for shoppers and
Co-op owners
on our website or in-store |
Healthy Connections Classes
Check our website and print newsletter for a complete detailed listing of classes.
Mexican Kitchen: Enchiladas
with Ana Jackson
Wednesday, February 1
Cordata Co-op
Community Acupuncture
with Ed Layton, LAc
Thursday, February 2
Downtown Co-op
Xyli-what?-A Guide to Alternative Sweeteners
with Janis Walworth
Monday, February 6
Downtown Co-op
Winter Roasting
with Mary Ellen Carter
Monday, February 6
Cordata Co-op
Pizza Party
with Lisa Dixon
Tuesday, February 7
Cordata Co-op
Hawks, Eagles, and Falcons of Winter
with David Drummond
Wednesday, February 8
Downtown Co-op
Introduction to Fermented Foods
with Daravan Marith, Tanja Kanoa, and Carla Witham
Thursday, February 9
Cordata Co-op
Heart Center
Kundalini Yoga
with Ruby C. Koa, CYT
Thursday, February 9
Downtown Co-op
Winter Brunch for
Coffee Lovers
with Robert Fong
Saturday, February 11
Cordata Co-op
Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and Weight Management
with Kathryn Lyons, LMHC
Monday, February 13
Downtown Co-op
More Healthy Aging Strategies
with Richard Tran, DC
Thursday, February 16
Cordata Co-op
Sound Healing
with Annie Reynolds and Marilyn Rinn
Monday, February 20
Downtown Co-op
Introduction to Self-Defense for Women
with Ryan Isomoto
Tuesday, February 21
Downtown Co-op
Breakfast: Quick and Gluten Free
with Jean Layton, ND
Wednesday, February 22
Cordata Co-op
Digestive Health and Fructose Malabsorption
with Mystique Grobe, ND, and Marie Matteson, MS
Thursday, February 23
Downtown Co-op
Slow Food and Nourishing Traditions
with Gigi Berardi, PhD
Monday, February 27
Downtown Co-op
Wine Tasting 101
with Laurent Martel
Tuesdays, February 28, March 6 and 13
Cordata Co-op
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Favorite Recipes
Find recipes for your favorite Co-op deli salads, entrees, and bakery items on our website.
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 It Pays to be
a Co-op Owner Owner benefits include: - Periodic discounts and special offers - Special order pricing on bulk purchases - Owner discounts with local business partners - Owner pricing for classes - Opportunity to participate in governance |
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Pick up Your Monthly
Newsletter
in the Store
or read it on our website
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Community Shopping Day Update
Thanks to everyone who shopped on Saturday, January 21. Because of you we donated $2,232.99 to Bellingham Books to Prisoners. |
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International Year of the Co-op
Don't miss our monthly article about cooperatives and the role they play in our economy. In January we explored the fundamentals of co-ops, and this month we're looking at the basic types of co-ops. Find all these articles on the Co-op website. |
 2012 Farm Bill Plans
The opportunity to transform federal food and farm policy comes only once every five years. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is looking for support--including yours--to help them achieve a farm policy that helps family farmers produce healthy food, builds vibrant communities, and sustains the environment.
Their 2012 Farm Bill campaign calls for reforms that will:
- Ensure a sustainable future for American agriculture
- Create jobs and spur economic opportunities
- Equip rural communities for the 21st century
- Level the playing field for producers
- Support innovation for tomorrow's farmers
- Protect our natural resources
See the NSAC website. Another resource is new Food Security Learning Center on the Why Hunger website. They've collected many of the best resources, analysis, and articles and will update their content regularly.
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Dow Chemical Seeks GE Ruling
The USDA has received a petition from Dow AgroScience LLC seeking a determination of nonregulated status of corn designated as DAS-40278-9, which has been genetically engineered for increased resistance to broadleaf herbicides and resistance to grass herbicides. The agency is soliciting comments on whether this genetically engineered corn is likely to pose a plant pest risk.
See the Federal Register website for the petition, a plant pest risk assessment, and a draft environmental assessment. Comments can be accepted through Monday, February 27.
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Action Alert
This genetically engineered (GE) version of corn is resistant to 2,4-D, a major component of the highly toxic Agent Orange, which caused lasting ecological damage as well as many serious medical conditions in both Vietnam veterans and the Vietnamese.
USDA approval of Dow's GE corn will trigger a big increase in 2,4-D use - and our exposure to this toxic herbicide. Yet USDA has not assessed how much, nor analyzed the resulting impacts on public health, the environment or neighboring farmers (2,4-D is prone to drift and may cause damage to nearby crops). Instead, USDA has given preliminary approval to a pesticide-promoting crop that will likely harm farmers and the environment.
You can take action by telling the USDA to reject 2,4-D Resistant GE corn. |
 Historic Improvements for School Meals The USDA has unveiled new standards for school meals that will result in healthier meals for kids across the nation. The new meal requirements will raise standards for the first time in more than 15 years and improve the health and nutrition of nearly 32 million kids that participate in school meal programs every school day. The final standards make the same kinds of practical changes that many parents are already encouraging at home, including: - Ensuring students are offered both fruits and vegetables every day of the week;
- Substantially increasing offerings of whole grain-rich foods;
- Offering only fat-free or low-fat milk varieties;
- Limiting calories based on the age of children being served to ensure proper portion size; and
- Increasing the focus on reducing the amounts of saturated fat, trans fats and sodium.
More information and a sample lunch menu with a before and after comparison is available at the USDA Food & Nutrition Service website. |
Promoting Cooperative Business Development
In December, Representative Chaka Fattah (D) of Pennsylvania introduced the National Cooperative Development Act of 2011, a bill designed to promote cooperative business development in the U.S. Focusing on underserved communities, both urban and rural, the bill would allocate federal funding to promote job creation and economic development of all types and sectors of cooperatives.
In a recent interview, Fattah described the role cooperatives can play in economic development: "I think it's an exciting time for co-ops. And as we think about the economic challenges that the country faces, obviously, co-ops provide an opportunity for us to employ more people, to provide better services whether its food, housing, healthcare, recreation materials and equipment, insurance products, electricity, you name it, co-ops are providing it today and doing it at affordable rates with quality goods and services. So we want to expand that and make sure that the federal government is a friend of the co-op movement and has a welcome sign on the door."
Read the bill and find ways to get involved in the campaign at www.campaign.coop. |
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Alaffia Certified Fair Trade Shea Butter Cooperative members, Sokode Togo |
Alaffia: Fair Trade and Sustainable
Alaffia is a sustainable skin care company based in Africa that focuses on fair trade products. The Co-op Wellness department carries their Alaffia and Everyday Shea products. Olowo-n'djo Tchala, the founder of Alaffia, recently shared his account of some of the amazing work they are doing in east Africa.
- Formed a collective of more than 200 women and built a new coconut cooperative in southern Togo
- Commissioned and constructed a secondary school in Kouloum near their shea butter cooperative
Olowo-n'djo writes, "It is very sad to see conditions worsening for poor people worldwide each year. Even in Togo, we see increasing environmental degradation, economic dominance by only a few people, political elitism, and increasing population. After seeing the few lives that our efforts touch, I feel even stronger that the fight for social and economic justice for all disadvantaged people must continue at all costs. I am forever humble and grateful to be able to give my life to such a cause."
See the Alaffia website for more information. |
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Co-op Video Premier 
Celebrity Chef Kevin Gillespie visited Bellingham last summer and was featured in videos filmed at the Community Food Co-op, our summer Community Party, and with local providers Misty Meadows Farm, Heritage Lane Farm, and Bellingham Urban Gardeners. See the first of these Bellingham-based videos premiering on Tuesday, February 21.
The world premiere of Co+op Stronger Together's video series celebrates 2012 International Year of Cooperatives and is hosted by celebrity chef Kevin Gillespie. Kevin traveled to food co-ops across the country-from grocery aisles to farm fields-to share their passion for delicious food and their local communities.
Watch these videos and you'll quickly discover the many ways food co-ops, their shoppers and owners, and their communities are stronger together. |
 Join Our Newsletter Distribution Team
A dedicated team of volunteers distributes our newsletter throughout Whatcom County to coffee shops, libraries, pizza joints, and anywhere else people might linger and look for something interesting to read. We have an immediate opening for the Lynden/Everson route. The route takes approximately 2 hours and delivery occurs once every month on a flexible schedule. We offer nominal compensation with volunteer coupons redeemable in our stores. We also need on-call substitutes and have two potential Bellingham routes that could be developed. If interested, please contact Laura at lauras@communityfood.coop. |
Upcoming Events
3rd Thursday Local Music Series: Tracy Spring Thursday, February 16, 6-8 pm, Downtown Co-op
Community Shopping Day: Ferndale Other Bank
Saturday, February 18, all day at both stores
"Reel" Food Film Fest: Food Inc.
Saturday, February 18
Fairhaven Library Fireplace Room, 2 pm
Everson Public LIbrary, 3 pm
Member Affairs Committee monthly meeting
Wednesday, February 29, 5:15 pm, Downtown Co-op Connection Building
Board of Directors monthly meeting (new date this month only)
Wednesday, February 29, 7 pm, Downtown Co-op Connection Building Co-op Annual Meeting & Party Saturday, March 10, 5-10 pm, Bellingham Cruise Terminal
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Archive E-newsletters from the Co-op
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1220 N. Forest St., Bellingham WA 98225
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