Annual Spring General Membership Meeting Agenda: and Election of Board of Directors (BALLOT ON PAGE 27) • Meet and greet, with light fare for adults and kids • Report from General 5 p.m. Saturday, May 19, 2007 Summit Presbyterian Church Auditorium Manager • Report from President of the Board • Approval of minutes from previous General Membership Meeting • By-law changes discussed and Greene & Westview Streets voted on • Breakout sessions for member discussion of co-op values and Board Positions to be filled for 2-year terms: 4 At-Large Directors /1 Staff Director priorities • Open sharing and discussion following breakouts • Childcare will be available Announcement of Board of Directors Election Winners May 2007 Vol. 36, No. 5 559 Carpenter Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19119 phone: 215-843-2350 · fax: 215-843-6945 www.WeaversWay.coop Manager’s Spring Arrives... Down on the Farm Spring to the Corner by David Zelov PHOTO BY General Spring is official- D Buying from Independent America ly here and it’s time to AVID Membership Z by Glenn Bergman plant After a winter ELOV spent planning and Meeting! In March, the WW Education Com- ordering, I can finally by Linda Farthing mittee sponsored a showing of the film “Independent America” a documentary get out and work in Want to be the first to find out who by two dropouts from the corporate the soil (not dirt — the new Co-op Board members are? world of national media. Overall the film we don’t have any of Have the chance to see old Co-op was not one of my favorite documentaries that stuff on our friends, make some new ones and talk of all times, but the power of chains of all farm). Things got to your Board representatives? Enjoy re- types to change the fabric of our country started slowly in freshments while discussing the core came through loud and strong. It became March, particularly principles and values that guide our clear that unless a community has a Wal- with the three inches Co-op? Mart, folks will just leave one community of sleet we received Then the Spring General Member- to drive 30-60 miles to the Wal Mart in mid-month, but they ship meeting on Saturday May 19 at the another community to shop. To compete have quickly sped up. Summit Presbyterian Church (corner of with that Wal Mart, communities without Peas and other cool WYNCOTE ACADAMY STUDENTS WORK ON SEEDLINGS FOR Greene and Westview) is the place for a Wal Mart try to get one in their town so weather crops can THE WEAVERS WAY FARM AT THE ACADEMYS GREENHOUSE. you Just a block away from the Co-op, they can keep people shopping in their usually be planted you can get your shopping done before of transplanting peas, beans and corn, I community and even draw shoppers from around St. Patrick’s Day, but this year, I the 5:30 p.m. start time and walk over. decided that we could do the same. So on other communities that still do not have would have needed an ice pick to get “Coming to the annual meeting March 16, I planted 1,400 pea seeds in the one. It is a vicious cycle that feeds upon through to bare ground. I was concerned means that people will know what the greenhouse. Just a couple days ago, these itself until all the little fish are all fished about not getting peas in as early as I Co-op is doing and provides you an op- pea plants were transplanted out into the out and are gone. Left standing (or swim- would have liked, but after attending a portunity so that the Co-op can know field, and they are looking great. ming) are the larger fish, who add little to most useful greenhouse production what’s on your mind,” says Sylvia Seeding continues in the greenhouse Carter, long time Co-op activist and the fabric of the community. The local workshop at Spiral Path Farm in (continued on page 4) Loysville, PA, and learning their methods (continued on page 10) (continued on page 27) Visible Progress at Ned Wolf Park “Independent America” Kicks Off by Ronda Throne-Murray PHOTO BY Education Committee Film Series Work has start- by Larry Schofer convincing local people that it is in their R ed in Ned Wolf ONDA A small but enthusiastic crowd gath- interest to organize to protect their pre- Park, but you can T HRONE ered at Video Library on March 14 for a cious local assets. Locals have to be con- still pitch in if you vinced that it is worth shopping local, -M showing of the film “Independent Ameri- would like. The or- URRAY ca.”This was the kickoff of the new even if in many cases the immediate cost ganizers of the Ned monthly education committee film series. is higher. Wolf Park Project The film is a documentary report of a The film consists of lively interviews, (NWPP) are Ronda two-month trip by car throughout the good interaction with the makers, and is Throne-Murray, United States, running from Seattle to punctuated by light humor. my husband, Bruce Vermont and back, to look at the state of The moral of the story is that local P. Mur r ay, our mom and pop stores. The couple who communities have to convince their neighbor, Syd Car- made the film had two basic rules - buy hometowns to buy local. All the examples penter, and her only in local stores and do not travel on in the film are of small towns, not of big husband, Steve SOME OF THE DEBIRIS THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN inter-state highways. city locations like that of Weavers Way. Donegal. Here’s REMOVED FROM NED WOLF PARK They investigated many small towns, After the film, Glenn Bergman, some news about they unattractive and blocking good gar- any number of which have had their Weavers Way general manager, discussed what is going on, who has joined the ef- den space, but they were dangerous. downtowns devastated by the appearance with the group the possibilities of buying fort, and how you can help. A special thanks to Co-op Staffer of big-box retailers on their edges. The fo- local through Weavers Way. This is not Ned Wolf Park is now on the city’s Stephanie Johnson, who had read our cus was on Wal-Mart, Borders, and Star- necessarily an easy task, since economies radar and their maintenance contracts. first article in last month’s Shuttle. bucks, but the film was by no means a of scale and local marketing arrange- On March 29, the City Dept. of Recre- Stephanie just happened to be outside the witch-hunt against voracious monsters. ments often work against local producers. ation sent a crew of men with jackham- Co-op and knew what the jackhammer Consumers vote with their dollars, and One of the strengths of Weavers Way is mers who removed the cement blocks crew was talking about when they the authors found that the only way that with large metal bars sticking up out of some small towns have survived is by (continued on page 2) them. I was thrilled because not only were (continued on page 5) Weavers Way Cooperative Association Presorted Standard Vote for the 559 Carpenter Lane · Philadelphia, PA 19119 U.S. Inside: POSTAGE Product News 3 PAID Board! Philadelphia, PA Candidate Statements 12 Permit No. 2658 see Candidate Statements on page 12-13 & Board Ballot 27 BALLOT Suggestions 28 on page 27 And of course... scads more PAGE 2 THE SHUTTLE MAY 2007 Editor’s Note Expansion: PHOTO COURTESY OF by Jonathan McGoran A Tale of Two Co-ops For the first time in a while, by Ted Barbato S we have competition for election to the EWARD board of directors, and that says something As Weavers Way confronts the ques- C about our Co-op. It says, people really don’t O - tion of expansion, two thriving co-ops in OP like doing their hours in the store. We also have several new products on Minnesota and California approached the Co-op shelves, including Peace Oil, which matter in very different ways. is being produced by a group of Arabs, Is- One chose to completely relocate the raelis and Palestinians working together for store, a move that is still in progress. The peace in the Middle East. The presence of other chose a less ambitious plan, open- oil has always had a calming effect on the ing a satellite store, and it ended disas- Middle East. trously. We have another installment of the Seward Co-op Grocery & Deli, Cultural Moment in this issue. I’m a big fan of the Cultural Moment, mostly because it Minneapolis, Minnesota only takes a moment, and then you can go The Seward Co-op, founded in 1972, back to being an uncultured lout. had already expanded four times at its We also have news on a new series of current site. With sales increasing nearly workshops especially geared toward owners tenfold in the past decade, the board be- of older homes. Topics covered include: gan exploring another expansion three How to Curse Fluently in Seven Different years ago. Adding to the current building Languages; First Aid for Traumatic Injuries; itself was considered, but that became un- The Ins and Outs of No-Fault Divorce; and feasible when a deal to purchase adjoining How to Explain to Your Children that You real estate fell through. Spent Their College Fund on Crown Mold- ing and a New Sewage Line.