January 2008 • Food Conspiracy Co-op — Community News • Page �

Food Conspiracy Co-op4�2 N. Fourth Ave. • Tucson, AZ 85705

Index:January 2008 Volume 37 • Number 1

PRSRTD STDU.S. Postage

PAIDTucson, AZ

Permit #821

Community News since 1971

Food Conspiracy Co-opCommunity News

G enerally Speaking

World AIDS Day 3Election Profiles 4Raw Almonds Update 7Recipe: Tortilla Soup 11Farm Bill Update 11Biking Safely 12Spotlight On: Lotus Massage 13

W

cont. on p. 15 cont. on p. 14

Co-opElections!see pages 4-6

January is Cycling Month!Learn how to avoid common collisions when riding on urban streets—page 12Win a free bicycle at the Co-op—page 6

by Ben Kuzma,General Manager

thanol fever is raging in the United States and other parts of the world, but is ethanol viable and sustainable as an

alternative fuel?Concerns about the long-term supply of oil

combined with political tensions between the United States and Middle East oil-producing countries have led to calls for increased production of “biofuels” as a way to increase energy independence. Biofuels are combustible fuels made from plants such as corn, soybeans, canola, sugarcane and switchgrass. The two most common examples in the United States are corn-based ethanol and soy-based biodiesel. In the US there are 115 biofuel refineries in production and another 79 under construction. The majority of these are concentrated in Midwestern states, including Min-nesota, North and South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin. US farmers grew 92 million acres of corn in 2007, resulting in a projected harvest of 13.3 billion bushels. Nearly one quarter of that harvest, 3.2 billion bushels, will be used to make ethanol. This is double the amount used for ethanol in 2005. Still, biofuels are currently responsible for only 1.8% of transportation fuel in the United States.

Government Incentives InvestmentSpeaking at the Midwest Specialty Grains Conference in Fargo, North

Dakota, in September, Cole Gustafson, associate professor of agribusiness at North Dakota State Uni-versity, said the ethanol boom has been fueled by several factors. The US government’s Renewable Fuel Standard Program (RFS) encouraged the blending of biofuels with gasoline and provided

tax credits to spur biofuel production. A favorable gasoline/corn price ratio provided high returns on investment. Also, $3 billion of investment capital has flowed into the agricultural sector. The RFS Program aims to increase biofuel production to 7.5 billion gallons by 2012. Gustafson projects ethanol production to reach 10 billion gallons by next year and nearly 12 billion gallons by 2009.

President Bush has called for annual production of 35 billion gallons of ethanol by 2017.

The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) claims that ethanol reduces gasoline prices, enhances engine performance, and reduces emissions of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. RFA also says ethanol is a biodegradable fuel that won’t harm water sources or soils. Supporters say ethanol will help the US become less reliant on imported energy from volatile Middle Eastern nations. They also say ethanol production provides a value added market to support American farmers and rural communities. However, Gustafson says investment in ethanol plants has cooled recently due to the rising price of corn and supply uncertainty, increasing construction costs, and new concerns about the environmental impact of ethanol plants, particularly on water resources.

hile shopping at the Co-op, a number of member-owners have

asked about the status of our store’s expansion plans. Other shoppers have asked whether there will be a patronage rebate this year. Let me provide an update on these two questions, from the information currently available.

We are trying to keep our members informed on the Co-op’s expansion plans as best we can through this column and any-where else we have the opportunity—at Board meetings, on the phone and in the store. We have responded to questions about expansion mostly with vague references to possible new store locations that are under consideration. It is necessary to not be specific about a new store’s location until we have a negotiated and signed lease for that site. For example, I have referenced the possibility of opening a second store at a site in “mid-town Tucson.”

There are many considerations when selecting a new store site. A major concern for us and the bank which will be extending credit for the project, is the sales volume that can be generated at the new location. For the “mid-town Tucson” site a professional analysis of the neighborhood revealed that there would be sufficient sales to support a Co-op there. This information encouraged us to the next step—financing for the project which is a com-bination of monies from the Co-op (savings), the bank and the landlord or developer.

Crops for fuel: long-term solution or short-sighted problem?

e

Page 2 • Food Conspiracy Co-op — Community News • January 2008

Articles about health or nutrition are for infor-mational purposes only. We recommend that you consult a health care professional for medical advice. Opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the writers and not necessarily the views or policies of Food Conspiracy.

Submissions to the Food Conspiracy Co-op Community News newsletter are encouraged and due by the 5th of the month prior to publication date. All unsolicited material—in-cluding letters—is subject to approval. Written submissions by e-mail are preferred; typewritten acceptable.

Letters to the Editor are welcome. Letters must be signed and include a phone number for author verification. We will withhold name if requested. Editor reserves the right to edit for grammatical errors, clarity, and length. Keep letters to a reasonable length of 300 words or less.

Co-op/Community Calendar highlights events and meetings of interest to the Co-op membership. If you or your group would like to be considered for inclusion in the Calendar, please submit all information about your event, including contact name and phone number, to the Co-op Community Calendar Editor, c/o the Co-op. If you would like details about Co-op events, call 624-4821.

UnClassified Ads—Non-commercial ads of 50 words or less from Co-op members are free. Free ads include personal messages, personal items for sale, lost & found, notices, and miscel-laneous wanted. Limit one free ad per month. Free ads to run more than one month must be resubmitted. UnClassifieds that do not meet the standards for a free ad are charged 40 cents per word. Full payment for ads must accompany the order. Ads for instruction and services offered for a fee are not free.

Moving? Please send us your new address, so we can keep the newsletter coming to you.

Printed on Recycled Paper. Please reuse, re-cycle, or pass it on to a friend. Thanks.

Copyright © 2008 by Food ConspiracyCo-op. Articles/art may be reprinted only with

prior permission of the author/artist.

Statement of Cooperative IdentityA cooperative is an autonomous association of people united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspira-tions through a jointly owned and democrati-cally controlled enterprise.

Food Conspiracy Values1. We adhere to the internationally recognized Rochdale Principles.2. We promote whole, natural, organic, and chemical-free products with minimal packaging.3. We value openness, honesty, and integrity with each other and the community.4. We seek, through cooperative effort, to pro-vide a humane, fulfilling environment in which to work and shop.5. We promote social justice, encouraging and respecting diversity.6. We strive for a sustainable, healthy ecology, through use of clean, renewable resources.

Co-op PrinciplesCo-op principles were first stated by the Rochdale pioneers in 1844. The cooperative principles are guidelines by which cooperatives put their values into practice.1. Voluntary and open member-ownership.2. Democratic member-owner control.3. Member-owner economic participation.4. Autonomy and independence.5. Education, training, and information.6. Cooperation among cooperatives.7. Concern for community.

Co-op Management TeamGeneral Manager: Ben Kuzma

Finance: Jeanene GrahamOutreach: Torey Ligon

Front End: Karen EdquistGrocery: Cynthia Taylor

Produce: Todd Stadtlander

Board of DirectorsMelita Quance, President– quancme@yahoo.comGeorge Milan, Secretary

– gmilan@dakotacom.netEmily Covey

– innate moon beam@hotmail.comRebecca Froom

– rebecca.froom@gmail.comNatanya Siegel

– spoonfuloflove@netzero.net

Food Conspiracy Board of Directors meets the first Wednesday of the month, 6:30-9 p.m., at the Quaker Meeting House, 931 North Fifth Avenue. Members-Owners are welcome.

Food ConspiracyCo-op

Member-Owned Since 1971

Store Hours:Monday-Sunday 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

Food ConspiracyCooperative

412 N. 4th Ave., Tucson, AZ 85705Tel: 520-624-4821 • Fax: 520-792-2703

E-mail: outreach@foodconspiracy.orghttp://www.foodconspiracy.coop

Food Conspiracy Co-op Community News

Editor: Lisa StageManaging Editor: Torey Ligon outreach@foodconspiracy.org

Art Director: Bettina Mills — BKM

Contributors: Michael Bluejay, de Vie, Rebecca Froom, Ben Kuzma, Anna Lam-bert, Torey Ligon, Heather Moroso, Lisa

Smith, Paula Wilk

Next Deadline: January 5th

C ommuNIty CoNNECtIoNS

by Torey Ligon,Outreach Coordinator

R

Food CoNSpIRaCy

Co-op

The End

ecently, I was speaking with a very young friend of mine named Quincy, whom I used to babysit when I lived in Ohio. His mother is also a good friend and although I haven’t seen either of them in a few years, we have remained close by talking on

the phone. During our recent conversation, eight year-old Quincy and I got into a discussion about the weather and he told me that it was really cold and rainy where he was in Ohio (which is exactly why I don’t live in Ohio anymore). I told him that it was sunny and warm here in Tucson and that I was sitting out in my yard in short sleeves. He asked why it was so warm here. I started explaining that I lived closer to the equator and that I also lived in a desert where the sun is out almost every single day. Upon hearing this, he interrupted me saying, “Wait a minute, people actually live in the desert?” I imagined him picturing me in a lawn chair surrounded by sprawling Sahara Desert sand, and I chuckled.

For many of my East Coast friends who have never visited the Southwest or been in a des-ert, I think a similar perception dominates their imagination. While their adult brains are more exposed to pictures and descriptions of urban areas set in the desert, their preconception of a desert is a barren sandy wasteland without the basic conditions to sustain life. While our desert environment brings many challenges, this fragile ecosystem can certainly support life as long as the desert’s human inhabitants are sensitive to the resource limitations of this arid landscape.

Now that I call Tucson home, I am constantly learning to appreciate the subtle bounty of our desert environment. Just last week I decided to sample the magenta fruits growing on the Peruvian Apple Cactus in my front yard. I was pleasantly surprised by their sweet flavor and I enjoyed all their crunchy little seeds.

The message that our desert home can indeed be life sustaining was further ingrained in me as I read the applications for this year’s Cooperative Community Fund grants. Each of the 11 organizations that applied for this year’s funds are integrally involved in creating a sustainable food system in Tucson. Each organization approaches this challenging subject in a different way; a few focus on access to native food sources; a few look at water harvesting and resource conser-vation; others focus on educating young people about protecting our desert environment, with a special focus on our desert food sources; still others look at distributing food and encourage people to utilize our city’s existing food resources; and one uses art to ask people to consider their relationship with the food they eat and the impact their eating has on the world.

This month, as you review all the applicants for our Cooperative Community Fund grants, I think you will be as inspired as I am by the people working to make this community a more sustainable and healthy place to live. Please take a minute to vote for the organizations you feel are most deserving of our grant money. A description of all the candidates can be found on page 4 .

If you’d like to help grow the Co-op’s Cooperative Community Fund, consider making a tax-deductible donation by visiting the Co-ops’s website: www.foodconspiracy.coop, and clicking on the tab that says “Community Events and News.” You can also make a donation at the register in any amount. Donating to the CCF is a great way to extend the benefits of your giving. All money goes into our endowment and it is the interest from that endowment each year that gets donated to deserving organizations in our community

By supporting the Co-op, you’re helping to create a sustainable local economy—one that supports farmers and

workers and that keeps money right here in Tucson.

Ask your friends and family to become owners of the Co-op.The Co-op thrives with real community support.

Go LocaL!Join the Co-op.

advertise in Community News!The Food Conspiracy Community News is mailed monthly to almost two-thousand Co-op members and is stocked all month for the shoppers who visit the store. Reach our health conscious and community minded readership with a display ad in the newsletter.

For rates and information, contact Torey at the store,or email outreach@foodconspiracy.org.

January 2008 • Food Conspiracy Co-op — Community News • Page �

Food Conspiracy Co-op

planning update

World AIDS Day 2007– The Naturopathic Experience

a sk the doc

O

by Heather Moroso, N.M.D., co-op owner

The End

d ecember 2007Board Report

by Rebecca Froom,co-op board member

t

The End

2008 ElEction calEndar

1/2/08. Elections begin for choosing new Board Members

and recipients of theCooperative Community Fund grants. A ballot box will be set

up in the store.

1/31/08, 8 p.m. Elections end.

Saturday 3/8/08.Annual Meeting Celebration

at St. Mark’s Chruch(details to follow).

n December 1, 2007, I was privi-leged to celebrate World AIDS Day

with the community of Tucson. In the mayhem and stress of helping to organize the event, I admit, I lost track of the actual meaning of the day—focusing on the details and minutiae of the organizational process. Throughout my life, when I have lost the larger focus of what is important, something invariably happens to erase my tunnel vision. Last month’s article we talked about tak-ing the power away from our disease and giving it back to living our daily lives. When the dust settled from our preparation, I took time to look around—and was reminded of the importance of World AIDS Day and that we were there to celebrate Living with a disease.

World AIDS Day—it’s a celebration. HIV is no longer a death sentence. People are now Living with HIV (thanks to advances in medications), so it’s a celebration of life. On a large scale World AIDS Day is important; it raises awareness and

champions prevention. It’s important to remem-ber the long road that it took to get to where we are today, in terms of understanding the disease itself—the cause, the replication, the transmission, and the treatments. This road has pretty much been an uphill battle and a lot of people have died, but certainly not in vain. The hill has begun to plateau. People are Living.

Through my involvement working in the HIV community I have a new family, many of whom are HIV positive. HIV is no more their identity than it is mine, and I am HIV negative. They have been there for some of the worst times in my life—with-out question, without judgment. They have been by my side through a lot of personal changes and certainly have been ready to celebrate when times were good. This eclectic bunch has grown, as people are diagnosed and as more become involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS. People have died. Through each death, it seems, we grow a little stronger and a little more unstoppable.

World AIDS Day to me is about Living. Statistics show we have a record number of people in the United States that are HIV positive. It sounds grim at first, but think about it, this also means more people know their status and a re L iv ing normal lives. People are not dying like they did in the “old” days.

It’s a celebration of the lives of those that I love and those I have lost. As I watched those who I work with, my patients, and those who I love—stepping forward, despite the stigma of HIV; I was filled with pride seeing their strength and having them in my life. I was reminded how far we have come in terms of treating HIV. I had been taking this for granted.

We are living large, making changes, making a difference, having fun and steadily draining power away from HIV. Thank you Tucson for the reminder.

Heather Moroso is a naturopathic phy-sician with a private pract ice in Tucson. She o f f e r s compre -hensive naturopathic care and specia l izes in homeopathy and acupuncture. Contact he r w i th que s t i on s

or to make an appointment at 204-2250 or drmoroso@hotmail.com. Ask the Doc articles are for general information purposes only. Please consult a health care professional for individual conditions.

Please see the General Manager’s article on pg. 1 for a report on the Co-op’s expansion plans, last year’s profitability, and this year’s patronage rebate plans.

New OxfordAmerican Dictionary

2007 Word of the Year

Locavore: a person who endeavors to eat only locally produced food.

It’s a celebration of the

lives of those that I love and

those I have lost.

n

W os k

Qg B

Rhis newsletter contains candi-date statements from this year’s

prospective Board Members. Food Con-spiracy is committed to a set of principles that make us a bit different from just another natural food store. These principles include “voluntary and open member-ownership” and “democratic member-owner control” (see the side bar on page 2 of this newslet-ter for a full listing of our cooperative val-ues and principles). Voting in our co-op’s annual elections is one of the key ways that we are able to exercise our rights as member-owners of Food Conspiracy.

Hopefully, voting is not an empty ritual we participate in to appease the cooperative system. Hopefully we take the time to read the candidates’ statements and get a sense of what they have to contribute to the governance of our co-operative grocery store. One of the primary purposes of a co-op’s board is to provide a link between the cooperative

organization and the member-owners that form it; boards provide a tie to member-ship so a co-op can stay aware of who it is serving (and could serve in the future) and stay connected to the needs and desires of its membership.

In short our Board is representing you. To help you get to know your prospective representatives we will be holding a Meet the Candidates Forum on Sunday, January 20th, from 4 to 6 p.m.

at the FAMA office, 329 E. 7th Street (around the corner from the Co-op, be-tween Antigone Books and Ordinary Bike Shop). Please take the time to stop by and

meet the candidates for your Board of Directors, as well as current Board Members. Ask the candidates questions to a get a sense of how they will work as a Board Member and

offer up your ideas for the future of our co-op. Join us as we truly engage the cooperative system, and together work towards our Ends of being “a successful, dynamic, cooperatively run business, leading and inspiring a

community of owner and potential owners to healthful lifestyles.”

Page 4 • Food Conspiracy Co-op — Community News • January 2008

C ooperative Community Fund CandidatesE ach year, the Food Conspiracy continues

to build the Cooperative Community Fund. Our CCF provides grants for deserving orga-nizations here in Tucson and Pima County as they tackle issues related to the Co-op’s principles and mission. At our annual meeting, to be held this year on March 8th, we’ll award this year’s interest from our Cooperative Community Fund endowment to five of these deserving local organizations. Each organization will receive a check for between $200 and $250. This grant program will only be successful with active participation from our members. Here’s how you can help:

MAkE A DoNATioNYou can make a direct tax-deductible donation

to our fund by visiting our website: http://www.foodconspiracy.org/events/commfund/. Or, make a donation at the register when you shop. Even a dollar each time you come to the Co-op will make a difference. We currently have $39,500 in our endowment and the Co-op will continue to donate $5,000 each year to grow this fund. With more participation from our shoppers we can grow the fund even faster. As our endowment grows, the interest it generates will grow—causing our grants to increase each year. Your donation to the CCF is a donation that keeps on giving.

VoTE! All Co-op owners in good standing may vote to

decide which organizations will receive our 2008 Co-operative Community Fund grants. Please vote for five organizations from the list of 11 organizations below. Each organization submitted a statement describing their work in Tucson and verification of their non-profit status so that our members could decide which groups are most deserving of our funds this year.

City High School’sHabitat Restoration City Works Classes

City High School opened in 2004 as a charter high school located in downtown Tucson. City High School strives to be a community of learners in which all members use their minds well and care about one another. We engage with challenging academics and the unique resources of our city and region in order to become active citizens and responsible stewards of our world.

One of the programs that City High School offers includes a unique service-learning program called City Works. City Works is an innovative and academic approach to service learning, in which students collaborate with community organizations to develop and implement projects that benefit the Tucson community.

Both the Sustainability and Gardening City Works classes focus on habitat restoration and en-vironmentally sustainable practices. In the Sustain-ability City Works class, students are working with Ironwood Tree Experience testing soil samples and assisting in the development of a master plan for a nearby Green Lot. The students have also conducted a school site inventory, and plan to identify and develop a sustainability plan for brownfields sites within Tucson. The Gardening City Works class is in their second year of cultivating a seven acre parcel

of land located along the West Branch of the Santa Cruz River. They are conducting habitat restoration through the planting, nurturing, and harvesting of sustainable local crops; building shade structures, a greenhouse, tool shed, and outdoor classroom; and educating the neighborhood residents about gardening.

Community Food Bank Community FoodSecurity Center

The Community Food Security Center (CFSC) of the Community Food Bank works together with community partners and utilizes the resources of the Community Food Bank to establish a local food system and to build a more food secure Pima County. The vision of the CFSC is to “Improve community food security for the people of Pima County by promoting, demonstrating, advocating for, and collaboratively building an equitable and regional food system, which supports food produc-tion and strengthens communities.”

A sustainable local food system is possible when all community members, regardless of income, are participants in the system. The Center works to build partnerships and provide programs, education and advocacy that connect people to the food system and improve it. The Center supports community organizations, schools and individuals in becoming more food secure through:

Food Production and Desert Gardening Education:

• Bilingual home food gardening workshops and assistance,

• Nuestra Tierra Demonstration and Market Garden,

• 10 acre Marana Farm and,• Gleaning of local private fruit trees.Markets for Healthy Food Access: • Two public Farmers’ Markets—CFB Farmers’

Market and Santa Cruz River Farmers’ Market,• Marana Farm Stand,• Good Groceries Mobile Market and, • Community Foods Consignment which

assists small gardeners and farmers to consign local produce and food products at the Farmers’ Market.

Advocacy and Education: • Family Advocate,• Faith communities education and advocacy

for economic and food justice and,• Research which informs food policy develop-

ment and food security programming such as Farm to School.

desert HarvestersDesert Harvesters is a volunteer-run, grass-

roots organization based in Tucson. We strive to promote, celebrate, and enhance local food security and production by encouraging the planting of indigenous, food-bearing shade trees (such as the Velvet mesquite) in water-harvesting earthworks, and then educating/enabling the public on how to harvest and process the bounty. At the core of our efforts is a staffed mobile hammermill we have made available since 2001 to neighborhoods and

organizations wanting to organize public millings of the ubiquitous mesquite pods.

Sharing related missions to improve local food security, Desert Harvesters and the Commu-nity Food Bank Community Food Security Center (CFB CFSC) partner to organize two of these an-nual public millings along with mesquite pancake “chow downs” at the CFB Santa Cruz River Farmers’ Market and the Dunbar Springs Community Gar-den. The CFSC provides outreach for both events, stores the mill during the off season and connects people using CFB services with mesquite and mill-ing information.

At these events people can turn their harvested pods into nutritious, naturally sweet flour and every-one can enjoy mesquite pancakes made with local organic wheat, and served with prickly pear syrup. More than mesquite millings, these celebrations are educational, featuring a diverse array of native/local foods, beverages, and medicinals and live music.

In addition to the millings we maintain a web-site and listserve www.DesertHarvesters.org featur-ing information on the planting, harvesting, storing and processing of many native and local foods. The website also has recipes, tree lists and order forms for native food-producing trees.

Ironwood treeExperience

Teens. Community. Nature. These elements represent the heart of the Ironwood Tree Experience (ITE), a Tucson project of the Center for Children and Nature at Prescott College. ITE reconnects local teens, age 12-18, with community through experiences in nature, in urban environments and Sonoran Desert wild lands. Inherently playful, action oriented, and meaningful, these experiences, or eco-programs, weave community enhancement projects with challenging outdoor activities such as camping, rock-climbing, kayaking and naturalizing—a back-door to backcountry experience for teens.

Eco-programs integrate practices in: 1) youth wellness, 2) community action, 3) character develop-ment, and 4) sustainability.

Youth wellness emerges from practices in fitness, nutrition, and mindfulness, accentuating healthful lifestyles for teens. Community action is experienced through projects that encourage teens to share perspectives, solutions, and actions towards environmental and social issues, fostering civic participation and leadership. Through the ITE GreenLots program, teens restore vacant lots to natural play habitats for kids, wildlife, and com-munity. Character development is built from per-sonal, cooperative, and leadership challenges that are met during eco-programs, and sustainability practices are advanced through staff modeling and students’ choices that have long-term affects on the health of humanity, wildlife, and ecosystems. ITE promotes sustainable agriculture by manag-ing a local farmers’ market. Teens connect with local farmers and ranchers by purchasing goods at the market and by visiting farms, orchards, and ranches.

ITE promotes values that enhance teens’ involvement in community; heightens their sense-of-place; and cultivates ecological under-standing through positive childhood experiences in nature—within their city and throughout their region.

Iskash*taa Refugee Harvesting Network

Iskash*taa refugees and volunteers harvest over 20 types of produce (averaging ~30,000 pounds per year) from local farms and backyard gardens to donate to refugee families and civic organizations that feed families. Iskashitaa works with local farmers and Tucson’s community-supported agriculture to collect and redistribute unused produce (pumpkins, native squash, greens, and hydroponic tomatoes and cucumbers, etc). By capitalizing on existing resources through a locally driven program of redistribution, Iskashitaa positively impacts the community in the following ways:

• Residents and local farms with surplus garden produce feel good about donations.

• Refugees have regular access to nutritious locally-grown produce and learn about the lifestyles and traditions of Southwestern Arizona, their new home.

• The community takes a preliminary step towards a more sustainable food system.

Iskash*taa leads education-based projects to capitalize on excess produce. “Neighborhood Glean-ing Projects,” “Somali Tamale” and “Fun with Fruit” are organized for youth to raise awareness of local food resources in Tucson. Volunteers and refugees (Burundi, Somalia, and Sudan) learn to identify and record locations of trees and provide neighbors the opportunity to donate unused produce. Locally grown produce is transformed into jams and juices for tasting at Farmer’s Markets, while educating the general public on gleaning. High school programs educate students and teachers to identify, map and glean local foods, including field trips to farms to harvest pumpkins, olives, and pecans --to feed fami-lies in need. Before, wasted food filled our landfills; now the produce is salvaged through educational community-wide activities.

Native Seeds/SEaRCHNative Seeds/SEARCH’s mission is to conserve

and distribute the adapted and diverse varieties of agricultural seeds and their wild relatives, and docu-ment the role these seeds play in cultures of the US southwest and northwestern Mexico.

Native Seeds/SEARCH (NS/S) was founded in 1983 as a direct response to comments by Native Americans on the Tohono O’odham reservation who wished to grow traditional crops but could not locate seeds. By searching out, increasing, and redistributing seeds once commonly grown by indigenous farmers, NS/S has helped increase crop diversity, agricultural sustainability and food security in the arid and cultur-ally rich greater southwest. During the past 24 years, we have become a major regional seed bank and a leader in the heirloom seed movement.

The 2,000 traditional crop seed varieties NS/S preserves represents a unique and important pool of biodiversity within this region. Our collection is precious. In the words of Barney Burns, NS/S co-founder, “If we went out today to gather the seeds in our collection, we couldn’t do it. They’re not there.” As the unpredictability of climate un-folds and other environmental stresses escalate, our reliance on crop diversity is likely to increase as the world searches for crops able to tolerate challenging growing conditions.

January 2008 • Food Conspiracy Co-op — Community News • Page 5

VoTiNG iNSTRUCTioNS:1. You must be an active member to vote. Only one member from each household may vote. Active members are up-to-date on their equity payments. To clarify your membership status, please stop by the Co-op, or call Torey at 624-4821.2. Read the Board candidate statements and Cooperative Community Fund profiles.3. Vote for up to two Board candidates by marking boxes on the ballot. Vote for up to five Cooperative Community Fund candidates by marking boxes on the ballot.4. Cut and fold ballot, then insert it into an envelope; seal envelope.5. Write your Co-op Member Number on the outside of the envelope in the upper left corner.

Note: Your Member Number MUST be on the outside of the envelope for your vote to count.

6. Mail envelope to the store (Food Conspiracy Co-op Election, 412 N. 4th Avenue, Tucson, Arizona, 85705) or place sealed envelope in the ballot box at the store.7. Ballots must be received in the store by 8:00 p.m. Thursday, January 31, 2008.

DEADLiNE FoR VoTiNG iS: January 31, 2008

the official 2008 Food Conspiracy Ballot

CCF Candidates(Please choose up to five candidates.)

City High School’s Habitat Restoration City Works ClassesCommunity Food Bank Community Food Security CenterDesert HarvestersIronwood Tree ExperienceIskash*taa Refugee Harvesting NetworkNative Seeds/SEARCHNEW ARTiculations Dance TheatreRincon Valley Farmers & Artisans MarketSonoran Permaculture GuildSustainable TucsonWatershed Management Group

Board Candidates:(Please choose up to two candidates.)

Natanya Siegel

paula Wilk

NEW aRticulations dance theatre

NEW ARTiculations Dance Theatre is a pro-fessional dance company supporting the creation of new modern dance work, exposure of all audiences to dance, arts education, and community participa-tion. Since its inception in 1997, NEW ART has presented the work of over 50 local artists, per-forming traditional, modern, and interdisciplinary works collaborating frequently with other artists and community organizations to celebrate movement, provide opportunities for emerging and established artists, and relate important community stories.

This season the company collaborates with the Community Food Bank to present “We Are What We Eat,” a participatory performance about what we eat and why. The project responds to a Food Bank initiative to utilize the arts to educate the public about food issues and the food system. Dance offers a powerful medium for interpreting such issues, as so many aspects of our relationship with food—whether we are growers, harvesters, gleaners, transporters, preparers, or consumers—are made visible through our bodies.

Through interactive workshops, the project involves community members in a “moving” discussion of the ways food connects us to where we live, our culture, our past, and each other. Participants include Family Literacy classes, Native Seeds/SEARCH, City High School, Tucson CSA, Pascua Yaqui Tribe, Tohono O’odham Nation, and the general public. Informed by community stories and gestures, “We Are What We Eat” will be performed by NEW ARTiculations and participat-ing community members at the Tucson Botanical Gardens and other locations in the spring 2008. A documentary film about the project will be com-pleted in June 2008.

Rincon Valley Farmers & artisans market

The Rincon Valley Farmers & Artisans Market is an important community gathering place and offers locally grown produce and hand-crafted

products. The market prides itself on providing lo-cal products, supporting local artisans and farmers, and partnering with the community. The Market helps preserve the rural cultural heritage of our area by giving local farmers a market for their goods, which helps preserve open space by maintaining the farms. Also, by having locally grown foods and crafts less of our non-renewable resources are used in transporting the goods, added to our environmental sustainability.

In addition the market is a local venue for local artists, including musicians. As part of our weekly market we have been reaching out to local musicians to perform. We are applying for this grant to help offset the cost of having musicians out to the market to perform, to draw more people to our market. The Rincon Valley Farm-ers & Artisans Market is a project of the Rincon Institute, a non-profit organization that works to integrate community and conservation throughout the Rincon, Vail, and Tanque Verde valleys. The mission of the Rincon Institute is to protect the natural resources of Saguaro National Park East and the surrounding lands.

Sonoranpermaculture Guild

The Sonoran Permaculture Guild has for fifteen years been holding classes on sustain-ability in Tucson. We teach Permaculture, water harvesting, sustainable home design, natural building, and land restoration. Over 1000 stu-dents have passed through our classes over the years and then moved out into the community to work on projects that move Tucson closer to a sustainable future.

Our teacher’s guild has also held the 72 hour certified Permaculture Design Course in Tucson for the past twelve years, turning out over 150 sustain-able designers. Many of our students have gone on to work for and to influence other non-profit organizations in Tucson.

Our mission is to teach new teachers in sustain-able design and in hands on sustainable techniques such as putting in cisterns and earthworks and retrofitting existing homes. We teach a system of integrated design called Permaculture, which stands

for permanent culture. It is a way for humans to live in an area for many generations without destroying the natural environment.

Any money we receive from the Co-op Community Fund Grants will go directly to scholarships for students to take classes and for implementation of more sustainable projects in the Tucson area.

Sustainable tucsonSustainable Tucson (ST) is a grassroots net-

work of citizens and organizations working for the transformation of Tucson to a more sustainable city. In its first year, five-hundred Tucsonans have joined the coalition. One-hundred and fifty organizations/businesses are represented in this growing network of networks.

Through educating members and the public, linking people with resources, and supporting Affinity Groups (Sustainable Tucson members working on specific issues), ST is advancing the community conversations and work necessary to coordinate a broad-based coalition for sustain-ability in Tucson.

Sustainable Tucson Accomplishments:• A community-wide lecture on Water and the

West with Peter Gleick;• Tucson’s inaugural Green Festival; • Monthly General Meetings with speakers and

networking opportunities;• A Film Festival and Community Conversa-

tion on issues that impact Tucsonans,;• Development of Sustainability 101 Speakers

Bureau and PowerPoint;• Speakers on sustainability principles at busi-

ness, faith, and community groups;• Participation in City and County conferences,

workshops, and meetings about water, transporta-tion, health, and energy related to climate change and local implications;

• Establishment of a Core Team of volunteer leaders who guide the direction of ST;

• Establishment and development of an educa-tional website (www.sustainabletucson.org);

• Sustainable Tucson has representatives or liaisons to UA Campus Sustainability; Gabrielle Gifford’s Solar Energy Education Committee;

Chambers of Commerce; AZ Association for Environmental Education; City of Tucson and Pima County; Church Women United; Sierra Club Cool Cities Initiative; US Green Building Council; Community Food Security Center at the Community Food Bank; City Councilmember offices.

Watershedmanagement Group

Watershed Management Group (WMG) believes Tucson residents deserve a healthy lifestyle that includes clean air, fresh local food, natural beauty, and shaded recreation areas, while at the same time living sustainably with the natural en-vironment. The key to achieving a healthy urban environment is to wisely use the natural resources that are available to each one of us, such as rain-water, greywater, solar energy, organic waste, and native plant species.

WMG has designed workshops on water harvesting and sustainable landscaping for adult audiences. To enhance our educational outreach, WMG is proud to introduce a similar program for a younger demographic: The School Yard Educa-tion Program.

WMG has partnered with two schools, Rivera Elementary and Miles Exploratory Learning Center to pilot this program and develop and implement hands-on activities to teach the concepts of water harvesting and sustainable landscaping to young students. The School Yard Education Program will primarily focus on children in grades 3 through 8.

WMG will design water education activities and handouts including the following topics, the Hydrological Cycle and Observing Water Flows, Water Conservation, Rainwater Harvesting, and Gardening in Desert Climates.

WMG will work with the selected schools to implement the water conservation activities in the spring of 2008. The activities will focus on projects on the school campus and will also involve a joint activity with the student’s parents. These educa-tional efforts will lead students toward a greater understanding and care of their natural resources and ultimately influence the conservation practices in their entire household.

Cooperative Community Fund Candidates — continued

Page � • Food Conspiracy Co-op — Community News • January 2008

B oard of directors Candidates

Natanya SiegelI belonged to the Future Farmers of America

for two years while studying agriculture in high school, graduated from John Jay College in l975 and worked over 25 years in Social Services in dif-ferent positions. I’ve also cooked for many years, specializing in healing foods and I graduated from the Natural Gourmet Cookery School in NYC in 1997 as a chef.

I came to Tucson to study “Nonviolent Com-munication” (NVC) with a co-op member. Most of my life I have strived to improve myself and take responsibility; to walk my talk. I am learning to do that more. If I really want peace in the world I need to start with myself. Since the beginning of this year I have been working at UMC as a volunteer Chaplain.

I was appointed as a Director on the Food Conspiracy Co-op’s Board on June 6, 2007 to fill a vacant seat. My appointed term ends soon. I want to remain on the Board so I need to be elected to serve a full term by members of the Co-op. I’ve attended almost all the Board meetings and study sessions (except last month’s due to illness). I have organized the Board’s library with books that help us with our positions and understanding our Board roles and boundaries. These books as well as the trainings we’ve received in governance have made our jobs running the Co-op easier and more effective. Before joining the Board, I volunteered in the Co-op’s kitchen. I still help out at some special events. I was also on the Condo Board and served for two years as secretary when I lived in New York City.

our Customer Service Credo:

“Food Conspiracy Co-op is committed to making excellent customer service a

highlight of our store’s identity.”

e know that personalized, informa-tive service is one of the reasons many people shop at small independent grocers like the Co-op. We are putting renewed efforts into the trainings and policies that support wonderful experiences for our members and shoppers, and we hope you can feel it! Your feedback is essential to helping us build effective systems for customer service, so please let us know what you think and what you want. We are here to serve you!

Comments can be directed to: frontend@foodconspiracy.org

W

paula WilkMy first adult cooperative experience was

with a food buying cooperative in Champaign, Illinois, while in graduate school. I moved to Bisbee in the early 1980s and joined the Bisbee Food Cooperative, serving a term on the Board during the 1980s. While living and working in Bisbee, I traveled to Phoenix frequently for family reasons and spent a fair amount of time in Tucson. For this reason, I joined the Tucson Food Conspiracy some years before moving to Tucson in 1999. For over 20 years I worked as a public civil attorney, primarily advising and representing local government and public em-ployees with respect to governance, contracting, employment, election and other public issues. During these years, I also volunteered in a wide variety of capacities, including serving on com-munity-based organizational boards with the primary missions of monitoring the observance of the human rights of developmentally disabled, operating a local museum, and conducting an annual county fair.

While believing in the Rochdale principles and supportive of efforts furthering community based cooperative efforts, particularly those di-rected at long-range availability of healthy, sustainable, and preferably locally-grown food, I have no specific vision for the future of the Food Conspiracy Co-op. My focus is likely to be on process, that is, on being transparent and inclusive and building consensus rather than on any specific outcome.

Thank you for reading this statement.

If elected to a full term, my focus and con-tribution to the Co-op Board will be that I am creative and see situations outside of the box. I am practical and want each situation to be reasonably implemented. I see the Food Conspiracy Co-op as an integral and reliable part of supporting this com-munity with different economical levels, ecological systems and diverse people who come together as one. Being on your Board I have seen so much interest and support that the store is working for the betterment of all and not just for our own gains like some big and small businesses.

I support the Co-op in its expansion plans so that more people in other areas of the commu-nity can become a part of taking care of their own physical and mental health and our environment by gaining access to more socially correct information. I want to continue to represent members’ values, needs and wants; separate from my own agenda. I also believe that keeping the 4th Avenue store is important.

Thank you for taking the time to read about me. I hope this is enough information to consider voting for me to be on the Board.

Win this bike!

January 2008 • Food Conspiracy Co-op — Community News • Page 7

G

S ustainable Livingby Maura Yates

arbage. Americans produce more and more of it every year, when

we need to be producing less. Even the most waste-conscious among us can feel over-whelmed by the amount of household waste that goes beyond what municipal recyclers and compost bins can handle.

That’s why editors at Co-op America (www.coopamerica.org) spent the summer investigating the state of waste management in our country, and putting together infor-mation explaining how we can get serious about the three R’s—reducing, reusing and recycling.

Appliances: Goodwill accepts working appliances, www.goodwill.org, or you can contact the Steel Recycling Institute to recycle them. 800-YES-1-CAN, www.recycle-steel.org.

Batteries: Rechargeables and single-use: Battery Solutions, 734/467-9110, www.batteryrecycling.com.

Cardboard boxes: Contact local nonprof-its and women’s shelters to see if they can use them. Or, offer up used cardboard boxes at your local Freecycle.org listserv or on Craigslist.org for others who may need them for moving or storage. If your workplace collects at least 100 boxes or more each month, UsedCardboardBoxes.com accepts them for resale.

CDs/DVDs/Game Disks: Send scratched music or computer CDs, DVDs, and PlayStation or Nintendo video game disks to AuralTech for refinishing, and they’ll work like new: 888-454-3223, www.auraltech.com.

Clothes: Wearable clothes can go to your local Goodwill outlet or shelter. Donate wearable women’s business clothing to Dress for Success, which gives them to low-income women as they search for jobs, 212-532-1922, www.dressforsuccess.org. Offer unwear-able clothes and towels to local animal boarding and shelter facilities, which often use them as pet bedding. Consider holding a clothes swap at your office, school, faith congregation or commu-nity center. Swap clothes with friends and colleagues, and save money on a new fall wardrobe and back-to-school clothes.

Compact fluorescent bulbs: Take them to your local IKEA store for recycling: www.ikea.com.

Compostable bio-plastics: You prob-ably won’t be able to compost these in

your home compost bin or pile. Find a municipal composter to take them to at www.findacomposter.com.

Computers and electronics: Find the most responsible recyclers, local and national, at www.ban.org/pledge/Loca-tions.html.

Exercise videos: Swap them with others at www.videofitness.com.

Eyeglasses: Your local Lion’s Club or eye care chain may collect these. Lenses are reground and given to people in need.

Foam packing: Your local pack-and-ship store will likely accept foam peanuts for reuse. Or, call the Plastic Loose Fill Producers Council to find a drop-off site: 800-828-2214. For places to drop off foam blocks for recycling, contact the Alliance of Foam Packaging Recyclers, 410-451-8340, www.epspackaging.org/info.html

ink/toner cartridges: Recycleplace.com pays $1/each.

Miscellaneous: Get your unwanted items into the hands of people who can use them. Offer them up on your local Freecycle.org or Craigslist.org listserv, or try giving them away at Throwplace.com or giving or selling them at iReuse.com. iReuse.com will also help you find a recycler, if possible, when your items have reached the end of their useful lifecycle.

oil: Find Used Motor Oil Hotlines for each state: 202-682-8000, www.recycleoil.org.

Phones: Donate cell phones: Collective Good will refurbish your phone and sell it to someone in a developing country: 770-856-9021, www.collectivegood.com. Call to Protect reprograms cell phones to dial 911 and gives them to domestic violence victims: www.donateaphone.com. Recycle single-line phones: Reclamere, 814-386-2927, www.reclamere.com.

Sports equipment: Resell or trade it at your local Play It Again Sports outlet, 800-476-9249, www.playitagainsports.com.

“Technotrash”: Project KOPEG offers an e-waste recycling program that can help you raise funds for your organization. Use Project KOPEG to recycle iPods, MP3 players, cell phones and chargers, digital cameras, PDAs, palm pilots, and more. Also, easily recycle all of your

21 things you didn’t Know you Can Recycle

CDs, jewel cases, DVDs, audio and video tapes, pagers, rechargeable and single-use batteries, PDAs, and ink/toner cartridges with GreenDisk’s Technotrash program. For $30, GreenDisk will send you a cardboard box in which you can ship them up to 70 pounds of any of the above. Your fee covers the box as well as shipping and recycling fees. 800-305-GREENDISK, www.greendisk.com.

Tennis shoes: Nike’s Reuse-a-Shoe program turns old shoes into playground and athletic flooring. www.nikereuseashoe.com. One World Running will send still-wearable shoes to athletes in need in Africa, Latin America, and Haiti. www.one-worldrunning.com.

Toothbrushes and razors: Buy a recycled plastic toothbrush or razor from Recycline, and the company will take it back to be recycled again into plastic lumber. Recycline products are made from used Stonyfield Farms’ yogurt cups. 888-354-7296, www.recycline.com.

The End

he Almond Board of California dis-cussed a proposal from The Cornu-copia Institute to modify the almond pasteurization mandate at its Novem-

ber meeting. Cornucopia’s proposal called for placement of a warning or advisory label on un-pasteurized almonds, alerting consumers to the difference. The proposal would have allowed for the continued availability of raw almonds in the marketplace, while alerting consumers such as pregnant women, immune suppressed individu-als, and raw almond enthusiasts that there might be some, theoretical, increased risk of pathogenic disease from eating the untreated nuts.

Cornucopia’s compromise proposal was in response to the new USDA mandate that requires all almonds to be “pasteurized” using either a toxic fumigant or steam-heating process. Many almond growers and consumers highly object, not only to the fact that these almonds will still be, deceptively, labeled as “raw,” but also to the near-secrecy of the USDA’s new rulemaking process.

The Almond Board rejected Cornucopia’s proposal. The Board’s CEO, Richard Waycott, told Cornucopia that they do not have the authority to make such a decision and that only the FDA has the power to do so. While Waycott may be technically correct, the Almond Board’s support for such a plan would have carried considerable weight with federal regula-tors. Furthermore, Waycott indicated that the pasteurization effort was proceeding smoothly with few objections.

Such positive thinking differs markedly from what Cornucopia is hearing from organic and family-scale farmers. A number of these growers have reported unexpected increases in processing and transportation costs related to the requirement that they treat their nuts with either a fumigant or steam. And the expenses

the growers are experiencing are well above the costs initially estimated by the Almond Board in their economic analysis of the rule’s impact on farmers. In fact, one organic almond farmer told Cornucopia that he has lost $450,000 in sales due to the new rule.

In late November, staff from Cornucopia were in Washington, DC. One goal of the visit was to deliver more than 1500 individually signed proxy-letters to the USDA calling for suspension of and a full public review of the pasteurization rule, and input from all stakehold-ers that should have taken place initially. The proxies were in addition to thousands of other petition signatures, e-mails and postal comments submitted to the Secretary’s office.

While in Washington, Cornucopia staff also appeared before the National Organic Stan-dards Board urging them to clarify that the toxic fumigant, propylene oxide, will not be used to treat organic almonds, something that remains unclear at this time.

Should USDA officials remain unmoved, Cornucopia expects to head into federal court seeking a judicial remedy, and staff, along with their legal team, are currently doing associated re-search. The court option, because of its expense, has been the last choice all along, but it may soon be the only option left to preserve market opportunities for small and organic farmers and the right of consumers to eat truly raw almonds grown in the US.

Consumers and industry participants can add their voices to this debate by visiting Cornucopia’s web site (www.cornucopia.org) and downloading a proxy-letter to mail back to Cornucopia—additional proxies will be hand delivered to the USDA. A proxy-letter, along with other background materials, can be found by clicking on the Authentic Almond Project link. FC

Tyvek envelopes: Quantities less than 25: Send to Shirley Cimburke, Tyvek Recycling Specialist, 5401 Jefferson Davis Hwy., Spot 197, Room 231, Richmond, VA 23234. Quantities larger than 25, call 866-33-TYVEK.

Stuff you just can’t recycle: When practical, send such items back to the manufacturer and tell them they need to manufacture products that close the waste loop responsibly.

Reprinted with permission from Co-op America, a nonprofit working to harness economic power to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society. Visit www.coopamerica.org or call 1-800-58GREEN to get your copy of the National Green PagesTM, the only national directory of socially and environmentally responsible businesses.

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USDA – 1, Almond Growers and Consumers - 0Feud over Access to Raw Almonds Likely to End up in Federal Court

Page 8 • Food Conspiracy Co-op — Community News • January 2008

JaNuary

Tue., JaN. 1New Year’s DayThe store will be closed. Have a safe and happy holiday!

WeD., JaN. 2 ****Co-op Voting Begins

WeD., JaN. 2 ****Food Conspiracy Board Meeting 6:30 p.m. at the Friends Meeting House, 931 N. 5th Ave. All members are welcome. Stay involved in Co-op decision making, and get work credit towards a discount for the time you are in attendance.

THu.-SuN., JaN. 3-6ZUZI! Winter Dance IntensiveClasses in Skinner Releasing Technique, Aerial Dance, Mettler-based Improvisation and Anusara Yoga taught by Nanette Rob-inson, Nicole Sanchez, Mary Ann Brehm and Ilana Markowitz. $200/2-day or $350 for full workshop. See www.zuzimoveit.org or call 629-0237 for more info.

Tue., JaN. 8Green Party of Pima County Annual Meeting.7:15 p.m. at First Christian Church, 740 E. Speedway (at Euclid), upstairs in room 109. Free and open to the public. More info 798-6169 or www.pimagreens.org.

FrI., JaN. 11Celiac Support Group Luncheon12 Noon at Opa Greek Cuisine, 2990 N. Campbell. For more information contact www.southernarizonaceliacsupport.org.

FrI., JaN. 11Tucson Astrologers Guild Lecture7:30 p.m. in the Awareness Room at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 4831 E. 22nd St. Renowned Scottsdale-based professional astrologer Philip Sedgewick will lecture on “The Capricorn Con-spiracy.” Cost is $10/15 members/non-members. All are welcome. For more info visit www.tucsonastrologersguild.net or call 625-5762.

SaT., JaN. 12Tucson Astrologers Guild Workshop1 to 5 p.m. in the Awareness Room at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 4831 E. 22nd St. Philip Sedgewick will hold a work-shop on “The New Solar System.” Cost is $10/15 members/non-members. All are welcome. For more info visit www.tucson-astrologersguild.net or call 625-5762.

SaT., JaN. 12Odyssey Storytelling Series7 p.m. at Hotel Congress, 311 E. Congress. Invited storytellers have 10 minutes to talk about a specific theme.

January CalendarSuN., JaN. 20Meet the Candidates Forum 4 to 6 p.m., at the Fourth Avenue Mer-chants Association (FAMA) office, 329 E. 7th Street (around the corner from the Co-op, between Antigone Books and Or-dinary Bike Shop). Meet the candidates for the Co-op’s Board of Directors and

ask them about their ideas for our store. For more information call 624-4821 or outreach@foodconspiracy.org.

WeD., JaN. 23Hineyni: The Kabbalah of Living Our Soul’s Purpose7 to 8 p.m. at Tucson Jewish Commu-nity Center, Perlman Art Studio. Isaiah (6:8) hears God asking for a messenger. He answers, Hineyni–Here I am, sh-lakheyni–send me. When we listen, we too may hear that still small voice that calls us to be of service. We may need skills to help us hear that message and then stay on track. This workshop focuses on methods including prayer, writing, art, and self-help energy healing exercises. No prior knowledge required. By donation. No registration required. For more info, contact Deborah Mayaan at 881-2534, dmayaan@mindspring.com.

THu., JaN. 31 ****Co-op Voting EndsPlease have your ballot, with your mem-ber number on the envelope, in the store by 8 p.m.

This month’s theme: “I’m sorry.” $7 at the door, or $8 via Club Congress website. Visit odysseystorytelling.com or contact 730-4112 or penelope@odysseystorytelling.com.

SuN., JaN. 13R.U.M.B.A.11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Leo Rich Theater at 260 S. Church Ave. Enjoy the Re-Used Materials Becoming Art Contest and Display from Tucson Clean & Beautiful. Recycled- and reused-content artwork will be on display, created by individuals and groups of K-12 students, as well as college, professional and community artists. Look for Co-op owner Deborah Mayaan’s “Muffler Mezuzah.” For more info, contact Beki Quintero, 791-5000 or rebecca.quintero@tucsonaz.gov.

Tue., JaN. 15 Tucson Organic Gardeners7:30 p.m. at St. Mark’s Church, Knox Room, 3809 E. 3rd St. The January talk will be on on “Water Harvesting,” given by Ilene Grossman of Tucson Water. Doors open at 7 to visit the displays and mini-market, speak with gardening ex-perts and enjoy refreshments. For more info, phone 670-9158 or visit http://iwhome.com/nonprofits/TOG.

THu., JaN. 17“Eating Between the Lines” Dinner6 to 8:30 p.m. at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 400 E. University Blvd. The Community Food Bank Community Food Security Center is sponsoring a dinner and conversation, “Eating Be-tween the Lines: Where Our Food Comes From and Where It’s Going,” with Brother David Andrews, a 25 year national advocate on food and sustain-able farming issues. Cost is $6.50 per person (vegetarian option available). For more information, or to make a reservation, please contact Kitty Uf-ford-Chase at the Community Food Bank: 622-0525, x251, or kitty@com-munityfoodbank.org.

SaT., JaN. 19Ethics and Practices of Our Food System9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Brother David Andrews of the National Catholic Rural Life Conference will facilitate a no-cost, day-long gathering on the ethics and prac-tices of our food system. Some issues for consideration include: concentration of the food system, food production effects on the environment, global trade in food, local food system development, farm workers, and food insecurity for local people with low incomes. Limited to fifteen people; please e-mail Kitty Ufford-Chase at the Community Food Bank, kitty@communityfoodbank.org, by Tues., Jan. 8, with a brief list of your food issue questions, thoughts and experiences. For questions or more information, please email Kitty or call her at 622-0525, x251.

Qigong ClassesWeekly classes in this ancient spiritual and martial arts tradition that uses breath, posture and movement to harmonize the mind, body and spirit. Classes are ongoing at Jade Screen Center, 3844 East Pima St. First class is free—no obligation. Please check www.JadeScreenCenter.com or call 326-8456 for current class schedule.

Intenders of the Highest GoodOngoing, monthly, 3rd Wednesdays, 7 p.m. at 3 Jewels Tucson, 614 E. 6th St. Easily learn the Intention Process and bring that which you desire into your life, your community and the world. Free (donations appreciated). Bring healthy snacks to share. For more info, call Tom, 400-4489; or Taza, 250-7539; or e-mail harmonyandhealth@hotmail.com; or visit www.intenders.org.

Free Community Massage Classes First Sunday of each month from 1 to 5 p.m. Students will receive and learn to give a basic full-body Swedish massage. Pre-registration is required; interested participants can call Michelle at 623-2160 or the front desk at the Cortiva Institute Desert Institute of the Healing Arts at 882-0899. The class will be lo-cated at 140 E. 4th St. at 6th Ave.

Creating Positive Change: the Power of the HeartWhether you aspire to change your life or to change the world, this meditation class provides valuable tools. Enhance vitality and restore the optimism needed to accomplish your ideals, inspire others and avert “burnout.” Tuesdays, 5:45-7:15 p.m. Beginner’s review session, 5:30. Near Campbell and Speedway. Adjacent parking. Newcomers welcome! 4 classes for $48 or $15/class. Contact Bonnie about scholarships for non-profit employees/volunteers and students, or for further info and address. 730-5889, bonnie@applied-meditation.org.

Buddhist MeditationMeditation in the Chan / Zen tradition (shikantaza) of the great Chinese mas-ter the Ven. Hsu Yun. Weekly services which include meditation, chanting and a Dharma talk every Sunday at 9:30 a.m. Meditation instruction is available ahead of the 9:30 service; please call to arrange. We celebrate all Buddhist holidays, do house blessings, weddings, visit the sick and have a prison ministry. Minh Dang Quang Buddhist Temple at 140 E. Navajo Rd., between Prince and Ft. Lowell, east of Oracle Rd. Call 907-6245 or see www.hsuyun.net for more info.

Tucson Community Meditation CenterMindfulness meditation 6:30 to 8 p.m. Mondays, Loving Kindness meditation 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays. And group

MarCH

SaT., MarCH 8Co-op Annual Membership Celebration Mark your calendars for the 2008 Annual Membership Celebration to be held at St. Mark’s Church (3809 E 3rd St) in the

afternoon. More details will follow in the February newsletter.

ONGOING

MIND/BODY/SPIRIT

Full Moon YogaCelebrate the full moon and her mys-teries with a delicate ritual, restorative yoga practice, and healing intention. Anticipating a monthly class to occur on or near the full moon at Tucson Yoga, 150 S. 4th Ave., 6:30 to 8 p.m. $5 members; $8 nonmembers. All levels welcome. Contact Tucson Yoga 1877-TUC-YOGA or instructor Kayse Budd at mysticmandala@mac.com for more information.

Southern Arizona Celiac Support GroupThe second Friday of each month at 12 noon the group holds a luncheon at a restaurant with gluten-free offerings on their menu. For more info contact www.southernarizonaceliacsupport.org

January 2008 • Food Conspiracy Co-op — Community News • Page �

Calendar Continued

ARTS/COMMUNITY/ENVIRONMENT

Permaculture Design CourseHosted and taught by the Sonoran Per-maculture Guild, weekends in February and March. With a strong emphasis on core Permaculture topics like integrated design, patterning, and ethics, our teach-ing team also offers years of experience in working with Southwest Dry-lands. Contact Dan Dorsey, 624-8030, dorsey@dakotacom.net for cost or more information. See our website for additional classes throughout the year at www.sonoranpermaculture.org.

Govinda’s Natural Foods Buffet711 E. Blacklidge Dr. A festival fea-turing a musical mantra meditation, a spiritual talk, followed by kirtan and chanting takes place from 5:30 to 8 p.m. every Sunday. Festival is free for all. Dinner, served at 7 p.m., is free for first time festival partici-pants and $3 for repeat visitors. Call 792-0630 for more info.

Tucson Sew Op Crafting circle and workshop the first and third Saturdays of every month, from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Armory Park Community Center, 220 S. 5th Ave. The events are free but donations are accepted for supplies. E-mail tuc-sonsewop@gmail.com for more info.

Tucson Women’s ChorusA cappella multicultural songs. No audi-tions, sight-reading, or experience neces-sary. Mondays, 7 to 8:30 p.m., 9/10-11/26. (No rehearsal on 1st Mondays.) Chapel at St. Mark’s Presbyterian, 3809 E. 3rd St. Open to girls accompanied by singing adult. $75/adult, girls/free. Scholarships available. Ongoing pro-rated enrollment. Free first visit. Karleena Ravenwood, 743-0991, tucsonwomen-schorus.com. Nonprofit organization.

Lamplight Reading SeriesThe first Sunday of every month, the Lamplight hosts well-known and emerg-ing poets, writers and performance artists, and holds an open mike. 4 to 6 p.m. at Bookman’s, 6230 E. Speedway

meditation sessions 8:30, 9 and 9:30 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays. 1231 E. Edison, between Speedway and Grant near Moun-tain. Supported by donations. Info at 869-6511 or www.tucsonmediation.org.

Dharma Kids’ ClubThree Jewels Buddhist Community Cen-ter, 314 E. 6th St. Fun and informal Bud-dhist dharma group for kids ages 6-12. 2:30 p.m., Wednesdays. Free. 207-9889Dances of Universal Peace The Dances of Universal Peace are simple, meditative and uplifting group dances. They represent and integrate many of the world’s spiritual traditions, and help to create peace and unity within and without. Third Saturday of every month, 7 to 9 p.m. at Yoga Oasis, 2631 N. Campbell Ave. For more info contact: Jamia at 979-0278, yamalika@yahoo.com. $5 to $10 donations accepted.

Science of SpiritualityLearn Jyoti Meditation (Meditation on the Inner Light). This is a free and non-sectarian meditation group. Every 2nd and 4th Sunday at 11:30 a.m. Bookman’s Used Book Store located at 6230 E. Speedway (Speedway and Wilmot). Call 625-8312 or visit www.sos.org.

Three Jewels Buddhist Community Center314 E. 6th St. Free yoga, Buddhist classes and practice, zazen, music events, and more. Share a cuppa’ good karma and community at the Crazy Yogi Cafe Mon-Fri 2-530. Check calendar online at www.3jewelstucson.com.

Mantra MeditationJoin the world famous Sunday Feast and Festival. Enjoy an evening of chanting, singing, dancing and an enlightening discussion on Bhakti Yoga. Afterwards, feast on a sumptuous plate of Govinda’s sanctified food for a $3 donation. Every Sunday starting at 5:30 p.m., 711 E. Blacklidge. For more info contact Rama Bhakti at 623-3507 or e-mail ramab-hakti@netzero.com.

Zen Meditation GroupZen Desert Sangha, affiliated with Robert Aitken’s Diamond Sangha, offers medita-tion sits three days a week: Mondays and Wednesdays 6:30 to 8 p.m. and Saturdays 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. Located at 3226 N. Mar-tin (Campbell/Ft. Lowell area). We also offer one day and weekend retreats. For more info call 319-6260, visit www.zendesertsangha.org or email zds@dakotacom.net.

Inspired Healing YogaAn awesome yoga class that beginners find especially helpful. Every Saturday, 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Inspired Healing, 4929 E. 29th St. First class Free/$5 each additional class. 584-0343.

Natural Childbirth ClassesWhole Birth Midwifery offers natural child-birth classes, a series of six classes starting bi-monthly. Classes focus on the natural

process of birth in the home setting. The class is taught through lecture, video, slides, art, and class participation. Class Fee: $150. Whole Birth Midwifery, 3265 N. Stone Ave. For more info call Lisa at 275-0790.

Desert AshramFounded in 1975 by Prabhushri Swami Amar Jyoti, Desert Ashram is a sanctu-ary of beauty and peace for all spiritual seekers. Daily 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.—Aarati (Sanskrit chanting and puja/worship). Thursdays and Sundays 7:30 p.m.—Sat-sang of Prabhushri (spiritual discourse) with chanting and meditation. There is no charge for these programs. Personal Retreats and Karma Yoga—by individ-ual arrangement. 3403 West Sweetwater Drive, Ph: 743-0384.

Hatha YogaExperience a greater sense of peace and renewed energy through the practice of yoga. Ongoing multi-level Hatha yoga class in the 4th Ave. neighborhood. $7. Wednesdays 12 to 1:15 at ZUZI Dance, 738 North 5th Ave. (Historic Y). Call Ilana at 629-0237 for more info.

Yoga WestGentle yoga Mondays 5:30-6:45 p.m., Vigorous yoga Wednesdays 5:30-6:45 p.m. Located at 3295 W. Speedway Blvd. Call Kathleen at 404-5587 or visit www.KathleenKordich.com for more info.

Tucson YogaTucson Yoga, South 4th Ave & 12th St. (one block south of Broadway), holds 20 classes/week, beginner to advanced, for just $6 each or $45/month. For a class schedule and more information, call 877-TUC-YOGA or visit www.tucson-yoga.com.

Contemporary DanceExperience the joy of dance! All lev-els of classes for adults and teens at the DanceLoft, 620 E. 19th St., Ste. 150 (at Euclid). Classes include mod-ern, hip hop, ballet, bellydance and Pilates. Children’s classes now too! For more info visit: www.thedanceloft.com or call 250-4664.

Indigo Yoga For KidsIndigo Yoga is designed for children age 4 to 13 years young. Explore fun techniques and experiences that will assist children in being centered, connected to source, and grounded. Saturdays from 2-3 p.m. at The Providence Institute, 1126 North Jones Blvd. Cost is $5. Call 323-0203.

Institute for Shamanic ArtsThe Institute fosters connection with art and nature through the imagination. A variety of classes, circles and workshops in body movement, art, drumming, spirituality and healing are offered, as well as weekend nature walks. The Insti-tute for Shamanic Arts is housed in the WomanKraft Castle, 388 S. Stone Ave. call 954-2004 or see www.shamanworld.com for more info.

Blvd. Always free. For more info, contact FunKtional Adix at 490-2002.

Permaculture Open House10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the fourth Saturday of each month (except December). See demonstrations and get hands-on expe-rience with earth plasters on adobe, cob or straw bale walls; desert gardening; water harvesting; land restoration; and

affordable/small structures. Donations appreciated. E-mail or call to sign up and get location: 624-1673 or dawnaz@earthlink.net. See more at www.canelo-project.com/dawn.

Peace VigilWomen In Black welcome all men, women, and children to a weekly peace vigil. Every Friday from 5 to 6 p.m. in solidarity with other WIB groups around the world for peace everywhere. Southwest corner of Speedway & Euclid. Wear black if possible. Call 628-8313 for more info.

BICASTucson’s Bicycle Non-Profit offers Com-munity Classes on Saturdays from 1 to 4 p.m. Learn about the repair and maintenance of bicycles. Classes are $20 each. Work Trade and Spanish transla-tion is available. Call to register and for directions: 628-7950.

Global ChantEvery Wed. 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Little

Chapel of All Nations, Ada Pierce McCor-mack Bldg., 1401 E. 1st St. Free interactive chanting. For more info call 326-4674.

Desert CronesThe Desert Crones is an organization of older women proud of their age, wisdom and experience. The Eastside Desert Crones meet every Thursday at 1 p.m. at the Fellowship Square, 8111 E. Broadway.

Contact Charlotte at 790-4933. The Avra Valley Crones meet the 1st Friday of each month at 10 a.m. Call Lois at 883-0377. The Northwest Crones meet the 1st Monday of each month at Nanini Library. Contact Ingrid at 742-0559. The Southwest Crones meet the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays at 1:00 p.m. Contact Pat at 298-6161. The Green Val-ley Crones meet the 4th Monday at 3:00 p.m. Contact Jean at 648-1225. Contact the point people for monthly schedules of activities.

WomanKraftArt classes and gallery show-ings claiming, validating and empowering women artists and other under-represented groups.

Gallery hours are Tue., Wed., Fri. and Sat-urday from 1 to 5 p.m., February to May and July to December. A variety of arts and crafts classes are offered each month. The WomanKraft Castle is at 388 S. Stone Ave. Call 629-9976 for more info.

Compost DemonstrationThe Tucson Organic Gardeners maintain a compost demonstration site at the Tuc-son Botanical Gardens, 2150 N. Alvernon Way. A Master Composter is available to answer questions every Sat., excepting holdiays, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. On display are a dozen forms of working compost bins. For more info call 670-9158.

NeXT ISSue

Make sure your organization’s event is listed here! Mail, fax, or drop off by January 5 to Food Conspiracy Newslet-ter, 412 N. 4th Ave., Tucson, AZ 85705; Fax: 520/792-2703; or e-mail to out-reach@foodconspiracy.org.

u nclassifiedsMiSS iT? NEED iT? Get it. The Co-op’s knowledgeable staff can track down products we don’t usually carry, and in most cases, special-order it for pick up in just a couple of days.

E V E R T h o U G h T ABoUT WoRkiNG for

Food Conspiracy? Positions open regularly. Applications are available at the registers and accepted daily. For information about open jobs at the Co-op, talk to the individual depart-ment manager.

ASk ThE STAFF. The Co-op prides itself on our fr iendly,

knowledgeable staff, and great customer service. If you have a question, suggestion, or critique, please let us know. The Co-op staff is easy to identify—we all wear Co-op namebadges, Co-op T-shirts, or aprons! Tell us what you want and we’ll do our best to help.

Page �0 • Food Conspiracy Co-op — Community News • January 2008

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Book Review

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Slow Food Nation: why our food should be good, clean and fair by Carlo Petrini, Rizzoli ex libris (2007), translated by Clara Furlan and Jonathon Hunt

by Paula Wilk, Co-op owner

F

dor life’s meaning, Western culture tends to look to the intellect and reason or to some

form of love, earthly or spiritual. The sensual is not even a contender, but rather a distraction for the masses of uneducated and unwashed. Now, however, Carlo Petrini, founder of the Slow Food movement and author of recently-translated Slow Food Nation, has taken up the cudgel, together with his fork, on behalf of gas-tronomy, which, he suggests, can be understood as “the reasoned knowledge of everything that concerns man insofar as he eats.”

Petrini’s interest arises out of his fascina-tion, some might say obsession, with the taste and smell of fine food and drink. Alas, his world of pleasure is threatened by an evil giant, the “agroindustry,” which,

over the last fifty years, has turned food production into both executioner and victim. Executioner, because [its] unsustainable methods . . . have led to the disappearance of many sustainable production methods . . .once part of the identity of the communities that practiced them and . . . one of the

highest pleasures for the gastronome in search of valuable knowledge and flavors. Victim, because the same unsustainable methods—originally necessary . . . to feed a larger number of people—have since turned the sphere of food and agriculture into a neglected sector, completely de-tached from the lives of billions of people, as if procuring food . . . required no effort at all.

Food, Petrini asserts, is the primary defining factor of our human identity. With the Slow Food Movement and its cross-cultural workshops and exchanges as his faithful Rocinante, Petrini has set out to liberate food from the agroindustry and re-appropriate its pleasures for all of us.

As a gastronome, Petrini believes in a universal right to pleasure, his particular passion being the en-joyment of good food. But he bristles at insinuations of indiscriminate gluttony or hedonistic indulgence. The true gastronome, he says, is a concerned scholar, familiar with a wide range of disciplines and eager to learn from life’s experiences. Peppering his narrative with colorful descriptions of food traditions from across the globe, Petrini advocates for food which is good, clean and fair.

“Good,” according to Petrini, means that food must satisfy both the palate and the mind. Good food involves two subjective factors: taste, which is individual, and knowledge, which is cultural and reflects the history, conditions and techniques associ-ated with specific times and places. He argues that for food to be good, the production and preparation processes must respect the natural integrity of the raw material and must avoid unnecessary artifice.

Petrini’s second requirement, that food be clean, is less subjective. Food must be natural in the sense that both creation and transport respect the earth and the environment. Production and distribu-tion must be sustainable. To be clean, Petrini tells us, neither production nor transportation may pollute or waste or overuse natural resources.

The final requirement, that food be fair, is directed at social justice. We must respect those who produce our food, as well as their rural way of live and the knowledge accumulated by generations of cultivators. Our actions should reflect consideration of social and economic sustainability, particularly of rural and traditional communities. Fairness must be two-sided: fairness to individual humans and fairness to society.

Petrini has some definite ideas about how we can—and should—reacquire our sense of taste and

pleasure by working together to secure food which is good, clean and fair. Perhaps most intriguing is his recommendation that those of us not directly involved in the production of food re-define ourselves as co-producers, rather than consumers. To do this, we will need to educate ourselves as lay gastronomes, to be open-minded and nurture indigenous cultural traditions, as well as our own fondest childhood food memories, and to use his three-pronged criteria when making purchasing and other food-related decisions.

Slow Food Nation leaves a great many questions unanswered. Its visionary premise, that the intense sensual pleasure of eating provides a blueprint for tackling serious social, economic and environmental ills, is, to say the least, counterintuitive. But its appeal cannot be gainsaid. Even in dire circumstances, such as during the brutal occupation of Berlin by Russian soldiers at the end of World War II, people have found solace in sharing the best food they could find or forage. If Petrini is right, perhaps we can learn to break bread—chapati, injera, lefse, matzoh, pita, sanchuisanda, scone, tortilla, wonton, and yeast-leavened—as one world.

January 2008 • Food Conspiracy Co-op — Community News • Page ��

ollin Peterson, chairman of the House of Representatives agricultural commit-

tee, says the farm sector that raises organic produce and grass-fed beef for local consumers needs little federal help. “It is growing, and it has nothing to do with the government, and that is good,” he told the FT. “For whatever reason, people are willing to pay two or three times as much for something that says ‘organic’ or ‘local.’ Far be it from me to understand what that’s about, but that’s reality. And if people are dumb enough to pay that much then hallelujah.

—The Financial Times Limited 2007

Like Mr. Peterson, we all have a choice about the food we eat. We can cruise the aisles of any supermarket and find thousands of choices for our dinner, from a simple carrot to products that celebrate the ingenuity of American enterprise by combining multiple ingredients (37 in a Twinkie) to produce an item that looks and tastes great (a matter of opinion, I suppose), is cheap and fills the consumer without any nutritional value whatsoever. Yes, it is a reality that the agricultural bloc has been shaping food practices since the Great Depression, to the growing detriment of our soil, water and national health. And, Mr. Peterson, it is reality that a chorus of protest about the intentions and politics of the 2007 Farm Bill is continuing to grow and reverberate internationally, as an increasing number of people become aware of the real costs of farm subsidies.

The farm bill was instituted in the 1930s to save the family farm by giving payments and sub-sidies to struggling farmers. Decades beyond these well-intentioned beginnings, this philosophy has evolved into a massive subsidy for high-input, in-dustrialized agriculture that is economically, socially and ecologically unsound. The farm bill now has a $90 billion dollar annual budget and shapes every aspect of our food and agricultural system. While it has ten programs, the nutrition and commodity programs account for 85 percent of all spending. As much as $30 billion annually subsidizes five crops: corn, cotton, wheat, rice and soybeans. According to the Environmental Working Group, half of all crop payments go to 22 congressional districts, and 388 districts receive just 30 percent. Three out of every five farmers receive no payments at all, whereas just 10 percent of all operators receive 72 percent of all commodity assistance. States that produce large amounts of the foods that are the healthiest additions to our diet, i.e., fruits, vegetables and nuts, receive little support.

The 2007 Farm Bill is over 1000 pages long and is worth $286 billion dollars to its beneficiaries. The House passed its version of the 2007 Farm Bill in July, but the Senate was deadlocked by a filibusterer prior to Thanksgiving recess. Negotiations began again in mid December. Trade groups represent-ing soybeans, wheat, cotton and rice recommend passage of the legislation without changes. The Corn Growers Association, fueled by the growing ethanol market, wants its subsidies triggered when revenue falls below a statewide average, rather than when prices drop below certain levels. Defenders of the farm bill argue that subsidies, crop insurance and other government protections for farmers have succeeded over the years in keeping Americans’ cost of food below what much of the rest of the world pays.

The most controversial part of the 2007 bill has been introduced by Sens. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, and Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., who want to apply a $250,000 cap to annual payments to farmers and close loopholes that enable some farms to collect seven-figure checks. Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, introduced the Food for a Healthy America Act of 2007, which would direct $600 million toward linking fruit and vegetable producers more directly with school-lunch operators and programs for the elderly, as well as with low-income communities. $2 billion is requested for the Conservation Security Program to pay farmers to take better care of water and land. $1.9 billion would be allocated for the Wetlands Reserve Program, enough to increase by 250,000 acres annually the amount of wetlands restored and retired. Legislators will look at changing a crop insurance system in which 40 cents on the dollar goes directly to the insurance companies, three times what is normal in the insurance industry. The outcome of each of these is uncertain.

This year, the controversies extend beyond the particulars of funding to the global and national ef-fects of the program’s philosophical underpinnings and practices. We’ve embraced large-scale farming practices in order to keep prices low, depleting our soil and polluting our waterways. The five heavily subsidized commodities are increasingly linked to obesity and diabetes, particularly among school children. There is also increased understanding about the ways in which our subsidies impoverish farmers across the world, as we undercut their sales in the global marketplace. This, in turn, has fueled outrage about increased immigration. The farm bill as a behemoth poster child for American isolation-ism and arrogance begs for a radical make-over.

Michael Pollan, a UC Berkley professor of jour-nalism and author of “The Omnivore’s Dilemma,” elegantly sums up the complexity of the farm bill by offering an “eater’s” perspective. “Simply eliminat-ing support for farmers won’t solve these problems; overproduction has afflicted agriculture since long before modern subsidies. It will take some imagina-tive policy making to figure out how to encourage farmers to focus on taking care of the land rather than all-out production, on growing real food for eaters rather than industrial raw materials for food processors and on rebuilding local food economies, which the current farm bill hobbles. But the guiding principle behind an eater’s farm bill could not be more straightforward: it’s one that changes the rules of the game so as to promote the quality of our food (and farming) over and above its quantity.”

“Such changes are radical only by the standards of past farm bills, which have faithfully reflected the priorities of the agribusiness interests that wrote them. One of these years, the eaters of America are going to demand a place at the table, and we will have the political debate over food policy we need and deserve. This could prove to be that year: the year when the farm bill became a food bill, and the eaters at last had their say.”

As Mr. Peterson kindly points out, there are people out there for whom the words “local” and “organic” have significant meaning. They are the people who form co-ops, visit farmer’s markets, support fair trade, donate their garden surplus to community food banks, and labor for legislative change at every level. We’re far from dumb. On the contrary, we’re eating well and flourishing.

2007 Farm Bill Update: It’s Far From Over

by Anna Lambert, Co-op Owner

Creamy Tortilla Soup with Lime

by Lisa Smith, Neighborhood Co-op Grocery, Carbondale, IL

In a soup pot sauté until fragrantand translucent:

1 Tablespoon olive oil1/2 cup chopped poblano pepper

1/2 cup chopped onion2 large cloves of garlic, minced

To the above add the following and bring to a simmer:

6 cups chicken or turkey broth2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon kosher salt1 teaspoon black pepper

Then add to the broth:3 cups shredded turkey

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1/2 cup canned crushed tomatoes*Slurry of 1/4 cup heavy cream and 1 Tablespoon

corn starch1-2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice (to taste)

Adjust seasoning before serving. Serve with more cilantro, minced jalapeños, chopped fresh seeded tomatoes, diced avo-cado and wedges of lime. Mound tortilla chips in center of bowl and ladle soup over top.

My family especially likes it when I pan fry flour tortilla strips (cut up packaged flour tortillas). They have a different taste and are a real treat, but store bought corn chips are great when you need a quick meal.

* Muir Glen is the brand I prefer. This brand has a robust flavor and is made from the best tomatoes.

Member Skills BankMembers—Put your business or service listing in our online Member Skills Bank! We are interested in developing a community resource that supports the skills and offerings of Co-op members. The infrastructure is set up, now all we need is YOU to bring the project to life. Go to our website (http://www.foodconspiracy.org), click on “About Us” and then choose “Member Skills Bank.” Listings are free and are available only to Co-op members.

Page �2 • Food Conspiracy Co-op — Community News • January 2008

ach year, around 44,000 people die in car crashes in the US. Of those deaths, 1 in 54 is a bicyclist. By

following some collision avoidance strategies, you can reduce your risk of death or serious injury in an accident with a motor vehicle.

Collision Type #1: The Right Cross

This is one of the most common ways to get hit (or almost get hit). A car is pulling out of a side street, parking lot, or driveway on the right. Notice that there are actually two possible kinds of colli-sions here: Either you’re in front of the car and the car hits you, or the car pulls out in front of you and you slam into it.

how to avoid this collision:Get a headlight. If you’re riding at night, you should absolutely use a front headlight. It’s re-quired by law, anyway. Even for daytime riding, a bright white light that has a flashing mode can make you more visible to motorists who might otherwise Right Cross you. Look for the new LED headlights which last ten times as long on a set of batteries as old-style lights. And helmet- or head-mounted lights are the best, because then you can look directly at the driver to make sure they see your light.

honk. Get a loud horn and USE IT whenever you see a car approaching (or waiting) ahead of you and to the right. If you don’t have a horn, then yell “Hey!” You may feel awkward honk-ing or yelling, but it’s better to be embarrassed than to get hit. Incidentally, the UK requires bells on bicycles.

Slow down. If you can’t make eye contact with the driver (especially at night), slow down so much that you’re able to completely stop if you have to. Sure, it’s inconvenient, but it beats getting hit. Doing this has saved my life on too many occasions to count.

Ride further left. Notice the two lines “A” and “B” in the diagram. You’re probably used to riding in “A”, very close to the curb, because you’re worried about being hit from behind. But take a look at the car. When that motorist is looking down the road for traffic, he’s not looking in the bike lane or the area closest to the curb; he’s looking in the MIDDLE of the lane, for other cars. The farther left you are (such as in “B”), the more likely the driver will see you. There’s an added bonus here: if the motorist doesn’t see you and starts pulling out, you may be able to go even FARTHER

left, or you may be able to speed up and get out of the way before impact, or roll onto their hood as they slam on their brakes. In short, it gives you some options. If you stay all the way to the right and they pull out, your only “op-tion” may be to run right into the driver’s side door. Using this method has saved me on three occasions in which a motorist ran into me and I wasn’t hurt, and in which I definitely would have slammed into the driver’s side door had I not moved left.

Of course, there’s a tradeoff. Riding to the far right makes you invisible to the motorists ahead of you at intersections, but riding to the left makes you more vulnerable to the cars behind you. Your actual lane position may vary depending on how wide the street is, how many cars there are, how fast and how close they pass you, and how far you are from the next intersection. On fast roadways with few cross streets, you’ll ride farther to the right, and on slow roads with many cross streets, you’ll ride farther left.

Collision Type #2: The Door Prize

A driver opens his door right in front of you. You run right into it if you can’t stop in time. If you’re lucky, the motorist will exit the car before you hit the door, so you’ll at least have the pleasure of smashing them too when you crash, and their soft flesh will cushion your impact. One advocate has compiled a list of cyclists killed by running into open car doors (http://www.riinsrants.info/bikes/doorzone.htm).

how to avoid this collision:Ride to the left. Ride far enough to the left that

you won’t run into any door that’s opened unexpect-edly. You may be wary about riding so far into the lane that cars can’t pass you easily, but you’re MUCH more likely to get doored by a parked car if you ride too close to it than you are to get hit from behind by a car which can clearly see you.

Collision Type #3: Red Light of Death

You stop to the right of a car that’s already waiting at a red light or stop sign. They can’t see you. When the light turns green, you move forward, and then they turn right, right into you. Even small cars can do you in this way, but this scenario is especially dangerous when it’s a bus or a semi that you’re stop-ping next to. An Austin cyclist was killed in 1994 when he stopped to the right of a semi, and then it turned right. He was crushed under its wheels.

how to avoid this collision:Don’t stop in the blind spot. Simply stop BE-

HIND a car, instead of to the right of it, as per the diagram (above). This makes you very visible to traffic on all sides. It’s impossible for the car behind you to avoid seeing you when you’re right in front of it.

Another option is to stop at either point A in the diagram (where the first driver can see you), or at point B, behind the first car so it can’t turn into you, and far enough ahead of the second car so that the second driver can see you clearly (as per diagram —below left). It does no good to avoid stopping to the right of the first car if you’re going to make the mistake of stopping to the right of the second car. EITHER car can do you in.

If you chose spot A, then ride quickly to cross the street as soon as the light turns green. Don’t look at the motorist to see if they want to go ahead and turn. If you’re in spot A and they want to turn, then you’re in their way. Why did you take spot A if you weren’t eager to cross the street when you could? When the light turns green, just go, and go quickly. (But make sure cars aren’t running the red light on the cross street, of course.)

If you chose spot B, then when the light turns green, DON’T pass the car in front of you—stay behind it, because it might turn right at any second. If it doesn’t make a right turn right away, it may turn right into a driveway or parking lot unexpectedly at any point. Don’t count on drivers to signal! They don’t. Assume that a car can turn right at any time. (NEVER pass a car on the right!) But try to stay ahead of the car behind you until you’re through the intersection, because otherwise they might try to cut you off as they turn right.

While we’re not advocating running red lights, notice it is in fact safer to run the red light if there’s no cross traffic, than it is to wait legally at the red light directly to the right of a car, only to have it make a right turn right into you when the light turns green. The moral here is not that you should break the law, but that you can easily get hurt even if you follow the law.

By the way, be very careful when passing stopped cars on the right as you approach a red light. You run the risk of getting doored by a passenger exiting the car on the right side, or hit by a car that unexpectedly decides to pull into a parking space on the right side of the street.

Collision Type #4: The Right Hook

A car passes you and then tries to make a right turn directly in front of you, or right into you. They think you’re not going very fast just because you’re on a bicycle, so it never occurs to them that they can’t pass you in time. Even if you have to slam on your brakes to avoid hitting them, they often won’t feel they’ve done anything wrong. This kind of collision is very hard to avoid because you typically don’t see it until the last second, and because there’s nowhere for you to go when it happens.

how to avoid this collision:Don’t ride on the sidewalk. When you come off the sidewalk to cross the street you’re invis-ible to motorists. You’re just begging to be hit if you do this. Keith Vick was killed this way in Austin, TX in Dec. 2002.

Ride to the left. Taking up the whole lane makes it harder for drivers to pass you to cut you off or turn into you. Don’t feel bad about taking the lane: if motorists didn’t threaten your life by turning in front of or into you or passing you too closely, then you wouldn’t have to. If the lane you’re in isn’t wide enough for cars to pass you safely, then you should be taking the whole lane anyway.

Glance in your mirror before approaching an intersection. (If you don’t have a handlebar or helmet mirror, get one now.) Be sure to look in your mirror well before you get to the inter-section. When you’re actually going through an intersection, you’ll need to be paying very close attention to what’s in front of you.

More General Tips

Avoid busy streets. One of the biggest mistakes that people make

when they start biking is to take the exact same routes they used when they were driving. It’s usually better to take the streets with fewer and slower cars. Sure, cyclists have a right to the road, but that’s a small consolation when you’re dead. Consider how

How to Not Get Hit by Cars:Important Lessons on Bicycle Safety

by Michael Bluejay

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January 2008 • Food Conspiracy Co-op — Community News • Page ��

Spotlight onLotus Massage &

Wellness Center The facility employs several energy-saving measures,

including having purchased EPA-certified Energy Star lamps, using compact fluorescents wherever possible, switching off power strips nightly to avoid “phantom loads” from electron-ics equipment, plus the significant expense of installing new triple-pane windows. To counter remaining impacts on global warming, the business contributes to a carbon offset program that sponsors new wind and solar projects.

Clients are offered complimentary or-ganic tea or natural herb-and-juice tonic in compostable cups. Outside, the landscaping incorporates arid-adapted plants and water harvesting. Clients are encouraged to relax after their treatment, either inside or out.

Visitors may notice that, unlike most other massage venues with multiple thera-pists, Lotus Center offers services but no products for sale. This also reflects carefully considered values. As Laura observes, “Al-most everywhere people go these days, we’re hit with the message that we should want more stuff, we should buy this and buy that. Here we provide a respite from that.”

Massage is a second career for Co-op owner and business owner Laura Key, though she never expected to have a second career. Laura had been happy doing environ-

mental education for over 20 years and found it a fulfilling way to live in accord with her values. Massage school was initially intended to be strictly for personal interest and per-sonal growth. So she was “completely blown away” when, by the second week of massage classes, she was so riveted that part of her felt ready to completely focus on massage.

This resulted in genuine emotional confusion, but after several months of adjusting to the idea, Laura decided to not only pursue massage as a career but also to open Tucson’s first eco-friendly massage and bodywork center.

The therapists at Lotus Massage & Wellness Center currently offer massage, craniosacral therapy, reflexology, hot stone massage, and other forms of bodywork. Goals include expanding to include Asian bodywork and acupuncture. The facility also has a meeting room available for classes and workshops. Food Conspiracy Co-op members receive $10 off each treatment, a discount of roughly 15 percent.

Lotus Massage & Wellness Center is located at 2850 E. Grant Road. For more information visit www.lotustucson.com or call 326-7700. FC

far you can take this strategy: If you learn your routes well, you’ll find that in many cities you can travel through neighborhoods to get to most places, only crossing the busiest streets rather than travel-ing on them.

Light up. Too obvious? Well, if it’s so obvious, then why

do most night-time cyclists ride without lights? Bike shops have rear red blinkies for $15 or less. Head-lights are just as important as rear lights. Look for the new kind with LED’s since they last ten times as long on a set of batteries as old-style lights.

Take the whole lane when appropriate.It’s often safer to take the whole lane, or at least

ride a little bit to the left, rather than hug the right curb. Here’s why:

• Cars at intersections ahead of you can see you better if you’re squarely in the road rather than on the extreme edge where you’re easily overlooked.• Taking the lane prevents cars from passing you too closely on narrow roadways.• Riding a bit to the left prevents you from being a victim of the door prize.

You might worry about slowing down the traffic behind you if you take the lane. But if you’re on the kind of street where you’ve got cars blocked up behind you or constantly changing lanes to get around you, you’re probably on the wrong street and should find a quieter neighborhood street.

It’s perfectly legal for you to take the lane when appropriate. Arizona State Law (and the laws of most other states) says you have to ride as far to the right as is “practicable.” Here are some things that make it impracticable to ride to the extreme right:

• You’re in a heavy traffic area with lots of side streets, parking lots, or driveways ahead and to your right. • Cars turning left won’t see you because they’re looking for traffic in the middle of the road, not on the extreme edge of the road. • Cars are passing you too closely. If the lane is too narrow for cars to pass you safely, then move left and take the whole lane. Getting buzzed by cars is dangerous.• Cars are parked on the right-hand side of the road. If you ride too close to these you’re going to get doored when someone gets out of their car. Move left.

There are risks to both riding to the extreme right as well as taking the lane. Whether you ride to the right or take the lane depends on the conditions of the roadway you’re on. On wide roadways with slow traffic and few intersections/driveways, ride further right. On fast roadways with lots of traffic and intersections, ride farther to the left. It’s not always better to take the lane or to hug the curb; it depends on the roadway you’re on.

Ride as if you were invisible. It’s often helpful to ride in such a way that

motorists won’t hit you even if they don’t see you. You’re not trying to BE invisible, you’re trying to make it irrelevant whether cars see you or not. If you ride in such a way that a car has to see you to take action to avoid hitting you (e.g., by their slowing down or changing lanes), then that means they will definitely hit you if they don’t see you. But if you stay out of their way, then you won’t get hit even if they didn’t notice you were there.

For more tips, including six more collision types to avoid, visit http://bicyclesafe.com/

contined from page 12

How to Not Get Hit by Cars:

FC

L otus Massage & Wellness Center is the newest massage and bodywork center as well as the first

truly “green” massage venue here in the Old Pueblo. Located in midtown on Grant Road, Lotus Center operates in a clas-sic 1930s adobe with hardwood and Saltillo tile floors. This authentic Tucson charm gives the venue an atmosphere that is professional but still warm and welcoming.

Lotus Center founder Laura Key has been a Food

Conspiracy member “for over a quarter century,” she reports, laughing at the very idea. In the late seventies, when natural food stores were few and far between—and mostly limited to co-ops—in much of the US, Laura was a member of a buying club in Texas. Hearing friends in the group rave about the Food Conspiracy inspired her to visit within a few days of her 1980 move to Tucson. She liked the food and shopping experience and joined immediately.

The Co-op has been Laura’s favorite place to buy groceries ever since. She favors the Co-op partly because it’s “just the right size, just the right selection, and the best atmosphere.” But she also likes shopping at the Co-op as a way to live true to her values. She observes that, in an ideal world, food distribution would be based not on corporate profit but on the health and shared benefit of all—as it is at co-ops.

Laura also tries to evidence her values by making her new venture, Lotus Massage & Wellness Center, as eco-friendly as is feasible. Some businesses get labeled “green” because of the kinds of products or services they offer. Here, being green colors every-thing from everyday operating procedures to major management priorities.

Several green choices made at Lotus Center did increase start-up costs and continue to affect operat-ing costs. But Laura is quick to add that “much of what we do involves simple choices that anyone can make, choices that are neither incredibly difficult nor incredibly expensive.”

Although the adobe “home” for Lotus Center is being leased, which limits certain possibilities, quite a number of eco-friendly measures have been taken. Organic massage lubricants are provided to the therapists and natural cleaning products are used. The massage table linens include some of organic cotton and a hemp-cotton blend. Disposable paper products are avoided, for example individual cloth hand towels are offered in the restroom. Paper goods are selected for their recycled content.

Page �4 • Food Conspiracy Co-op — Community News • January 2008

Crops for fuelcont. from p.1

The End

Downsides to BiofuelsRecent studies highlight these concerns. The

International Panel on Climate Change found that fuel from canola produced as much as 70% more greenhouse gas emissions than the fossil fuels they are meant to replace, while fuel from corn used in the US produced as much as 50% more. The researchers found that ethanol produces much higher levels of nitrous oxide, which is 296 times more powerful as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.

A paper by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) raised more concerns about biofuels. These include en-vironmental impacts of clearing natural forests, wetlands and pasture to produce crops for energy and negative impacts on the global economy with more crops grown for energy and less for food, resulting in higher food prices. The OECD paper recommended that governments not create new mandates for biofuels and instead phase out their current support. OECD also said more attention should be focused on reducing energy demand and improving vehicle efficiency because this will cost less than subsidizing inefficient biofuels.

A recent report by the National Research Council said that greater cultivation of crops such as corn to produce ethanol could harm water qual-ity and create water shortages in some regions of the US. The panel said that “fundamental knowl-edge gaps” make it difficult to predict what would

happen as a result of the increased production of crops for fuel. The panel also said it would be “prudent” to encourage the use of ethanol sources from other plant sources, especially switchgrass and native grasses.

Biofuels and GMosLaura Carlsen, director of the Americas

Program, at the Center for International Policy, says the global biofuel boom is being pushed by an international alliance of “the world’s most eco-nomically and politically powerful forces.” These include governments of the US and other leading industrialized nations and global corporate leaders in the agribusiness, oil, automotive, and biotech industries. All these industries stand to reap re-wards from the biofuel boom. Agribusiness giants are receiving government incentives, including subsidies, to build ethanol plants. Oil companies count on biofuels to prolong and diversify their businesses. The automotive industry can increase sales by selling new cars adapted to ethanol use. Finally biotechnology giants such as Monsanto are genetically engineering new plant varieties to produce ethanol and will sell patented seed to farm-ers. Carlsen says the losers in the biofuel boom are peasant farmers in Brazil and other Latin American countries where crop production for biofuels is expected to increase significantly. “The concentra-tion of land and distilleries in the hands of rural

elite and transnational corporations pushes family farmers out of entire regions,” she states.

Carlsen also says the biofuel boom is transform-ing land in Latin and South America from diverse farms producing local food and biodiversity rich pro-tected areas to chemically intensive “monocrops” of corn, soybeans and other crops used to make fuel.

Cellulosic ethanolIn the United States, many experts believe

that cellulosic ethanol is a better alternative to corn ethanol. Cellulosic ethanol is made from corn leaves, stalks, and other corn plant parts, rye straw, wood pulp, yard wastes, and possibly switchgrass. David Friedman, research director of the clean vehicles program, Union of Concerned Scientists, says cellulosic ethanol is cleaner and requires far less energy to produce than corn ethanol. It may also produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions. Argonne National Lab estimates that cellulosic ethanol results in an 87% emissions reduction over gasoline. Cellulosic ethanol can also be produced in larger volumes than corn ethanol, possibly as much as 45 billion gallons. According to Gus-tafson, new cellulosic ethanol facilities have been built in Missouri (corn, wheat and milo), three in California (rice straw, green/wood waste and wood), Minnesota (straw), Florida (yard waste, wood and energycane), South Dakota (corn fiber) and Idaho (wheat and barley straw).

A study by the US Department of Agriculture and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory estimates that by 2030 ethanol from corn and cellulose could reduce the need for gasoline in the US by 30%. However, Friedman says this would require three times as much land currently used for crops along with increasing the efficiency of ethanol production and its fuel economy by 50%—major challenges. Even if ethanol can meet 30% of US fuel requirements that leaves 70% still needing to be met—a growing challenge as world oil supplies start to dwindle.

SoURCES:“Biofuels May Create More Greenhouse Gasses than Fossil Fuels: International Panel on Climate Change.” United Press International. September 22, 2007.“Rapeseed biofuel produces more greenhouse gas than oil or petrol.” The Times. September 22, 2007.“Panel Sees Problems in Ethanol Production.” Cornelia Dean. The New York Times. October 11, 2007“The AgroFuels Trap.” Laura Carlsen. Americas Program. www.americas.irconline.org.“The Ethanol Myth.” Consumer Reports. October 2006.“Fuels for the Future: Cellulosic Ethanol.” Co-op America Quarterly. Summer 2007

Reprinted with permission from The Organic and Non-GMO Report.

January 2008 • Food Conspiracy Co-op — Community News • Page �5

The End

ACUPUnCTURe, HeRBS,TOTAL BODY WeLLneSS

Peter Brown, MD730-3663

— 10% off on Fridays

AnTiGOne BOOkS411 n. 4th Avenue

— 10% discount on Mondays

AUDUBOn nATURe SHOP300 e. University Blvd., Ste. 120

— 10% discount Saturdays

COLLeen AvenDeR,inTenTiOnAL GROUnDinG

BODYWORkS & MASSAGe—GAiA CLiniC4646 e. Ft. Lowell Rd., Ste. 101 • 577- 4543

— $10 discount

BiO-TOUCH CenTeR5634 e. Pima • 323-7951

— 20% OFF practitioner training

B Line621 n Fourth Ave

— 10% Off weekday breakfasts

BROOkLYn PiZZA534 n. 4th Avenue

— 10% discount Mondays & Tuesdays(not good with any other offer)

CASBAH TeA HOUSe 628 n. 4th Ave.

— 10% discount every day

CReATive SPiRiT GALLeRY549 n. 4th Ave.

— 5% discount on Tuesdays

COLOn HYDROTHeRAPYWiTH SHAUnA STAnGL • 887-4287

— 20% discount on first visit

DALY WeBSiTeSdalywebsites.com

— 10% discount every day

DeBORAH MAYAAneneRGY WORk & FLOWeR eSSenCeS

www.deborahmayaan.com—10% discount daily

FOURTH DiMenSiOn FUeLSOracle, AZ • 520-896-9005

— 5¢/gal. off B100 Biodiesel, Tue., Thu., Sat. 4-6 p.m. or by appt.

CATHeRine FRAnCe, B.S.,CHTCeRTiFieD CLiniCAL HYPnOTHeRAPiST

471-3879— 10% discount on hypnotherapy service

GOOD nATUReD FUTOnS400 n. 4th Avenue

— 10% discount on all accessories every day

HOW SWeeT iT WAS419 n. 4th Avenue

— 10% discount on Mondays

JULiAnne MOnTAñO, MPHColon Hydrotherapy • 548-9222

—10% discount on first visit

kAneLLA’S nOW & THen CLOTHinG338 n. 4th Ave.

— 5% discount every day

LOTUS MASSAGe & WeLLneSS CenTeR2850 e. Grant — 326-7700

www.lotustucson.com— $10 discount

MAGPieS GOURMeT PiZZA609 n. 4th Avenue

— 5% discount on Mondays

nATive SeeDS/SeARCH526 n. 4th Avenue

— 5% discount on Mondays

ORDinARY BikeS311 e. 7th St.

— 5% discount on parts & accessories on Mondays

PeOPLe’S iMPORTS276 S. Park Ave.

— 10% discount Tuesdays and Wednesdays

MARCeY ROSin,ACUPUnCTURe & ORienTAL MeDiCine

904-1460— 5% discount daily

PineY HOLLOW427 n. 4th Avenue

— 10% discount on Mondays

SUSAn eCHOe STAR, M.A.,CLiniCALLY TeSTeD SPiRiT eneRGY

MeDiUM-PROFiLeR751-0859

— 10% discount every day

TUCSOn HeRB STORe412 e. 7th Ave.

— 10% discount on Wednesdays

THe WAY OF WeLLneSSCOUnSeLinG SeRviCe

Lhasha Tizer, M.S.321-3670

— 10% discount on counseling service

TOqUe De PASión BOUTiqUe3000 e Broadway Blvd.

— 20% discount on any 1 item, every day

WHOLe BiRTH MiDWiFeRYLisa Block-Weiser, CnM

247-7057— 10% off well women care, family planning and

GYn visits, excluding lab fees

Just show your Co-op member card!discountCo-op Network

Reminder to all co-op members…

…who joined the co-op before October 1, 2006. A minimum of $15 is due to begin paying off the $60 equity increase. if you have not already made a payment toward this equity increase, you will be prompted at the register to pay $15 the next time you shop.

Generally Speakingcont. from p.1

The End

We have been investigating opening a second store at this mid-town Tucson site since August 2007, but the economic landscape has changed since then. Credit has tightened up and our bank is unwilling to lend us all the money we need to move forward with the project and the landlord is not willing to make up the difference through a secondary loan. Under these circumstances the mid-town Tucson second store site is out of our reach even though we think that it would be a very good location for our Co-op.

Our bankers (National Cooperative Bank—NCB) view a second store as a higher risk loan than a single store relocation proj-ect. The idea is that a second store project is equivalent to a new startup that needs brand new customers from a new neighborhood. They contrast this scenario with a single store relocation at a site that is nearby the current store where most of the sales needed would not come from attracting new customers. Almost all the sales we currently have ($2.3 M) would “automatically” transfer to the new nearby store. A single relocated store is less of a risk to the bank and they are more willing to lend money for this type of project.

Because of this, we have been concur-rently researching the possibility of relocating to a nearby location, as we continued to pur-sue our goal of opening a second store site. A nearby relocation would mean that we would close the 4th Avenue store and set up shop in

a better and larger store with parking available. We have concluded through analysis that the nearby relocation site we have been considering could generate sufficient sales to be sustainable. Now we are in the process of negotiating a long term lease and finding out what kind of financing we can get from NCB. That’s where we are at press time.

As far as patronage rebates are concerned, which are based on the profitability of the Co-op during the fiscal year, there more than likely will not be a rebate while expansion plans are under consideration. The less money we have on hand means we would need to borrow more money from the bank for an expansion project.

While we don’t have the final results in from a full audit of our financials from our CPA, it is safe to say that we did not achieve budgeted sales projections for last fiscal year. We won’t show a profit for the year and we are not able to extend any rebates to our member-owners. Sales were a little over 2% above the previous fiscal year, but our budget for fiscal year 2006/2007 projected sales growth of about 4.8%. This shortfall in revenue is like having the expenses of a 52 week year but with the revenue of 51 weeks of operation.

We will have more information in next month’s newsletters and at our Annual Mem-bership Meeting on March 8th, 2008. Contact us with any questions you may have.

Page �� • Food Conspiracy Co-op — Community News • January 2008

Food Conspiracy Co-op

Bulletin Board

Join the Co-op & Save. Because everyone deserves a healthier bag of Groceries. You’ll be part of a co-operative effort to sustain natural groceries and organic fruits and vegetables without any unwanted chemical or genetic surprises. All it takes is a $10 nonrefundable administrative fee and a refundable investment of $180. (The payment plan is $23.75 per quarter.) Your investment is used to help improve our buildings, products and equipment. Should you ever choose to withdraw your member-ownership, you will be repaid the full amount of your investment.

Just Good Food

P o e mthe road to truthby de Vie, Co-op owner

after getting firedafter your dream was lost

i rode aroundasking questions

concluding more than ever beforethat i wasn’t going to lie for money

and i wasn’t going to lie for love

i went to an art showthe art spoke to me

it said art is nowmake art

make your whole life artmake every moment of your life art

i stood outside the art showwatching downtown go by

god said why would you doubtthat i would take care of you?

i will take care of you

on our smooth road to truthi want to be near you

the way is simpleno lies whatsoever

i’m telling you,i want to be near you

(c) 2007 de Vie • vm: (520) 495-2005