May 2020 Honest Slate

Honest

SLATE

Honest Weight Food Co-op’s Community Newsletter for Membership • Staff • Governance • Management Published monthly by the Communications Committee to promote transparency, report without bias, and sustain community.

May 2O20 Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Avenue, Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667

honestslate@honestweight.coop • https://www.honestweight.coop/

The Tenderfoot Stit cher S

by Courtney Semoff

I have always wanted to learn how

to use a sewing machine. In my efforts to become increasingly self-sufficient I’ve decided that being able to sew will allow a large leap in lowering my carbon footprint. I’ve had sewing machines on and off but have been too scared to jump in and teach myself. Needles are sharp!

In light of the pandemic, however, I found the courage to set up my beginner’s machine and read through the instructions step by step. Finally, I put the “pedal to the metal”—literally; a foot pedal is great for having extra control—and made my first face mask. It was okay. I missed some stitches but I got to tell my husband, “I knew there was a reason for all the cloth I’ve been collecting!”

My second mask was better. I found a rhythm and was sewing a straighter line, but then the machine just stopped. (I had no idea what to do; come to find out the bobbin thread had jammed.) Over the next few days I managed to sew 14 successful masks—10 of which were donated to HWFC—and learned every possible thing that can go wrong with a sewing machine and also how to fix it. Bobbin thread jammed, needles broke, thread ran out just when I was getting in a groove, pleats were too thick, pins pricked, fabric feed faltered, and the list goes on.

It was frustrating but I felt it was important to keep going. I’m positive I spent more time fixing and figuring out the machine—respooling thread my daughter unraveled, retrieving masks she kept

honestslate@honestweight.coop

stealing to wear as a hat, and keeping her away from all sharp objects—than I did actually making masks.

It was quite the task but wonderful not only to stay productive but to help keep the brave men and women who would wear them safe. In a time with few options to help, this was something I could do. Despite trials I encountered, I knew it didn’t compare to what people on the front lines were experiencing. I couldn’t be there—but I could do this for them.

Adding a filter, pocket to include a filter, or wire for the nose are not recommended: • An additional filter can make it difficult to breathe.

• A filter pocket may result in only a single fabric layer if placed incorrectly or used without the filter.

• Wires added to homemade masks run the risk of coming loose no matter how you try to secure them.

Masks should be made with a double layer of 100% cotton.

Given an incredible shortage of 100% cotton fabric and elastic, I had a difficult time obtaining materials to make more once I’d worked through my first batch. Luckily, I continued on page 2

CONTENTS Elections Updates...................... 2 A Cooperative Vendor................ 3 Going Grain-Free........................ 4 Sampling a Virtual Class............. 5 Q&A about our Q&A...................... 6 Regarding any special requirements for mask fabrics or patterns, seemingly endless options exist; but thankfully, the CDC and other informative medical sites have weighed in. The duchess pattern appears a favorite for the medical field as it can be worn over an N95 to prolong its practical life during shortage and also allow better coverage while talking to patients. (I prefer to wear an AB mask because it’s easy to slip on and off and I’m not doing much talking if I do need to go out in public.)

Committee Corner.................... 8 Bag Ban Updates....................... 9 Board Decisions....................... 10 Letters to the Editors............... 10 Pine Bush Protection............... 11 Co-Opportunities..................... 12 Major Meeting News............... 12 https://www.honestweight.coop/

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May 2020

The Tenderfoot Stitcher continued from page 1

found online very reasonably priced 100% cotton king-size bedsheets with a tight weave and purchased fitted ones to remove and repurpose the elastic. Additionally, many Facebook groups share ideas, information about donating options, and making supplies available to sewers.

It finally arrived about a week later and having experienced just about every roadblock a sewing machine may present, I’m confident I can and will make good use of it.

The CDC has shared face mask FAQs and instructions for making three different types of masks, as a PDF as well as in a webpage version with additional links to other Coronavirus information.

BIODEGRADABILITY

QUIZ

from the Environment Committee

How Long Does it Take To Break Down.... a. Paper Napkin b. Cardboard Box c. Milk Carton d. Foam Cup e. Compostable Plastics f. Plastic Bottle g. Disposable Diapers h. Plastic Bags

?

Answer Choices (each matches one item) : • 500 years • 200–1000 years • 50 years • 50 years • 5 years • 5 years • 2 months • 2–4 weeks Answers appear on page 11.

Member-Owners: Help Ensure the Co-op’s Future!

The COVID-19 outbreak and the need

to manage social distancing require that changes be made to our Membership Meeting schedule and possibly to the manner in which the next Membership Meeting will be conducted. The regular Membership Meeting, originally scheduled for April 26 and rescheduled last month to May 31, has again been rescheduled for June 28, 2020 at the Ramada Inn. More news on how we will gather and other meeting access opportunities will be shared in June; but please mark your calendar—HWFC needs every qualified Member-Owner* to exercise their governance responsibilities and vote in this year’s elections.

HWFC also needs dedicated Member-Owners to run for office and fill seven Board vacancies this year. Maybe this is the year you are ready to run as a Board candidate!

Nomination Forms will be available when the nomination period opens June 1. To see your name on the ballot, you must submit a completed Form by June 18 at 8 pm.

Nomination Forms will be available online and at the Customer Service desk.

Participating in Co-op governance as a Board Member may be “just the ticket” if you are interested in working with other Board Members and the Co-op community to further the Co-op’s goals of promoting fair employment practices while providing organic, locally produced, low-cost food and products to the broader community. Serving on the Board is an incredible opportunity to help shape how our grocery store works today and ensure its success for the future.

Board service also brings legal obligations and demands on your time to carefully consider as well. In addition to attending Board meetings on each month’s first Tuesday at 6 pm, Board members each serve as liaison to at least one Co-op committee and attend that committee’s monthly meetings. Board members also attend regularly scheduled working meetings of the Board and four regular Membership Meetings.

Step up and step into Board service, and don’t forget to vote!

—Elections and Nominations Committee (ENC)

*Voting qualification requires Member-Owners to be up to date on their chosen time investment as of the end of March or April. Two qualification windows are available because the April meeting was postponed to May. All fees related to your ownership interest in HWFC also need to be up to date.

photos by Warren Hamilton

Update: I finally broke my beginner’s sewing machine that I’d fought long and hard with while teaching myself. My husband Max and I searched online for hours and called around to many different stores trying to find one that was a little more heavy duty, but sewing machines were sold out everywhere. I was about to give up when he said, “I got one!”

Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Ave. Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 • https://www.honestweight.coop/ • honestslate@honestweight.coop

May 2020

by Carol Ostrow with Elisa Grimm

Equal Exchange Embodies Cooperative Values

Vendor Vouches for Sustainability

Dweller’s log, 04-17-20: Staying properly caffeinated.

Ever since Honest Slate ran its first article about zero waste in January 2019, I’ve been mindful about what I throw in the trash. I recall film clips of garbage barges from yesteryear, when few questioned where rubbish was relegated as long as it was somewhere other than our own here. What were we thinking?

Well, now we know better, and although the conversation is much larger than one article could ever capture, I want to do my part.

So this morning, before casting an empty coffee bag in the trash, I dialed the Equal Exchange company in West Bridgeport, MA and spoke to Sandi Hammond, who has worked as an EE customer service rep for about a year and a half.

Sandi recognized Honest Weight’s name immediately, sharing that the Co-op is one of EE’s biggest customers and that she speaks often to our grocery buyer David Aube and bulk manager Tom Gillespie. Small world!

Then we got down to business.

“Can we recycle your coffee bags?” I asked.

“I’m afraid they’re not recyclable,” she lamented, quickly adding that “we have really agonized over this.”

Outlining the company’s efforts to use sustainable alternatives, Sandi told me that currently the company’s coffee bags are made of single-use Mylar (“we want to change that, ideally to something biodegradable”), and that its chocolate products are wrapped in two separate layers of foil and paper.

Explaining that Equal Exchange has looked into various materials, Sandi acknowledged that the business continues efforts to find no-waste packaging solutions while protecting the products.

“We have looked at making bags out of recycled material,” she said. “It’s a serious concern for us and we struggle with it.

We’ve looked at various possibilities,” such as plastic made from plant materials instead of petroleum.

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Sandi mentioned two issues with compostable plastic: the fact that compostable plastic is not universally accepted by composting facilities; and consideration of the full life cycle of materials, i.e., environmental impact beyond disposal. [See quiz, page 2]

Equal Exchange practices the three R’s:

reduce • reuse • recycle

EE products are highly visible on Honest Weight’s shelves.

I asked Slate writer Elisa Grimm to explore the background of this intriguing company.

Sandi’s discussion reflects Equal Exchange’s long-standing commitment to the three R’s: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. EE’s blog documents its ongoing journey to find more sustainable packaging. Equal Exchange has been a values-oriented organization since its inception in 1986.

Another set of three R’s (Rosenthal, Rozyne, and Rink), managers at a New England food co-op, wanted to build a more conscientious, fair relationship between food producers and consumers. After three years of conversation they launched Café Nica, coffee from Nicaragua. They repeatedly navigated Reagan-era trade restrictions to successfully import the coffee.

Becoming part of the European Fair Trade network in 1991, Equal Exchange connected with like-minded organizations around the world. After a 1987 attempt to import Sri Lankan tea faltered owing to political unrest in that country, the company eventually succeeded in bringing in tea from India ten years later. Cocoa joined coffee and tea in 2001, with hot cocoa mixes, baking cocoa, and chocolate bars. (Yum!)

“Equal Exchange is best known as the unorthodox, employee-owned company that pioneered...Fair Trade with small coffee farmers in the U.S.” See page 11 for more about EE’s efforts to improve packaging sustainability.

Along with attention to Fair Trade,

Equal Exchange has also focused on fair governance. By 1990 EE had formalized a worker-owner cooperative structure and it continues as a worker-owned cooperative to this day. Calling its customer service line puts you directly in touch with an owner, like Sandi. The organizational chart displayed on the Equal Exchange website differs markedly from the standard pyramid chart that depicts most workplaces; it more closely resembles Spirograph art, with its matrix of swirling circles.

This close connection is also reflected in the pay ratio. In 2018, the average American CEO’s salary was 360 times the average worker’s salary. At EE, the top manager’s salary is 4 times the average worker’s.

Regardless of pay level, all 120 employees each have one vote and share equally in profits and losses. Equal Exchange is one of the largest democratic worker cooperatives in the country. Our relationship with them supports not only Fair Trade practices around the world but also cooperative principles here in the U.S. Elisa’s research gave me a lot to think about, so I made another cup of coffee to work up the nerve to throw away that empty bag.

The term “guilty pleasures” became a bit more tangible today; plus, I learned more about a vendor closely aligned with Honest Weight’s cooperative ideals.

Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Ave. Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 • https://www.honestweight.coop/ • honestslate@honestweight.coop

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Honest Slate

Why I Gave Up Grains

by Joyce Chicoine, Nutrition and Education Committee (NEC) The USDA’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015–2020 state that “healthy eating patterns include whole grains and limiting the intake of refined grains and products made with refined grains.” Whole grains are a good source of dietary fiber, as well as minerals and vitamins.

So why would I choose to go against the guidelines and eliminate all grains from my diet—whole grains as well as refined?

Years ago, I had symptoms of IBS, as well as chronic back and joint pain. At the time, my doctors did not have many answers for me.

With a lot of trial and error, and some advice from some holistic health practitioners, I discovered that I could feel better if I altered my diet.

I first gave up gluten around 25 years ago.

My son had been diagnosed with gluten sensitivity and I discovered that when I ate what he ate (out of convenience), my gut felt better too. I continued eating gluten-free grains for several years. I gave up corn next, on the advice of a chiropractor.

It seemed crazy that eliminating corn would help eliminate my back pain, but that is exactly what happened. I finally gave up other gluten-free grains around 10 years ago, when I went Paleo.

My symptoms did not disappear right away.

I had to totally eliminate the targeted food for a few weeks (30 days is optimal) and then reintroduce the food to establish the connection between the symptoms and the food. Now if I eat corn, I may notice discomfort within hours (or less). If I accidentally eat gluten, it may take longer to feel uncomfortable; I am better off staying away from it altogether.

I eventually learned the reason for the connection between grains and my symptoms: inflammation. Some inflammation can be a good thing. It’s how the body fights infections and heals from injuries. But chronic inflammation is linked to a variety of autoimmune diseases, heart disease, and even cancer. I believe that I developed a sensitivity to whole grains, which raised my inflammation level and contributed to my symptoms.

Even whole grains are carbohydrate dense.

Grains, even whole grains, are carbohydrate dense. People following low-carb diets such as Keto, Paleo, South Beach, and Atkins are told to reduce or eliminate their intake of grains. Additionally, a pesticide called glyphosate (a likely carcinogen) is often used on grains, such as wheat and barley, to speed the drying process, so that they can be harvested sooner. Glyphosate is something that I want to avoid. Proponents of the Paleo diet also talk about lectins (carbohydrate-binding proteins), which may be beneficial or harmful depending on the type. Grains contain “bad” lectins, which can cause gut issues and interfere with nutrient absorption, at least in some people.

Grain Substitutes 1. Vegetables are anti-inflammatory, a good source of vitamins and minerals, as well as a source of fiber. Chopped cauliflower makes an excellent rice substitute. Lettuce wraps can be used in place of bread for sandwiches.

2. Nuts and seeds. One way to make baked goods grain-free is to use almond flour and /or coconut flour. A little bit of these flours can go a long way, however, so special recipes are needed. Paleo people also recommend soaking nuts before eating them and eating them in moderation.

3. Quinoa. Is quinoa a grain or a seed? It depends on who you talk to. I can tolerate it, at least in moderation. In any case, quinoa is a complete plant protein and it’s gluten-free.

4. Grain-free starches. Cassava, tapioca, and arrowroot have also been used to create starches, which can be used in place of cornstarch and can be blended with other gluten-free flours to improve texture and consistency.

5. Legumes. Beans can be a great source of fiber and protein. Chickpea flour and other

May 2020

NEC Educates

bean flours are sometimes used with other flours and starches for making bread, pasta, and other baked goods. Paleo proponents recommend against using legumes, however, because they also contain some “bad” lectins.

Author’s Note:

I became interested in diet and nutrition because my (then) young son was diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, numerous allergies and sensitivities, and asthma. While he took doctor-recommended medications, we saw limits to what we could accomplish with just conventional medicine. Today my son is pretty healthy and is a lawyer in NY State.

Meanwhile, I have dealt with IBS, spinal pain and inflammation, goiter, gallstones, and polycythemia vera (PV), a rare blood disease. I have been able to deal with most of these conditions with just diet and nutrition. (The only exception is PV, for which I take medication and low-dose aspirin and receive periodic treatment. Dietary modifications have helped reduce both symptoms and severity.)

Over the years I have consulted with conventional medical doctors, integrative medical doctors, chiropractors, biochemists, and nutritionists; tried various “diets” including allergy elimination, Feingold, gluten-free/casein-free, rotation, Weight Watchers, Zone, South Beach, Whole 30, Paleo, and Autoimmune Protocol; and explored veganism and vegetarianism.

In future articles, I will discuss why and how I gave up all dairy and processed sugars.

Joyce Chicoine joined the Co-op in the mid1990s, has previously invested hours as a courtesy clerk and stocker, and most recently joined the Nutrition and Education Committee (NEC). Her background is in education.

Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Ave. Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 • https://www.honestweight.coop/ • honestslate@honestweight.coop

Kaleidoscope of Connections

by Elisa Grimm

Craving Co-op classes? Classes have gone virtual Missing Zero Waste Cooking? Yoga for Kids? Social distancing has forced all of us into new arrangements, and Co-op classes are no exception. Just as a kaleidoscope takes an assortment of materials and rearranges them into colorful new patterns, though, our Co-op staff are creatively sharing their expertise with the Co-op community via new channels.

With in-store gatherings not possible, Honest Weight Food Co-op is offering short social media videos to keep you connected.

Topics range from Deanna’s breathwork and stretching work to Anastasia’s rainbow frosting. On Thursdays at 1 pm, for example, you can go “Inside the Co-op Kitchen” via Instagram, where our Food Services Staff demonstrate easy dishes. The recipes, such as Pantry Pasta, are also posted on the Co-op’s Facebook and Instagram pages for reference at any time.

Bouncing around one recent Tuesday afternoon with school and office work complete for the day, the kids and I watched the April 4 video of “Homemade Window Paint for Kids of All Ages.” Following the clear instructions, we made a double batch and divided it into several portions.

Vanquishing several half-empty bottles of food coloring from birthdays past, we soon had colors of the rainbow. After unearthing the largest paintbrushes from the art supplies box and choosing the best porch windows for our canvases, we set to work.

A short time later, we had several rainbow-colored designs catching the afternoon sun. Even today, the videos keep giving in our house. As I write this, my kids are baking and decorating cupcakes, inspired by the Rainbow Frosting video.

Going Grain-Free with Chickpea Flour Sandwich Bread Vegan • only 6 ingredients

• 2½ cups chickpea flour • 1½ Tbsp sugar or sweetener of choice* • 1¼ tsp baking soda • ¼ tsp fine sea salt • 12 oz. (355 mL) unflavored seltzer, sparkling water, or club soda • 2 Tbsp olive oil (or oil of choice) Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line a 9×5–inch loaf pan with parchment paper; grease or spray lightly.

Whisk together the chickpea flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.

Pour seltzer down side of bowl very slowly (to prevent excess foaming); add olive oil and stir until combined; immediately pour into prepared baking pan.

Bake in preheated oven 40–45 minutes until risen, golden brown, and a skewer inserted near the center tests clean.

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Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 15’.

Remove from pan; cool completely before slicing.

Storage: Keep bread in airtight container at room temperature for 2 days, refrigerated up to 1 week, or frozen for up to 6 months.

♥

i

May 2020

Until we can safely gather again, keep checking the Co-op’s social media pages for more activities to keep you calm, creative, and connected! For now, here’s the recipe for DIY Window Paint to try!

Mix 1 cup flour, 1 cup water, and 1 cup dish detergent in a medium bowl. Divide into smaller bowls. Add ½ teaspoon food coloring to each as desired and mix thoroughly until color is evenly distributed.

Get your hours and payments up to date

by May 31 in order to vote at the JUNE 28 Membership Meeting!

♥

*Use sugar or equivalent amount of liquid sweetener like maple syrup (add with other wet ingredients).

I tried this recipe from www.powerhungry. com by chance just before Joyce submitted her article (page 4) on giving up grains. I used honey so my version wasn’t truly vegan, but it proved quick and easy, yielded a nice texture, and formed a crust much like traditional breads.—CO

Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Ave. Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 • https://www.honestweight.coop/ • honestslate@honestweight.coop

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May 2020

Honest Slate Honest Slate

presents:

FAQ about Q&A

Readers familiar with our monthly Q&A column will recall that the café bulletin board displays suggestions from many community members—our shopping public as well as Staff and Member-Owners.

Ever wonder how this colorful exhibit came to be and who’s the wizard behind it? Honest Slate is pleased to present a peek behind the curtain—or, in this case, paper.

This month understandably saw a decrease in comments and queries submitted to the Suggestion Box (below). With the pandemic temporarily rendering café seating off limits, we took the opportunity to correspond from a safe distance with MO David Bulnes, proprietor of the Suggestion Box and board display since early days.

“The Suggestion Box preceded [my] arrival as a working member,” said Dave, who has been managing the Q&A flow for decades now. Upon graduating from college, he asked what he could focus on for time investment at HWFC; citing his communications major, longtime MO Gayle Anderson suggested he be the person to research answers.

“I had been a shopper before I became a Member-Owner and [the Suggestion Box has] been my primary task since 1985.

I typically would go to HWFC on lunch breaks for the past 2–3 decades 2 to 5 days per week…to speak with people to research an answer. It’s a point of pride for me to provide the best response for each suggestion.”

Q&A

Q: Kirk’s Unscented bar soap.

A: We’re unsure if Kirk’s makes an unscented soap. We will check on availability.

Suggestion Box

Q: Sweet Mama Rama’s Goat Milk Lotions and Soaps.

A: That sounds interesting. They may want to submit a new vendor application through our website.

From this Month’s

Q: Sunhee’s Kimchee has shrimp paste in it that should be labelled in large print, because that’s a major allergen.

A: We will work to label their Kimchee, that we stock on the olive bar. We do not have the capabilities to label all packaged items on our shelves. Please read the labels!

Q: HW (Honest Weight) should temporarily suspend the member time-investment program and credit hours to our regular Member-Owners for the month, or for the duration of this pandemic.

A: We are not suspending the Member-Owner program; Member-Owners who choose not to come in to isolate at home for any reason may request hours from the Hours Bank. We are actively sending home anybody who appears ill. Please see the Board’s explanation.

Q: Dr. Teal’s Body Wash.

A: Thanks. We’ll add it to our list.

Q: At least 10 customers today alone have told us we’re doing great and thank you.

—Service Desk.

A: We’re happy to receive positive feedback. We’re all in this together and happy to be here with you.

Q: Limit the number of people allowed in the store. [Editors’ Note: This was implemented in mid-April.]

A: We continue to monitor the situation and value your feedback. We’re in this with you.

Q: Amy has been doing an excellent job with curbside service and picked out great produce.

A: Great to hear! We’ll let her know. Thank you for taking the time to let us know.

The Suggestion Box is an integral part of the store.

“Gayle...helped me to understand that replies should always support the fact that the preferred pronouns are ‘we’ and ‘us’...

She also encouraged me to keep it light but to be careful with humor in order to avoid misinterpretation.”

Many suggestions are unique. “Service desk Staff help me to interpret some and provide background information as I [confer] with various people to narrow the focus of the request as well as the response.

“Brian Peters and John Daubney [our building maintenance and environment supervisors] are sometimes instrumental in helping me to determine whether something needs to be brought to the attention of Stephen or Rick. Assistant managers capably assist when the appropriate department or particular issue is difficult to determine.”

For the record, scanned suggestions are backed up on the store’s server in a “Suggestion Box” folder. Dave has scanned and saved responses in chronological order ever since the store was located on Central Avenue. Additional folders contain answers sparking research over time. Dave has even created a spreadsheet for Grocery staff with new product requests.

In the Beginning The first Suggestion Box was in the Quail Street store. For continuity Dave made sure to bring the same blank forms used by his predecessor to each new store location.

“When we [first] moved, I went to Quail Street, removed the old box from the wall myself and found a suitable location for it at the Central store. With our move here, I was delighted to find that management considered the Suggestion Box an integral part of the store with a place on the service desk and a dedicated bulletin board.” continued on page 7

Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Ave. Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 • https://www.honestweight.coop/ • honestslate@honestweight.coop

May 2020

Q&A

7

Honest Slate continued from page 6

What’s changed over time? “The sheer volume of suggestions. As we grew, it became impractical to provide answers with a short turnaround.� Many involve product suggestions requiring research. Any that are overly critical do not get posted. Dave brings each query to the appropriate Staff member, but reports easing up on expecting managers to provide an answer for every single item. “I consider myself an ombudsman for MOs, shoppers, and Staff. Whether it’s a time constraint or because they may feel that their concern was not adequately addressed, there are a number of reasons [to] choose the Suggestion Box.�

Informing Policy • “The most recent example of a suggestion becoming policy [is] limiting the store to 50 shoppers at a time. • “My personal favorites are those that praise staff for a job well done. I make a copy of those for HR to place in the worker’s file.â€?

Dave relies on managers and Staff to help narrow focus and interpret questions, typically approaching department managers.

For broader matters of policy or operations, he works with Stephen or Rick, who he reports have always provided timely answers.

Every answered entry goes onto the cafe bulletin board. “Suggestions have fallen off quite a bit in the past month‌Prior to the pandemic, my workflow would be to research answers, post to the bulletin board, and scan them on Sundays.â€?

FAQs: â€˘â€œMusic in the store has been a topic since the Central Avenue store. •Many people want to make us aware of products...found elsewhere that they feel we should carry. •The most recent repeat suggestion concerned [installing] a sink in the cafĂŠ.â€?

David Bulnes is the Suggestion Box’s longtime keeper.­

“The Suggestion Box sets us apart from other grocers.�

The personal touch Most responses are handwritten, but “if an answer requires more detail or if I mess up an answer, I will type a response. I feel that the handwritten notes provide a personal touch and I try to keep them legible. The fact that we have a Suggestion Box‌sets us apart from the other grocers in the area.â€?

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Located at the Service Desk, this well-worn Suggestion Box has been a staple at Honest Weight for over 35 years.

photo by John Daubney

Advice to shoppers:

Product suggestions take extra time. “Please be patient while suggestions are being researched...a bit of behind-thescenes work goes into new product suggestions. I’m reluctant to answer with something vague such as ‘we’re working on it’ when there may be a more definite answer.�

About Dave Bulnes: đ&#x;??

A working member since 1985, Dave was born in Albany, grew up in a neighboring suburb, and has shopped at HWFC since 1979, with the Quail Street location being near his first few apartments.

A Syracuse University graduate with a dual major in Nonviolent Conflict and Social Change combined with Television Production, he works for the NYS Assembly’s Radio/TV Department directing live coverage of Assembly sessions and other proceedings.

Dave has also stocked shelves, helped with Homegrown Happening, and (most recently) assisted at the store entrance to count and queue shoppers.

Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Ave. Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 • https://www.honestweight.coop/ • honestslate@honestweight.coop

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Honest Slate

COMMITTEE C O R N E R May 2020

HWFC Meeting Summaries

In general, Committees continue to adjust their focus and work processes due to the global pandemic.

Membership Committee (MC)

∙ Serving Membership during COVID19.

Initiated pilot program on 4/20 with optout email. Calling about 200 senior Member-Owners (MOs) who invested time last year to check in, inform of curbside pickup and hours bank. Feedback to date has been overwhelmingly productive with positive results. ∙ Suggests reviewing Membership Bulletin Board policy during COVID19. Perhaps post laminated (easy to clean) notice of committee meetings with contact info. ∙ Exploring Coffee House Open Mic as a monthly Zoom event to foster community while maintaining social distance. ∙ Considering Orientation sessions delivered via Zoom; new curriculum would be necessary. ∙ Committee voted unanimously in favor of Cara continuing as Chair for 3 more months. ∙ Requested Board: (1) consider and approve Coffee House via Zoom while NYS is on pause; and (2) allow MC to explore delivering Orientations via virtual conferencing.

Environment Committee (EC)

∙ Researching, assessing, and assembling pandemic-related grocer guidance. Submitted recommendations to Board on occupational and community health measures during this pandemic. ∙ Compiling research on new NYS law banning use of polystyrene as food containers/ packaging, and NYS’s temporary rollback of its plastic bag ban. Article submitted to Honest Slate. ∙ Work continues on solar proposal and utility bill research. ∙ Development of Earth Day materials shifted to digital communications. ∙ Discussed and offered to redirect committee members’ time and attention to emerging Co-op needs in response to global pandemic.

Nutrition and Education Committee (NEC)

∙ Until the group can meet collectively at the Co-op, shorter meetings will be held via Zoom two or three times per month (or as necessary). ∙ Joyce Chicoine will regularly write for Honest Slate under our “NEC Educates” initiative. Look for her first article in May issue.

Communications Committee (CC)

∙ Prepared and approved 2020-21 workplan; submitted for Board approval. ∙ Requested Board approve adding 20 hours to workplan to develop editorial support strategies for all committees’ promotional material and/or to explore offering communication workshops to share techniques for attracting MO involvement in governance and activities.

This article provides a summary of preliminary committee reports submitted to the Board of Directors for the May 5, 2020 Board Meeting. See Board Meeting packet for details.

Full Board-approved committee reports are posted on HWFC’s website.

Honest Arts Committee (HAC)

∙ Sidewalk Chalk Art. Will recruit MOs and Staff with skills and interest to decorate outside cement areas while employing social distancing and masking. ∙ Virtual Art Shows. In-store art shows have been suspended, but our appetite for art is strong. Discussed hosting virtual show (theme, “renewal”) on Co-op’s social media platform. Rather than designating a submission-period end date, art would be posted on a rolling basis.

Requested Board approval to work with Management and Staff to develop efficient process for posting curated art submissions.

by Stephanie Conde

Elections and Nominations Committee (ENC)

∙ At Board’s request, explored alternative (or proxy) voting methods, including: (1) electronic voting (used by other co-ops); (2) mailing ballots to MOs who could return via mail or drop into ballot box; and (3) making ballots available in store a few days before the meeting. Pros and cons are being developed for each. ∙ Discussed model questions (from Sharon Matthews] for Second Governance Survey (follow-up to Oct. 2019 Membership Meeting survey). Possible methods of delivery and collection: (1) electronic surveys emailed to MOs (where Co-op has email addresses); (2) in-store tablet(s) made available to MOs; and (3) printed surveys picked up and dropped off at store (recordkeeping necessary to ensure “one MO, one survey”). Agreed survey should include no more than 10 questions and take less than 10 mins. to complete.

Continuing to work with Sharon Matthews in anticipation of Fall delivery to MOs. ∙ Reviewed project list in preparation for April Membership Meeting, including scheduling adjustments and related changes to Nomination Information packet. ∙ Sara Hendry accepted invite to join ENC, after attending previously as a guest. ∙ Tabled follow-up on Voting Handbook.

Governance Review Council (GRC)

∙ At Board’s request, slides shown before Membership Meetings were reviewed; some were edited. Slide 5 changed to reflect how Board operates and GRC recommends updates to Bylaws to reflect current operation; Slide 7 amended to reflect Board actions. ∙ In response to MO COVID-19 and workplace safety petition, GRC found no Bylaws violations.

Honest

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SLATE

Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Ave. Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 • https://www.honestweight.coop/ • honestslate@honestweight.coop

May 2020

Honest Slate

One Victory and One Draw:

New York Bans Expanded Polystyrene While Plastic Bag Ban Goes on Hold

By Tracy Frisch, Honest Weight Environment Committee

NY bans unrecyclable plastic In the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic, the New York State Legislature passed the governor’s proposed ban on expanded polystyrene (erroneously called Styrofoam) for takeout containers, coffee cups, and packing peanuts. Under the ban, restaurants, food trucks, and delis cannot use these containers. There’s also a ban on their sale. The new law exempts the polystyrene foam used as insulation in building construction and also allows foam meat trays in food stores.

Expanded polystyrene is classified as a number 6 plastic product, suggesting that it can be recycled. However, in the U.S. there has never been a successful recycling program for this material. Like other plastics, polystyrene is made from fossil fuels, in this case from petroleum. https://www. sciencedirect.com/topics/materials-science/polystyrene New York is one of the latest states to ban Styrofoam (effective by Jan. 1, 2022), following action by Maine, where the ban is already in effect; and Vermont, Connecticut, and Maryland, where bans will go into effect between now and 2022. New Jersey is also considering banning many single-use plastics, including expanded polystyrene. In March, the New Jersey State Senate passed a bill to enact a ban.

Concerned citizens have been agitating to ban polystyrene packaging for decades.

Before New York’s statewide ban became law, Albany County already had its own ban, thanks to the hard work of many local residents. First passed in 2014 for chain restaurants only, it was expanded to all food service establishments in September 2018.

Backtracking on the plastic bag ban New York’s plastic bag ban was passed by our state legislature and signed into law on

Earth Day 2019. Under this state law, paper bags may be made available to shoppers. Counties can opt to add a 5-cent charge per paper bag as an incentive for shoppers to use their own reusable bags.

Like Honest Weight, certain supermarket chains have independently decided to impose a small charge for paper bags at checkout. This law exempts single-use plastic bags for takeout and for meat, fish, and produce.

Before the pandemic came to New York, a group of bodegas sued the state over the law. DEC’s website indicates that, in accordance with an Order signed by the New York State Supreme Court, the department will hold off on enforcing the bag ban until June 15.

Now, despite the ban, at least several supermarket chains have returned to giving their customers single-use plastic bags— at least during the pandemic. Some chains have even told shoppers that their reusable bags are not welcome in their stores.

New York was not the first state to enact a plastic bag ban. The New York Times story “In Coronavirus, Industry Sees Chance to Undo Plastic Bag Bans” noted that single-use plastic bag bans have gone into effect in California, Hawaii, and in cities from Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle to Boston, Boulder, and Chicago.

“The plastic industry is shamelessly trying to exploit this health crisis,” is how Capital District resident Judith Enck, a former Regional Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency under President Barack Obama and the founder of Beyond Plastics, characterized the industry’s opposition to the ban.

Under pressure from the plastics industry, regulators in a number of states and localities have temporarily rolled back their plastic bag bans during the pandemic.

9 “If you agree that we need to stop fracking and keep fossil fuels in the ground to slow down climate change, then you’ll want to avoid plastic as much as possible.”

Maine pushed back its plastic bag ban until 2021. Two Republican governors in New England suspended their states’ bans, citing health reasons: New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu required stores to offer customers single-use bags; Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker temporarily banned reusable shopping bags and prohibited stores from charging for single-use bags.

Industry groups such as the American Recyclable Plastic Bag Alliance have declared that shoppers’ reusable bags threaten the health of grocery workers. In a letter to the Trump administration’s Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, the Plastics Industry Association railed against plastic bag bans and defended single-use plastic bags as “the most sanitary choice.”

But a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine determined that the Coronavirus could survive for up to three days on plastic and stainless steel, compared to one day on cardboard.

As Greenpeace USA’s John Hocevar points out in Plastic Industry Exploits COVID-19 to Continue Polluting the Planet, “plastic does not inherently make something clean and safe, and we should not confuse corporate public relations with factual medical research.”

For Judith Enck, it’s the proliferation of plastic—not the ban on single-use plastic bags— that poses the actual health risk. As she told Mother Jones: “I think the real health risk is for frontline communities that live near facilities that produce the material that make plastic.”

Plastic is made from petrochemicals derived from fossil fuels, so the recent collapse in the price of oil affects the plastic industry.

Low oil prices make recycling plastic less economical because cheap petroleum favors the production of plastic from virgin materials. continued on page 11

Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Ave. Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 • https://www.honestweight.coop/ • honestslate@honestweight.coop

10 Board Decisions

The Board of Directors approved the following decisions at the 6 pm HWFC Board Meeting of May 5, 2020:

• To postpone the scheduled May 31 Membership Meeting to Sunday, June 28 and to hold both Board elections and the Annual Budget vote at that time.

• At the request of the Elections & Nominations Committee, to open nominations on June 1 for the 2020 Board of Directors election.

• Until the next meeting of the Board of Directors, employees who are not absent due to COVID-19 related reasons may access sick time accruals without the need to supply a doctor’s note.

• Approved the Communications Committee 2020–2021 work plan as amended.

letters “It’s really something to be proud of.”

Thank you for all that you do! One of my biggest takeaways from the global crisis has been how sad it is that access to reliable news has become a matter of privilege in this day and age. I feel so lucky that we have reputable news sources that we trust to get information and knowledge. So important, and now a matter of life & death.

Short version, it’s really something to be proud of that HWFC has a source of news/ information for our community that can be relied upon when we need it most.

I appreciate the work of the Honest Slate team now and always.

—Tyler Varese

• Authorized the Honest Arts Committee to host a virtual exhibit on HWFC social media in conjunction with Marketing.

“There must be other acts of kindness.”

I have been calling senior members (as part of membership outreach). I had a very touching story from an older member and thought during this pandemic we could have a column that features people who have gone way beyond normal expectations.

This older woman went shopping and thought to bring everything but accidentally left her wallet at home. The cashier didn’t even ask the woman’s name but paid the bill. The senior member returned home with her food and brought the money to repay the cashier....she said, “I didn’t even know her, she paid my bill and couldn’t even see my face.“ —Susan Hoff-Haynes What acts of kindness have you seen and heard at Honest Weight lately? Write us about it and watch for your observation in future issues: honestslate@honestweight.coop.

May 2O20 Editors & Contributors: David Bulnes Yevette Buddeau Joyce Chicoine Stephanie Conde John Daubney Erin Donahue Elisa Grimm

May 2020

Honest Slate

Warren Hamilton Don Kennison Grace Nichols Carol Ostrow Courtney Semoff Janet Sorell Tyler Varese

Contact honestslate@honestweight.coop with questions, comments, or suggestions.

Submissions Policy:

We welcome articles & contributions.

• Preferred maximum length is 500 words.

• Material is published at the discretion of the Honest Slate team.

• Only signed work is accepted.

• Items are edited for length, grammar, and style.

We may consider unsolicited material but encourage individuals to submit ideas or outlines first. Letters to the Editors do not require preapproval.

• Authorized the Membership Committee to host the Coffee House Open Mic in an online format.

• Authorized the Membership Committee to host Owner orientations in an alternate format.

• Anyone with up-to-date time investments and ownership interest payments as of the end of March or as of April 1, May 1, or June 1 shall be deemed a Member-Owner who is eligible to vote at the Annual Membership Meeting.

The Board renewed these decisions: • Member-Owners investing time on the floor or in admin from March 16 to the next meeting of the Board of Directors are to receive double hours.

• On-site Committee meetings are suspended until the next meeting of the Board of Directors.

DO WE OWE YOU? The Co-op has money waiting for a number of individuals whom we cannot locate. If you or anyone you know appears on the following list, the Finance Department urges you to contact the Co-op at your earliest convenience: finance@honestweight.coop.

Gillian Eastwood Eva Foitzik Timothy J. Cowper Maria Kuhsel Oliver Holecek Stephen Dornbush Hank Adams

Alyssa Gallagher Estelle Fach Susan Fuss Laurel Holden Druis Beasley Mark Pranys

Nishi Beharry Lily Ringler Joseph Gietl Kimberly Truitt Elias Saifan Timothy Long

Statement of Purpose:

Honest Slate is a platform for HWFC Membership, Staff, Management, and Governance: promoting transparency, reporting news without bias, and sustaining community.

Honest Slate articles are for informational purposes and are not intended to diagnose or treat disease. Opinions expressed in Honest Slate do not necessarily represent the views or policies of Honest Slate or Honest Weight Food Co-op.

All contents ©2020 Honest Weight Food Co-op; no material appearing in Honest Slate may be reproduced in any form without the express written consent of HWFC.

Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Ave. Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 • https://www.honestweight.coop/ • honestslate@honestweight.coop

May 2020

NYS Bag Ban continued from page 9

Save the Pine Bush Update “May the forest be with you!”

Local Dwellers Challenge Environmental Law Violations Westmere residents recently announced a lawsuit filed in the Northern District of New York to prevent construction of a Costco.

This federal lawsuit says a lead agency under the State Environmental Review Act shouldn’t break the law by authorizing the logging of land under review.

“The Town of Guilderland must protect the environment,” Save the Pine Bush volunteer Lynne Jackson observed in an April 26 press release. “With the world-wide decline in species, it is even more important that Town protect its own endangered and threatened species and its own... unique Pine Bush ecosystem.”

—Grace Nichols

Green Bins Get Red Light Due to overflow of textile and clothing donations, One World Center’s green bins are closed and unable to accept any further donations for now.

BIODEGRADABILITY

ANSWERS from Quiz, page 2 a. Paper Napkin ................ 2–4 weeks b. Cardboard Box .............. 2 months c. Milk Carton ................... 5 years d. Foam Cup . .................... 50 years e. Compostable Plastics .... 5 years f. Plastic Bottle ................. 50 years g. Disposable Diapers ....... 200–1000 years h. Plastic Bags ................... 500 years

11

Honest Slate

Best Practices for Reusable Shopping Bags For a plastic bag ban to work, it’s not enough for everyone to have one or more reusable bags and remember to bring them along when they go shopping. Good bag hygiene is also required.

NYS DEC recommends washing reusable grocery bags often. “Cloth reusable bags should be washed in a washing machine using laundry detergent and dried in the dryer or air-dried,” states its website. “Plastic-lined reusable bags should be scrubbed using hot water and soap, then air-dried.

Before storing, be sure both cloth and plastic-lined reusable bags are completely dry.

Reusable bags are best stored in a cool, dry place when possible.”

Between shopping trips, I launder my reusable cloth bags in hot water with detergent and a little bleach. At Honest Weight, I pack my own groceries in my clean reusable bags. Once I get home, I put my bags into the laundry basket.

Another option if driving to Honest Weight is to leave your reusable bags in the car.

After paying, put your purchases in a shopping cart and take them out to your car to bag them.

HWFC Shines in Local News!

Honest Weight figures prominently among area food co-ops in a recent issue of The Daily Gazette.

Director of Operations Stephen Quickenton spoke to reporter Deanna Fox about how the pandemic has generated changes at our Co-op.

Read his assessment of how our store is handling the health crisis—from wearing masks to cooks cashiering. “…All of this has shown me that we truly can get through anything,” Stephen told the Gazette.

Equal Exchange Shares Path to Sustainability continued from page 3

We received a letter from EE’s Sandi Hammond reiterating the company’s commitment to sustainability:

Thanks so much...for your interest in

our packaging and recycling options...

In terms of coffee packaging: creating products with recycled materials reduces the integrity of the bag and also for foodbased products we need virgin materials to assure the integrity of the food product contained inside. It is very difficult to get a recycled plastic product approved for use with food because of food safety concerns. The 12oz bags are: 2 ply foil & plastic laminate bag, approx 5 mil thickness. The bag components: polyester, aluminum foil and polyethylene.

We currently have two teams...working hard to analyze different aspects of our environmental impact: our Environmental Sustainability Committee and our Green Team. Recently members of our ESC released a blog post which detailed the decisionmaking process and our journey toward sustainable packaging.

Our Green Team is currently collecting comments and inquiries...and is constantly evaluating the environmental impact for our product teams and analyzing our packaging decisions. Feedback from consumers is the most helpful information we can receive when discussing and planning changes to our product line and I’ll be adding your inquiry to their spreadsheet.

I hope that this...has helped give some context to the issue. Packaging [and] general environmental impact...[are] constantly on our minds here. We will continue to analyze and evaluate the decisions in an effort to be better all around.

Best, Sandi www.equalexchange.coop

Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Ave. Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 • https://www.honestweight.coop/ • honestslate@honestweight.coop

12

Honest Slate

C o - o p p o r t u n ities:

by Yevette Buddeau

Member-Owner Coordinator (MOC) Hello friends and all, it’s good to reach out and communicate with you. These days I find every single communication—each email, each phone call, each rapid hello across the 6-foot emptiness—to be full of gratitude for the fact that we are here, regardless of the conversation content. Many of you may feel similarly, along with the array of all we’re feeling. Thanks for being part of our Co-op and our community!

Departments of highest need this month are Grocery and Housekeeping. To set up hours in Grocery, reach out to StephenQ@ honestweight.coop or DavidAube@honestweight.coop. To set up hours in Housekeeping, contact John.Daubney@honestweight.coop.

memBer-owner Announcements

We also welcome new Grocery manager Tom Gillespie, who will also become a contact person for MOs signing up for hours in the Grocery department.

Interested in joining Honest Weight Food Co-op’s Team as an Employee?

Check out our Employment Page.

Thank you so much to all the Member-Owners who have been coming in for essential tasks that keep the Co-op stocked and functional. As we move into the next few weeks and months, it’s possible people will start filtering back into something closer to their routines. If you have been off your Co-op shift during this time, please connect with your department to see what is needed before returning.

With all the changes at HWFC, some MOs have struggled to get hours in to maintain their discounts. Those who donated hours to support others, thanks so much. Your contribution is deeply meaningful to many!

We’d all like to extend a huge thank you to the people who have donated hours to individuals and to the hours bank, shopped for other Member-Owners, and made phone calls to MOs to check in and show support.

Curious about what’s important going on? Want to earn

changes!

Mark your calendar with our newly revised meeting dates:

TEST RUN: May 31 REAL DEAL: June 28

May 2020

hours to find out?

Major changes have been made to our spring/summer meetings due to the pandemic.

Watch for upcoming news about a NEW FORMAT for May 31’s “practice” Membership Meeting. This meeting will function as a TEST RUN using a new system to keep us safe and democratic— and to gear up for the official elections meeting now set for June 28.

Let’s all celebrate our continued participatory democracy!

Plan to attend the May 31 TEST RUN Membership Meeting.

Member-Owners WILL RECEIVE HOURS for participating.

See page 2 for more elections information.

Please mark your calendar with these newly revised dates:

May 31: Test Run Meeting • June 1: Nominations open June 18: Nominations close • June 28: Elections Meeting

To those who need their discounts but cannot come in, it’s great that you ask for what you need and remain involved at the Co-op.

In April, 42 individuals received donations totaling 383 hours and 7 individuals donated a total of 165 hours.

Because we had previously accumulated hours, we were able to donate hours out exceeding those added in. We continue to seek hours donations to support those in need and look forward to seeing MOs returning to shifts as they are able and business allows.

Please Donate Hours If You Can. If you have extra hours and know someone in need, you may donate hours directly to another Member-Owner. You may also donate hours to the hours bank to be offered to MOs anonymously as the need arises. For hours donations, or to make a request from the hours bank, contact Yevette at MemberServices@honestweight.coop.

There are a couple of tasks that can be done at the Co-op from a more socially distant position. Some ideas include weeding on the property and gathering and sanitizing carts in the parking lot during early morning hours. Reach out to Yevette to discuss scheduling if you are interested.

Stay well, and please continue choosing to support HWFC with your shopping business.

You can find our hours of business on the website home page; read about maintaining a healthy Co-op together; check for operational and owner updates, and get Membership Meeting Board Election updates.

S t a y ♥W e l l

Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Ave. Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 • https://www.honestweight.coop/ • honestslate@honestweight.coop