Growing Up and Branching Out

Transcription

1 Growng Up and Branchng Out June July August 2011 GreenTree Co-op 214 N. Frankln Ave. Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858

2 In Ths Issue: Your Food Communty The Prce Is Rght (at GreenTree) Sustanable Summer Skncare Let s Take a Coffee Break Get Some Local Flavor GreenTree Annual Report The Back of the Box Spa Space A Word from the Board Communty Partners Meet a Staff Member Important Dates: June 4 Owner Apprecaton Day 15 Board Meetng July 2 Owner Apprecaton Day 20 Board Meetng August 6 Owner Apprecaton Day 17 Board Meetng Board of Drectors: Erc Baerren: Vce Char Wlma Blackman Mchael Brockman: Char Lz Busch Lyndsey Chppeway: Treasurer Jay Felds Talat Halman Penny Lew Chrs Wesman: Secretary GREENTREE STAFF <Andrea Hernandez Team Leader Bran Radomsk> <Chrstan Colombn Bulk Buyer Dawn Sandahl> <Grace Rollns Jeff Kuhns> <Josh Johnson Produce Assstant Laura Coffee> Marketng & Owner Servces Manager <Mchael Lents Molly Kampf> Produce Buyer <Reeva Rpley Produce Assstant Samantha Fan> <Sarah Chrstensen General Manager Stacy Saul> Grocery Buyer/ Merchandsng Manager <Sydne Conant Wellness Buyer Treslyn Zelenak> Strrng Up Del Dreams Every day we are one step closer to buldng a del. Our goal s to have the del up and runnng by mdsummer. (Yes, that s the mddle of ths summer!) We wll be offerng a varety of healthy and delcous grab t and go optons made rght here at your frendly neghborhood Co-op! Along wth constructon of an onste ktchen for the del, we also plan to wden our grocery asles, buld a unversally accessble restroom, update some of our bulk equpment, and have an offce wth a door! Want to know more? Just keep an eye on our webste ( bulletn boards, and FaceBook page (just type n GreenTree Cooperatve) for future updates. Webste: Phone: (989) Emal: general@greentree.coop Cover Photo: By Laura Coffee

3 Your Food Communty By Laura Coffee, Marketng & Outreach Manager, Co-op op Owner Mchgan s a very dverse and bountful state when t comes to makng thngs. A stroll down GreenTree s asles wll yeld Mchgan breads, beans, soymlk, coffee, jams, soaps, body products, lp gloss, sold perfumes, laundry soap, popcorn, hot sauce, reusable bags, candles, pasta, cheeses, yogurt, ce cream, glass bottle mlk, maple syrup, honey, eggs, bson, lamb, chcken, beef, beer, wne, mead, ptas, flour, granola, pckles, nut butters, applesauce, salsa, tea, grans, and produce n abundance! All of these tems and more are grown, produced, or processed, (sometmes all three) n Mchgan. Many of these Mchgan made foods and products are also Far Trade and/or certfed organc. Thomas Creamery (yogurt, ce cream), Hlhof Farm (mlk, cream), Eden Organc (applesauce, beans, tamar), Hgher Grounds (coffee), Vta Spelt (pasta, flour), and Graham s Organcs (beef, chcken, pork) are just a few of the companes that have nvested n organc certfcaton. Some companes have gone even further and consdered sustanablty and health ssues when creatng ther The Prce s Rght (At GreenTree) By Stacy Saul, Merchandsng Manager and Grocery Buyer, Co-op Owner Have you ever notced how great the sale prces are at GreenTree? Every two weeks, we have a new sale on over 50 of your favorte tems throughout the store! Co+op Deals are the lowest prces n town on some of your favorte brands such as Cascadan Farms, Amy's, Ud's, Garden of Eatn, The Greek Gods, Quorn, and many others. How do we get these great deals? GreenTree s a member of the Natonal Cooperatve Grocer's Assocaton (NCGA). NCGA brokers great prces from each of the partcpatng companes. We then get fantastc prces that we pass along to you, the Green Tree shopper. How about the deals that you get as an Owner of GreenTree? These month long sales are pcked by the buyers of each department n the store. We try to focus on what's made here n Mchgan and what mght be a good packagng. Hlhof Farm mlk comes n glass bottles that can be returned to the dary and reused many tmes. Eden beans come n cans wth BPA free lnngs, so you don t have to worry about possble contamnaton. Moon Works laundry soaps are avalable n bulk: Reuse your own contaners and there s no packagng at all! Choosng Mchganan edbles also provdes some great culnary opportuntes. Experment wth seasonal ngredents, lke fresh herbs or herloom tomatoes, and brng an element of surprse to the dnner table. Indulge a love of all thngs spcy wth Baker s chcken Chorzo sausage, McClure s Spcy Bloody Mary mx, or Ray s Polsh Fre hot sauce. If you have a sweet tooth you can add a fun twst to old favortes by bakng wth pure maple syrup nstead of sugar. When you decde to buy products from your own town, county, or state, you are gettng the freshest flavors, supportng your communty, encouragng local economc growth, and brngng accountablty back to the producton process. So the next tme you stop by the Co-op, treat yourself to a taste of Mchgan. Trust me- t s really somethng to savor. match for that partcular month or season. GreenTree also has many products that have an "Everyday Low Prce. Dapers, mlk, and bread are a few of the tems that are part of ths program. Our prce for one gallon of Organc Valley mlk s just $5.99. Organc Valley butter s the same prce as Rc's at $6.59 for a pound. Local eggs from the Yoder's are just $3.75, compared to Kroger's organc eggs at $4.29 a dozen. Almond Breeze aseptc mlk s $2.39, compared to Mejer at $2.50, and Kroger at $3.19. Another way that you can save money s by shoppng on our Owner Apprecaton Day, always the frst Saturday of the month. Owners (that s you!) receve 10% off on all non-sale tems. It s a great day to stop by the Co-op; get free coffee and samples, enter to wn the monthly gft basket prze, and shop, secure n the knowledge that you can save even more on all your healthy favortes! Don t forget, too, that as an owner you can order cases of your favorte products anytme durng the month and receve an extra 5% off of sale tems or 10% off non-sale tems! Anytme s a good tme to shop at GreenTree, where the prce s rght! 2

4 Sustanable Summer Skncare By Sydne Conant, Wellness Buyer and Co-op Owner Welcomng summer means lookng and feelng your best whle spendng extra tme outdoors. Conventonal skn care products can contan chemcals, fragrances and preservatves that are harmful to your skn and overall health. Choosng the rght product can be dffcult and expensve, but there s an alternatve: You can make your own skn care and bug repellents usng all-natural and organc ngredents. The bugs wll be btng before you know t, but keepng them at bay can be smple. To create a perfect repellent, start wth a carrer ol. Carrer ols are vegetable based ols used to dlute essental ols and "carry" the essental ol to your skn. Common carrers are olve, jojoba, almond, and coconut ol. Next, you wll need to add one or more essental ols. Essental ols are concentrated plant extractons. They have many topcal uses ncludng aromatherapy, massage, and medcnal applcatons. Essental ols can be harmful when appled drectly to your skn; so, make sure you always dlute wth a carrer ol. Several essental ols work to fend off btng nsects. To keep away mosqutoes try cnnamon, clove, lavender, eucalyptus, peppermnt, rosemary, or lemongrass ol. For tcks and lce, try eucalyptus or rose geranum. A good startng rato s 2 tablespoons of carrer ol and drops of essental ol. Always begn wth the lowest amount of essental ol and add more only f needed. Rub or spray onto your skn or clothng, beng careful to avod the eye area, and enjoy a bug free summer! For a shavng ol to use on your face or legs, pck a carrer ol and your favorte essental ol. Use 3-5 drops of essental ol per ounce of carrer. You shouldn t have to mosturze afterwards! Makng a great skn mosturzer s as easy as gong to your ktchen! Coconut and olve ols can be used alone and appled drectly to the body. Try rubbng some on damp skn after you get out of the shower or bath. Store your new skn care products n glass (dark colored f possble) n a cool dry spot. They should last for months! When usng essental ols, make sure to check wth a doctor to make sure there won't be any harmful sde effects, especally f you are pregnant or nursng. Always do a patch test: Put a few drops of any new ol on the back of your wrst or nsde forearm, cover wth a bandage and leave on for a day. If rrtaton, tchng, or redness occur, bathe the area wth cold water and dscontnue use or reduce the concentraton of essental ol. Coffee break everybody! Whether you drnk coffee or not, we are all mpacted by the coffee ndustry on a daly bass. One cup at a tme. I know some of you may have had slght-stcker shock recently after the last prce ncrease on all the bulk coffees. (Wth the current economy, the last thng we need s to pay more for our daly fx.) There are many reasons why these prces are gong up. The weather plays a huge part, lke the dsastrous rans that swept over South Amerca ths year. Ths led to record breakng lows n crop yelds. Combned wth the unusually low supply, there has been a global ncrease n demand for gourmet coffee. One thng s for sure: at GreenTree we ll always do our best to keep prces as low as possble. That way, we re able to contnue our support of organc, cooperatve, and Far Trade coffee farmers and roasters across the world. 3 Let s Take a Coffee Break By Chrstan Colombn, Bulk Buyer I would lke to take a moment to apprecate a couple of great Mchgan coffee roasters for ther contnued support of cooperatve growers (and grocers!) worldwde. Concdentally they both operate out of Traverse Cty, the town where I grew up. The frst s Great Northern Roastng Company establshed n 2001, whch roasts Truckstop Blend an extremely popular coffee among GreenTree staff and customers. We also carry ther Brds, Bees and Trees Blend made from beans grown n Nayarta, Mexco. It s descrbed as havng notes of blueberry and strawberry wth a smoky chocolate cherry fnsh. That s not even the best part. Accordng to ther coffee provde[s] our growers wth a sustanable lvng, protect[s] the standng tmber on ther land, a valuable habtat for brds, and 3% of all proceeds are donated to savng honeybees from colony collapse dsorder. The second outstandng MI busness that GreenTree carres s Hgher Grounds organc roastery and coffee bar, also located n Traverse Cty. Ths company has only been around a few years, but has taken the green coffee ndustry by storm! By purchasng far trade organc coffee beans from and establshng relatonshps wth farmers n countres lke Colomba, Mexco, Ethopa, Sumatra and Uganda, Hgher Grounds proves that busnesses that do well can stll help people n need. Ther Coffees for Change lne helps rase funds for mportant causes. Wth each purchase of these coffees, Hgher Grounds donates a porton of the proceeds to the promoton of organc agrculture, educaton about economc justce, protecton of brd habtat and ndgenous rghts, and the constructon of potable water systems. To learn more, vst

5 Local season s upon us n the produce secton. The employees are excted; we enjoy havng the freshest vegges, fruts and berres possble to offer to our fellow cooperators. So, what s n store for the produce cooler ths summer? As the Produce Buyer, I have spent a great deal of tme preparng for ths season. I have met wth all the farmers, they have ther seeds planted, are watchng them grow and weedng around them. I have vsted most of ther farms and they are busy! Ths year we have new farms and old farms and everythng n between. I am lookng forward to what each of them has to offer. Our lst of farmers ncludes, but s not lmted to: Woodland Mushrooms and Sprouts, Jerry Montn, Campus Grow, Dawn Star Farm, Pelcher Farm, Whmsey Farm, Sharon Farchld, Monroe Famly Organcs, Cooley Farm, Sunny Meadow, Swer Famly Farm, Sunny Slope Gardens, Hlltop Farm, The Roost Famly Farm, Hygea Homestead, Yoder Famly Farm and Rollns Famly Urban Homestead. There s a total of 17 locatons wthn approxmately 30 mles of GreenTree. So what wll GreenTree have for you ths summer? A contnuum of fresh and local optons! We wll begn wth sprng mx, spnach, str fry mxes, lettuces, rhubarb, strawberres, herbs and mushrooms. Soon after we wll be carryng chard, arugula, bok choy, kale, peas, green beans, other berres, green onons, zucchn and yellow squash. Hopefully some Chnese eggplant and patty pan squash wll make t past the gardener s ktchens and nto ours. Later n the season we wll have peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, kohlrab, black eggplant, melon and carrots. August wll The Last Strawberry Frut Gazapacho Recpe by Legh of cheaphealthygood.blogspot.com Because the frut s well n season, there s no need for added sugar. The mnt adds that je ne sa quo that all my frends are catchng on to. It used to be my secret weapon, but t s become a trademark. Add mnt to just about any frut dsh and you wll receve prase to the stars. Use just about any frut you lke. I found watermelon to be a terrfc addton because t was on sale (!) and provded a good amount of lqud. If you opt out of the melon famly, you may need to add more juce. Get Some Local Flavor By Molly Kampf, Produce Buyer, Co-op Owner Ingredents 1 cup watermelon 1 cup pneapple 1 cup mango 1 cup strawberres 1 cup orange juce 2 tbsp lme juce 10 mnt leaves, chopped 1) Wash and chop frut nto coarse chunks. You don t have to be neat about t; t s all gong nto the blender/food processor. 2) Whz the lme juce, watermelon, and yellow fruts together n the blender 1 mnute or untl smooth. Pour nto large bowl or storage contaner. 3) Combne berres and orange juce n the blender. Zap for 2 mnutes or untl completely pureed. 4) Add chopped mnt leaves and blend brng that magcal week or two flled wth the best and sweetest sweet corn of the entre year. Fnally, the potatoes, yams, pumpkns, broccol, caulflower, celery, and onons wll begn to arrve. We may have a short growng season n Mchgan, but our farmers wll pack t full of delcous optons to satsfy our palates. We are especally excted about the local strawberres. They wll be arrvng from Cooley s n abundance! These brght red berres are flled wth Calcum, Vtamn C and Vtamn A; they are delcous and nutrtous! Strawberres are always pcked by hand, as the berres lke to hde under the plant s leaves and are just too tender for a machne to pck. There are over 200 pests that can nvade a strawberry plant and ts frut. Where there are pests there are almost always pestcdes. They are developed to protect the frut, but may be harmful for humans and the envronment. Strawberres have soft skn that s extremely susceptble to the absorpton of pestcdes; they are one of the top sx foods that researchers recommend you eat organc.* Fortunately, we only carry Certfed Organc or local strawberres. At GreenTree, local means that we have vsted the farm or garden and approve of ther growng practces. No chemcals or sprays are used on our farms! So, are you as ready as GreenTree s for the full flavor of local season? *For more nformaton about what fruts and vegges you should eat organcally see: 1. ns/today-today_health/t/organc-food-t-worth-extra-money/ 2. for couple of mnutes or so. 5) Stran out the berry seeds f you want/have the patence (I ddn t bother). Pour the berry mx nto the watermelon mx, and str to combne. 6) Chll for at least 2 hours or cool down wth a few ce cubes to serve mmedately. 7) Garnsh wth mnt sprgs; serve to mmms and wows. Yelds about 16 oz and approxmately 6 servngs (Note from your edtor: I love to serve soup lke ths wth a bg dollop of home made vanlla whpped cream on top. Delcous!) 4

6 GreenTree Cooperatve Grocery: By Sarah Chrstensen, General Manager, Co-op Owner Net Proft Percentage of Sales to Owners-52% Marketng/Owner Servces: In 2010 the Mt. Pleasant Food Project, GreenTree s outreach program, began our 2 nd communty garden adventure- the Pne Street Communty Garden. GreenTree s msson s to empower people and celebrate communty through food and cooperatve prncples. And celebrate we dd! In 2010, we had a 40th brthday weekend full of dscounts, a bke gveaway, and of course, cake. Overall, t was a sold year, wth approxmately 10% sales growth and an 18.5% ncrease n the number of Co-op Owners. As members of the Natonal Cooperatve Grocer s Assocaton (NCGA), we were able to renegotate our contract wth Unted Natural Foods Inc., whch translated nto lower shelf prces for you. We ncreased our tranng and professonal development for staff and focused on havng fun! Customer servce contnues to be our most emphaszed area of operatons. We hre for t, tran t, and expect t. We know that customer servce s never perfect, but we ntend to keep amng for excellence Hghlghts Products and Servces: Our top sellng tem n 2010 was Sunny Slope Garden Eggs We started the Pne Street Communty Garden Staff members show off our new Co-op T-shrts. Began our Kds Club program called Green Sprouts Expanded Owner benefts by creatng Communty Partners Program Fnance: Total Owners-843 Total Equty Invested-$ Total Owner Dscounts $ (va owner apprecaton day) 5 A hand panted sgn welcomes vstors to the Pne Street Garden. Thanks to the generosty of the Central Mchgan Mental Health Facltes Board, and the loan of a water tank from Gratot County Parks and Rec, we were able to transform a vacant lot on Pne Street nto a neghborhood garden. Plots were avalable free of charge to nterested partes. Graham s Organcs kndly donated compost and Jerry Sundberg of Sunstar Landscapng helped wth sol testng, locatng top sol, and good old-fashoned sweat equty. Specal thanks also go to Jaquelne Upshur for her sgn desgn and creaton. It really was a communty effort and one that we wll be able to contnue to provde n Green Sprouts get some fresh ar whle craftng brds.

7 The 2010 Annual Report Green Sprouts We also added a kds club to our Outreach offerngs n The Green Sprouts club s free and open to anyone. Kds club members receve a free pece of frut every tme they shop wth ther parents. We also hosted kd-frendly actvtes every 3 rd Saturday of the month. Communty GreenTree s a strong and growng part of the Mount Pleasant communty. We apprecate the opportunty to collaborate and support other busnesses, organzatons, and people n and around Mount Pleasant Communty Assocaton Membershps Chamber of Commerce Naturopathc Communty Center 2009/2010 Contrbutons, Donatons, and Sponsorshps Mard Gras Parade CROP Walk Wares Far CMU Health Far Trbal Health Far CMU Earth Day Mt. Pleasant Earth Day Mt. Pleasant Sdewalk Sales Art Reach Char Affar Vowles Teacher Apprecaton Mount Pleasant Dscovery Museum Isabella Communty Soup Ktchen Chppewa Watershed Conservancy WCFX Salute to Workng Women Commsson on Agng Health Far Isabella County 4H Awards Wellness Central Ftness Yoga Retreat Beal Cty Kndergarten Md Mchgan Cyclng Club NCC s Trunk or Treat 2010 GreenTree Events- After 40 years n the food Co-op busness we are a source of not only food, but food nformaton and Co-op nformaton. In 2010, GreenTree sponsored the followng events: Cookng Workshops Annual Membershp Meetng Eat Local Mount Pleasant 2010 Cooperatve Assocaton Membershps: Cooperaton among cooperatves s one of the seven cooperatve prncples. We beleve 48% strongly n the cooperatve busness model and value our relatonshp wth the followng Co-ops: Natonal Cooperatve Grocers Assocaton (NCGA) **Through our partcpaton n NCGA, we are members of the Organc Consumers Assocaton (OCA). Cooperatve Grocers Informaton Network (CGIN) Natonal Cooperatve Busness Assocaton Common Cooperatve Fnancal Statements 2 subscrptons to Cooperatve Grocer Magazne The Cornucopa Insttute (an organc watchdog group) North Country Cooperatve Development Fund Fronter Natural Products Co-op 2010 Expenses 24% 2010 Ow ner vs. Non Ow ner Transactons 4% 2% 1% 1%1% 52% 67% Owner Transactons Non Owner Transactons Cost of Goods- Personnel Occupancy Operatng Admnstratve Governance Dscounts 6

8 The Back of the Box By Laura Coffee, Marketng & Outreach Manager, Co-op Owner The nformaton on food packagng can vary from confusng and msleadng to helpful and nformatve, but no matter what a company s market strategy, there s one consstent gude to the truth about your lunch: The Nutrton Facts. The nutrton nformaton found on the back, sde, or bottom of your packaged food s regulated by the Food and Drug Admnstraton (FDA). There are strct gudelnes for every part of the label, ncludng the font that can be used. The basc layout of the chart wll be the same, regardless of package sze, though larger packages may also nclude a more detaled breakdown of a 2,000-2,500 calore per day det. The daly values on each label are based on a 2,000 calore det. You may need to consume more or less based on your age, sex, body sze, and actvty level. The most mportant pece of nformaton on the label s probably the servng sze and the number of servngs per contaner. Located rght below the words Nutrton Facts, the servng sze helps put all the other nformaton on the label n perspectve. Thnk about how much of a food you typcally eat, and then compare t to the servng sze. You mght be surprsed to learn how large a dfference there s between the two amounts. If you typcally eat a cup and the servng sze s only a half cup you wll need to double all the nformaton on the label to understand exactly how much salt, sugar, and fat you are really gettng from your food. (Tp: If you have trouble stoppng after one servng try measurng out a sngle servng nto a bowl. Put the rest of the package away before you begn eatng.) If you look to the rght of the servng sze you wll see that t s also lsted n grams. Whle most of us aren t gong to wegh out a servng of potato chps ths nformaton can come n handy, especally when comparng two dfferent products. A one-cup servng of cheeros weghs 28 grams. A one cup servng of spoon sze shredded wheat weghs 49 grams. That s a pretty bg 7 varaton, and t can help put nutrtonal dfferences between the two cereals nto perspectve. The next pece of nformaton s the number of calores n a servng. (Calores ndcate how much energy you are gettng from a servng of food.) Ths s further broken down to show how many of those calores come from fat, what types of fat they come from, and what percentage of your daly recommended ntake those calores consttute. Remember, the percentage lsted s not tellng you what percent of your food s made up of fat. It s tellng you how much of the total amount of fat (100% or about 65g) that you should consume over the course of one day s n one servng. The FDA consders 40 calores per servng to be low, 100 to be average, and 400 or more to be hgh. After calores you ll fnd cholesterol and sodum. The FDA states that (deally) your total ntake of fat, cholesterol, and sodum should add up to less than 100% of the recommended Daly Value (DV). That s, you are probably gettng enough of these nutrents and need to know how much a product contans so you can avod overdong t. The recommended DV for carbohydrates and fber are the opposte. The FDA recommends you get at least 100% of the DV for these ngredents. Generally 5% or less s consdered to be a low amount for any nutrent and 20% or more s consdered hgh. Don t forget, f you eat two servngs you need to double those percentages! Some of the tems lsted on the nutrton facts do not have a recommended DV. Ths s because there s no concrete scentfc evdence as to what consttutes a healthy average amount. Sugar, proten, and trans fats fall nto ths category. Many companes have begun to cut trans fats from ther recpes snce New York banned ther use n restaurants n Untl more conclusve studes are done, t may be best to lmt your ntake of trans fats as much as possble snce they have been lnked to an ncrease n heart dsease. The amount of sugar and proten you need vares wth personal health and weght concerns. Your Health Care Provder or qualfed Nutrtonst should be able to help you work out ths number. The last thng on the table wll be a breakdown of the vtamns and mnerals contaned n your food. These numbers, lke those for fber and carbohydrates, ndcate that you should get at least 100% of the DV. (Artcle Contnued on page 10)

9 The Spa Space Gve yourself a seasonal treat wth ths delectable strawberry cleanser from EcoBeauty by Lauren Cox wth Janet Cox. I have defntely struggled wth my far share of breakouts and oly teenage skn. Ths cleanser s my favorte to use durng those tmes. Strawberres contan alpha hydroxy acds, whch help exfolate your skn by removng surface mpurtes and dead skn cells, leavng you wth clearer, smoother skn. 6 whole strawberres 3 tablespoons wtch hazel 2 tablespoons almond ol Put all of the ngredents n a blender and blend untl smooth. Pour the cleanser nto a clean jar wth a tght-fttng ld and store t n the refrgerator, where t wll keep for about 2 to 3 weeks. To use, place a small amount n the palm of your hand, then gently massage t nto your skn. Rnse well wth warm water, then pat your skn dry. Yeld: 3 ounces A Word From the Board By Mke Brockman, Board Char, Co-op Owner The Board s fnally playng wth a full deck. As of the recent Annual Meetng and Board electon, GreenTree has all Board seats flled. We are happy to welcome Lz Busch and Jay Felds to the Board, and extend our grattude to Erc Baerren for re-uppng for yet another 3-year term. It s been a whle snce all 9 Board postons have been flled, and I thnk t s a good sgn for GreenTree. The next couple of years for GreenTree wll be exctng and, at tmes, controversal, as we seek to expand our servces to nclude an n-house prepared foods department, and further down the road, to move to a new locaton. It wll be nce to have more voces nvolved n the process. Makng decsons that affect close to 1000 other people s a bg responsblty, and we don t take t lghtly. Havng two more votng members at our meetngs wll allow us to feel more confdent about the decsons we make. As I have stated before, we would also lke to see more nterest n Board meetngs from the general membershp. I also want to use some of ths space to extend thanks to Mark Smth at Kraphol Ford for (once agan) allowng us to use ther bg tent for our Annual Meetng. Not only dd they gracously grant our request, they sent ther own employees to set t up and take t down (at our convenence). It s great to have ths type of support from another busness n the communty. As long as I m dshng out the thanks, I shouldn t forget to thank Tm Brockman of Max and Emly s for allowng us to use hs restaurant for our Board meetngs, whch often extend past hs normal hours of operaton. We have been meetng there monthly for the past 4 or 5 years, and probably have not thanked hm enough. Well, I hope you all have your gardens n, and have a fun and productve summer. See you at GreenTree! Ad Rates: Small ad: 3.5 wde by 2.0 hgh: $45 per ssue ($40 per ssue for GreenTree Owner-members) Large ad: 3.5 wde by 4 hgh: $ 85 ($75 GreenTree Owner-members). Space n the Fall 2011 newsletter must be reserved by August 15th. Ad spaces are based on a frst-come, frst-serve bass dependng on the layout of each newsletter. Payment must be receved wth cameraready or hgh resoluton electronc copy (jpg, pdf, or gf) at the tme of reservaton. 8

10 Communty Partner: Buckley s Canoes By Jeff Kuhns,, Co-op Owner Are you lookng for an opportunty to explore the natural world? Or searchng for an actvty that wll entertan and exercse the entre famly? Buckley s Mountansde Canoes allows you to experence the beauty of the gentle Chppewa Rver n true three-dmensonal hgh-defnton! Buckley's Mountansde Canoes s a famly-owned and-operated busness honorng the tradtons establshed by John and Donna Buckley over nearly 40 years. The Busch famly s proud to contnue a strong practce of envronmental and communty stewardshp. One sustanablty project, started by the Buschs, nvolves turnng retred canoes nto organc garden beds. Thanks to Buckley s, you can check out one of these great canoe beds at GreenTree s Pne Street Garden. On the communty front, keep an eye out for dsplays of local artwork when you stop by to rent your canoe. You can jon Buckley s sustanablty msson and help preserve the rver s natural wonder by pckng up trash and debrs n the rver whle you canoe. Or lend a hand by collectng bottles and cans, then Buckley s wll redeem the deposts for The Chppewa Watershed Conservancy. The msson of the Chppewa Watershed Conservancy s to protect natural habtat and open space n the countes of the Chppewa Rver watershed. Vst ther webste at for more nformaton and plenty of volunteer opportuntes. Buckley s locaton, drectly on the Chppewa Rver just off of west M-20, allows you to begn or end your canoeng or kayakng convenently at your vehcle. From May 20 th untl September 5 th, summer hours take effect and Buckley s wll be open seven days a week! On weekdays, they wll be open from 10 am untl 5:30 pm and on weekends, from 9 am untl 6:30 pm. After September 5 th, fall hours of operaton are dependant on weather. Check the webste for up to date nformaton. You can choose the length of your rver voyage; optons range from one to fve hours. The sectons of rver for whch Buckley s provdes servces weave through mles of natural forest n Sylvan Solace, Deerfeld and Merdan parks. The Chppewa Rver averages a depth of three feet, though the water table s generally hgher after the sprng thaw. Reservatons can be made by callng (989) or onlne at Stay updated on the latest rver condtons by vstng Buckley s Facebook page. We are proud to welcome Buckley s Mountansde Canoes as GreenTree s newest Communty Partner! Buckley s has agreed to provde you (GreenTree Owners) savngs that wll have you paddlng back for more. On weekdays, owners at GreenTree receve $5 off canoe rentals and $2 off on kayaks! They offer 60 canoes, 28 sngle kayaks, and 3 double kayaks to help facltate your aquatc adventures. The rver s callng you, and now you are ready to take the paddle. Make your canoe debut today! Who are GreenTree s Communty Partners? Justce Records- Owners of GreenTree receve $1 off of every new tem purchased, as well as buy one get one ½ off all used tems n the store. Lavana Shurtlff Jewelry- Greentree Grocery owners receve 20% off any merchandse purchased at Lavana Shurtlff Jewelry Contact Lavana at or Wellness Central Ftness Wll wave ntal sgn-up fee for GreenTree Owners Buckley s Canoes GreenTree Owners get 5$ off any weekday canoe rental or $2 off any weekday kayak rental. Phone: (989) , E-mal: nfo@buckleyscanoe.com If you have your own busness and are nterested n becomng a Communty Partner, please contact us. GreenTree Cooperatve s always nterested n fosterng tes between small busnesses and creatng awareness of the resources the Mt. Pleasant communty has to offer! Contact us at or laura@greentree.coop

11 Staff n the Spotlght Featurng: Andrea Hernandez, Team Leader, Co-op Owner Where are you from? Born n Lakevew MI, rased n Vestaburg, MI. How dd you frst fnd the Co-op? Explorng the Downtown area. I was lookng for healther choces than what other stores offered. How long have you been workng here? Snce January 31st, What s the best part of your job? Customer nteracton and leadng the team of s! Do you lke to cook? Love to cook! Especally wth new/unque ngredents. I actually collect cookbooks! Bakng s my favorte. Descrbe your perfect breakfast. Scrambled eggs wth mushrooms & cheese, Applegate Sunday Bacon, Oat & Nut toast wth jelly, and a grapefrut! What s your favorte GreenTree product? Ooh That s a tough one! Can I say everythng? Favorte move? Eat, Pray, Love What s your favorte thng to do n Mt. Pleasant? Take my famly and dog to the park for a walk and pcnc. I love all the Mt. Pleasant parks! Tell us somethng about yourself others mght not know. I m an open book, f you re around me enough there sn t much you won t know. Where are some of your favorte travel destnatons? New Orleans, L.A. I love that cty more than anythng and have been there the last two years and plan to go every year from now on! Tucson, AZ s beautful, and also Florda s amazng! What are your hobbes? I love to make cards and craft. I love cookng, knttng, and horse-back rdng too! What musc s playng n your car, home or head? The Cranberres, Mumford & Sons, Katy Perry, Dave Matthews Band. Where do you see yourself n 10 years? I hope to stll be at GreenTree, maybe have some lttle ones runnng around at that pont! And celebratng my 10 year weddng annversary of course! Jerry H. Sundberg Manager P.O. Box 331 Mt.Pleasant, MI sunstarlandscapng@gmal.com Back of the Box Contnued Vtamn Fortfed foods may contan much hgher levels of one nutrent than another as they are added back nto the product after processng. Fnally, rght below the nutrton nformaton, you wll see a lst of ngredents. Ingredents are lsted by weght, wth the frst tem on the lst beng heavest. So f the frst ngredent on the lst s Hgh Fructose Corn Syrup there s more of that n your food than anythng else. The lower somethng s on the lst, the less of t there s n your breakfast, lunch, or dnner. Nutrton labels are mportant. Just a quck glance at the servng sze can help you make healther food choces. For an easy frst step try revstng your chldhood and read the back of the cereal box! Tp: Whole foods don t have a nutrton label or lst of ngredents, so you mght have to do a lttle research. Try foodcomp/search/ for a comprehensve gude to the nutrents n your food. FDA Labelng Gude: consumernformaton/ucm htm Calore Calculator: calgude.htm 10

12 214 N. FRANKLIN AVE. MT PLEASANT, MI Locally Grown Communty Owned Hey Kds! Are you a Green Sprout yet? Membershp n the GreenTree Green Sprout Kd s Club s free and fun! Sgn up today and start gettng a free pece of frut every tme you shop n the store. We also have membershp cards, brthday greetngs, and specal drop-n actvtes. Keep an eye out, there s a new schedule comng soon! And now you can fnd fun stuff on GreenTree s webste! Just grab your parents and go to You can prnt out your very own Co-op colorng pages. If you want to brng them nto the store when you re done we ll hang them up for everyone to enjoy! Communty Garden Info All avalable plots at the Pne Street Communty Garden locaton have been flled for ths season. However, we are now pleased to be able to offer addtonal plots at our brand new Jameson Park locaton. After all, the world can always use another garden! Please contact Sarah (sarah@greentree.coop) for more nformaton on ths second communty garden opportunty. Love to garden but can t commt to a plot for the entre growng season? Why not lend a hand and contact Mt. Pleasant Food Project va Facebook?