Last month, the state government took control of the Marrickville metro expansion project much to the dismay of most locals. Alfalfa House is strongly opposed to the expansion of the metro as we stated in our letter to the planning commission last year. To have your voice heard we are encouraging all members to attend the public forum Friday 13th at Petersham RSL Club from 1-8PM. This may be the last chance to keep our local shops from having to compete with a mall full of chain stores.
Alfalfa House will be holding a vision day Sunday Feb 19th. The staff and management committee will be sitting down for the day to discuss day to day running of the co-op, as well as what we need to do in order to get better. We are hoping to get some former staff members to come in and run the shop and get a bunch of volllies to help out. Ideas and thoughts are more than welcome. If anyone is interested in helping out please let us know HEREWe had our first health inspection in a while last month. All in all we did pretty well. One thing that has become an issue is keeping the scoops inside of bins. Health Code requires that we discontinue this process from here on out. From this month forward we'll be asking people to use clean scoops each time through and putting used scoops into buckets to be washed. Thanks everyone!
Farm workers Rights, is not a topic you hear about every day in Australia. Many people from all over the world come here to work, specifically from Southeast Asia. They get paid very low rates and work unbelievable hours. Alfalfa makes every effort to make sure that our produce is grown, picked, and shipped in an ethical way. Next time you are in a chain store and think the prices are reasonable take a minute to ask why. Alfalfa's prices directly relate to the prices the farmers and producers make.
This Month Anika has sent along a guide to some of the potatoes that we carry at the co-op through the year. The potato originates from the South American Andes, where it was used
as a food even by the Incas. Some potato varieties can even grow at
altitudes of 200 metres. Today potatoes are grown throughout the world,
from temperate regions to the subtropics. Whilst there are more than 200
botanical species of potato in South America, only seven are
cultivated. For a guide to Australian Potatoes look HERE
Brazil Nuts are a favourite here at the CO-OP. But did you know that by buying Brazil nuts you are literally saving the Amazonian Rain Forests? We've got a new supply of Brazil nuts with an Amazing story. In this month's e-news Monika lets you know why this nut is having such a huge impact. Click HERE to find the rest of the Scoop!
Cashew Producers from some of the southeastern part of asia have a pretty rotten reputation for various reasons. Check out this report from Human Rights Watch. We wanted to share the story of our cashews this month, and let you all know that we have gone to the utmost effort to provide an ethically sourced product. See a letter from the Producer HERE and get the rest of the scoop in Monika'sIN THE BINS.
Our "No Impact Challenge" started last month with Steff taking names and challenging people to get involved. This month we are asking each of you to join in by buying locally grown foods. Alfalfa House will be making this easier by labeling all of our foods grown and produced within 160 KM. Those who get involved will be invited to share and discuss what they are finding to be easier and harder than they may have thought at a pot-luck later in the month. Read more about this month's challenge from Steff HERE
last month we screened "No Impact Man" in the backyard of the
co-op. We filled the space up for the first time this summer. The film
challenges people to do their best to cut down their impact on the
planet. We decided to have people take "The No Impact Challenge" with
us. Each fortnight we'll be sending out a reminder of the project and an
update. If you'd like to join The No Impact Challenge EMAIL HEREto join in
Sunday February 12th, we'll be holding a potluck to share and discuss our no impact challenge for the month! We'll meet in the backyard/garden at Alfalfa and share a locally sourced organic meal. We'll meet for lunch at 2PM. Come one come all, it will be a great afternoon and way to meet other people taking the challenge! Let us Know what you'd like to bring HERE
"Growing Local" Urban Perma-culture, gardening, and a sustainable lifestyle is a new set of courses we are happy to be bringing to the community this year! Our good friend and member Michelle has put together an 8 week course, from perma-culture basics, to food foraging, and bee keeping and much much more! Each course will be held on a Saturday for the next few months. Bookings are essential! For more info please email HERE and check out the PAGE and SITE with flier
Fermenting Foods has been a regular part of life for most cultures around the world for thousands of years. Full of healthy cultures, B vitamins and so much more. On Weds Feb. 29th Esther is going to share some knowledge of fermenting foods with us in our first in a series of fermented foods workshops. In this 1st workshop Esther will be showing everyone how to make their Kombucha (SCORE!) and Saurkraut. For more info and to book in please email HERE.
Our Fitness group, "powered by veg" kicked off in January. For some of you who missed it, we'd love to have you come along! Powered by Veg
triathlete Kym Stanton will be taking people from the co-op at 6 am
every Tuesday. We'll train, talk, and then have vegan brekkie weekly! more
info HERE
We are still hoping to get your favourite recipes forfood and home remedies for our Alfalfa Cook book. If you have anything you'd like to share we'd love to have it!
Check out the EVENTS CALENDAR If you a skill or idea that you like to share please LET US KNOW
Some members of the Alfalfa Community as part of the Sydney Food Fairness Alliance have put together an amazing night of information called "Undermining Our Food Bowls– How Coal Seam Gas and Mining Industries are Threatening the Future of Food"
Hear about the fight against mining and coal seam gas from leading activists in the prime agricultural region of the Liverpool Plains, as well as from Doctors for the Environment. Learn what you can do to support farmers in 2012 – Australian Year of the Farmer.
Cost of $15/$10 (SFFA members & concessions) includes light refreshments and helps cover costs for this event.
Alfalfa House is run by committee. Our next MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE meeting is Tuesday Feb. 28th.
Any comments or issues arising from our latest eNews edition? Please, contact us via our CONTACT FORM. We love to hear from you and hope you enjoy this month's read.
