Your co-op, December 2005

Fall member meeting

More than 130 members met on October 19 at the Center for Urban Horticulture. The evening began with a fabulous seasonal dinner prepared by PCC’s Fremont deli. The agenda featured a brief report from board chair Bob Cross who spoke about the year’s highlights — from the co-op’s overall sales growth and the increase in community outreach programs, to the $30,000 PCC contributed to help co-ops and survivors hurt by this year’s devastating hurricanes.

CEO Tracy Wolpert updated members on construction of our newest store in Redmond (on schedule to open in the spring of 2006). The board and management then answered questions from members on a range of issues.

The educational part of the agenda featured an interactive session with PCC’s nutrition educators Goldie Caughlan and Rita Condon. With a theme of “Shopping Smart at PCC,” these two experts approached budgeting in three ways — saving money, time and nutrients.

For example, save money by shopping more from bulk foods, save time by using wholesome convenience foods, such as canned beans or dried herbs, and save nutrients by knowing where to get the highest food values from all categories of foods.

Caughlan and Condon framed their presentation using a quiz to help members test their own knowledge. Prizes such as fresh winter squashes, bunches of Nash’s carrots, food storage items and our great new recycled totes added an element of fun.

Members also got to take away recipes for the seasonal dinner Fremont prepared, as well as recipes from PCC Cooks classes featuring produce in season through the winter. See the entire quiz, recipes and more great “budgeting” tips on our Web site.

Caughlan and Condon encouraged members to take advantage of PCC’s free Walk, Talk and Taste Tours to learn more about making the most of their PCC shopping experience. Find the class schedules at www.PccCooks.com.

Board meeting

There was no board meeting in October. Look for a report on the November 29 board meeting in the January Sound Consumer. The next scheduled board meeting is Tuesday, January 31 at 5 p.m. at the co-op office.

Talk to the Board

Bring your questions or comments and look for a board member in the following stores on these upcoming dates:

• Fremont PCC, Saturday, December 10, noon to 2 p.m.
• Greenlake PCC, Thursday, January 12, 4 to 6 p.m.
• West Seattle PCC, Saturday, February 25, noon to 2 p.m.

2005 educational outreach highlights

PCC Nutrition Educator Goldie Caughlan attends quarterly meetings of the National Organic Standards Board in Washington D.C.

Caughlan joined Amanda Archibald, R.D., and PCC Cooks instructor and author Debra Daniels-Zeller in presenting an accredited “Field to Plate Workshop” for nutritionists and health educators. Topics involved reorganizing your kitchen “toolbox,” moving into local, seasonal and organic food choices, and learning to communicate the nutrition message.

Editor/Public Affairs Manager Trudy Bialic attended the quarterly meeting of the Washington Sustainable Food and Farming Network (WSFFN) and Washington State University (WSU). Budgeting for the BIOAg program was discussed with WSFFN’s new executive director, Maryon Attwood; WSU’s new dean of the School of Agriculture, Dan Bernardo, and dean and director of WSU Extension, Linda Fox.

Caughlan and Tom Monahan of PCC’s community relations department demonstrated healthy foods for a student/parent tasting at Odle Elementary School in Bellevue, where hundreds enjoyed the school’s annual BBQ.

Caughlan attended the Washington State Food and Nutrition Council’s annual conference in Seattle. Discussions included hunger and obesity rates and statewide efforts to improve school nutrition and food policies.

Caughlan served as guest chef at the Pike Place Market cooking up local, organic winter squash.

Bialic attends quarterly meetings of the Washington State Department of Agriculture Pesticide Advisory Board. Agenda items included farmworker funding, water quality monitoring results, and recycling of plastic pesticide containers.

PCC staff learn more about composting

On Thursday, October 20, some of PCC’s recycling specialists toured the new Cedar Grove Composting Facility in Everett to see the process that produces the natural compost and compost tea that we sell in our stores.

Trucks pick up the compostable waste from our stores and bring it to the processing facility where it’s tested for contaminants prior to aging. Cedar Grove voluntarily tests for nutrient content, pesticide and herbicide residues, and other compost quality indicators.

By using this locally produced compost we are “closing the loop” — the nutrients removed from our local soils are returned to the ground as compost and soil amendments to nourish future plants.