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July, 2012

  1. Book Nook: Green Pharmacy

    July 28, 2012 by Colleen M

    At the June monthly meeting, we put out a call for co-operators to get reading and send in some “book reports” to share with the whole group! Several people responded with enthusiasm and hit the books over the past few weeks. So, today, we bring you the first of a new series for our blog- Book Nook! If you are interested in writing a blurb about a food or co-op related book, please send us an email and either ask for a suggestion or tell us what you’d like to read and write about!

    Diana Worley is our first Book Nook reviewer, sharing information about a book on western natural medicine. Many co-ops have a natural supplement section- Should ours?

    Green Pharmacy: The History and Evolution of Western Herbal Medicine

    by Barbara Gibbs

    Green PharmacyGreen Pharmacy is a great resource for those new to the benefits of herbs, as well as seasoned herbalists. Originally published in 1981 and in its second edition (1997), Green Pharmacy details the history of herbal medicine throughout history and its evolution, controversy and impact on western medicine. The historic perspective taken in this book provides and interesting backdrop for the information it provides. For example, Gibbs chapter  “The Quack’s Charter” gives an interesting overview on the events that lead to the modern day approach of medical practice and an insight to the prejudices that still exist in regards to the role of herbal medicine. Green Pharmacy will not only enlighten the reader but also instill in them a desire to learn more about western herbal medicine and reinforce the importance its history holds in our modern lifestyles.

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  2. Meeting Notes- July 19th, 2012

    July 26, 2012 by amber

    Thanks so much to everyone who came out! It was wonderful to see so many new faces. If you couldn’t make it out and have any questions about the meeting or the following notes, email us!

    7-7:10 Recipe Samples and Rankings.

    • Thanks to those who made food to sample- we had Blackened Cauliflower Steak with a Vegan Aioli, Broccoli and cheese Casserole, Peach Cake and Zucchini Bread.
    • The focus of the cookbook has shifted to showcase the history of Bethlehem and the values of a food co-op.
    • We still need recipes! Please submit any recipes ASAP to Sharon. We have a goal of 150 and were still at about 50.

    7:10-7:15 Brief Overview of What We’ve Accomplished So Far

    • defined our mission statement & goals
    • designed a logo
    • designed a brochure and distributed 1700 of them
    • built a website
    • sold 2 orders’ worth of t-shirts
    • created a feasibility study & collected 430 responses
    • engaged 682 Facebook fans
    • drafted incorporation papers & bylaws
    • attended national co-op conference
    • sponsored a weekly farmers’ market
    • cleaned up the historic district
    • created an interactive children’s banner
    • tabled at Earth Day, Familia, First Friday, SummerCraft, LV Zoo
    • become Buy Fresh Buy Local partners
    • fostered numerous community connections
    • visited regional co-ops
    • developed (then re-developed) a cookbook concept & collected 50 recipes
    • learned more about co-ops and our community than we ever thought we could

    7:15-7:30 Keystone Development Center

    • We were approved because of our commitment to the local food system
    • Incorporation Progress (dockets & bylaws drafted, but we’ve been advised to wait until fall)
    • Feasibility Study Progress (added 1 question, focus on South Side, KDC will conduct analysis)
    • Assistant for Kate Smith
      • Ideally the person should have a background in business with expertise in market studies or feasibility analysis. The person would become a consultant to KDC and provide support to Kate in the feasibility study process. This would include (among other tasks) tracking down population and socio-economic data on your area and writing it up for the report.
      • Individual will be paid small stipend by KDC

    7:30-7:35 Website Updates

    • We have met with One Roof Media to discuss upgrading our current website. They have agreed to donate a few hours of pro-bono time to get us started! Many thanks.
    • If anyone has any ideas or would like to contribute, email us.

    7:35-7:40 Communications Report

    • A series of posters have been designed to promote the Co-Op around town. Thanks to Christian Weber Creatives for the beautiful posters.
    • An E-Newsletter will begin being published in the coming weeks. If anyone would like to contribute or has any ideas to share, get in touch.

    7:40-7:45 Outreach Report

    • Audrey will be stepping down to take a job opportunity. Good luck! Robin will be taking over as the chair of the Outreach Committee. Thanks Robin!
    • We still need volunteers to work various events including the Historic District Farmers Market on Tuesdays from 10:30-3. It’s a wonderful opportunity to help spread the word about what we’re doing, so if you have the time available please step up! You can contact Robin here.

    7:45-7:50 Finance Report

    • For now, the Finance Committee is focused on fundraising. Our main project is the cookbook (see info above).

    7:50-8:30 Guest Speaker David Woo

    • David Woo is a member and former Board President of Weavers Way Co-op. He was gracious enough to come out to our meeting and share some of his wisdom with us. After a brief history of the Co-Op, he explained the history of Weavers Way. He offered some useful advice and reminded us to continue to educate ourselves every step of the way. A huge thanks to David and Weavers Way Co-Op for all you have done for us with your guidance and kindness!

    8:30-9 Screening of “Locally Grown”

    • We watched a brief documentary on the Lexington Co-Op based out of Buffalo, NY. A special thanks to Quinn Popcorn for the donated delicious treat!

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  3. Freedom of Choice: The Story of the Rochdale Pioneers

    July 19, 2012 by Jessie

    We are familiar with the qualities of contemporary co-ops, but where and why did these organizations begin?

    Who would have thought that the movement began in the mid 1800s at a quaint little store on Toad Lane in Rochdale, England.

    This building housed the first co-op in 1884

    So this is where it all began. The first co-operators were a group of industrial weavers called the Rochdale Pioneers. They banded together as the mechanization of the Industrial Revolution began to lead skilled workers and artisans down a bleak economic path. In 1884 they opened the first co-op, with the goal of obtaining items that they would not otherwise be able to afford. The co-op’s inventory expanded quickly, and during the next ten years over 1,000 co-ops opened throughout England.

    To regulate their new organization, the Pioneers drafted the Rochdale Principles. Today these principles serve as the ideological foundation of co-ops worldwide. Check out revisions to the Co-operative Principles here: http://www.ica.coop/coop/principles-revisions.html

    The most powerful idea that I took from these 19th century Englishmen and women is the right to personal choice. On the surface, a trip to the supermarket provides the illusion of choice: thirty different types of cereal, five brands of eggs, etc. But our pick among brands is ultimately determined by what the supermarket chooses to stock on the shelves (and the supermarkets selection is provided by a whole slew of economic factors) . The business of selling packaged food and produce has become too large to consider the request or suggestion of a few customers.

    A co-op begins with empty shelves, and these shelves are filled with the needs and requests of its members. Currently, I have more affordable, consistent access to an under-ripened, flavorless tomato picked thousands of miles away than a tomato grown in the farm fields of the Lehigh Valley. I would like to buy a local tomato within walking distance from my house,  and I suspect that my request would be heard by the Bethlehem Food Co-Op.

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  4. July Public Meeting

    July 18, 2012 by Colleen M

    David Woo

    David Woo

    Here’s your friendly reminder that the July public meeting for the food co-op is TOMORROW (7/19) at 7pm at the Unitarian Universalist Church at 424 Center Street  Bethlehem, PA 18018. This month’s meeting will be incredibly valuable, as we’ll be joined by David Woo, former board president of Weavers Way co-op, and will be watching a short film about the 40 year history of the Lexington Food Co-Op. It’ll be great for everyone who has already become involved, but it’ll also be an excellent opportunity for those who haven’t been to a meeting yet to join us and learn about the history of co-ops. So please, tell your friends, share it on your Facebook page, call your neighbor, and email your aunt—Let’s pack the house this month!

    If you are interested in testing a cookbook recipe to bring along for the potluck, please email Sharon at semaus@gmail.com with your dietary preferences, and she’ll send you a submitted recipe to prepare and bring along!

    How To Build CommunityHere’s the agenda for tomorrow’s meeting:

    7-7:10
    Potluck Serving
    (Eat & rank while meeting begins)

    7:10-7:15
    Brief Overview of What We’ve Accomplished
    So Far & Our Timeline

    7:15-7:30
    Keystone Development Center

    7:30-7:35
    Communications Report

    7:35-7:40
    Outreach Report

    7:40-7:45
    Finance Committee

    7:45-8:15
    Introduce David Woo

    8:15-8:45
    Locally Grown     Screening

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  5. Food Sovereignty: What and Why?

    July 2, 2012 by Jessie

    I was recently introduced to the term “food sovereignty” and wanted to see how it could relate to creating a co op in Bethlehem. Here are some highlights from my online research:

    “Food sovereignty is the right of peoples, communities, and countries to define their own agricultural, labour, fishing, food and land policies which are ecologically, socially, economically and culturally appropriate to their unique circumstances. It includes the true right to food and to produce food, which means that all people have the right to safe, nutritious and culturally appropriate food and to food-producing resources and the ability to sustain themselves and their societies. Food sovereignty means the primacy of people’s and community’s rights to food and food production, over trade concerns”

     Report of the Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Jean Ziegler (2008)

    The term was coined by Via Campesina, an “international peasant movement” working with in Asia, Africa, America and Europe. One of their main missions is to promote family-based, sustainable farming with small and mid-sized farmers. The American economy used to be ripe with small scale farms, but the spread of industrial farming in the mid-twentieth century left us with the majority of  our nation’s food being produced by a few corporations. These corporations have monopolized the food market at the expense of small, local farmers.

    The seven principles of food sovereignty are as follows:

    1. Food: A Basic Human Right
    2. Agrarian Reform
    3. Protecting Natural Resources
    4. Reorganizing Food Trade
    5. Ending the Globalization of Hunger
    6. Social Peace
    7. Democratic control

    Food sovereignty grew out of a distaste for the current state of food security. Food security is your home’s access to fresh healthy food that enables you to live an active life. If you live in a neighborhood where the closest place to get food is a gas station filled with Tastycakes and hot dogs, then your home has poor food security. These areas are known as food deserts, and the Lehigh Valley has fallen victim this spector of the modern, industrialized world.

    We live in an area with plenty of farms producing local, seasonal food. The co- op is a great way to take advantage of these resources. By choosing where our food comes from and who produces it we begin to take back control of our diets and of our overall well-being. Currently, our diets are determined by the products produced by several huge companies and sold in supermarkets on the edge of town. It’s strange that we live in a society in which an act as intimate as eating, and the choice of what foods we put in our bodies, is dictated by a few companies.
    A co op offers the opportunity to turn this dynamic upside down. Members choose were the food comes from and establish relationships with the people who produce them.  A co op is an ideal space in which to re-establish our relationship with food.  It won’t happen overnight, but we might as well start now.

    Category General Info, Member Reflections | Tags: ,,, | No Comments