Our newsletter is also available on our website in English and French

December 2009
Make your holidays as green as can be!

Message to Members

The holiday shopping season is upon us, so if you are looking for eco-friendly, fair trade and organic gift ideas, then look no further. The Coop offers a great selection of gift ideas, including beeswax candles, stainless steel food containers, skin creams, fair trade and organic chocolate and coffee and much more. Our staff has also prepared lovely gift baskets filled with carefully chosen products. Happy holiday season on behalf of La Maison verte!


From the Board of Directors:

On November 16, 2009, the Coop finalized the purchase of the building it has occupied since November 2000. After a year of hard work, Coop Board members signed the act of sale and transferred ownership to the Coop. The Board of Directors would like to thank the Caisse d'économie solidaire Desjardins, the Fiducie du Chantier de l'économie sociale, Investissement Québec, the Réseau d'investissement social du Québec and the Corporation de développement économique communautaire CDN-NDG for their confidence and patience in the project.

The Board of Directors would also like to thank all of the members who contributed to the building project by purchasing Preferred Shares. Your contribution was essential to the whole project and it is not an exaggeration to say that it would not have happened without you. We would especially like to thank Ira Salman for his generous contribution that, in the 11th hour, allowed us to continue.

The purchase will bring much change to 5785 Sherbrooke W.. In many ways, it is a new beginning for the Coop and provides an opportunity to imagine and build the home we want for our Coop. Over the next few months, we will begin an extensive renovation of the building. This renovation will include changes to our storefront space which will allow us to offer a wider selection of products and have more space for community activities.

There are many ways to participate in this process. Keep an eye out for more information on how to participate in the days and weeks ahead. Information will be posted in the newsletter and at the store. Drop by and find out what's going on.

And PLEASE don't forget that Preferred Shares are still available. These shares were key to the purchase and will continue to play an important role as we renovate the building. Your investment will bring you a 1.5% annual return (payable after 5 years) and the knowledge that your money is working to improve your community. For more information, visit our web site or contact Jason Hughes at jason@cooplamaisonverte.com.


The Board would like to thank Peter McQueen for his participation on the Board as a Support Member representative. We wish him all the best in his new role as City Councillor for our very own NDG District. We know he will represent us well.

In addition, we would like to welcome Franco Boriero to the Board. Franco worked as a Customer Service Agent at the Coop from May 2007 to October 2009. He has been the Communications Coordinator since March 2009. He was appointed to the Board at a meeting held on Monday, November 9, 2009. He joined the Board as a Worker Member representative.


Real food for sale: Ferme Mange-Tout is now selling winter baskets. These baskets consist of salad and cooking greens from the greenhouse, plus two weeks' worth of storage vegetables such as squash, cabbage, turnips, potatoes, beets, carrots, celeriac, Jerusalem artichokes, parsnips, onions, garlic, etc., all of which, of course, are certified organic. Baskets cost $27 if you pay in advance, or $30 "at the door" - a bargain either way. December deliveries are Tuesday, December 1 and Tuesday, December 15, from 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM. For more information, email info@fermemangetout.ca or call (514) 942-8473. Please support sustainable local food production: "Vote with your Fork!" www.fermemangetout.ca


Thanks to: Geneviève Tardif (translation), Joanne Deshaies (translation), Karine Leroy (translation) and Katerine Grandmont (translation)

Events

To sign up for an event, please call or visit the Co-op. Unless indicated, events are bilingual and free. For more information, visit our website.

Eco Logic

Earning That Green Stripe

By Stéphanie Guico

Cooperatives are anything but business as usual. They are an alternative to the plain bottom line, as their purpose is to measure success in economic, social and ecological terms while responding to their members' needs. As private corporations are flaunting their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) skills, the cooperative movement is capitalizing on what they have been doing all along. Here, we take a look at how cooperatives have been working through the 6th & 7th principles to act on environmental issues... To read the rest of this article, visit http://www.cooplamaisonverte.com/en/node/1775

The Politics of Food

By David Merson

In May 2006, the Government of Québec established a public commission on the future of agriculture in the province. Following almost two years of study and public consultations, the Pronovost Commission released its findings and issued a report suggesting major changes to the government's approach to the production and consumption of food. The report was very progressive and offered a ray of hope to a fundamental sector of society which is in peril, but in getting ready to release its follow-up agricultural policy, the Charest government seems content with the status quo... To read the rest of this article, visit http://www.cooplamaisonverte.com/en/node/1776

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Eco Logic is a place for members to write or suggest articles about environment or community-related subjects. Email your ideas to newsletter@cooplamaisonverte.com

5785, Sherbrooke street West, Metro Vendome + bus 105 - call us! 514-489-8000