Our newsletter is also available on our website in English and French
June 2008
Holistic cooking, solar panels, and starting an organic farm
Message to Members
Welcome to summer everyone! After quite a busy spring we are gearing up for the hotter months. Throughout the summer we will continue holding regular member meetings to work towards greening La Maison Verte (see Footprint Committee in Events section). We'd also like to welcome two new workers, Paula Belina and Katerine Grandmont, who you may have already met in the store!
And thanks to everyone who ordered organic tomato, vegetable and herb transplants throughout the month of May. We welcome you to send us photos of your gardens, and bountiful harvests.
Thanks to: Isabelle Sanchez, Christiana Lauri and Gilles Rondeau (Translation); Johanne Bouthillier (Revision)
Don't forget we carry biodegradable plates, cups (including clear corn plastic cups) and cutlery for summer events! We also sell all-natural sunscreens and insect repellent safe for all ages.
Events 
Please phone or visit the Co-op to sign up for these events. For more information visit our website.
JUN 11
Wednesday, June 11, 7-9 p.m. (Co-op La Maison Verte)
Accès Énergie: Solar energy info session for homeowners
Going solar has never been easier! Énergie Verte Benny Farm's Accès Énergie project makes adopting solar energy more affordable than ever, by creating solar energy buying groups to enable homeowners to purchase and install solar water heaters at a lower cost and without the stress and hassle of going it alone. EVBF also provides free consultations to assist homeowners to evaluate whether solar energy can be used efficiently in their home and to choose the most appropriate technology.
New Products
G-Diapers! We were delayed in getting these popular flushable/biodegradable diapers in the store for May. They are now available (!), but we recommend phoning first to ensure they are in stock.
Calcium, lime & rust remover, and triple concentrated HE laundry liquid from Nature Clean.
Member Specials
Until June 15, 15% off all Biovert products (not including bulk)
10% off of our all-natural, paraben-free sunscreens
Eco Logic
VEG ID: Whole foods cook, holistic nutritionist, and author Jae Steele discusses our food choices, and her new cookbook
Just moments ago I got an e-mail from my publisher in Vancouver telling me that the first printed copies of my vegan cookbook Get It Ripe: A fresh take on vegan cooking and living (Arsenal Pulp Press) have arrived. I've also just returned from a weekend in New York City where I attended the first Veggie Pride Parade ever to be held in North America. You could say that over the past few days I've been particularly aware of my vegetarian identity.
With the arrival of my book, and its distribution throughout the world, I am putting myself out there publicly as someone who promotes a vegan diet. All the recipes in the book are free of meat, dairy, eggs, and honey (as it comes from bees and is therefore technically not vegan), as well as wheat (though that's a personal choice, not a vegan requirement). The first couple of chapters of the book explain how readers can build a completely plant-based diet and still meet all of their nutritional needs.
At the Veg Parade this past weekend, we marched through the streets of Manhattan, from the Meat Packing District (oh, the irony!) to Washington Square Park. There were about 600 people in attendance, and while I'm sure we weren't all strict vegetarians, we were all in support of lifestyle choices that reduce animal suffering. Our parade programs listed chants like "Hey hey, ho ho! Factory farming's got to go!" and, "What do we want? Vegan options in our schools! When do we want it? Now!" These chants I was happy to call out freely. But one chant I was less comfortable with was, "No meat! Go veg! No meat! Go veg!" This sentiment, you may be surprised to hear, does not resonate with me.
Even with my public persona as whole foods cook with a particular penchant for tasty vegan baked goods, I have never wanted to tell anyone that they should drop all animal products from their diet. My personal food choices come from a combination of environmental concern (growing veggies takes up fewer of the world's resources than meat production does), health consciousness (I dropped 10 pounds and lost my allergy to cats in the first month that I cut dairy from my diet), and animal compassion, I don't think my diet choice is right for everyone. I do believe, as a nutritionist, that we should all be eating more fruits and veg, and little to no refined foods. That might mean that we "eat vegan" most of the time. I think it's fair to say though, that some people do feel better when they eat meat or eggs from time to time.
Do I think these people's bodies tell them to eat the eggs of de-beaked chickens, or drink the milk of cows hopped up on hormones though? No. It's really about making the right animal product choices-those that are organic and come from animals that were allowed to graze local pastures and soak up the sun. I'm calling for an approach where people make conscious food choices, for their own health, and that of their children, and the planet.
I wonder when we'll come up with a word for people like me that encompasses all that?
Jae Steele is a holistic nutritional consultant who has offered monthly nutrition talks at La Maison Verte over the past year. She can be reached through her website at http://getitripe.com
Also in Eco Logic this month:
Breaking new ground: Learning how to run an co-operative organic farm
Eco Logic 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