The Three Rs - Park Slope Food Coop

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6 September 13, 2007 Park Slope Food Coop, Brooklyn, NYThe Three R’sCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1printed her slogan art ontothrift-store shirts, or, as sheputs it, “I would just reusestuff.” Concern about theenvironment is still part ofthe program; now, she printson organic, sustainablygrown cotton T-shirts fromAmerican Apparel. A goodshare of her art suppliescomes from Materials for theArts, which accepts art suppliesand office equipmentthat might otherwise end upon a curb, and then redistributesthe materials to qualifiedartists.Jen’s whimsically ecothemedwares certainlystruck a vibe with somepassersby. During the twentyminutes or so that we spoke,she made a couple of sales. Ifyou miss her next tabling,you can see Jen’s shoppingbags and tees at blacksheepheap.com.Her next serieswill be a reduce-plastic-usecampaign, and she’s alreadythinking of graphics and slogans.Recycle, Even #5sNot far from Jen’s table,members from the Coop’sPlastics Recycling Committeewere working their Saturdayshift. A constant and enthusiasticcrowd kept the squad’sseveral members busy.A member of the PlasticsRecycling Committee for alittle over a year, EmilyBenedetto has filled thenewly created Plastics Recyclingsquad leader spot earlythis summer. The amount ofrecyclables brought to theCoop is rising, and with it,the need for squad leaders tohelp keep the effort runningsmoothly. Emily linked partof the recent recycling growthto the squads’ ability toaccept certain #5 recyclables,including yogurt cups andtakeout containers.Working on a Coop Recyclingsquad has helped Emilybecome an advocate of therecycling 3Rs. She observed,“Being part of the squad hasdefinitely made me look atmy own consumption differently.I pay attention to whatnumbers are on the plastic. Isay ‘wow, this isn’t recyclable,or this doesn’t have a number,’and it makes me a littlemore conscious of what I buy.I try to really educate myfriends and family.” A I lookedon, squad members werebusy assessing each itemoffered for recycling, rightdown to vetting whether aparticular type of plastic bagwas acceptable.p.m.; and final Sundays, 10a.m. to noon. According toEmily, the shift length foreach weekend slot will soongrow by two hours.Reduce & ShareRounding out the 3Rs inaction at the Coop that Saturdaywas a visit to a clothingswap in the Coop’s meetingroom. There I found severaltables set up with clothingneatly grouped according totype.After I placed a couple ofdresses on the appropriatetable and browsed the tidystacks of clothing (I found afashionable pair of jeans inmy size), I caught up with Dr.Arlene Q. Allen, who is theCoop’s adult-clothingexchange-squadleader.“It was clear to me that itwas such a useful way ofexpanding our resource base,and expanding our interconnectedness,”Arlene says,describing her swap philosophy.She describes herself asfeeling “very moral about lettinggo of things that I’vebeen holding on to.” Arleneparticularly likes the sense ofcommunity involved in shiftingthings to somebody else.With understandablepride, Arlene pointed out thatserviceable clothes remainingswapper listed not wastingand recycling as importantmotivations for participatingin clothing exchanges.One committed swapper,Toby Willner, who organizesthe Coop children’s clothingswaps, finds many of thethings she and her daughterneed through exchanges. Shetold me about a “freecycling”way of living, where peopleexchange and swap online forthe things they need. She isamazed at all the things ingood shape that people areready to part with.One committee swapper,Toby Willner, who organizesthe Coop children’s swaps,finds many of the things sheand her daughter needthrough exchanges.Toby described her motivationto swap as a combinationof several reasons: “one,environmental; two, financial;three, it’s fun.” She wenton to comment, “I do a lot ofenvironmental stuff. I run anenvironmental program atmy daughter’s school—arecycling program.” Tobyobserved about the savingsachieved through swapping,Serviceable clothesremaining at a swap’send are donated to eithera shelter or a thrift store.The Plastics Recyclingteam accepts many #1- and#2-labeled items; all #4 itemsand #4-labeled lids; certain#5 items; and plastic film,including plastic bags. It isparticularly important that allitems brought to the squadare clean and dry; each yogurtcup I brought was carefullyinspected. Check out theGazette or the Park Slope FoodCoop’s Web site (www.foodcoop.com)for the full plasticrecycling guidelines.The Plastic Recyclingssquads are currently out infront of the Coop monthly: onsecond Saturdays, noon to 2p.m.; third Thursdays, 7 to 9at a swap’s end found anotherpurpose in the community.They are donated to either ashelter or any of several thriftsto,hat Arlene described ashaving “a mission that’s inline with the Coop mission.”While I was talking toArlene, several regulars andsome first-timers came bythe swap. There were hugsand news exchanged allaround, along with thoughtsabout whether a find was agood match. More than one“I have a limited amount ofmoney, and I would prefer tospend it on things like travel.”Swaps planned for the fallinclude a DVD/CD/video/bookexchange and a children’sclothing swap. Watch theGazette for swap announcements.Walking home that day, Imarveled at the options oneCoop shopping trip hadoffered me for living a littlegreener, and possibly withmore green in my wallet. ■ILLUSTRATIONS BY DIANE MILLER
Park Slope Food Coop, Brooklyn, NY September 13, 2007 7MEMBER SUBMISSIONFair Trade and School FundraisingA Win-Win EndeavorAfter 21 years of working hardat communicating the meaningof Fair Trade to adults,Equal Exchange is now reaching outto an audience for whom the idea offairness is a no-brainer: children.Equal Exchange, the Fair-Trade coffee,tea, and chocolate company, hasbegun a new school fundraising programthat represents an innovativepartnership with students, families,and teachers.The Equal Exchange Fundraising Program allowsparents and students to raise money for theirschools, while building pride, independence, andcommunity empowerment for small farmers in LatinAmerica, Africa and Asia. Students and their familiessell certified fair-trade and organic products,and earn 45% in profits for their schools. The benefitsfor the farmers include the establishment of amicro-loan project for women in Guatemala, theconstruction of new safe water wells in the DominicanRepublic, and the renovation of elementaryclassrooms in El Salvador.In addition to helping to raise much-needed fundsfor schools, the Equal Exchange Fair Trade programprovides teachers a curriculum with which to educatestudents about the meaning and importance of fairtrade. The curriculum begins with simple questionsBy Emily Schneelike, “How is chocolate made?” and “Where does itcome from?” These kinds of inquiries spark kids’ naturalcuriosity, and encourage them to learn about theorigins of the food they eat every day. Kids learn thatthe simple, everyday action of purchasing a chocolatebar has an impact on a farmer somewhere in theworld. While one bar may contribute to funding childslave labor in the Ivory Coast of Africa, another mayassist the child of a Dominican fair-trade cacao growerto attend school. The Equal Exchange curriculum(which will be available online in October 2007)attempts to strengthen the bonds between youngconsumers and farmers in a mutually-beneficial way.The Equal Exchange Fundraising Program isgoing into its third year at the Brooklyn New School(BNS). Nick Bedell, a PSFC member and co-chair ofthe Brooklyn New School PTA says, “The EqualExchange Fundraiser is cool because it replaces traditionalschool fundraisers—which rely on poorlabor practices and made-in-China products tomake their profits—with decent, sustainable food.People get behind the fundraiser not just because itraises money for their kid’s school, but because it isan ethical model for fundraising. It can also serve asa way to further support a school’s curriculum andbe an educational tool.”Anna Allanbrook, another PSFC member and theprincipal of the Brooklyn New School agrees thatthrough “the Fair Trade fundraiser, we are able notonly to raise additional funds to supplement the curriculum,but we can also introduce our young studentsto issues relevant to their lives and this verycurriculum. They learn about the small farmers ofCentral and South America and how important it isto support them, and they also get insight into theways in which a community of adults and childrencan work together to support each other—financiallyand otherwise. Not to mention all the yummy, buthealthy, chocolate they get to eat while their parentsenjoy good coffee!”Camilo Toruño, a PSFC member and third-graderat BNS, believes the fundraiser “is good because weget money for our school and we help poor people.It’s a fair trade because they give us the coffee andwe give them the money they need.”Larissa Phillips, a PSFC member and parent atthe Chickpeas Childcare Center, is planning anEqual Exchange fundraiser for Chickpeas this year.She says that parents at Chickpeas, “were not interestedin the typical fundraising drive—selling wrappingpaper or tchochkes. We looked into EqualExchange and found out the company’s fundraisingpackage makes it really easy for schools—and Iknew from BNS that the products basically sellthemselves. Raising money for our children’sschools should not be destroying the world or harmingfamilies in other parts of the world. The EE packagejust makes sense on so many levels.”The Equal Exchange Fundraising Program is oneway for the growing number of parents, students,and teachers concerned about the conditions underwhich their food is grown to share their vision for abetter world—a vision that connects us more closelyto the food we eat and the farmers who grow it—andraise funds for their schools at the same time.For more information about the Equal Exchange FundraisingProgram contact Kelsie Evans at fundraising@equalexchange.coopor call (774) 776-7371. ■Coop Job Opening:Receiving/Stocking CoordinatorAfternoons, Evenings & WeekendsDescription:The Coop is hiring a Receiving/Stocking Coordinator to work afternoons, evenings and weekends.The afternoon, evening and weekend Receiving/Stocking Coordinators have a lot of responsibilityoverseeing the smooth functioning of the store and supporting the squads. They workwith the Receiving squads, keeping the store well-stocked and orderly and maintaining the qualityof the produce. At the end of the evening, they set up the receiving areas to prepare for the followingday’s early morning deliveries.We are looking for a candidate who wants a permanent afternoon/evening/weekend schedule.The ideal candidate will have been working on a Receiving workslot for the Coop. Because fewerpaid staff work evenings and weekends, it is essential that the candidate be a reliable andresponsible self-starter who enjoys working with our diverse member-workers. You must be anexcellent team player, as you will be sharing the work with one to several other ReceivingCoordinators. You must have excellent communication and organizational skills, patience andthe ability to prioritize the work and remain calm under pressure. This is a high energy job for afit candidate, and you must be able to lift and to work on your feet for hours. The job will includework in the walk-in coolers and freezer.Hours: 30-38 hours per week, schedule—to be determined—will be afternoon,evening and weekend work.Wages: $21.05/hour.Benefits: —Health and Personal time—Vacation–three weeks/year increasing in the 4th, 7th & 10th years—Health Insurance—Pension Plan(no payroll deductions for benefits)Application & Hiring Process:Please provide a cover letter with your resumé as soon as you can. Mail your letter andresumé or drop it in the mail slot in the entryway of the Coop. Please state your availability.All applicants will receive a response. Please do not call the office.If you applied previously to another Coop job offering and remain interested, please reapply.Probation Period:There will be a six-month probation period.Prerequisite:Minimum of six months’ membership in the Park Slope Food Coop.Applicants who have not previously worked a Coop shift in Receiving should arrange to workin Receiving.We are seeking an applicant pool that reflects the diversity of the Coop's membership.
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The Three Rs - Park Slope Food Coop

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