[cgfc] CGFC Weekly eNewsletter, Volume 1, Issue 1

[Lisa BK]

Groundwork? Ground Table? Edible News? Tasty Bytes?

Whatever its name, welcome to the first "issue" of Common Ground Food 
Co-op's weekly (for 
now) e-newsletter! You're getting this missive because you're a member of 
Common Ground 
who's also signed up to be on the CGFC mailing list. If you aren't 
interested in receiving 
these updates, please email commongroundfoodcoop at gmail.com. A paper version 
is posted on the 
bulletin board in the store.

Every week, via this transmission, members will be provided with store 
updates/news, links 
to relevant news items/political actions, and other bits and pieces worthy 
of mention. If 
you have anything of a similar bent you think members should know about, 
please email links 
to commongroundfoodcoop at gmail.com. Thanks!

Without further ado:


QUICK STORE UPDATES:

***The new CGFC website is about 2/3 of the way to "live". It'll look dreamy 
and have plenty 
of oomph; plans are underway to eventually include an online forum/bulletin 
board, a blog, 
and an RSS feed, among other things. It should be ready to launch in early 
August.

***Molly, CGFC's product buyer, has created a separate website purely to 
inform membership of 
outages/new in-stocks and to ask for suggestions. This site will be 
operational and its use 
encouraged even after the main CGFC site is launched! You can find it here:

http://www.cgfcproducts.blogspot.com

***This summer's drought has been rough on CGFC suppliers/CSA farmers Jim 
and Diann Moore. 
There's a fundraiser going on to help these folks buy hay to feed their 
livestock this 
winter - if it doesn't rain, they won't have hay. More information can be 
found here:

http://www.prairielandcsa.org/drought.htm

***Pine nuts! On sale! $6.80/pound! That's half-price! Now you know what to 
do with all that 
basil from Blue Moon or Tomahnous (or your backyard)!

***Outreach co-coordinator Lisa B-K is looking for volunteers! Farmer's 
Market volunteers 
are always welcome - CGFC will be at the Urbana Farmer's Market July 30, 
August 27, and 
every weekend in September. 

Volunteers are also needed to work at the CGFC table at an event in Douglass 
Park in 
Champaign on Saturday, 13 August anytime from 10 AM - 6 PM. Volunteering for 
events is an 
easy & painless way to get core worker hours - please email 
commongroundfoodcoop at gmail.com 
if you're interested in helping out at either event.


GOT A FEW MINUTES?

Here are some links on the world wide web coordinators have pulled together 
that the 
membership might find informative, thought-provoking, or, well, kinda funny:


***Join the organic rebellion! This short film created by the Organic Trade 
Association 
borrows, um, quite heavily from Star Wars (warning: not so great if you're 
on dial-up):

http://www.storewars.org/flash/index.html

You can download the entire press release for the film here:

http://www.storewars.org/docs/ota_pr_storewars.pdf


***Lisa B-K's current favorite food/food politics weblog, written by a 
farmer in North Carolina:

http://bittergreensgazette.blogspot.com/


***Here's an excellent website advocating "a condition in which all 
community residents obtain a safe, culturally acceptable, nutritionally 
adequate diet through a sustainable food system that maximizes community 
self-reliance and social justice":

http://www.foodsecurity.org/

***See what this California family can do on 1/5 of an acre:

http://www.pathtofreedom.com

***Brandy, CGFC's produce coordinator, thought this article on tattooed 
produce might be of interest:

http://tinyurl.com/awn7k (if registration is required and you're not 
registered, use "greenpolicy" as the username and "gr4een" as the password)

***"The Center for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends lemon 
eucalyptus oil as well as the chemical picaridin as long-lasting and 
effective alternatives to DEET for warding off mosquitos. As scientists 
discern a connection between global warming and the spread of diseases, many 
carried by mosquitoes, it's best to be careful."

Full article here:

http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc.mhtml?i=108&s=insects

CDC press release here:

http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/r050428.htm

***The Summer 2005 issue of LiP magazine is out and has a terrific article 
on organic food and standards - "Organics: Meaningful or Market Niche?". The 
text of the article isn't online, but the magazine is findable here in town. 
There is, however, a cool interview with Traditional Medicinals' Josef 
Brinckman on their site:

www.lipmagazine.org <http://www.lipmagazine.org> - scroll down just a bit 
and you'll see it there on the front page.


Please feel free to forward these links to people you think might benefit 
from such knowledge! 

Let's have some feedback on the name, the format, the content! Email 
commongroundfoodcoop at gmail.com with suggestions.

Thanks and look for the another installment next week...


::newsletter compiled by Lisa B-K. CGFC Outreach Co-Coordinator::
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