Our newsletter is also available on our website in English and French
May 2007
One of the most common things we hear at the Co-op cash register is: "I'm sorry, I left my reusable bags at home." We've all been there. Our reusable bags, coffee mugs, and containers have to be chained to our wrists or we'll forget them! Sure, we have reused shopping bags on hand for these situations. We can just recycle the bags afterwards, right? According to an increasing number of communities around the globe, this isn't enough.
Message to Members
Spring has sprung, and the birds and the bees are buzzing at La Maison Verte! Check out our Event section for some great upcoming activities including International Fair Trade Day and our Annual General Meeting.
Gardening season is now in full swing. We already have a selection of organic garden plants on sale from Jardins de la Terre www.jardinsdelaterre.org.
Tomatoes!
Be sure to stop by Saturday May 19 for our first delivery of HERITAGE TOMATO and other vegetable and herb transplants from Ferme du Zéphyr. We will be taking pre-orders this year. To order you must come by the Co-op to fill out a form and leave a deposit. Forms and a full list of available plants can be found on our website!
This day will also feature a FREE TREE GIVEAWAY, courtesy of the Quebec 4H Club, and some planting workshops for the kids.
Thanks to: Gilles Rondeau, Johanne Deshaies - Translation; Johanne Bouthillier - Revision
Events
MAY 12
Saturday, 10-5 p.m. International Fair Trade Day In celebration of International Fair Trade Day, La Maison Verte will offer a 10% discount on EVERY fair trade product in the store!!! Organizations around Quebec including Équiterre will hold numerous educational activities on fair trade and showcase the diverse products that are available from May 1-15!
MAY 19
Saturday, 10-5 p.m. HERITAGE TOMATO delivery #1 plus 500 FREE TREES! Today we will receive our first delivery of organic heritage tomato, vegetable and herb transplants from Ferme du Zéphyr! For the full list of available plants visit our website. Also on the 19th, pick up a variety of free trees ready for planting, courtesy of the Quebec 4H club, and stay for a planting workshop for kids!
MAY 23
Wednesday, 7 p.m.: La Maison Verte's Annual General Meeting (AGM) This is a great chance for members to get involved with the Co-op, elect representatives to our Board of Directors, approve our financial statements and find out about upcoming projects!
MAY 28
Monday 7:30pm: Nutrient dense foods and how to use them with jae steele, RHN, Holistic Nutritional Practitioner
New Products
- Bio Grow natural liquid fertilizers
- Neem oil (a natural insecticide)
- Coco fiber blocks peat moss alternative
- BITCH magazine (feminist response to pop culture)
- Seedlings (tomatoes, herbs, flowers, and other veggies)
- Natural, organic, local body care products by Soins Corporels l'Herbier
Member Specials
- 10% off all biodegradable & compostable bags
- 10% off all Sunscreens & Citronella products
Members' Corner (continued from above)
There are an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags used worldwide every year, according to Vincent Cobb, founder of www.reusablebags.com. These bags are made from non-renewable and pollutioncausing petroleum and natural gas and can take from 400 to 1000 years to dissolve in our environment. They end up in the stomachs of sea creatures, suffocate vegetation, or wrap around fence posts. When they do disintegrate they leave behind non-biodegradable toxic residues.
But things are changing. From Singapore all the way to smalltown Manitoba, governments and grassroots groups alike are working towards solutions to our plastic bag problems.
Here are just some of the things going on:
Leaf Rapids, Manitoba: Last month this northern Manitoba town of 550 residents became Canada's first plastic shoppingfree zone (joining San Francisco, the first U.S. city to implement such a ban). Although they may be facing challenges from the plastics industry, town officials say that there is strong support for the ban from residents and local businesses. Numerous cities across North America are showing interest in similar bans.
Ireland: Since 2002 Ireland has imposed a PlasTax of $0.15 on each plastic bag taken at the checkout counter. This small step leads to a 90 percent drop in plastic bag consumption and generated $9.6 million in revenues. Areas of Bangladesh, France, Australia, Singapore and South Korea also have restrictions on plastic bags.
Quebec: In the province of Quebec we use at least 1.4 billion plastic bags a year and only 10 percent get recycled. In April 2005 the PQ proposed bill 390, a law to ban plastic bags in the province. An online petition supporting the bill has amassed close to 70,000 signatures and will remain open until bill 390 is adopted. To sign the petition, and for more information on this topic, visit ecocontribution.com
So how can you quit our plastic bag addiction? Pretend the ban is already in effect!
- Be the change. Bring reusable bags with you wherever you go. Roll up a few in your purse, back pack, bike basket or car and leave them there. If you work in a store where plastic bags are used, convince management to make reusable bags available and/or to charge a plastic bag tax.
- Spread the word. Tell your friends and family why plastic bags are bad. Tell your elected officials to support Bill 390.
- When a plastic-type bag is absolutely necessary, like in the case of garbage disposal, try a biodegradable option. Biodegradable and compostable bags are now available in a range of sizes, from doggy bags to large sturdy curbside sacks.
With global warming and the environment on our minds, now is the time for real change and for new innovations to shine. Plastic bags have only been in style since the early 1980s. Let's make sure they're soon passé!
Members' Corner is a place for members to write or suggest articles about environment or community-related subjects of all kinds. Email your ideas to newsletter@cooplamaisonverte.com
5785, Sherbrooke street West, Metro Vendome + bus #105 - call us! 514-489-8000