GIVING THANKS for Growing Up
CO-OP!
BY KATHERINE MULLE ratitude. It’s a word uttered with a certain reverence, a sigh of relief, a tender smile, or followed by a warm embrace. Gratitude can strengthen relationships, promote health, reduce stress, and make us happier all-around. In the spirit of the season and with Thanksgiving right around the corner, I’d like to take this opportunity to reflect on the Co-op as a store, a community, and as a family that I’m grateful for.
G
I know that the Co-op has been good to so many families, and I’m grateful to have felt this goodness keenly as a child. It provided a living wage job for my dad, who had gone back to college and had two small children. It provided my mom with a way to afford organic, local, healthy food when she was in college herself by giving her a discount for volunteering. (Not to mention she came to know my dad through her volunteer work at the Co-op—talk about fostering lifelong relationships!) It provided us with healthy food and helped to encourage a healthy lifestyle—not many kids back then could say they were raised vegetarian with tofu, veggie burgers, and (when we were lucky) Annie’s Macaroni and Cheese on our weekly dinner menu! It made going grocery shopping fun as a child (at least, on those weekends when my dad didn’t do the grocery shopping himself!). And overall, the Co-op provided a safe place that was vibrant, upbeat, and always flowing with good vibes, making it a great place to be: a place that felt like a home with a family.
So yes, Co-op trips were always met with much excitement, and while I love my Dad, he was only one member of my “Co-op family—” I loved helping Carol arrange flowers to make beautiful, fresh Co-op bouquets. I loved to visit with the most jovial and kindhearted Dan, whom I will forever love for wearing the banana suit (very popular with five-year-olds) when my elementary school took a field trip to the Co-op. I loved seeing Shannon when we checked out, one of the (then) cashiers who was always so sweet to me, and whom I now have a pleasure of working with at the administrative offices! These are only a few of many examples, but in short, I’m so very grateful to the wonderful people at the Co-op. For the kind, friendly employees who never fail to offer their expertise, good service, and smiles when you come into the store. For the charitable, giving volunteers, without whom the Co-op wouldn’t be the great store that it is today. For the customers, especially member-owners, who continue to support the Co-op not only through shopping but through attending community events and participating in a variety of other ways that make the Coop what it is. For the farmers and cooks who grow and prepare delicious food for us to enjoy: I can’t tell you how many fresh Rancho Durazno peaches I ate this summer (Now I’m on to green chile for fall!), and I still find myself indulging in those delicious “Cheesy Pleaser” sandwiches when I come in for lunch!
t hank
you
Co-op so it can thrive and grow, as shown by the recent opening of our Westside store, which continues to deliver fresh, local, organic food to Albuquerque’s Westside. All these things are a sure sign of a strong and growing cooperative economy. The people of the Co-op help to make the Co-op’s vision of a store that is truly about community a reality. Just as I’m grateful that the Co-op has helped me foster good health, it has in itself helped me cultivate gratitude for the people who work so hard to make the Coop all that it is! It’s been a great year for the Co-op community -THANK YOU!
And for you, dear Co-op Connection reader, for caring about the Co-op and the work it does, continuing to read and give feedback. I’m thankful for all of these people, for their continuous effort to nurture the
Special Thanks
to the following businesses and individuals who helped supply the food for our annual owner gathering: When you see their products on Co-op shelves, please support these generous people and businesses.
Our Deepest Gratitude: Annual Owner Gathering
THANKS
BY ROBIN SEYDEL uring this time of year our thoughts turn to Thanksgiving celebrations and all the things for which we are grateful. In these meditations I feel incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to work with our incredibly supportive cooperative community to make the world a better place.
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I know that I speak for all of us here at the Co-op, in this expression of heartfelt thanks to all of you who came out to enjoy our Annual Owner Gatherings in both Santa Fe and Albuquerque. It was wonderful to see so many of you turn out to participate in our community dialogues on the democratization of wealth and the role that Co-ops can play in creating a more just and sustainable economy. Our esteemed guest speaker, Gar Alperovitz, is much in demand and we are tremendously honored that he chose to come back to New Mexico and share his time, extensive knowledge and inspirational leadership with us. Two of my favorite concepts put forth by
Gar are “involvement culture” and “evolutionary reconstruction.” When tied together as in; the creation of an “involvement culture for the evolutionary reconstruction of our communities,” they provide a clear understanding of what we are both grateful for and are trying to do. Here at La Montanita we continue to be dedicated to the concepts of a just and fair cooperative economic democracy. Your support of these gatherings made it clear that this commitment is a reflection of your values and the desires of the communities we seek to serve. The gatherings, both in Santa Fe and Albuquerque were a true community endeavor and it was a great pleasure to partner with a variety of organizations around the state to make it happen. A special thanks goes out to Marianne Dickenson, a dedicated “new economy” activist for her organizing efforts, We Are People Here and the Unitarian Universalist Church of Santa Fe, for their support and co-sponsorship of the Santa Fe event. In
PATRONAGE DIVIDEND GOES
Electronic!
BY ROBIN SEYDEL e have some exciting news this year! For the first time ever our annual patronage dividend will be available to member-owners at the cash register of their favorite La Montanita Co-op location. Many La Montanita members are also members at other co-ops, including REI, where annual patronage dividends are available at the check-out register. Our program will work in much the same manner.
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All Co-op owners, who were current members and made purchases during the fiscal year that ran from September 1, 2013 through August 31, 2014, will get a Patronage Dividend Certificate. The Certificate that will be mailed to their homes will include a barcode and their patronage dividend history both for this year and aggregate totals for all preceding membership years. Members, at their convenience, will be able bring that Certificate to any Co-op location where cashiers will swipe the barcode and redeemed it for food or cash. It is thanks to our “new” point of sale system (POS), installed two years ago, that we are able to do this. Going electronic will save lots of resources both for the Co-op and the environment, including paper (read trees!), and the costs of printing and mailing thousands of checks, which have to be mailed first class. It is our hope that this new electronic process will also provide greater convenience for members and will prevent the “lost” patronage check that some members have, in years past, experienced. CHECK YOUR ADDRESS As we are mailing the Patronage Dividend Certificate notification, please, the next time you come shopping, if you have moved in the
Chocolate Cartel/Van Rixel Brothers • Co-op Distribution Center • Food For Life Products • Navajo Agricultural Products Inc. • Organic Valley Cooperative • Pitman Farms • Mary’s Organic Chicken • Sweet Grass Beef Cooperative • Tamaya Blue of Santa Ana Pueblo • United Natural Foods Inc. • Veritable Vegetable
Albuquerque, it was a great pleasure to work with Amy Liota, Chef Michael Giese and their fabulous staff at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center and the many generous food producers and suppliers who donated food for our FREE community dinner. Please see the list above and when shopping we hope you will support all these fine food producers. It is a great pleasure to serve you, our fantastic community; you make everything the Co-op does possible. With love and thanks on behalf of everyone at La Montanita Co-op. ROBIN SEYDEL, MEMBERSHIP AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR
tificate that your household received in the mail, with signed approval by you, the primary member and valid identification for the secondary member.
past year, do be sure to update your address at your favorite Co-op location’s information desk before December 1. This will ensure that the Certificate is mailed to your correct address. PATRONAGE DIVIDEND CERTIFCATE REDEMPTION When redeeming your Patronage Dividend Certificate, primary Co-op members, please be sure to have valid identification with you, as cashiers will only redeem patronage credits with proper ID, that matches the name on your membership. Primary members, who wish to allow secondary household members to utilize the dividend, please be sure secondary members bring in the cer-
While this is a most exciting and more environmentally sound way to return our profits to our community of owners, like any new program or process, we expect there will be some unexpected challenges for us to iron out together. We hope you, our memberowners, will be patient with us as we put this new electronic patronage dividend redemption process into action. If you have questions or input please do not hesitate to contact me at 217-2027 or email me at robins@lamontanita.coop.
SAMPLE Sample traditional and gourmet local Thanksgiving dishes, organic fresh turkeys, vegetarian specialties, home baked healthy pies and so much more. Get great ideas on what to cook or let us make your holiday feasting easy—sample a wide variety of dishes, and then order them from your Co-op Deli (See menu on page 7).
CO-OP holiday
FOODS!
SAMPLING days! • Westside: Nov. 15, 11am-4pm • Santa Fe: Nov. 15, 1-4pm • Nob Hill: Nov. 16, 11am-2pm • Valley: Nov. 22, 2-6pm
FOOD TASTINGS!
Your vote La Montañita Cooperative A Community-Owned Natural Foods Grocery Store Nob Hill 7am – 10pm M – Sa, 8am – 10pm Su 3500 Central SE, ABQ, NM 87106 505-265-4631 Valley 7am – 10pm M – Su 2400 Rio Grande NW, ABQ, NM 87104 505-242-8800 Gallup 8am – 8pm M – Sa, 11am – 8pm Su 105 E Coal, Gallup, NM 87301 505-863-5383 Santa Fe 7am – 10pm M – Sa, 8am – 10pm Su 913 West Alameda, Santa Fe, NM 87501 505-984-2852 Grab n’ Go 8am – 6pm M – F, 11am – 4pm Sa UNM Bookstore, 2301 Central SW, ABQ, NM 87131 505-277-9586 Westside 7am – 10pm M – Su 3601 Old Airport Ave, ABQ, NM 87114 505-503-2550 Cooperative Distribution Center 9am – 5pm, M – F 901 Menaul NE, ABQ, NM 87107 505-217-2010 Administration Offices 9am – 5pm, M – F 901 Menaul NE, ABQ, NM 87107 505-217-2001 Administrative Staff: 217-2001 TOLL FREE: 877-775-2667 (COOP) • General Manager/Terry Bowling 217-2020 terryb@lamontanita.coop • Controller/John Heckes 217-2029 johnh@lamontanita.coop • Computers/Info Technology David Varela 217-2011 tech@lamontanita.coop • Operations Manager/Bob Tero 217-2028 bobt@lamontanita.coop • Human Resources/Sharret Rose 217-2023 hr@lamontanita.coop • Marketing/Karolyn Cannata-Winge 217-2024 kcwinge@lamontanita.coop • Membership/Robin Seydel 217-2027 robins@lamontanita.coop • CDC/MichelleFranklin 217-2010 mf@lamontanita.coop Store Team Leaders: • Valerie Smith/Nob Hill 265-4631 valeries@lamontanita.coop • John Mulle/Valley 242-8800 jm@lamontanita.coop • William Prokopiak/Santa Fe 984-2852 willpro@lamontanita.coop • Sydney Null/Gallup 575-863-5383 sydneyn@lamontanita.coop • Joe Phy/Westside 505-503-2550 josephp@lamontanita.coop Co-op Board of Directors: email: bod@lamontanita.coop • President: Martha Whitman • Vice President: Marshall Kovitz • Secretary: Ariana Marchello • Lisa Banwarth-Kuhn • Jake Garrity • Leah Rocco • Jessica Rowland • Rosemary Romero • Tracy Sprouls Membership Costs: $15 for 1 year/ $200 Lifetime Membership Co-op Connection Staff: • Managing Editor: Robin Seydel robins@lamontanita.coop 217-2027 • Layout and Design: foxyrock inc • Cover/Centerfold: Co-op Marketing Dept. • Advertising: Sarah Wentzel-Fisher • Editorial Assistant: Sarah Wentzel-Fisher sarahwf@lamontanita.coop 217-2016 • Editorial Intern: Katherine Mulle • Printing: Vanguard Press Membership information is available at all four Co-op locations, or call 217-2027 or 877-775-2667 email: robins@lamontanita.coop website: www.lamontanita.coop Membership response to the newsletter is appreciated. Email the Managing Editor, robins@lamontanita.coop Copyright ©2014 La Montañita Co-op Supermarket Reprints by prior permission. The Co-op Connection is printed on 65% post-consumer recycled paper. It is recyclable.
November 2014 2
CO-OP BOARD OF DIRECTORS’
ELECTION
PARTICIPATE IN COOPERATIVE
ECONOMIC DEMOCRACY ONE MEMBER ONE VOTE By Ariana Marchello, Board of Directors, Election Committee Chair Democratic Member Control is the second of the seven cooperative principles. The annual Board of Directors election is one very important expression of that principle. The Board of Directors represents all the member-owners of the Co-op and as such is legally responsible for the operation of the business. The Board also works to form a vision to steer the Co-op into the future.
vote! • Please read the candidates statements on these two pages to learn more about them. • VOTE! The election will be open from November 1 through November 14. • Co-op members who have email addresses on file will receive an email with a direct link to the election website and login instructions. • If you have yet to submit your email address you can get a link to the election site through the Coop’s website: www.lamontanita.coop. • All the same candidate information contained here will be available on the website for you to review and on the vote.lamontanita.coop site.
This year, the Co-op has partnered with a local developer, Kemper Barkhurst of Identified Media to create and run the election website. We have been working really hard to make voting online as smooth and easy as possible. Each year the Co-op ownership normally elects three new board members for three-year terms and this year it will elect a fourth person to fill the unexpired term of a director who resigned. There are five candidates running for the four positions.
PA RT I C I PAT E I N T H E
CO-OP YOU
OWN!
• You can vote for up to four candidates. • After casting your ballot you should receive a confirmation via email. If you haven’t received an email with the link or you have other questions call the membership team at 505-217-2027 or 505-217-2016, or email memb@lamontanita.coop. If online voting is not for you paper ballots and stamped, self-addressed envelopes will be available at the Information desk of each Co-op location. Mail-in ballots must be postmarked no later than November 14. All candidates participated in the Board endorsed slate interview process and all candidates all were found qualified.
Lisa
MEET the CANDIDATES LISA M.
BANWARTH-KUHN
1. Describe your involvement with La Montanita Co-op. Include amount of time spent and specific activities, if appropriate. I became a member of La Montanita Coop when I attended UNM as an undergrad. I have been an employee at La Montanita Nob Hill for almost 15 years. I have served on the Board of Directors for the last three years. 2. Describe any volunteer or paid experience relevant to serving as a co-op board member. I have gladly volunteered my time in member engagement activities and doing "homework" to prepare for the Board meetings. I have participated in two Coop Conferences and a World Café. I always go above and beyond my job expectations when helping customers/ member owners and fellow employees. 3. What do you see as La Montanita’s role in the broader community? I see the role of La Montanita as a vehicle that provides connection for all members of our community through support of locally produced healthy food, through opportunities created for the building of community wealth on all levels while contributing to the creation of a sustainable, alternative local economic system. 4. Personal statement: I have learned much in the last three years. If I am re-elected for another term as a member of the Board I will continue to bring my passion for the success of our cooperative so we can carry on the programs of outreach and support throughout New Mexico and I will continue to bring my passion for healthy food and healthy people in neighborhoods that support a commitment to the health and wealth of the local community.
JEFF ETHAN AU
GREEN
1. Describe your involvement with La Montanita Co-op. I’ve been a member of La Montanita Co-op since 2011 and shopped regularly at the Co-op since moving to Albuquerque in 2007. Over the years, I have participated in many Co-op events and gatherings as a volunteer and fellow advocate for good food. 2. Describe any volunteer or paid experience relevant to serving as a co-op board member. From farm to cafeteria, I’ve been deeply engaged at many levels in working to grow New Mexico’s sustainable food system. I just now completed a year of service based in Santa Fe as Southwest Regional Field Organizing Fellow with Real Food Challenge, a national non-profit focused on training and mobilizing college students to transform their campus dining halls into smorgasbords of healthy, fair trade, local and ecologically grown food. Since 2007, I have worked intensively on biodynamic, community and small family
Jeff farms in Albuquerque, Taos and Espanola. While pursuing the graduate-level teaching degree at Northern New Mexico College that I completed in 2013, I served as Student Senate President, interned with Food and Water Watch New Mexico, and helped lead the creation of a new student-run farm-to-table café through the college’s Sostenga! Center for Sustainable Food, Agriculture & Environment. I have also been honored to receive a Sustainable Santa Fe award for “Green Journalism” for my work as a grassroots independent journalist and videographer covering social justice and environmental issues across New Mexico. All of these experiences and more have given me a rich breadth of food systems knowledge and organizational acumen that I will apply toward making the Co-op board more creative, effective, inclusive and accountable to members. 3. What do you see as La Montanita’s role in the broader community? I see La Montanita’s role in the broader community as demonstrating the economic viability and competitive advantages of the cooperative model while simultaneously achieving the realization of social and ecological benefits that make our world healthier, happier and more harmonious. In particular, I believe La Montanita plays a tremendously important role by increasing the regional accessibility and affordability of local and sustainable food, while also supporting the growers and other workers throughout the food chain who deliver this food to the consumer. I also appreciate the Co-op’s critical role in educating consumers about the complex realities of our food system, the values that underline cooperative business, and the positive collective impacts we can accomplish by making more conscious and holistic choices in our interactions throughout the foodshed. 4. Personal statement: Our beloved Co-op has come a long way but now faces a unique set of financial, environmental and socioeconomic challenges in coming years. We know that climate change has great potential to disrupt local and sustainable food production, and growth of the Co-op depends in large part on diversifying the membership base and bringing in more young adults and families, at a time when the economies of Albuquerque and rural New Mexico are still in recession. I will push the Co-op to vigorously confront and overcome such challenges, and I’ll work to improve Co-op policies to better ensure that the products we sell are fully consistent with our shared values of health, democracy, equal rights and sustainability.
YOUR VOTE
CO-OP
YOUR VOICE
ELECTIONS
PARTICIPATE IN THE CO-OP YOU OWN!
Your voice CO-OP BOARD OF DIRECTORS’
MEET the CANDIDATES PARKER
1. Describe your involvement with La Montanita Co-op. Include amount of time spent and specific activities, if appropriate. My involvement with La Montanita began when I moved to New Mexico on March 30, 2014 and shortly thereafter purchased my Co-op share. Since then I have done as much of my shopping as possible at the Gallup store, or occasionally at the other stores as my travel has permitted. I was able to work a volunteer shift at the Annual Ceremonial in Gallup in the La Montanita booth. 2. Describe any volunteer or paid experience relevant to serving as a co-op board member. Prior to moving to New Mexico I served for three years on the Board of Directors of the Moscow Food Co-op in Moscow, ID. I spent the majority of my term as Vice President and sat on the Elections Committee and the Policy &
Approximately 4 years ago, I conducted an evaluation of a project that La Montanita was involved in. Farm to Table was the grantee for the project and asked me to conduct an evaluation of the effectiveness of the program. I interviewed the GM and other staff to determine the role of the coop and possible next steps in how to integrate the various work being done to create more food security for New Mexicans. The project was successful in many ways and lead to a current project I am evaluating for the Con Alma Foundation called the Healthy People Healthy Places Initiative. 2. Describe any volunteer or paid experience relevant to serving as a co-op board member. In the capacity noted above I was a paid consultant working with the board and management. I have not volunteered at the store nor have I been paid as an employee of the co-op. I am a co-op member. I have served as an interim board member for the last few months and have been endorsed by the Board for full board membership. I believe this endorsement validates the expertise and knowledge about community that is valuable for this type of board. 3. What do you see as La Montanita’s role in the broader community? La Montanita, as one of the most respected and well-run cooperatives, has the ability to engage the community in addressing issues specific to food security. It has been my experience that La Montanita has engaged rural farmers through other programs to develop connectively between farms in the southern part of the state to the northern part of the state. This aggregation and connectively of produce helps to create economic development as well as developing food hubs between various communities. La Montanita, because of its longevity, has the ability to help foster statewide relationships that are regional in nature.
Tracy
Bylaws Committee. I attended all of the twice yearly weekend long Board Retreats and the annual Natural Cooperative Grocers Association trainings in Portland, OR and never missed a Board meeting. During that time I was a graduate student at Washington State University in neighboring Pullman, WA where I was doing research into resilient community food systems for a Doctorate of Interdisciplinary Studies degree. My research included being active in the nascent Transition Town initiative that was growing in the area and generally being familiar with my local food system and aware of its strengths and weaknesses. I also worked for two summers for a local social welfare group Backyard Harvest, manning the booth at the Moscow Farmers market on Saturdays and converting WIC benefits to Market Money that could be used to buy food at the market. 3. What do you see as La Montanita’s role in the broader community? I see La Montanita’s role in the community as that of a leader in the food system. A community’s food co-op serves as a type of food hub for consumers and producers and both need to be able to rely on it for the resources they need. The co-op, as a business entity in it’s community, must also be fiscally solvent to allow community members to rely on the co-op for jobs that offer living wages and benefits. Shareholders must feel secure that the people who work for their neighborhood co-op are treated justly and fairly so that they can feel as confident about the social aspects of the store on their community as they do about their ability to trust their co-op to provide their family with food that meets their expectations for healthy and environmental justice. 4. Personal statement: It is my opinion that the cooperative model is exactly what is needed in our communities to provide them with a resilient, secure food system they can rely upon. As a successful public model of a cooperative, we can serve to educate community members about the strengths of the cooperative model as we show them a reliable, fun way to shop and get involved in their community and their food system. It is important that La Montanita fully meet its obligation to the communities it serves to strengthen their food systems and educate consumers about the food they eat and where it comes from.
ROMERO
1. Describe your involvement with La Montanita Co-op. Include amount of time spent and specific activities if appropriate. After La Montanita purchased the SF Co-op, I helped facilitate a board retreat to evaluate the Ends and to work with several committees to formalize their working structures. I also facilitated a board annual retreat in Albuquerque. Both of these experiences helped me to learn more about the Policy Governance structure and integrating the model into the Co-op board work and management.
4. Personal statement: My professional career has been spent doing evaluation, strategic planning, water planning, land use planning and dispute resolution specific to natural resources. In the last few years a significant part of my work has focused on food policy and evaluation of programs that are agriculturally based. For three years one of my other projects was developing governance and board development for the National Immigrant Farmers Initiative, a Heifer Foundation funded program. I facilitate the annual retreat for the NM Farmers Marketing Association that utilizes Policy Governance.
TRACY
SPROULS
1. Describe your involvement with La Montanita Co-op. Include amount of time spent and specific activities, if appropriate. I have been a member of the Co-op and a frequent shopper since I returned to Albuquerque in 2000. I attended the eight-week study circle that Martha and Martin put on in 2012, covering the history, development, and future of cooperatives. I sat on the Advisory Board for two months earlier this year, before being asked by the Board to sit as a full member to fill a vacancy created by a director’s resignation. I have been a full Board member for four months now. 2. Describe any volunteer or paid experience relevant to serving as a co-op board member. I have been a practicing lawyer for over thirty years, the last twenty of which I’ve focused my practice on corporate and tax work. I’ve helped many clients form legal entities of all kinds -- partnerships, limited liability companies, and corporations, mostly for small businesses. I have formed many nonprofit corporations and shepherded them through the process of qualifying as tax-exempt entities. I’ve advised the boards of many profit and nonprofit corporations on board governance and operational issues. In 2011, I attended a week-long course on co-operatives at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. I’ve served on the boards of three law firms and three nonprofits, and I’m currently the president of a small local charitable foundation. I was asked by the La Montanita Board to sit on the Co-op’s Advisory Board in March of this year. I sat as an Advisory Director for two months earlier this year, before being asked by the Board to sit as a full member to fill a vacancy. I have been a full Board member for four months now. 3. What do you see as La Montanita’s role in the broader community? La Montanita is a source of healthy, good quality, locally-produced food for consumers; a fair, collaborative retail outlet for local growers; and an employer that pays fair wages and provides decent benefits. It serves as an example of a company that is socially-conscious, fair, and community-minded, yet still economically viable in a very competitive business. 4. Personal statement: I think I will bring a useful perspective to the Board given my experience both sitting on and advising for-profit and nonprofit boards. I also hope to learn a great deal about how a successful co-op functions.
YOUR VOTE YOUR VOICE COOPERATIVES VOTE! NOV. 1-14
ARE TRUE ECONOMIC DEMOCRACY Keep cooperative economic democracy strong!
WESTSIDE 3601 Old Airport Ave. NW 505-503-2550
Alamed a Blvd. Coors Blvd.
Rosemary
I am currently evaluating another food system project for the American Friends Service Committee-NM that has partnered with La Montanita to bring food from the southern part of the state to the northern and from the Rio Arriba County agricultural coop to supply produce to La Montanita. This relationship helps to foster collaboration and connectivity that creates a regional food hub.
COOP
Tammy
ROSEMARY
ELECTION
Old A irport Ave.
TAMMY
November 2014 3
Old Airport Ave. 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.
thankful for
community FARM
Welcome to the virtual coffee shop
for AGRARIANS!
BY COURTNEY WHITE, QUIVIRA COALITION ast month’s Quivira column featured the place of cooperatives in regenerative agriculture. This month’s article focuses on featured speaker, Dorn Cox, founding member and board president of Farm Hack….
L
H A C K!
November 2014 4
And you don't have to burn a gallon of diesel to get to this meeting place! Farm Hack was incubated by the National Young Farmers Coalition (NYFC), a non-profit founded in upstate New York in 2010 by and for a new generation of farmers in the US. The NYFC is composed of new farmers, established
"It's a return to an earlier model when agricultural information was widely shared," Dorn said, "rather than locked up in obscure journals or inaccessible scientific articles as it is today. Just as the local coffee shop or diner serves as the hub for exchanging experiences, a virtual 'coffee shop' and field walk is needed to facilitate relevant experiences."
Pull up a laptop and join the conversation. Do you have a farming issue on your mind, or maybe a tool design that you'd like to share, a crop problem that needs to be solved, a beginner's question that needs to be answered or an intriguing idea about carbon sequestration that needs to be floated? If you do, Farm Hack is the place to go. It's not the Bellyache Cafe, however. Leave all complaints, rants and political opinions at the door. This might be unusual for a web-based conversation site, to say the least, but a lot about Farm Hack is unusual, as I found out when I attended a Farm Hack "meet-up" in Hotchkiss, on Colorado's western slope. A small group of farmers, ranchers and conservationists got together for a day to tackle the difficult topic of "Building Drought Resilience on the Small-Scale Farm" against the backdrop of rising water scarcity in the West. If ever a subject needed a coffee-shop brainstorm, this was it. The nonprofit Farm Hack bills itself as an "Open Source Community for a Resilient Agriculture." It was born during a design workshop at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that involved engineers and young farmers, and it quickly evolved into an online platform to document, share and improve farm tools. A quick peek at the website, for example, reveals "how to" information on the benefits of a small axial flow combine harvester (way cooler than it sounds), picking the right organic carrot seeds, trying a pedal-powered rootwasher, measuring soil carbon and using low-cost, overhead balloon-mounted cameras for imaging a farm. If that sounds more "tool shed" than coffee shop, Farm Hack is also where young farmers, including the young-at-heart, can start a conversation with experienced agrarians, skirting the need to reinvent various wheels on the farm unless your wheel is of an exotic design! In addition, the site serves as a platform to share the latest sustainable agricultural research and make connections with like-minded individuals and organizations.
QUIVIRA CONFERENCE
Nov.12-14
Just as crucial as the online community building and information sharing are their offline equivalents, called "meet-ups," "hacks" or "hack-a-thons" (when longer than one day), which are face-to-face workshops that often involve detailed discussions about tools. Farmers have always been into the latest gear, Dorn noted, including new-fangled plows, tractors and harvesters. farmers, farm service providers, good food advocates, conservationists and conscious consumers. Its mission is to support: 1) independent family farms; 2) sustainable farming practices; 3) affordable land for farmers; 4) fair labor practices; 5) farmer-tofarmer training; 6) farmers of every gender, race and sexual orientation; and 7) cooperation and friendship between all farmers (and ranchers). Accomplishing this mission includes the opensource culture of the Internet, which is a big reason why Farm Hack is so unusual. The site is managed on the "wiki" model, which means it can be freely edited by registered participants and a wide variety of content can be easily uploaded for all to see and share.
All it takes to register is a user name and password. The site is dynamic, flexible and ever-evolving, much like the young farmers movement itself. For new farmers, Farm Hack can be a godsend because of the pressure to quickly "get it right" in our challenging times. Accumulating sustainable farming experience over twenty years, for example, might not cut it in a world of rapid economic and ecological change. "Building spreadsheets has BACK TO THE FUTURE: become as important as picking the Don’t miss the Annual Quivira Coalition Conference on November right crops or watching the weather," 12-14. The theme this year is Back To the Future: Celebrating the is how one participant put it. International Year of Family Farming and Ranching. The UN designated 2014 as the International Year of Family Farming and tasked it with According to Dorn Cox, a young the goal of raising the profile of family farmers (and ranchers) and the farmer from New Hampshire and one significant role they play in alleviating hunger and poverty, providing of the project's co-founders, the word food security and nutrition, improving livelihoods, managing natural "Hack" comes from the tech universe, resources, and protecting the environment. where it means "re-purposing" with the goal of taking control of one's The 2014 Quivira Conference features selected speakers who repdestiny. With Farm Hack, the goal of resent the diversity of the regenerative agriculture movement the nearly one thousand web site regisaround the globe.
FARM HACK!
BAG
CREDIT
NEW MEXICO
VETERANS INTEGRATION CENTER WE GIVE THANKS FOR THEIR SERVICE
BY ELINOR REINERS, NMVIC PROGRAM DIRECTOR he mission of the New Mexico Veterans Integration Center is to respond to the needs of veterans, with focus on those who are homeless or experiencing a housing crisis, through the provision of quality employment training, housing and supportive services based on a continuum of care. The New Mexico Veterans Integration Center (NMVIC) is a 501(c)(3) organization, and all donations are tax deductable. We have multiple programs geared towards helping homeless veterans and low income veterans.
T
These programs which are staffed overwhelmingly by veterans include: Transitional Housing: Structured services are provided to single veterans in a caring environment with with respect, consideration and dignity for the individual veteran. The transitional housing program assists homeless veterans, or those at risk of becoming homeless, to integrate back into the community. The VIC sees a 70% success rate of helping veterans find stable income/housing. Supportive Service for Veteran Families: The goal of this program is to provide sufficient resources to stabilize housing or end homelessness for the entire family. It provides case management, financial and legal services. Temporary financial assistance may include time limited payments for rent, utilities and moving expenses, security and
trants is to repurpose agriculture toward a regenerative model with farmer-to-farmer innovation sharing and problem solving. It is also their goal to engage non-farmers in the conversation, including designers, engineers, policy advocates and anyone else interested in building a resilient food culture.
D O N AT I O N
This means laptops and smart phones are just the latest in a long line of new technologies embraced by agrarians. "We are focused on attracting into our community not only farmers, but those with other relevant skill-sets," Dorn said, "including engineers, roboticists, architects, fabricators and programmers. It is those that live to build and make things work that are the key allies to turn ideas into tools and then into finished products." There have been a dozen hacks around the country to date, including events in Vermont, Detroit, Minnesota and New York City, on topics as diverse as how to grow small grains, utilize draft horses, improve soil health and start a farming operation. Our job in Hotchkiss was to ponder the future of sustainable agriculture in the face of hotter and drier conditions promised by climate change. It was a sobering discussion. Water scarcity is a daunting challenge in the already arid West, especially if urban centers get aggressive politically or economically. Today, nearly 80% of Colorado's fresh water is consumed by agriculture, much of it for water-intensive crops such as hay and alfalfa. The state's agriculture sector may enjoy senior water rights now, but for how much longer? As the saying goes, water flows uphill toward money, and everyone knows where the money is. Farm Hack can help not only by stimulating discussion but also by providing a platform for sharing innovative solutions. There's certainly plenty to ponder, whether in a virtual coffee shop or the real thing. FARM HACK: www.farmhack.net National Young Farmers Coalition: www.youngfarmers.org
O R G A N I Z AT I O N
utility deposits, transportation, childcare and emergency supplies. This program also links to healthcare, counseling, job development and other services. Food Pantry: The VIC Food Pantry provides weekly food for veterans in transitional living situations, monthly food baskets for low income community based veterans and, on specific days, is open to people in need in the larger community. In FY 2014 distributed over 6,300 food boxes, (4,789 went to veterans in VIC Programs). Emergency Shelter: Overnight stay for veterans waiting to get into a VIC program.
OF
THE
MONTH
meet their clothing and furniture needs as they move through VIC programs into stable and secure situations. The thrift shop sells what is not needed by VIC participants to the larger community. Veterans in VIC Transitional Housing programs are employed part-time to earn extra funds. The thrift shop is located at the Central Office: 13032 Central Ave SE, Albuquerque and is open on Mondays and Fridays from 9am-3pm. Please call to make donations 505-265-0512 For more information, applications to participate in VIC programs or to make donations please go to www.nmvic.org or call 505-296-0800. We hope you will DONATE YOUR BAG CREDIT to the New Mexico Veterans Integration Center and help veterans and their families overcome homelessness and other challenges for a secure and stable future.
Thrift Shop: The VIC Thrift Shop accepts donations from the community to help VIC participants
CO-OP PROGRAM
DONATE your BAG CREDIT!
IN NOVEMBER in recognition of Veterans Day your bag credit donations will go to The New Mexico Veterans Integration Center: Responding to the needs of veterans, with a focus on those who are homeless. IN SEPTEMBER your bag credit donations totaling $2341.20 were divided equally between the New Mexico Humane Association in Albuquerque and the Santa Fe Animal Shelter.
holiday
foods
November 2014 5
TURKEYS: LOCAL, ORGANIC, ALL NATURAL
the land and farming, but you’ll get to eat what will no doubt, be the most delicious holiday turkey you have ever tasted!
THE CO-OP’S GOT A TURKEY FOR
These turkeys come fresh, directly from the farm to the Co-op and are not frozen. Look for them in the meat cases at all Co-op locations; no need to special order. For more information contact Grace in Santa Fe at 9842852, Cameron at Nob Hill at 265-4631, Elena in the Valley at 242-8800, Sydney in Gallup at 863-5383 and Meg at the Westside at 503-2550.
EVERY TASTE EMBUDO
VA L L E Y O R G A N I C S
A
gain this year the Co-op is pleased to be able to offer the famous Embudo Valley organic turkeys. Embudo Valley Organics David Rigsby and Johnny McMullen and their staff hand raise and hand care for every one of their birds. These locally raised birds have free access to acres of pastureland and live their whole lives outside, doing what healthy, happy birds do. When they are grain fed, they eat the certified organic barley, wheat, rye and oats grown right on the farm. To supplement their feed, when necessary, they are fed certified organic corn and soy mixed with certified organic molasses and high omega-flax seed. Embudo Valley also sells their certified organic poultry feed through our Co-op Distribution Center to many of our local egg producers. Embudo Valley Organics pledges that, “our turkeys are family farmed, raised using humane and environmentally responsible methods to provide you with the freshest, safest and most flavorful meats available.”
M A R Y ’ S TURKEYS Choose from Certified Organic or All Natural Since 1954, the Pitman Family has raised turkeys for the Thanksgiving holiday. Today, with more and more companies introducing free range products, we want every consumer to experience the difference Mary's offers. Mary's free range birds begin life on a farm in California’s Central Valley. The Pitman family has built its reputation by growing fewer, but superior, free range turkeys year after year. Their birds are plump and happy, not de-beaked, declawed or disfigured in any way, and are harvested in the most humane way possible. If you haven’t yet tried an Embudo Valley turkey, make this the year you treat yourself to the best. Not only will you keep local New Mexican family farmers on
• • • • • •
FRESH, LOCAL
ORGANIC...
This year you will find a wide assortment of delicious pies at all our Co-op locations. We offer pies from some of our favorite bakeries, and our amazing deli pastry chefs. Specialty Pies... Our Co-op deli pastry chefs will whip up some delicious specialty pies using alternative sweeteners; or look for everything you need to create your own pie, including local unbleached flour, bulk nuts and dried fruit, frozen and fresh berries, apples, pie pumpkins, sweet potatoes and other pie fillings throughout the store!
T H E CO-OP’S
GOT YOUR PIE!
Mary’s Certified Organic Turkey Mary's free range organic turkeys are never caged, eat only certified organic feed and are raised using the most humane farming practices for healthful eating. Certified organic feeds must be certified by the USDA and everything that goes in them must be certified as well. Mary's organic turkey feed does not contain any of the following:
LET THEM EAT
PIE
NO NO NO NO NO NO
Animal By-Products Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) Antibiotics Pesticide Treated Grains Grains Grown with Chemical Fertilizers Synthetic Amino Acids
All of Mary’s free range turkeys are: Free range, vegetarian fed, gluten free, NEVER given antibiotics, hormones or animal byproducts. Mary’s free range turkeys are raised on healthful grains and allowed to roam in areas four times the size of the average commercial turkey ranch. Their high protein diet provides the optimum amount of nutrients for healthful growth. These all natural turkeys provide great quality at an excellent price point for La Montanita shoppers. COME TO THE CO-OP and choose the turkey that best fits your palette and your pocket book. Look for local, organic Embudo Turkeys, or Mary’s Organic or Free Range in the meat cases at all Co-op locations. They will be arriving on November 18.
c o - o p news
November 2014 6
economic democracy IN
MEMBERSHIP IS OWNERSHIP
“WHAT THEN...?” BY LISA BANWARTH-KUHN, BOARD MEMBER he Co-op celebrated its Annual Membership Gathering at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center on October 18 with keynote speaker Gar Alperovitz, writer, historian and political economist. In preparation for this event and to fuel discussion during the “Board Study” portion of the Board’s September monthly meeting, we read Gar’s newest book, What Then Must We Do? We also held “CO-OPversations” in the community in August and September to discuss how each of us can create and participate in building community wealth.
T
As a member or shopper of La Montanita Co-op you are already engaged in a cooperative economic alternative to the familiar corporate business model. The Co-op functions
under the same pressures and demands as any other market; the difference is that La Montanita is a piece within a checkerboard of economic alternatives that serve the local economy. Our cooperative, rather than sending profits to stock holders, funds a myriad of community programs and supports small local businesses. These programs and our support interconnect with other local programs and neighborhood groups that are also pieces within the checkerboard. If these pieces continue to multiply we could eventually connect to create a new system that could democratize the ownership of wealth and strengthen our communities. In his book What Then Must We Do? Alperovitz argues that within the game plan of our current economic sys-
Giving Thanks for Our
AMAZING CO-OP
STAFF
TELL US YOUR STORIES
W
e asked you to tell us your stories about your memorable experiences with Co-op staff and you did! So many of you did that you will be seeing these lovely testimonials in the next few issues of the Co-op Connection.
Now to mention two by name: Appreciation to Mark B at check out for his cheer, personal concern, and also for the beautiful photo cards that his wife makes and sells at the store. Mark and the cards brighten my days.
A SIMPLE NOTE OF APPRECIATION
THUNDERHEAD farms BY JONATHAN ASHE, FARMER hunderhead Farms thanks La Montanita customers, staff, and management for your continued support through the 2014 summer season. From the wonderful customers who searched for our packaged specialty peppers beginning in July to the adventurous individuals who discovered them for the very first time this season, we are nothing without you. It may sound cliché, but it is wholeheartedly true. Your support in purchase and feedback gives us the drive to continue improving our quality and consistency. Our mission in providing specialty peppers, such as the Padrón and Shishito, is to be a part of your respect and celebration of food. Our Padrón peppers remind so many of their specific memories of vacations
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tem there are many people involved in and open to fresh ideas about how to build community wealth. There is a very lopsided distribution of wealth in America because the current system is not responsive enough to ordinary citizens. With the ease of a conversation over coffee, he speaks directly about our place in history, why people doubt or have lost faith in our economic system and why the time is right to start taking steps to create a new-economic movement so that a new system can evolve from the old. Small steps, slowly at first while looking ahead and planning for the future, will create a pathway if and when our current system fails us. By choosing to OWN a piece of the puzzle as a member/ shopper of La Montanita you have made a move toward CHANGE.
Appreciation to Derrick, your cheese guy! He picks out some awesome cheeses and directs me to them. He continues to stock Cabot's Sharp Extra Light Cheddar Cheese (a much reduced fat cheese.) I love cheese but need to avoid fat, and this one tastes good. -SHARON
go CO-OP!
Thanks for Caring Co-op staff, I do not know or recall most of your names. You are there for me. You help me find things. You check me out. You keep the bulk bins filled. You select desirable products. I can't express appreciation for you individually, just collectively, for adding personal caring to my shopping experience.
ACTION!
Cool Treats, Local Food and Friendly People I have lived in a lot of states. I grew up in Texas, where Whole Foods had a monopoly, and things like Sprouts and H-E-B did a good job of keeping me fed and happy. In the last four years I have lived in NY, NC, TX, CA, and NM, and never—not in NYC or Ashville, or even at Wheatsville Co-op in Austin, have I seen a co-op that so truly lives the Co-op spirit. Yesterday, when Laughing Yoga was canceled and my friends said "Now what?" I suggested we go to the Coop. It's not just a shopping trip, it's an experience. It's like coming into someone's home.
in Spain and their introduction to this incredible pepper. That joy of flavor, memories and community is our passion. For your support, we humbly thank you and promise to be even better next year. With you in mind, we have big plans for the 2015 summer season. Visit our website, thunderheadfarms. com, for updates throughout the off-season and drop us an email to provide feedback or just to say hello. To all of the produce staff at La Montanita stores, I know providing your customers fresh, high-quality, local produce is a challenging task. It is also quite rewarding for everyone. As a grower, thank you for your support. As a customer, thank you for your effort. La Montanita produce leads, such as Rochelle (Ro) D’Attilio, have helped shape Thunderhead Farms packaging/labeling over the years. We started with ziplock bags and continue to improve our presentation. Without this commercial support from people like Ro…well, we don’t like to think where we would be without this support.
My first interaction with the Co-op was the shop in Gallup. Working at a rustic base-camp south of Thoreau, going to Gallup once every week or so is like re-entry into a lost civilization. We have to spend the hours of freedom wisely, and I always make my first stop at the Co-op. Michael is always there, friendly and helpful, and trying to convince me to move to Gallup. Rice Dream ice cream—a cool, lactose-free summer treat, is always just over a dollar, and I know I can get some super-local produce to counteract all the “carbs” I've been eating at camp. I know the food is local because I have also sold to the Co-op. When our educational desert garden produced more kale and chard than a group of 50-100 hungry adults could eat, we tried to sell some at the local farmers market. When we still had ample amounts left, the Co-op bought it, made up a sign, and put it out to sell. The kale we had picked that morning and driven in our van, just 30 miles, was now on sale for anyone smart enough to come into the Co-op and buy it. Now that's local! When a friend of mine on a cross-country trip asked what thing she needed to do before leaving ABQ for Sante Fe on the Turquoise Trail, I sent her to the Co-op for some Rice Dream ice cream. -CASS
The LaM FUND works! To all of the investors in the La Montanita Fund (LaM Fund), you are awesome! Thunderhead Farms has just enjoyed a second year of financial support through the LaM Fund. It is an incredible community financial program that can help large to small (us) entities grow and/or improve their business. We know this because your fund helped us grow and improve! Thunderhead Farms has a new greenhouse, growing areas, and the ability to package/label our produce because of this financial support. The LaM Fund has also provided us the ability to deliver to restaurants in formats that fit restaurant systems and for us to continue our focus on food safety. La Montanita and investors, thank you for offering such great financial support. Stay warm this winter and have a wonderful holiday season everyone.
co-op news
November 2014 7
GENERAL MANAGERS ANNUAL REPORT
O
n behalf of our management team and entire staff, I would like to thank you, our member-owners, for your continued support of La Montanita Co-op. The addition of our Westside store in October, 2013 was a great accomplishment! The opportunity to develop a new Co-op community and provide healthy food is a rare occurrence that doesn’t happen often. We now have over 3,000 new member-owners at our Westside location. As with any new location, the challenges are many and it can take several years to achieve the desired results, but we are committed to this community and have enjoyed steady gains during this first year of operation.
and a clear reflection of our commitment to the cooperative principle of concern for community. I cannot begin to describe the satisfaction that comes from this work. A New Day The days of the Co-op as the only natural foods game in town are over! The corporate chains with whom we must compete have more resources and money than we will ever have. We are in a constant state of change as we work to manage marketplace realities. We have set our sights on becoming more efficient, better retailers while staying true to our principles and values
THE INSIDE SCOOP Our other locations have done well also. Financial Performance: One of our finest accomplishments this Our sales exceeded $36 million this fisyear is the progress our Cooperative Distribution cal year (September 2013-August 2014); our net Center (CDC) has made; it has exceeded our expectaincome before patronage dividends and income taxes tions. Our goal to reach five million in sales has been is a respectable $243,883. While not a banner year, realized a year ahead of schedule. Our staff has worked when all the costs of opening the Westside store, the tirelessly and our CDC is recognized as one of the premany onetime investments and some ongoing expensmier food-hubs in the nation. es are factored in, I believe we can consider it a good year. The financials are subject to adjustment by our Community third party auditors, Mackie Reid and Company, but I am proud of our community development projects we believe we are in a position to offer a small that range from the Veterans Farmers Project, the La patronage refund again this year; I will be working Montanita Fund, our grassroots investing and microwith our team to finalize these numbers soon. -TERRY lending project, and our Make a Child Smile Giving Tree, that, thanks to you, our members, provides for Please let me know anytime I can be of service; the holiday wishes and needs of over 600 at risk chilmy e-mail is terryb@lamontantia.coop or I can be dren each year as well as numerous other programs reached by phone at 505-217-2020. that space does not permit me to list here. These community programs are the heart and soul of our Co-op
November Calendar
of Events 11/1-14 Board Elections Vote Today! HOLIDAY SAMPLINGS 11/15 Westside, 11am-4pm, Santa Fe, 1-4pm 11/16 Nob Hill, 11am-2pm 11/22 Valley, 2-6pm 11/18 BOD Meeting, Immanuel Church, 5:30pm
CO-OPS: A Solution-Based System A co-operative is an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically-controlled enterprise.
S A V E T H E D AT E ! Peace Center Holiday Gala 2014 When: Saturday, Dec. 6 from 6-11pm Where: First Congregational Church on Lomas and Girard (2801 Lomas NE) Who: Raging Grannies, L@s Otr@s & Mala Maña! Why: Dancing, music, posole, beverages, silent auction, nonprofit tables, festive fun! Donation at the Door
terryb@lamontanita.coop
AT THE SANTA FE CO-OP Enjoy an evening of delicious cheese tasting and education! November 20 in the Santa Fe Co-op’s Community Room, from 6:30pm to 8pm.
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 20
• All participants get a special coupon for 10% off • Gluten-Free participants please let us know at time of registration! • Min. 10, Max. 20 participants • Pre-Registration required for class each month!
NOVEMBER 20TH TOPIC – ANATOMY OF THE CHEESE PLATE • Learn the basics for assem- Register at the Santa Fe Co-op Info Desk. bling your own cheese plates! lamontanita.coop/sf-cheese-classes
PEACE
CENTER
HOLIDAY GALA
GENERAL MANAGER’S COLUMN
the DELIGHTS of CHEESE!
DEC 6
6:30PM JUST
SAY
CHEESE!
FROM THE CO-OP DELI FEASTING MADE No Muss, No Fuss: Just Great Holiday Food Made Easy by Our Expert Deli Chefs. Holiday Dinner Specials Let our prepared-food chefs create or complement a holiday meal just for you. We’re offering a special selection of entrees, side dishes and desserts.
Entrees A pound serves 2 people minimum order: 1 lb • All-Natural Sliced Turkey Breast • Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
$12.99/lb $8.99/lb
LET US COOK! HOLIDAY DINNER SPECIALS Holiday Dinner Package $59.99 SERVES APPROXIMATELY 6 PEOPLE Mashed potatoes/one qt • Maple glazed yams with cranberries/one qt • Green beans amandine/one qt • Herb/two qt • Cranberry relish/12 ounces • 8 Dinner rolls • Turkey gravy/12 ounces HOLIDAY PLATE $12.99 Turkey breast 1/2 pound sliced • Classic mashed potatoes • Herb • Maple glazed yams with cranberries Green beans amandine • Turkey Gravy • Cranberry relish • Dinner roll VEGAN/VEGETARIAN PLATE $12.99 Walnut loaf 1/2 pound sliced • Wild rice with piñon nuts • Corn bread • Maple glazed yams with cranberries • Green beans amandine • Mushroom gravy • Cranberry relish • Dinner roll
Side Dishes
EASY!
A pound serves 4-6 min. order: 1 lb • Caramel Pecan Butternut Squash • Mashed Potatoes • Green Beans Almondine • Wild Rice with Piñon Nuts • Maple Yams and Cranberries • Herb Stuffing • Calabacitas Con Chile Verde • Cranberry Relish • Cornbread Dressing • Turkey Gravy (by the quart)
$10.99/lb $8.99/lb $9.99/lb $8.99/lb $9.99/lb $7.99/lb $8.99/lb $8.99/lb $7.99/lb $6.99/qt
Desserts Pies and Dessert Breads serve 6-8 minimum order: 1 loaf/pie • Maple Pecan Pie • Pumpkin Pie • Vegan Pumpkin Pie • Cranberry Walnut Bread Loaf • Banana Nut Bread Loaf • Vegan Cranberry Walnut Bread Loaf • Bread Pudding
Let us make your holiday deliciously
stress
free!
Placing Orders: The deli can provide everything for your holiday meal.
$13.99 $12.99 $12.99 $9.99 $9.99 $9.99 $7.99
ORDER IN PERSON OR BY PHONE AT THESE CO-OP LOCATIONS NOB HILL 3500 Central Ave. SE, ABQ 265-4631 VALLEY 2400 Rio Grande Blvd. NW, ABQ 242-8880 SANTA FE 913 West Alameda, Santa Fe 984-2852 WESTSIDE 3601 Old Airport Ave., ABQ 503-2550
To Place a Special Order: • Review the deli’s menu offerings on the left or pick up an order form at the deli • Preorders will be accepted up to three days before the holiday (Sunday for Wednesday pick-up) • Select a pick-up day and time • Order in person or by phone at your local Co-op deli
Planning the Meal Use the following estimates to determine the quantities of food you will need. Estimates are per adult. • • • • • •
Entrée-1/2 to 3/4 lb cooked Potatoes-1/3 to 1/2 lb Vegetables-1/4 to 1/3 lb Stuffing-1/3 to 1/2 lb Gravy-4 to 6 oz Cranberry Relish-2 oz
the holiday
table
November 2014 10
Thanksgiving
delights
VEGAN SHEPHERD'S PIE FROM ADRIENNE WEISS Serves: 12 Time: 1 Hour 45 Minutes A twist on traditional Shepherd's Pie, this dish combines both sweet and white potatoes. The curried lentil filling is sandwiched between two layers of creamy potato filling sitting on a breadcrumb crust baked on top of sweet zucchini. This hearty dish is not only a great entree for the holidays, but for any time of the year. Potatoes 2 medium or large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed 6 medium or large white potatoes, peeled and cubed 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning *All white or all sweet potatoes can be substituted for a combination. Curried Lentil Filling 3 1/4 cups water 2 bay leaves 1 cup brown lentils 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning 1 cup onions, thinly sliced 3 to 4 cloves garlic, chopped 1 cup shiitake or crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced 1/2 cup broccoli florets 1/2 cup yellow or red bell pepper, chopped 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 cup nutritional yeast 2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons curry powder 1 tablespoon cornstarch 2 medium zucchini, cut in thin rounds 2 cups breadcrumbs Garnish 1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions or green onion
Preheat oven to 350o F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Drop cubed potatoes into water and simmer for 45 minutes. They should be easily pierced with a fork. (Sweet potatoes may take less time.) Remove and strain potatoes and place in large bowl. Reserve 2 cups cooking water. Using potato masher or large fork, mash potatoes, slowly adding only up to 1 cup reserved water. Potatoes should be creamy, not watery. Add olive oil, Italian seasoning and Cajun seasoning, mashing again until well blended. Set aside. Meanwhile, begin to cook the lentils. Bring 3 cups water to a boil. Add bay leaf, lentils and Cajun seasoning. Cover pot and cook for 45 minutes. When completely cooked, remove from heat and let cool briefly. Drain off any liquid. Sauté onions, garlic, mushrooms, broccoli and bell pepper in olive oil in large sauté pan until onions are transparent and limp, about 4 minutes. Add reserved cup of potato water, nutritional yeast, salt and curry powder and stir until everything is well blended. Add cooked lentils. Dissolve cornstarch in remaining 1/4 cup potato water and stir into lentil and vegetable mixture. Continue to cook for 3 more minutes until sauce thickens. Remove from heat. Lightly coat bottom of 9 x 13-inch casserole dish with olive oil. Line bottom with zucchini rounds. Sprinkle one cup breadcrumbs on top of zucchini. Spoon out half mashed potatoes and spread evenly across zucchini rounds. Spoon out curried lentil mixture and spread evenly atop potatoes. Spoon remainder potatoes over filling and smooth out on top. Sprinkle rest of breadcrumbs and scallions on top. Bake 50 minutes, uncovered. For browning on top, place under low broil setting for no more than 1 minute, watching carefully. Let cool 15 minutes before cutting and serving. This dish refrigerates well if made the day before. PECAN PRALINE PUMPKIN PIE FROM ALLISON RIVERS SAMSON Serves: 8 Time: 45 Minutes Pumpkin pie is Thanksgiving's universal sweet ending, but this gluten-free version brings together two great pies—pecan and pumpkin—into one heavenly dessert. The secret to the crust is coconut sugar which, when combined with coconut milk and toasted pecans, imbues a luscious carmel flavor. Top it off with your favorite non-dairy whipped topping. 4 1/2 teaspoons agar agar flakes 1/2 cup hot water 1 1/2 cups pecans 1 1/3 cups coconut sugar, divided
the holiday
table
1 1/4 cups canned full-fat coconut milk, divided 2 tablespoons brown rice flour 2 tablespoons vanilla, divided 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided 2 cups pumpkin puree 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for garnish 1/2 teaspoon ginger 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice 1/8 teaspoon cloves 4 1/2 teaspoons kudzu root starch(arrowroot powder may be substituted for kudzu root) 1/4 cup cold water Preheat oven to 375O F. In a small bowl, soak agar in hot water, stir and set aside. On a sheet pan, spread pecans and toast for about 12 minutes or until browned. In a food processor, process pecans, 1/3 cup coconut sugar, 1/4 cup coconut milk, brown rice flour, 1 tablespoon vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon salt until fine. Into a 9-inch pie pan, press pecan mixture evenly into bottom and sides. Bake for 15 minutes; check after 10 minutes. In a blender, add agar mixture, remaining 1 cup coconut sugar, remaining 1 tablespoon vanilla, remaining 1 tablespoon vanilla, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, pumpkin purĂŠe, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cloves and blend until smooth. In a small bowl, add kudzu or arrowroot and cold water and stir until completely dissolved. Set aside. Into a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat, pour pumpkin mixture and bring to a boil, whisking occasionally. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes, then stir kuzu or arrowroot mixture again and add to pumpkin mixture, whisking continuously. Simmer and continue to whisk for 2 minutes until mixture reaches a pudding-like texture. Pour pumpkin filling into baked crust and let cool completely. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Top with your favorite non-dairy whipped cream and garnish with a dusting of cinnamon.
FRESH, FAIR
LOCAL... CO-OP
November 2014 11
POLISH MUSHROOM SOUP FROM ANNEMARIE COLBIN Serves: 4 Time: 45 Minutes This hearty soup made with an assortment of mushrooms, such as crimini, porcini, maitake and shiitake, is a rich, earthy take on traditional "Old World Polish Mushroom Soup." It is a wonderful addition to any holiday meal. Stock 1 cup vegetable trimmings(onions, carrots, celery, cabbage leaves, parsley, etc.) 6 1/2 cups water Place the vegetable trimmings and water in a 2 quart pot; bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain the stock, pressing all the liquid from the vegetable trimmings; return to pot. (If you wish you may prepare vegetable stock using vegetable broth powder and water.) 6 cups of vegetable stock 2 pounds of assorted mushrooms of choice 1/2 ounce dried organic shiitake mushrooms (ground into fine powder) 1 bunch scallions 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 clove garlic 4 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce to taste 1 handful parsley, chopped Heat the stock over medium heat; rinse and chop the mushrooms and add to the stock. Add shiitake powder to stock. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
the Best
PRODUCE!
Mary Alice Cooper, MD
food &
environment
November 2014 12
HEALTH EFFECTS
ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS diabetes
&gut microbes
BY ARI LEVAUX vidence continues to accumulate that sugar is a sweet road to obesity, diabetes, Alzheimer's and other maladies. As the dangers of sugar have unfolded there has been an increase in the production and consumption of sugar substitutes, five of which are currently FDA-approved. A recent study published in Nature adds to a growing set of concerns about these artificial sweeteners (AS) by presenting evidence that they, like sugar, can cause diabetes as well. The Israeli-based research team presented evidence that artificial sweeteners (AS) cause this outcome by disrupting the balance of microbes that live in the body's gut.
E
NOT SO SWEET
The researchers then preformed fecal transplants to make doubly-sure that the changing character of the mice gut microbes was behind their changing tolerance of glucose. Poop from mice with AS-caused glucose intolerance was inserted into the colons of mice whose AS-induced glucose intolerance had
FLASH IN THE
PAN
This isn't the first study connecting sugar substitutes with metabolic issues. Research at Purdue University found that saccharin consumption can lead to weight gain in mice by interfering with their ability to control their appetites. Multiple studies have shown that some artificial sweeteners can mess with the body's endocrine system and lead to insulin resistance. Many links between the consumption of artificial sweeteners and Type 2 diabetes have been uncovered as well, and studies have also shown that consumption of artificial sweeteners can change the way the body deals with food that contains actual calories. The link between artificial sweeteners, gut bacteria and obesity has been charted as well in a Duke University study that found that Splenda (sucralose) reduces the amount of "good bacteria" in the intestines, increases the intestinal pH level and leads to increased body weight. The new Nature study states, “Artificial sweeteners induce glucose intolerance by altering gut microbiota”, moving this ball of research forward by demonstrating that several artificial sweeteners, not just sucralose, can mess with our gut bacteria, and that this disruption is directly responsible for glucose intolerance—at least in mice. The researchers added three different artificial sweeteners (AS)—saccharin, sucralose and aspartame—to the drinking water of mice. After ten weeks, all three groups of artificial sweetener-consuming mice showed glucose intolerance. Saccharin showed the most pronounced effect. As the Duke study had shown that sucralose causes changes in the gut microbiota in mice, the Israeli researchers used antibiotics to wipe out the microbes in the mice that had been made glucose intolerant from consuming artificial sweeteners. Eliminating the microbial community in the mice with antibiotics eliminated their glucose intolerance as well.
YOU OWN IT
been removed by treatment with antibiotics. After receiving fecal transplants, the mice's glucose intolerance returned. The team then turned its attention to humans, examining dietary data and health metrics from non-diabetic people that had been gathered in an unrelated, ongoing nutritional study. They found correlations between AS consumption and increased ratio of waist to hip, higher blood glucose and other metabolic markers associated with pre-diabetics. What's tricky about looking at this kind of human data in these cases is that those who drink diet soda might very well do so because they are already at risk for obesity or diabetes. In other words, instead of demonstrating that artificial sweeteners make you fat, you might instead be observing that fat people are more likely to use sugar substitutes. So while interesting, this correlation in and of itself could be misleading. To address this issue the researchers assembled a group of seven healthy volunteers who don't normally consume artificial sweeteners. For one week, the subjects consumed the maximum FDA allotment of Saccharin. After only one week, four out of the seven volunteers began showing glucose intolerance. Those that did also showed a marked shift in
their gut microbial profiles, while the microbial profiles of the subjects that did not show glucose intolerance did not change. The fact that only seven subjects were studied, and for only one week, won't impress many statisticians. And the authors of the study are quick to point out that their results should not be taken as a call for anyone to change their diet, but rather as a signal that more studies along these lines are warranted. To this end, the National Institute of Health is conducting a large, long-term study on what happens when healthy, non-AS using subjects begin consuming sucralose. The emerging understanding of the connection between diseases like diabetes and the gut's microbiota opens up the intriguing possibility of treating disease by manipulating gut microbes. Using antibiotics to wipe out the microbial ecosystem in glucose-intolerant mice is one example of how this might work, but there are other ways as well-and don't worry, fecal transplants aren't the only other means. Taking probiotic supplements is another way, but the most important avenue, and easiest, might simply be dietary changes. Altering one's diet can be difficult, in part it turns out, because the bacteria in your gut are controlling what you want to eat, according to an article, “Do gut bacteria rule our minds?”, published by the University of California. "Microbes have the capacity to manipulate behavior and mood through altering the neural signals in the vagus nerve, changing taste receptors, producing toxins to make us feel bad and releasing chemical rewards to make us feel good," explained Athena Aktipis, cofounder of the Center for Evolution and Cancer with the Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center at UCSF, as quoted in the article. In the coming years, the relationship between diet, gut microbes and health will be further teased apart by scientists, and the role that artificial sweeteners play in this dynamic will surely be more clear. But science moves at a slow, cautious pace. Even if we don't know exactly how artificial sweeteners can cause us harm, it's becoming increasingly clear that they do. Consume accordingly.
VOTE
DON’T ENLIST
FOR THE
G LY P H O S A T E
AND
A G E N T O R A N G E C O C K TA I L
STOP THE DOW DUO!
ACTION
ALERT
Stop Herbicide Approval EDITED
BY ROBIN SEYDEL, FROM A VARIETY OF SOURCES s reported by Reuters on Sept 17, The US Department of Agriculture gave final approval to new genetically modified corn and soybeans developed by Dow AgroSciences. These GMO products are engineered to withstand both Monsanto’s Glyphosate and Dow’s 2,4D, best known as the active ingredient in Agent Orange.
A
Approval of the GMO corn and soybeans to be sold as part of a branded "Enlist Weed Control System" means the traits could be on the market for the 2015 US planting season, according to Dow AgroSciences, a unit of Dow Chemical. With approval of the two GMO products in the bag, Dow is now awaiting approval from the Environmental Protection Agency for the Enlist herbicide cocktail. Like the popular Roundup Ready system developed by rival Monsanto, the heavy use of which has triggered an explosion of herbicide-resistant "super weeds," the new EPA approved corn and soy will tolerate repeated spraying of the Enlist Weed Control herbicide. Dow estimates that the prevalence of resistant weeds has more than doubled since 2009 and so-called "super weeds" now infest roughly 70 million acres of US farmland. Monsanto is also developing a new biotech cropping system. Pass the Agent Orange Please! Enlist combines a 60-year-old herbicide component known as 2,4-D, best known as one of the active ingredients in Agent Orange, with glyphosate, the chief ingredient in long-used Roundup. Concerned consumers, farmers and conservationists say the use of 2,4-D can cause potential health and environmental problems, including increasing weed resistance. And they fear the chemical will damage neighboring farm fields. Fruit and vegetable farmers are particularly concerned that 2,4-D drift will lead to crop damage.
"The USDA approval of Enlist after such a fundamentally flawed review process is a slap in the face to farmers," said Marcia Ishii-Eiteman, senior scientist with Pesticide Action Network (PAN). Ishii-Eiteman hinted at a lawsuit, saying PAN would pursue "legal options" to protect farmers. (Reporting by Carey Gillam in Kansas City on the Reuters Newswire.) ACTION ALERT: The Center for Food Safety writes asking us “to all take just a few minutes to urge President Obama to stop this toxic herbicide and the genetically engineered crops that depend on it!” The Los Angeles Times recently editorialized, “Just as the nation must stop overusing antibiotics if it hopes to slow the emergence of resistant infections, it must do the same with herbicides and genetically modified crops. The way to deal with so-called superweeds isn't by escalating the arms race against them.” Despite half a million public comments, letters from scientists and health care professionals, and a letter signed by 60 members of Congress opposing government approval, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently gave Dow’s risky crops the green light. This GE crop system ensures a toxic spiral of ever-increasing chemical use on our land and food. These new crops pose a grave threat to our health. 2,4-D has been linked to major health problems including cancer, Parkinson’s disease, endocrine disruption and reproductive problems. Independent tests continue to turn up highly toxic dioxin contaminants in 2,4-D. The USDA admitted added usage could be as much as 176 million pounds per year on farms and fields! Tell Obama to stop Dow Chemical’s “Agent Orange” crops. Go to www.centerforfoodsafety.org to sign on to the petition. Or join the Organic Consumers’ Association campaign at ww.organicconsumers.org.
farming &
g a rd e n i n g
the more things
CHANGE... BRETT BAKKER hings seem a little odd to those of us who have been eating healthy for decades. No, we are not now and have never been “foodies”. That’s for those eaters who like their food piled in a tiny heap in the middle of a large plate with an obscene looking drizzle around the edge. Then there’s people that devour a kilo of kale one month and then move on to whatever the next craze might be, perhaps what Woody Allen once called “mung yeast?”
BY
T
I jest, of course, but it is strange to see foods like grains and beans vilified when you come from a place where wheat and soy were once the basis of your vegetarian diet. I personally never cared much for soybeans, but miso and tofu were staples. Still today, tamari is on my kitchen table and used liberally on just about anything savory. It is jarring to see Paleo diet enthusiasts eschew grains over meat. When I was a teen vegetarian, revealing that one had eaten even a bite of flesh was a jarring admission causing hipperthan-thou tongues to wag furiously.
ITCHY
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The word “vegetarian” has changed a bit, but there are still many folks who think that means you only eat vegetables like carrots and broccoli at best or Brussels sprouts and rutabagas at worst. I (we?) love them all, but that’s beside the point. Even that idea has shifted. Back in the old back-to-the-landMother-Earth-News days when you said you were a vegetarian, it was automatically assumed (and usually true) that you didn’t eat white rice, white flour, white sugar (basically, no white powders except maybe baking powder) and certainly no processed “food.” It was also assumed that you didn’t drink alcohol or smoke (tobacco) and certainly didn’t own a television. Let’s not even talk about patchouli; I’ve smelled enough to last a lifetime.
GRASSROOTS INVESTING AND
MICRO-LOAN PROGRAM • INVESTOR ENROLLMENT PERIOD NOW OPEN • Investment options begin at $250 • Loan repayment terms tailored to the needs of our community of food producers • Loan applications taken on an ongoing basis To set up a meeting to learn more or for a Prospectus, Investor Agreement, Loan Criteria and Applications, call or e-mail Robin at: 505-217-2027, toll free at 877-775-2667 or email her at robins@lamontanita.coop.
Massive amounts of baked goods, milk and cheese were consumed. Oatmeal was a staple as well as popcorn with liberal amounts of nutritional yeast and either was often dinner. Things like millet and wheat germ were considered odd by the general populace but commonplace in
our sub-culture. No one had ever heard of amaranth, teff or quinoa back then. What sticks in my mind was what we called with disdain “vegetarian glop”: overcooked pots of mystery grains and veggies, boiled into a brown mass that tasted the same no matter who made it. There was also the macrobiotic diet, which really meant foods in season and in place, but somehow morphed into everyone eating a traditional Japanese fisherman’s diet of brown rice, miso and pickled vegetables. Fresh local veggies were almost unheard of in New Mexico,
the
LA MONTANITA
FUND
November 2014 13 but were occasionally represented by limp and anemic carrots or lettuce from somebody’s garden, picked in the heat of midday with little thought given to handling and longevity. But of course we ate and raved about them because after all, man, it was organic. This was long before organic certification existed anywhere but California. In Albuquerque in the early 1980s, I recall at least two food co-ops, three or four buying clubs, two or three veggie restaurants and bakeries and at least that many locally owned natural/health food stores. These days, everyone in a city of any size has some kind of natural chain grocery nearby that carries a small amount of actual organic products while the rest is merely non-organic stuff packaged in unbleached cardboard with earth-toned labels. Back in the 1990s, when I started hanging around with a bunch of crusty punk rock kids, I found people who were vegetarians but ate anything but meat, anything at all, even McFries or bean “death burritos” from the corner convenience store. I was at an acquaintance’s party the other night and on the potluck table was some sort of “artisan” pizza. (Don’t get me started on that smarmy word!) It was made with goat cheese and what appeared to be fresh tomatoes. Somehow everyone at the gathering declared it was “organic pizza”. We’ve come a long way in that the average person recognizes that word, but have far to go in that fewer understand what that really means. Me, I’m more concerned about what the growing of edible plants and animals does to the environment. You’re a grownup now. You can decide what to ingest.
farming and
g a rd e n i n g
November 2014 14
E M B R A C I N G A N I M P O R TA N T A N D L U C R AT I V E C R O P
CARBON ECONOMY SERIES:
HEMP
RETURNS
• 14th Through 20th Centuries: Hemp provides rigging and caulking for European Age of Exploration. • 1776: Thomas Jefferson drafts Declaration of Independence on hemp paper.
BY DOUG FINE ’m writing these words ten minutes after President Obama legalized hemp. If you’re not yet among the throngs pausing for collective pinching of self and recitation of “God Bless America,” you will be pretty soon. He did this by signing the 2014 Farm Bill, which included a tuckedin, bi-partisan amendment that allows university research of the crop.
I
I’m happy for real world reasons that go far beyond the fact that the President of the United States, together with the US Congress, is now, albeit inadvertently, part of the marketing team for my new book. They in fact made the dream expressed in its first paragraph one big step closer to reality. The American re-embracing of its once most lucrative and important crop was indeed a move for the good of American farming, industry, and tax base. This I found when I saw the Canadian farmer and processor profit margin on its hemp harvest. It’s ten times that of wheat. We’ll have federal Hemp Appreciation long weekends in February or October some day. But when you take the long-term view, his signing qualifies as a mark-the-calendar day in human history, not just American history. That’s because our energy future just got a lot brighter and cleaner. Hemp’s return is a bit overdue. Just for the record, here’s the timeline: hemp legal: twelve thousand years. Hemp illegal: seventy-seven. Just last week, a Stanford-led team discovered well-preserved hemp clothes at a nine thousand-year-old village site in Turkey. A nice ensemble, ranging from infant size to big-and-tall. In fact, the publicity folks at my publisher have asked me to provide them a timeline more specific than “humans have widely used hemp for the past twelve millennia.” So for those who like to see things itemized: • 10,000 BCE: Hemp in wide use for clothing, food and medicine. It is a “camp follower,” a seed that people take with them as they move. Hemp clothing found in good condition by Stanford University led archeological team in 9,000-year-old Turkish village in February 2014. • Year Zero: Chinese pharmacopeia describes multiple cannabis-based remedies. Persians call hemp Shaah-daaneh, or “King of Seeds.”
• 1820s: US government sponsors contests to produce domestic hemp that rivals expensive imports. • 19th Century: American West settled via wagons covered with hemp canvas. • 1850s-1930s: Kentucky hemp germplasm considered the world’s finest. Hemp industry employs thousands of farmers and processors in a dozen states. US dominates world industry. • 1937: Hemp banned in the Marihuana Stamp Act. • 1942: Hemp For Victory propaganda film: Prohibition gets off to a poor start. Hemp re-legalized because Japanese have captured Filipino hemp sources (note that the drug war is already pushing industry offshore). • 1952: My grandmother moves to Hempstead, NY • 1994: In an executive order, President Bill Clinton includes hemp among “the essential agricultural products that should be stocked for defense preparedness purposes.” • 1996: Canada re-legalizes hemp. • 2002: BMW begins using hemp fiber in auto door panels, and still does. • February 7, 2014: President Obama re-legalizes hemp by signing the 2014 Farm Bill. Canada’s fifteenyear-old market worth a billion dollars annually.
In the big scheme of things, it was a short, headscratching separation between humans and their longest-utilized plant. My day job of the past several years, investigating the role of the cannabis plant in humanity’s economic and climate mitigation arsenal, has, due to irrefutable evidence, convinced me that it’s essential to bring one of our most useful plants back into the economy; I don’t think of hemp as having been “legalized” so much as “returning to its normal status.” In Hemp Bound, I set out to explain why the plant has returned in such a big way and why it matters. The short answer, according to more than one of the hemp agronomists I interviewed for the book, is that we can’t afford not to re-learn the ways to maximize this plant’s harvest, and quickly. On a bright, subzero morning in Manitoba last year, I found myself at a Canadian research facility being shown a tractor body made entirely from hemp— hemp that was grown and cultivated just a few miles away. This is about as closed a loop as it gets: powered by hemp, built from hemp (including the sealant that holds the contemporary curved hood design together), then doing the work to harvest the hemp and start the cycle all over again. I rapped my knuckles on the hood and kicked it. Solid! “Why hemp?” I asked research team leader Simon Potter of Manitoba’s Composites Innovation Centre. “Because it’s stronger, cheaper and is much less energy demanding than petroleum based plastics,” he said. “These are the industrial components of the future. We have no choice. Petroleum is done.” DOUG FINE, author of Hemp Bound will be teaching in Santa Fe about hemp and what makes it the most important cash crop in America today as it was to our forefathers. JOIN THE CARBON ECONOMY SERIES on November 21, 2014 from 7-9pm for a dynamic talk from Doug Fine and on November 22 from 9am-5pm for an all day workshop at the Santa Fe Community College. For more information or to register call us at: 505-819-3828 or www.carbon economyseries.com.
community
forum
November 2014 15
M A K I N G H O M E L E S S N E S S R A R E , S H O RT L I V E D A N D N O N - R E C U R R I N G
CASA BALL
ROADRUNNER FOOD BANK
SWING NOV. 15
NOV. 23 H E L P F E E D H U N G RY P E O P L E T H I S H O L I D AY S E A S O N
SANDIA RESORT AND CASINO Dust off your pump shoes, put on your pencil skirt, get in your Hudson and jive on over to the event of the year!
Sortin’ Sunday is a day where hundreds of volunteers from throughout the community come to the Food Bank and help us sort hundreds of thousands of pounds of food from all of our Holiday Food Drive activities. Much of this food is from the Letter Carriers Food Drive. Every fall/early winter the National Association of Letter Carriers and the Rural Letter Carriers Association join forces with the United States Postal Service to host a food drive for the benefit of Roadrunner Food Bank.
W
ith a little help from Albuquerque professionals, some of the city’s best-known residents will go toe-to-toe to earn your votes in a dance competition to benefit Albuquerque Heading Home (AHH), a new and innovative initiative to provide solutions to homelessness in Albuquerque. The unforgettable evening also includes a cash bar cocktail hour, a plated dinner, a silent auction, a raffle for a cruise for two to Mexico or the Bahamas and other great prizes! AHH aims to make experiences of homelessness rare, short-lived and non-recurring. They work to achieve this by providing permanent, supportive housing solutions to people and their families who are medically vulnerable and have been experiencing chronic homelessness. Through creative community partnerships with for-profit, non-profit, private, public, faith and political sectors, AHH is pro-actively stretching limited resources and saving lives. AHH community partners gathered in June to announce that 312 homes had been provided, housing 359 men, women and children since its inception in 2011. Housing people costs 31.6% less than keeping them homeless and reduces emergency room visits by 36%. These numbers come from an independent study released in fall of 2013. Albuquerque Heading Home has an 80% retention rate among the people it has rehomed, including some of the most medically vulnerable in the population. AHH needs teams of volunteers in a variety of activities. Teams include: • Home Team Program – We need people to form support teams for our neighbors as they transition from living on the street to living in housing. • Move-In Teams – We need people to help movein newly housed folks every Friday of each month.
SORTIN’ SUNDAYat
NOV. 15
6pm
• Donation Pickup and Sorting – We need help picking up donations every Friday, sorting them at our warehouse and assembling care packages. TO VOLUNTEER contact Megan McCormick at 505226-1700 or meganm@mhp-nm.org. For more information and tickets to the Nov. 15 fundraiser Casa Ball go to www.casaball.com or contact Albuquerque Heading Home at 505-226-1700 or www.abqheading home.org.
Chunky
MONEY Chunky MONEY NOV.15 6:30pm
In Albuquerque, letter carriers deliver a flier to each metro area home reminding the community about the food drive. The Albuquerque Journal also inserts a paper bag into every Journal a few days prior to the food drive encouraging the community to leave out a non-perishable food donation. The Saturday before Thanksgiving, letter carriers in the metro area pick up food donations left near mailboxes or community mailboxes. Post office box customers are encouraged to bring their food donation to the post office the week of the drive. Volunteers are also needed at 11 post office substations to help unload food from letter carrier vehicles and to begin sorting the food. Call 247-2052 to find out how you can help or go to www.rrfb.org to register as a volunteer either at the food bank’s Albuquerque location or at a post office near you. For more information or to make a donation call 505-247-2052. For food assistance call 505- 349-5340.
ICE CREAM AND ACTIVISM
WITH BEN COHEN OF BEN & JERRY'S
Ben Cohen opened his ice cream parlor with his partner, Jerry Greenfield, in 1978 with an investment of $12,000. In 2000, they sold it for over $235 million. Over the years, Ben has become a passionate, tireless activist promoting progressive causes both in Vermont and nationally. His latest effort is getting money out of politics with his non-profit, Stamp Stampede. Join the Santa Fe Green Chamber of Commerce for an evening of Cherry Garcia, Chunky Monkey and Chubby Hubby and out-of-the-carton business practices and activism that can change the course we're on—for good. Presentation at the Santa Fe Convention Center starts at 6:30pm with Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream after with Ben! Tickets available at Lensic.org or call 505-9881234 or to become a sponsor contact Glenn at glenn@nmgreenchamber.com.
Help us feed hungry people!
Look for Roadrunner Food Bank barrels at the Co-op during the month of Nov. We hope you will help us fill them.