Annual Meeting 2023

Take a look at the wonderful event we shared in October.

Were you at the Annual Meeting and want to look over Jessica’s presentation again? Did you miss it but want to see what we talked about? Take a look at the slides below!

What’s your Definition of Healthy?

by Kailyn Reilly - Center Store Assistant Manager

My coworker Mark, from the Wellness Department, and I had the pleasure of going to NCG’s Convergence conference this past August. Between information about specific brands, our Co-op deals programs, and even just about our fellow cooperators, there was never a moment that we were not learning something. Business aside, I would love to talk about one of my favorite sessions at the conference: “Dissecting the Definition of Healthy” presented by Gabby Davis. 

Photo caption: Mark & Kailyn, center, and some other co-operators sit around a table at one of the many educational workshops at NCG’s Convergence conference in Minneapolis. These sessions are led by experienced educators from all over the country with years of dedicated, specific experience relevant to issues and puzzles many co-ops work through.

If someone were to ask you, “What’s the definition of healthy?” what would you say? Fruits, veggies, exercise, etc.? That can be considered “healthy”, but aren’t we always saying that every body is different? So wouldn’t that mean one body would need different foods and such compared to another body? Ding Ding Ding! Yes, that’s exactly what it means.

So we looked at a bunch of anonymous stories from other people, mostly employees from other co-ops. They were extremely eye-opening. You know why? So. Many. People. Still. Feel. Judged. In. Co-ops. Yes, we’re extremely inclusive, don’t get me wrong, especially our own beloved Co-op, but there’s still judgment no matter where you go. People are judged for what they eat, for where they shop, how they feed and raise their children, etc. It makes sense that because we are a natural food store, we try really hard to sell products that contain only the most natural ingredients. But do you know what healthy ACTUALLY is? Giving your body what it needs– whether it’s for your physical well-being, your mental well-being, or your cultural well-being, your body knows what it needs. If you’ve had a long and mentally draining day and you want a brownie, eat a frickin’ brownie if your mental health needs it. If you don’t want to go for that run today because you’re tired and sore from yesterday’s workout, that’s okay too, your body needs rest. I think a big thing that we forget to do as adults is to listen to our bodies. Obviously, moderation is still important, but, there are people going through chemotherapy who have been prescribed high-fat, high-calorie diets to help them gain weight– you literally never know what another person needs in their diet, nor do we need to know. It’s actually none of our business. 

I guess the message I’m trying to put out there is that even though we take pride in our inclusivity and judgment-free zone, we’re not perfect. No one is! We are always learning and we’re always trying to improve ourselves as a co-op and as members of our community. Fortunately, I feel that our co-op doesn’t have as much judgment, and I’m proud of us for that; but again, we’re not perfect. Let’s work on that together!

What I want to ask of us as a community is try to take a second before judging another person for what they’re eating, buying, or even doing. We all know how much rising food prices has affected everyone– some more than others– but we’re all just trying to make ends meet and if that involves shopping at a conventional grocery store and buying conventional products over natural/organic products, so be it. It’s what you or your family needs right now. I do it– groceries are so. damn. expensive. So let’s not judge; let’s try to be more forgiving of one another and sensitive to the things we may never know or understand about others’ lives. We can be even more inclusive and supportive of every shopper, coworker, friend, and even stranger we cross paths with.

P.S. Eat that brownie. It’s okay, I promise.

*Cover photo by Katie Law, Wild Oats Market

Plastic: The Facts

PLASTIC AND CLIMATE

• Plastic is a ‘petro-chemical,’ (fossil fuels + chemicals). As we shift away from fossil fuels for energy and transport, the fossil fuel industry invests more in plastics production

• Since 2010, 333 new chemical facilities have been built in the US, mostly using fracked gas

• By 2030 there will be more CO2 emissions from plastic than from coal-fired power plants

• The amount of energy used to make 12 plastic bags is equivalent to what you use to drive 1 mile

PLASTIC PRODUCTION

• More than half of the plastics ever produced have been produced in the last 18 years

• 10 billion tons of plastic have been produced since 1950. 8-15 million tons have gone into oceans

• 44% of plastic resins are now being produced in the US for export to other countries

PLASTIC USAGE

• 42% of plastic today is intended to be single-use

• 40% of plastic packaging is for food

• Amazon generated 709 million pounds of plastic packaging waste in 2021

(THE MYTH OF) PLASTIC RECYCLING

• Only 5-6% of all consumer plastic waste actually gets recycled!  Most is type #1 and #2. The rest is sent to incinerators, landfills, or overseas (e.g. Waste Colonialism)

• In 2015, 51% of the world’s plastic was shipped to China (most from the US and Europe). In 2018, China stopped receiving recyclables from the US due to high contamination levels. The US now sends them to Eurasia and Africa. Shippers and waste brokers make the money while people, the oceans, landscapes and the air pay the price.  

• Only 5.5% of type #4 plastic (grocery bags, film plastic) is recycled nation-wide

• 13% of consumer plastic is incinerated (most in NY and FL), creating toxic air pollution (mercury, lead, cadmium, dioxin, acidic gasses, and carbon). Burying is better than burning.

PLASTIC AND HEALTH

• The average person ingests 5 grams of plastic every week (the size of a credit card)  

• Microplastics can build up in a person’s liver and spleen, can travel through their respiratory system and lodge in the lungs

SO, WHAT’S THE ANSWER? REDUCE AND REUSE!

Brought to you by The Co-op’s Owner-led Plastic Reduction Committee. 

To get involved, contact beginner100@gmail.com or consider taking a two-day online training by beyondplastics.org

Article by Anni Crofut, Plastic Reduction Committee member

For The Love Of Garlic

Garlic is ubiquitous. We mince it into our favorite cooking recipes–its assertive aroma fills our kitchens and its complex odor lingers on our breath, its pungent flavor keeps us coming back for more. It’s a staple for those who love to cook and for those who enjoy its gastronomic rewards.

Garlic is steeped in legends that lend an air of mystery to its long list of desirable attributes. Ancient peoples believed that many diseases were the result of evil spells cast upon “wrongdoers”. Garlic was thought to possess magical powers that fought against evils, thus it was used in charms and incantations. In the Middle Ages, garlic was considered strong enough to counter the powers of the evil eye and demonic forces.

For centuries garlic’s medicinal properties have been highly valued, and today its health related transformative qualities remain an effective resource. It is hailed by contemporary herbalists for its internal and external antiseptic, antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. It has been used to treat intestinal worms in both animals and in humans. And it is effective for maintaining healthy blood cholesterol levels. 

One of my favorite things to do in autumn is to plant garlic. It is a reliable harbinger of spring as its green shoots reach up through the cool soil. I plant individual cloves with the pointed ends up, submerged in only two inches of soil. The never ending, remarkable surprise is that one individual clove yields a full head of garlic–it’s exponential. I harvest it in midsummer and then cure it through a simple drying process. I prefer to hang each individual garlic stalk from the ceiling in a cool dry location in my home until I am ready to use it. There is the additional option of cutting the lengthy flowering stalk on each plant, called a garlic scape. This removal of the stalk gives the garlic plant the opportunity to redirect its full energy back to the plant, instead of to the flower, for an increase in bulb size. 

I would like to invite you to fully enjoy the robust flavor, herbal health benefits and gardening pleasure of garlic.