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

February 2010

Message to Members

February is a quiet month at the Co-op, or is it? Behind the scenes, staff and volunteers are hard at work preparing for the upcoming renovations to our now permanent home as well as our annual organic heritage seedling sale in partnership with Ferme du Zéphyr and, of course, Valentine's Day. To find out what's happening at your co-op and how you can help, read below, visit our website and online shop, or better yet, stop by the store, and enjoy a delicious hot chocolate while you're there.

From The Liaison Committee
We would like to express our thanks to Helene Mayer for the energy that she has dedicated to the Board of Directors of Coopérative la Maison verte since she was elected in 2004. Helene will step down from her role as President of the Board of Directors on January 31, 2010. Helene has generously leant her knowledge and skills in the areas of business administration, development and human resources. We wish Helene all the best in her future endeavours!

There are currently two vacancies on the Board of Directors: one user member position and one support member position. We are seeking individuals with knowledge and experience in the areas of marketing, business administration, internet development and fundraising who are committed to the mission of the Co-op. Persons interested are asked submit a letter of interest to the secretary of the Board, Janis Warne, who can be reached at secretaire@cooplamaisonverte.com.


Food, Food and More Food
Coop la Maison verte and Ferme du Zéphyr are once again pleased to offer healthy, robust, organically grown herb and vegetable seedlings that you can order through the Co-op's online store.

Ferme du Zéphyr grows a wide variety of open-pollinated and heirloom seedlings that will produce colourful and flavourful tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, cucumbers, greens, salads, and herbs in your backyard or on your balcony.

Browse our online photo gallery: choose from over 40 varieties of tomatoes - the delicious Cherokee Purple, the crazy Green Zebra; our unusual Lemon Cucumber, and exotic Asian Lemon Grass.

Check out our on-line catalogue as of mid-February. Ordering can be done online or at the Co-op. Plant pickup begins in early May and runs to mid-June.

Ferme Mange-Tout is 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. February deliveries are Tuesday, February 9 and Tuesday, February 23, from 4 PM to 6:30 PM. For more information, or to reserve your baskets, email info@fermemangetout.ca or call (514) 942-8473. You can also reserve your baskets online. Please support sustainable local food production: "Vote with your Fork!"

Alter-Native Bio delivers food baskets to the Co-op every other Thursday. Baskets consist of organic and, whenever possible, local fruits and vegetables. For more information, or to register for the baskets, please visit their website.


Used Battery Depot
The Co-op, in partnership with Eco-Quartier NDG, is once again accepting used batteries.


Look-Up Gallery

This month, local artist G. Scott MacLeod is exhibiting some of his Lachine Canal Series and some of his Central Park work at the Co-op's Look-Up Gallery.

"G. Scott MacLeod has seized upon a vanishing history, that of the Lachine Canal, a historic artery of Canada's industrial history rapidly changing into a residential and recreational place.

The Lachine Canal is a living legacy of Canada's economic and social history. Once a 14.5 kilometer water route linking Montreal's Old Port to Lake St. Louis, the canal opened in 1825. When the St. Lawrence Seaway opened in 1970, a long history of canal shipping ended. G. Scott MacLeod's paintings and drawings bring out the essence of the industrial era, and art becomes a vehicle for expressing a context of buildings, bridges, cranes, docks, and boats." - John K. Grande


Eco Logic Contributors Wanted

The Co-op is looking for regular contributors for its blog. If you would like to write about the environment or local issues, please send an email to Franco Boriero at newsletter@cooplamaisonverte.com.


Thanks to: Anne Fournier (translation) and Katerine Grandmont (revision)

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.

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