Summer Dreaming

I’m getting the hang of my new computer system. It all takes a little extra time, making the new formats, getting used to the new ways the mouse behaves, etc. I’ll be upgrading the whole Co-op system this summer. I’m beginning to think about the summer schedule too. If any of you have any suggestions, please tell me. I’d like to take a few weeks off, but haven’t made any plans yet. 

It seems we are running short of bags these days. Please remember to bring them back! We don’t have enough boxes on a regular basis these days.

Monsanto, Haiti's “New Earthquake"

"A new earthquake" is what Haitian peasant farmer leader Chavannes Jean-Baptiste of the Peasant Movement of Papay (MPP) called the news that Monsanto will be dumping 60,000 seed sacks (475 tons) of hybrid corn seeds and vegetable seeds on Haiti, seeds doused with highly toxic fungicides such as thiram, known to be extremely dangerous to farm workers. Hybrid seeds, like GMO seeds (in contrast to Creole heirloom or organic seeds) require lots of water, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides. In addition if a small farmer tries to save hybrid seeds after harvest, hybrid seeds usually do not "breed true" or grow very well in the second season, forcing the now-indentured peasant to buy seeds from Monsanto or one of the other hybrid/GMO seed monopolies in perpetuity. Monsanto wanted initially to dump GMO seeds on Haiti, but even the corrupt Haitian government knew that this would spark a rebellion, so Monsanto cleverly decided to dump hybrid seeds instead. The Haitian small farmers organization has committed to burning Monsanto's seeds, and has called for a march to protest the corporation's presence in Haiti on June 4, for World Environment Day.

Read More: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_20852.cfm

Enjoy! Marnie

New Computer! Help!!

All the updated programs ARGG!! Everything is taking me 10 times longer!! This will be brief, but soon it will be beautiful! When I figure this stuff out!!!

Alert of the Week: Safeguard Organic Standards!

The National Organic Standards Board...

... Votes for Factory-Farmed "Organic" Poultry

As we reported in the last issue of Organic Bytes, the USDA National Organic Program is only loosely enforcing animal welfare rules that require organic poultry farms to allow their birds to have access to the outdoors and "exhibit their natural behaviors." This has resulted in a wide range of farms being certified organic; everything from lush green pastures where hens roam free, scratching in the compost and nibbling greens, to giant sheds with tens of thousands of grain-fed birds that never see the light of day.

At its April 2010 meeting, the National Organic Standards Board had an opportunity to reform organic chicken and egg production by outlawing a synthetic feed supplement called methionine that confinement poultry producers have used as a crutch to help them scale up and keep costs down.

Unfortunately, despite thousands of letters from organic consumers who understand the nutritional and environmental benefits of pasture-based organic systems and are concerned about animal welfare and synthetics in organic, the NOSB voted to keep methionine on the list of allowed synthetics.

Tell the USDA: Stop Factory-Farmed "Organic" Poultry! http://capwiz.com/grassrootsnetroots/issues/alert/?alertid=13184481

Enjoy!

Marnie

May!

I’m not volunteering for anything now. I am looking SO forward to a little time in my garden!

Survey: Do You Support the Rights of Mother Earth?
During his presentation at the UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen in December 2009, President Evo Morales of Bolivia proposed a global referendum that would tackle the root causes of climate change. Below are the questions he proposed.
1. Do you agree with re-establishing harmony with nature while recognizing the rights of Mother Earth? YES or NO
2. Do you agree with changing this model of over-consumption and waste that the capitalist system represents? YES or NO
3. Do you agree that developed countries reduce and re-absorb their domestic greenhouse gas emissions so that the temperature does not rise more than 1 degree Celsius? YES or NO
4. Do you agree with transferring all that is spent in wars to protecting the planet and allocate a budget for climate change that is bigger than what is used for defense? YES or NO
5. Do you agree with a Climate Justice Tribunal to judge those who destroy Mother Earth? YES or NO
SURVEY: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/642/p/dia/action/public /?action_KEY=3171

May Calendar
4 Basic Basket Week
11 Big Basket Week
13 Deliciously Raw in the Spring – Food Preparations Class
18 Basic Basket Week
20 Montclair Environmental Movie Night – Dirt!
25 Big Basket Week
For more info: www.mountainlakesorganic.com/Calendar.html

Enjoy!     Marnie

Compost Talk

Wish me luck! Tomorrow is my term paper presentation to my class. I then have another on Saturday to the Municipal leaders in the area. My paper is on getting composting into municipalities. I’mprepared but very nervous non the less. I won’t write much here today. Enjoy your produce, and start composting if you don’t already!

Just so everyone is aware, if your bag size is too much or too little, you can change it. Just email me with your new preference. The bags work on a two week basis. The Big Bags are available every other week. The Basic Bag however are available every week. You can choose to:
switch back and forth each week;
just get a Big Bag every other week;
just get a Basic Bag every other week;
or get a Basic Bag every week.

Also, please don’t forget your invoice with your check or cash. It helps a lot with the bookkeeping.
Happy Arbor Day on Friday!!!

Enjoy!    
Marnie

The Aware Nest!

Finally the cold subsides. I always enjoy these 70° days weather they are in January, July or April. We have just spent two chilly weekends at lakeand river sides for the Mountain Lakes Crew Club. I am looking forward to a warm regatta!

Please notice the flyer in your basket for The AwareNest. One of our members, Regan Caton just launched this new site for local people to find green, local sources of goods, services and events. Check it out and list your green company there if you have one! www.TheAwareNest.com

Keep Nanotech Ingredients Out of Organic Food!
The USDA National Organic Program's advisory panel, the National Organic Standards Board, will be meeting in California at the end of this month. OCA political director Alexis Baden-Mayer will be presenting testimony at the meeting. It is essential that we back up OCA's position to ban nanotechnology from organic production with as many letters from OCA members as possible. This is a huge public health and environmental issue. Will the USDA permanently ban nanotech ingredients from organic food and products, or will they leave the door open to this new, dangerous, unregulated technology, with the power to literally change matter at the atomic or electron level?
Learn more: www.organicconsumers.org/nanotech.cfm
Action:
http://capwiz.com/grassrootsnetroots/issues/alert/?alertid=13948781

Enjoy!    
Marnie

Looking for Denville or Rockaway Host!

The Co-op is looking for a host for weekly Co-op pick-ups from their garage, within a mile of route 46 in Denville or Rockaway. It would need to be accessible to a number of members, like my garage is without disturbing the residents. There is minimal weekly managing. We pay you in weekly produce. If you are interested, please call me and we can discuss the details.

Cooking with sea vegetables - Food Preparations Class
April 15th, 12:00 pm
Many people think the idea of using vegetables from the sea is something strange and new. But in China, Japan and the Pacific, many varieties have part of the staple diet for thousands of years. High in minerals and protein and low in calories, sea vegetables have always been valued for their rejuvinating and purifying properties. Join us to learn about the different varieties of sea vegetables and how they can be combined with other whole foods to form the basis of a balanced diet.
Phyllis is a certified Holistic Health Counselor with over 20 years practicing in the field of nutrition. She is a coach, educator, and chef skilled in multiple food disciplines.
For more info: www.mountainlakesorganic.com/Calendar.html

Montclair Environmental Movie Night: A Chemical Reaction
April 15th, 6:30 pm
For more info: www.mountainlakesorganic.com/Calendar.html

New Madison Branch

For all who live in the proximity of Madison – this is the first week for our new Madison Branch of the Co-op. Daria’s space is on Chapel Street, two blocks from Main Street, and she is a lovely woman. Please contact me if you are interested in picking up your produce from her garage.
FruitLady@MountainLakesOrganic.com

Seed Exchange 
Its time to start your garden (indoors)! Bring your extra seeds and take some that are here!

Green Patriot and OCA Expose 1,4 Dioxane in Household Products
March 12, at a press conference held adjacent to the Natural Products Expo West, the Green Patriot Working Group (GPWG), led by environmental health consumer advocate David Steinman, and the Organic Consumers Association announced that Procter and Gamble (P&G) and the Green Patriot have reached an agreement in principle that P&G will reformulate its top-selling Herbal Essences brand to reduce levels of the carcinogenic contaminant 1,4-dioxane. The press conference also announced new 1,4-dioxane test results for twenty laundry detergents, of which notably some of the most popular mainstream brands - including Dial, Church & Dwight Co. and Procter & Gamble - had the highest levels overall.
www.organicconsumers.org/bodycare/PG-press-release-03-10.pdf