

Look for this easy to use book at the Nob Hill and Valley Co-ops and special order at other locations. Mimi will be on hand at the Nob Hill location to sign and discuss her book. For dates and times call Susan Treadway at 265-4631.

by Mimi Broger

fall landscape tour The New Mexico Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects fall landscape tour will be taking place on Saturday, September 16th. Tickets on sale at the information desks of the Nob Hill and Valley Co-ops in Albuquerque. Tickets are $10 each and will be available beginning September 1st. There will be 8 Albuquerque landscapes on the tour. Information: Judy Kowalski, 830-5417.

forum Queenie: Art Garage Sale

community

Extravaganza!

W

hen you were a child, do you remember the joy of creating and making art? Fine Arts for Children & Teens (FACT), is a nonprofit organization based in Santa Fe that provides hands-on visual art experiences to more than 3,500 youth in Northern New Mexico. Making art is a transformative process that teaches creative thinking, builds self-confidence and brings joy. But so many children and teens do not have arts education opportunities.

FACT is committed to empowering and transforming the lives of underserved youth through the visual arts. They work with public schools in Coyote, Española, Pecos and Santa Fe, run their own ARTbarn community studio on Pacheco Street, and collaborate with other organizations such as the Santa Fe Public Schools’ Adelante homeless program, Outside In, and the Santa Fe County Youth Development Program (Detention Center).

On September 22, 23 and 24, come to QUEENIE, Santa Fe’s biggest and best art garage sale. The QUEENIE extravaganza benefits FACT and the Center for Contemporary Art (CCA). Almost every day throughout the year, people bring in unique art items. Despite low flea market prices such as $1 per item, nearly $50,000 was raised last year.

The beauty of QUEENIE is that it recycles many goods and items that might be otherwise thrown away and sells them at fair prices for people to enjoy.

This year, find your new favorite art treasure at QUEENIE, at the CCA Warehouse, 1050 Old Pecos Trail on: Fri., Sept. 22, 5-8pm, Preview Sale with hors d’oeuvres and wine, $15. Sat., Sept. 23, 8am-4pm, Free Admission. Sun., Sept. 18, 9am-2pm, Free Admission. They still need your unwanted art treasures in all mediums, decorative arts, folk art, furniture, art supplies, Indian arts, art books, antiques, and anything artistic! Nothing is too major or too minor. Drop off your tax-deductible donations at CCA, 1050 Old Pecos Trail. For more information, call (505) 9922787 or (505) 982-1338.

Recycle Santa Fe: Calling Artists for Juried Art Show The Recycle Santa Fe Art Festival is celebrating its eighth year on November 10-12, 2006 at El Museo Cultural in Santa Fe, and is looking for entries into the Juried Art Show. This event attracts thousands of art lovers, trashy shoppers and the eco-conscious holiday gift-giver. Aside from the Juried Art exhibit the event includes an Art Market, the Trash Fashion Show, Children’s Art Exhibit and family activities.

Acceptable media for Juried Art entries must contain a minimum of 75% recycled materials. The criterion for “recycled” is using elements that were originally manufactured and would be thrown away, if it were not for artists’ creativity to reformat them into a work of art that is different from their intended original use.

There is a limit of 3 entries per person. A nonrefundable ten-dollar jury fee (per person, not per submission) is required for all submissions (please make checks or money orders payable to Recycle Santa Fe Art Festival). To enter please download an application at http://www.recycle santafe.org/artfair_appl. htm. If you need an application mailed to you, call 505-603-0558. Submit the application with a photo and detailed description of the piece to: Sarah Pierpont, PO Box 4244, Santa Fe, NM 87502 THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS SEPTEMBER 30, 2006. For information, call (505) 603-0558 or email skpierpont@yahoo.com. Prizes will be awarded for first, second and third place. Winners will be announced Friday evening, Nov. 10 during the Trash Fashion Show.

Peacecraft: Cooperative Education and Children’s Programs Come to Peacecraft for one or all of their free fall series of both adult education on cooperatives and fun and inspiring children’s activities.

Peacecraft is located at 3215 Central Ave NE, in the Nob Hill District in Albuquerque. Call them at 2555229 for more information or pre-registration.

Sat., September 2, 11am. A hands-on art project featuring recycled materials!

Sat., September 16, 11am. Children’s Drumming Circle, drums from around the world!

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

Sun., September 17, 1pm. Join us at Monthly Adult Education Presentation, featuring Katie Idzorek of Just Cashews, as she discusses Fair Trade and Micro Loans for our International, Fair Trade, Organic Producers.

September 30, 11am. Ongoing Children’s Program, featuring local storytellers, artists, and performers!

October 14, 11am. Children’s Program, featuring local storytellers, artists, and performers!

October 28, 11am. Children’s Drumming Circle.

september 2006 15

N EW DIR E C T I O N

C H IR O PR AC T I C Chiropractic with an Ayurvedic Influence K elly Coogan D.C. 3216 Monte Vista Blvd. NE, Suite A Albuquerque, New Mexico 87106 chiroveda9@yahoo.com ph 505.247.HEAL fx 505.247.4326

Free Wildlife Activist Trainings!

Sat. Sept. 23 in Albuquerque • Sun. Sept. 24 in Santa Fe. Develop skills to work with the media, lobby Congress, and organize in your community. Learn about efforts in Congress to dismantle the Endangered Species Act, and the role you as an activist play in shaping congressional actions. Contact Lisa