Have you heard the news? Our big, beautiful new classroom space is open for business! And along with it, we're rolling out a full roster of fabulous fall workshops and open studios designed to help you hone your DIY skills while exploring new materials and techniques. Register NOW at The I.D.E.A. Store or online at our web site for workshops focusing on everything from jewelry repurposing and book-making to lampshade design and collage-making using plastic discards. There's even a workshop on how to knit with plastic yarn, or "plarn."

Three workshops begin this month. Carol Jo Morgan, The I.D.E.A. Store's Environmental Outreach Specialist, will be teaching two of the workshops, both focused on creating jewelry from items in the store. In the first, a two-session class, participants will learn a variety of techniques to assemble jewelry from unexpected materials. Carol Jo also will teach two bead-making classes using paper and fabric. The process is simple, but the end product is quite sophisticated. Later this month, Shauna Carey, the store's new Education Coordinator, will teach two book-making classes based on a simple accordion-fold format. A recently retired visual arts teacher at Champaign's Booker T. Washington Elementary School and winner of Wal-Mart's national Teacher of the Year Award in 2006, Shauna will teach participants how to create personalized books using discards from the store (paper, maps, floppy disks, CDs and CD cases, and much more). These workshops are just a few of the many offered this fall at The I.D.E.A. Store, but to guarantee your spot, you need to register soon!

Here's the September workshop line-up:

· Sept. 6 and 13, "Re-Purposed Pieces for New Jewelry Creations"

· Sept. 8, "Bead-making with Scrap-paper and Fabric Beads (repeats Sep. 22)

· Sept. 15, "Book-making with Discards" (repeats Sept. 29)

· Sept. 20 and 27, "Paper-making with Discards"

All workshops are from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesdays or Thursdays; fees range from $10 to $40. Check the web site for more information on costs and age and class-size restrictions.

The I.D.E.A. Store Village Green

Organic produce: To buy or not to buy? 

By Carol Jo Morgan, MSW, MS                                                     

Environmental Outreach Specialist

You know it's important to eat fruits and vegetables every day. Unfortunately, residues from synthetic commercial pesticides used by traditional farmers to control insects and increase crop yields can be detrimental to your health. But unless you buy strictly organic fruits and vegetables, how do you even know what's good for you and what's not?

Each year, the Environmental Working Group, a non-profit environmental research group of scientists, physicians and research specialists, analyzes government data about pesticide use on crops and compiles the "Dirty Dozen" and "Clean 15" lists. The lists identify produce with the highest and lowest amounts of chemical residues.

The "Dirty Dozen" includes leafy greens (lettuce, spinach, kale, collard greens); tree fruits (apples, peaches, and nectarines); strawberries, blueberries and imported grapes; celery, sweet bell peppers and potatoes. The "Clean 15" includes a healthy mix of 

favorites: onions, corn, pineapples, avocados, asparagus, sweet peas, mangoes, eggplant, cantaloupe, kiwi, cabbage, watermelon, sweet potatoes, grapefruit andmushrooms. Make no mistake, "Clean 15" crops are still treated with some pesticides unless they have been organically grown, and should always be washed before eating. 

Buying only organic produce will help protect your health and the health of the farmland and natural ecosystems we live in. However, organics cost a bit more. So, how can you avoid pesticide residues and enjoy fresh produce if you're on a tight budget? Be sure to thoroughly wash what you do buy. The American Cancer Society offers these simple recipes you can make at home to remove residues:

Produce Wash Recipe

½ cup white vinegar

3 tablespoons salt

Stir until salt is dissolved. Pour into sink full of water. Soak produce for 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse in cool water and pat dry.

Produce Spray Recipe

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons baking soda

1 cup water

Spray produce; allow produce to sit 2-5 minutes. Scrub, rinse and pat dry.

To learn more, visit  the EWG web site. You also can find and print a pocket shopping reference of the "Dirty Dozen" and "Clean 15" lists here.