Thoughtful Foods

My Moroccan veggies with couscous,

What a week!  We dined, we danced, we listened with awe & rapture to a plethora of co-opers (and a very cool choir) perform song, dance, and poetry. 

I'm also about 17 days away from turning in a 15,000 word paper.  Guess how well that's going?  So while I'd love to wax poetic about nature and song and the pursuit of balance, deadlines demand I skip straight to the good word:

News
AGM & Performance Night
from Lah
The AGM and Performance Extravaganza was amazing.  Thanks to everyone that came along, especially the wonderful performers.  Special thanks to Alice for suggesting the Thoughtful Foods' Performance Extravaganza.  Not only did we discover members' hidden talents, we built community and created co-op culture.  Thanks also to everyone that worked to plan and organise the event: Dylan for his technical expertise; Kersensia, Nadia & Emma, who did the cooking; and Monika who did a fantastic job putting the finances in order for the annual audit and AGM.

Egg cartons
from Andrew
Eggs are still on for summer, but we're running very short on cartons.  When you come to pick them up, we'd love it if you could bring your old cartons in.  Bonus points for taking an egg carton collection from your neighbours, friends, and from the art supply area of your local primary school.

Boxes
from Andrew
We're still running short of A4 boxes for our $20 orders.  If anyone would like a simple job which goes toward volunteer hours at the co-op, you could go to a few printing locations on campus and see if there are any empty boxes for us to use - ask a coordinator for location suggestions - or bring some in from work.  We're always running low and every single box of this size, even those falling apart and held together with sticky tape, is highly appreciated and valued.  Thanks to everyone who has been helping out with this!

Also, our styrofoam box population is steadily increasing.  If you'd like to take a few home to use for potting, compost, recycle bins, insulation for your backyard rocket ship, please feel free to take what you want.  We're having to throw some out because we don't have the for them all.

Jars
The co-op is, as always, in need of jars. If the shop is not open just leave 'em outside.  No take-out containers, please--we can't sterilize them. 
Cheers!

Bread
from Andrew
This week is our first week of organic bread orders!  If you weren't around to place an order last week, be sure to come by this Thursday to see how amazing (and cheap!) it is!  Orders must be written down by the end of Thursday for you to get bread the following week in your veggie box.  This is only available to members and all orders must be paid in advance.  (If there is any confusion, Chris has helpfully written instructions on the front of the order book.)

Email addresses
from Andrew
Last week we began using new email addresses for egg orders and vegetable inquiries and it already seems to be making life a little easier for everyone.  I don't know about you but I've, personally, been getting a lot more sleep because of the change.  To clarify what the difference is, we now have permanent addresses for you to use rather than having to, for example, check the bulletin to see who to send egg orders to for that particular week or having to try to find the right coordinator to direct your suggestion that we should totally be buying more potatoes.  The addresses are:  eggs@thoughtfulfoods.org.au and veggies@thoughtfulfoods.org.au.


Volunteers
Tuesday Vollies Needed
If you're available Tuesdays from 9 - 11, pop by the co-op to give Lah a hand with washing up, restock, jarring honey etc.  If you're keen email lovely Lah: angela.johnstone@gmail.com

Thursday Volunteers
from Andrew
Thursday last week went very smoothly due to our lovely volunteer team.  When you're in next, remind them what an awesome job they're doing!  We had all the vegetable boxes done by 11am and everything looked tidy!  Still, if you'd like to come by and help out for a while (and earn valuable discounts in the shop!) please put your name down on the roster for a time you're available.  We'd love to have you around and there's always something to do.

However, if you're not available during shop hours but would still like to help out, let Andrew (mcnicolandrew@gmail.com) know and he'll try to think of a few things you might like to do.


Veggies
Always on (except when the shop's shut) and always delicious, last week's boxes were practically in bloom and overloaded with green goodness.  Get in on the action by slipping your order, paid in full, under the door by Wednesday 9:00am.

An important note: since we're no longer in Uni weeks, please put the date on your ordering envelope.  This week's date is 20 November.  This will prevent confusion and mistakes.  Cheers!


Eggs
Eggs are still available each week. Please send egg orders to this new address eggs@thoughtfulfoods.org.au by Monday of the week you wish to pick-up, or place your order in the shop the previous Thursday.


Community
UNSW Public Lecture: Nuclear Energy
WARNING: Strong opinion!!
On Tuesday 18 November, UNSW will present a free public lecture on the necessity of choosing nuclear energy to 'rescue' us from the impacts of climate change. 
This flies in the face of everything we know about ecological degradation: waste & potential for catastrophe aside, nuclear power plants are enormously carbon intensive to build, run and maintain (then there's the water issue!), don't have much of a shelf-life, and do not address the underlying consumption issues that are at the heart of climate change & most other ecological problems. 

I would encourage everyone to attend this lecture and engage the speaker in a polite, intelligent, well thought out dialogue during the question-and-answer session.
Leighton Hall, 6 - 8pm, 18 November

From the Randwick Organic Community Garden
from Lah
With others I have been working on a Sydney Community Garden Calendar for 2009.  It features eleven gardens, a planting guide and poetry for every month.  I am delighted to say that RCOG feature strongly: on the cover, in January with Jessica's gorgeous pics, and in December (which is about arts in the garden) and which features Damien's beautiful faerie girls. Our own Emma supplied the planting guide.

We will launch the calendar on Thursday November 27 at tea time (5.30pm - 6pm start) in the garden and invite all our friends and supporters to come along.  There may even be a choir to serenade us. Our world famous BBQ, legendary salads and home baking will, we hope, make it a night to remember!  If you'd like to help the event please let me know. 

Upcoming Workshops: The Watershed
Free (woohoo, free!) workshops in the Newtown area brought to you by The Watershed.
* Natural personal care : 18 November, 6:30 - 8:30p : Newtown Library
* Natural cleaning & home detox: 22 November, 10 - noon : Newtown Library

Check out the website for more details, contact info, and a longterm schedule.


Buy Nothing Day!
Saturday 29 November is Buy Nothing Day!  Instead of heading for the shops, spend some time with family, friends, bush-walking, beach-bumming, and otherwise disengaging from consumer culture.  We are more than the sum of our material possessions!  Honor yourself, the people you love and your beautiful planet by buying nothing on the 29th.