Educational
Co-op Cafe
Last week, three of our board members attended the Co-op Cafe workshop in downtown Raleigh hosted by CDS Consulting Co-op. It is designed as a roundtable discussion of common themes, issues and strategies surrounding food co-ops. It was well-attended by our local co-ops — Durham Co-op, Weaver Street Market and Chatham Marketplace were present as…
Read MoreThink Global, Act Local
The Community Market Co-op is built on the premise that each of us can make healthier choices for ourselves, our families, our local environment and our world. The phrase “Think Global, Act Local” fits right into this philosophy! The origin of this famous mantra is debatable, with credit being given to the Scottish town planner and social activist, Patrick Geddes in 1915, founder of Friends of the Earth David Brower in 1969, U.N. advisor Rene Dubos in 1972, and Canadian futurist Frank Feather in 1979. No matter who first coined the term, this environmental call to action is relevant for us today in regards to where and how we purchase our food.
Read MoreAttracting Eastern Bluebirds to Your Garden
Many thanks to our guest author and co-op owner, Carol Stein for contributing this article. Eastern bluebirds are my companions in the wee morning hours from February through June when the males serenade potential mates. It’s not just romantic chatter – male blues will defend territory to the death against rival suitors. ~Healthy insects attract…
Read MoreGood & Cheap: Eating Well on a Limited Budget
Eating a healthy, nutritious meal can have many obstacles for people, but money should not be one of them. As recently as 2014, 46 million people were on SNAP benefits (formerly known as food stamps) and millions more live on limited grocery budgets. To help with this daily challenge, The Community Market Co-op co-hosted “Good…
Read MoreThe NC 10% Campaign
[Written by Anne-Marie Kaden. Read her bio at the end of this post. photo source: NC 10% Campaign] Did you know that North Carolinians spend $35 billion on food each year? If we, as a whole, spent just 10% of that money on locally grown food, $3.5 billion dollars would be pumped right back into…
Read MoreFair Trade…What & Why it Matters!
[A special thanks to our Blog Guest Writer, Taylor Lane. You can read more about her at the end of this post. photo source:Fair Trade USA ] “Life’s not fair”…it’s a mantra we’ve repeated to ourselves a thousand times. Most of us heard this as a child, and we’ve even probably recited to our…
Read MoreTEDx Manhattan “Changing the Way We Eat”
Every once in a while I have a serendipitous moment where I think “wow, did that really just happen” or “did I really just find this gem?” And yesterday was one of those rare times. If you use any social media channels, then you are familiar with those “suggested connections” based on other people or…
Read More6 Ways a Food Co-op Can Change the Economy
I spend quite a bit of time in my role as Outreach Coordinator reading about and researching the cooperative business model and what other cooperatives across the country are doing. I’ll admit that, before being hired, my knowledge about co-ops was limited. As a member of a regional credit union, I knew the basics, but…
Read MoreCo-ops are Everywhere!
We spent October celebrating Co-op Month in our area of North Carolina, but did you know that the cooperative business model spans across many industries AND across the globe? Or did you know that the UN declared 2012 the International Year of Cooperatives? (www.2012.coop, the official IYC 2012 global website) To celebrate the IYC,…
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