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2001 » Spring | Summer | Fall | Winter | Special Edition
2002 » Spring | Summer | Fall | Winter | Special Edition
2003 » Winter
Inside this issue:Thanks to the Inventory Crew January 7th!
Bonnie Alunni, Bill Urzen, Diane Sammelwitz, Barbara Bason, Laura White, Chuck Powley, Helen Kedziora, Ann Kolodzey, Susan Schulz, Stew & Nancy Rafert, Suzie Ashonead, Marian Peleski, Kristin Whitcore, Kate Vinson, Kelly Cirino, Dix, Dave Springer, Barbara Kerner, Pat Eba, Bob Warren, Pam Borkowski, Maria Phillips, Jennifer Mullican, April Dawson, Brad Dawson, Janey Bowen, Sylvia Adams, Dave Adams, Andy Ritchie, Shaina Meiners, Gwen Mis, Robin Lindsay, Bill Naylor, Nature Love, Joanne Woodall, Walt Wagner, Jen Rugh, Shea Rugh, Dave Nevins, Diana Wise, and Janey Bowen! Apologies for any misspellings or missing names!
As we close yet another chapter in Co-op history, we hand over the end of year figures (July 1, 1999 through June 30, 2000) to our Certified Public Accountants for review. Even though the figures have not yet been officially approved, we can move past that fiscal year, even past the current fiscal year, and look to the future.
It is now time to begin planning for our next fiscal year (July 1, 2001 to June 30, 2002). It has been quite some time since the Co-op has gotten to the point of planning ahead, rather than fixing problems as they materialize. I believe this will help the Co-op's performance tremendously; not only will this planning improve the financial strength of our Co-op, but also better help the Staff and Board Members meet Member - Owner needs.
'The Co-op exists to fill the needs of the membership'. What are your needs? What are the needs we are fulfilling appropriately? In what areas do we need to improve? Where would you like to see the Co-op in five years?
This is YOUR store...what is YOUR vision for the future?
The Staff, Board, and I will be answering these questions for the next fiscal year. I would like constructive input from Member - Owners. While giving your input, please remember some Principals of Cooperation taken from our Orientation Handbook:
Do you have a good idea? Are you willing to volunteer (and earn work credit) to help follow through with your proposal? If so, please write your thoughts down, and place them in the suggestion box located in the office. Please include your name, Member number, and any special talents you may have.
Responding to a barrage of questions from a phone-in customer, Sylvia Adams listens carefully and smiles while making suggestions to combat a particular ailment. One of these countless phone calls came during our interview to find out just who our Staff Nutritionist is, where she came from, and just how she came to know all this information about nutrition and herbs.
Sylvia was raised in her early years in Hatboro, Pennsylvania, and subsequently moved with her family to Chestertown, Maryland, where she participated in a family-run health food store for eight years. In some ways, Bayside Health Foods and Days Delight opened the door to retail health food for Sylvia. Another motivation was her many food and environmental allergies, where Sylvia was forced to look for alternative sources of quality foods.
Working in the health food industry, Sylvia developed a passion for learning about nutrition and herbs. The certificates that decorate her wall include a B.S. in Nutrition, a Masters in Herbology, and a degree as a Certified Nutritional Consultant. Her knowledge astounds even the most versed naturopath, and helps our Member - Owners and customers in many ways.
"What I enjoy is helping people. I like when people say, wow, what you gave me really did help," Sylvia says with a grin.
We are certainly lucky we have Sylvia on Staff, and were pleased when she began work in November of 1997. "I liked the Co-op because we had more full lines of products. I liked the Co-op philosophy...it was a community 'thing' rather than a me 'thing'."
Sharing her knowledge with others has always been a central focus for Sylvia. Yet, keeping up with the changes in the vitamin and supplement industry hasn't been easy. "What we knew twenty years ago still holds true today, but we know more detail. We need more detailed information because there is more stress in our lives today, and disease is more rampant."
While the information base has grown considerably, as with a plethora of new products, Sylvia warns consumers of the validity of information on the internet. "Make sure you get information backed by reliable research" she recommends.
Listening is an central role in Sylvia's job here at the Co-op, and she loves it. She enjoys not only helping people, but also the 'craziness' of retail. Come and say hello and thanks to Sylvia Adams. You'll find her smile in the Vitamin Ailse.
Have you noticed a new face in the office? My name is Jennifer Mullican and I am the newest member of the Co-op family. I have never worked in a health food store but I have been working for non-profits for the past three years. I was searching for employment with an environment that honored individuality and a holistic approach on health and I have found both at Newark Natural Foods. Working here, I have already learned so much valuable information about vitamins, homeopathic approaches to medicine, organic foods and I am looking forward to learning so much more.
My main job at the Co-op is the everyday bookkeeping duties, such as entering invoices and reconciling the daily sales. I am also the membership coordinator and I am very excited about all of the new ideas I have for promoting new membership and ways of saying thanks for our sustaining members. I will be starting the promotions in December and hopefully having a new idea very month. If you have been thinking of becoming a new member or a member with great ideas to improve on our membership, please feel free to stop in the office and let me know your ideas. My hours are 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 9:00-1:00 p.m. on Friday.
I am very excited about working here and being the newest member at the Co-op. I am looking forward to meeting everyone and continue on my path of learning and growing. Please feel free to stop in and say hi!
I came up with this one over the summer, but it seems more appropriate for the winter, somehow. It's very rich; your dinner guest will love it. Date and berries cooked together and spiced, topped with Gjetost cheese (Norwegian caramelized goat cheese, it's like nothing you've ever had, great on toast) and pistachios. The tartness of the berries and the sweetness of the dates offset the savory nuts and aromatic cheese for a pie you can slice into 16 pieces and not leave anyone unsatisfied.
Many of us are aware of Calendula's vulnerary properties. This is one of the most popular herbs for healing cuts, abrasions, burns, and ulcers. In fact, calendula can be an effective aid for all skin problems: eczema, pimples, spotty skin, greasy skin, sore nipples of nursing mothers...However, during these dreary winter months there are other virtues of this sunshine herb which we would do well to incorporate into our lives.
For centuries Europeans have dried these flowers to add to soup broth during winter. This practice has been long believed to help the body ward off cold and flu. In fact, many herbalists recommend calendula as an immune tonic, to be taken regularly during winter months.
Taking calendula internally also cleans out the lymphatic system (which works extra hard during cold season), and thus may be employed in cases if swollen glands or when tiredness is accompanied by yellow around the eyes.
Calendula flowers are also fungicidal, and so may be called upon in cases of athlete's foot or jock itch. Herbalists Gail Faith Edwards recommends grinding the dried flowers into a powder and combining them with clay for this purpose. She has also used this technique for vaginal yeast infections. She states, "apply infused oil of calendula directly to the labia and also dust the surrounding area with calendula/clay powder."
Juliette de Bairacli Levy highlights calendula as an herb for the heart. She explains, "Because marigold flowers are of great benefit to the arteries and eins, the Arabs like to feed them to their swift horses--Arabian purebred horses are esteemed the world over."
And perhaps calendula can strengthen our hearts in more ways than one. For herbalists of old have written that simply looking upon calendula flowers lifts the spirits and strengthens the eyesight. In this respect, this herb-of-the-sun has been said to relieve winter melancholy. A few drops of the essential oil in the bath is a wonderfully simple way to invite calendula's sunshine energy to mingle with yours.
So, add those golden flowers to your soup. Drink some calendula tea. Now is the time to benefit from this winter tonic.
Reference:
Common Herbs for Natural Health, Juliette de Bairacli Levy
Opening Our Wild Hearts to the Healing Herbs, Gail Faith Edwards
The Book of Herbal Wisdom, Matthew Wood
A Modern Herbal, Maude Grieve
I would like to address a subject we all have to deal with and which none of us can escape called POWER. As the present becomes the past and we move to the future, we are constantly trying to gain more power in this school called earth. Some of us go about this by using people, manipulating terms, using hate and vanity. Some of us try escaping from the world by substance or sexual abuse. These are just some of the ways we try to achieve this phenomenon called power.
I am coming to the knowledge of power as I grow through time. I have learned that if you are striving for external power, you never achieve true power, just problems. If you try to achieve power authentically, being aware of every move you make and conscious of the repercussions of your decisions (caring about the harm you cause), you gain true power. This means that your soul has learned about this physical force that permeates and balances the Universe as you continue in future lessons.
So take a deep, hard look at yourself. Think of everything you do and the reasons for your actions. You may tend to see power as strong and dominant but in reality it is loving and forgiving.
In 1999, as part of the Board of Stewards and management's efforts to bring our operating expenses down and stop losing money each year, we began to look at our utility costs. If we could implement reductions in use of energy and other resources, our expenses would decline. If we also could reduce our impact on the environment and global warming, we would have a real winner.
To get a comprehensive, professional examination, The Board of Stewards contracted with the Applied Energy Group, Inc (AEG) to perform an energy audit of Newark Natural Foods. For a very reasonable price, we obtained an excellent eight-page report from Ralph Nigro, PE, a partner of AEG. In 2000, Ralph made a presentation to the Board of the salient points from his analysis. The Board is about to formulate an action plan to implement recommendations in the report.
The audit found refrigeration was the largest use of electricity. It also found a very high water consumption, probably due to the water purification unit, which "rejects a significant amount of wastewater to the sewer when running. " The audit found that the fluorescent fixtures used older lamps and ballasts. Newer equipment is up to 40% more efficient. The largest concern is the refrigeration equipment, however. Two of the units were seen as old and inefficient and the audit recommended replacing them. This has since been done. Several of the units use refrigerant gases banned by the Montreal Protocol as ozone-depleters. The audit recommended we take steps to either retrofit or replace this equipment. Retrofits can pay for themselves in 3 to 5 years, due to increased efficiency.
The audit estimated upgrading lighting and closing down unused accounts could save 10% of our $14,000 gas and electricity bills, but retrofitting or upgrading refrigeration equipment could produce the highest savings. High efficiency refrigeration equipment could reduce total electric consumption by 20 to 25 percent.
At our January Board meeting, we identified a line in the budget that will allow us to begin to implement these improvements. We will keep you informed of our progress.
As a member of Newark Natural Foods, you are likely to have an interest in sustainable living and development as well as organically grown foods. 'Sustainable Development' means living in this planet as if we intended to go on living here forever.
In our pursuit of ever increasing material possessions, we are laying waste to our planet. We are cutting down forests, damming river, polluting the air, warming our atmosphere, depleting fish stocks, the list goes on and on. If we truly want our planet to remain habitable for many generations to come, we must start somewhere and sometime. Why now here and now?
The first step is to understand the boundaries. "In order to live, people consume what nature offers" begins the web site that will show you how much you impact the environment. This is a comprehensive web site showing the average American "footprint" relative to the rest of the world. Nature provides an average person 5.5 acres of bioproductive space for every person living in the world. The average American uses 25 acres to support their lifestyle. Through our greedy lifestyle we are stealing from the rest of the world.
The questionnaire in this web site is simple. It asks questions about lifestyles that show how much impact you have on the world's environment. Take a look. And even if you think that you live a sustainable lifestyle, you may learn to do more.
http://www.rprogress.org/progsum/nip/ef/ef_main.html
Something is amiss with our attitudes towards kids. For instance, if David has trouble reading, we do not give him extra help or use phonics to teach him to read. We too often just label him with a "Reading Disorder" and give him a pill. When Rebecca argues with her parents about her curfew, we do not see it as normal adolescent behavior, we label her with a "Oppositional Defiant Disorder" and give her a pill.
ADHD and the drug Ritalin are found predominately in the United States. Other countries have not yet begun to apply the psychiatric labels and drugs the way they are used in the U.S. In one case, a child had been in an American school in a foreign country. The teachers from the U.S. were pushing parents to give their child Ritalin. Instead, they moved him to a British school that could find no problem with the child. Psychiatric labels, accompanied by more than a dozen psychiatric drugs, have permeated our schools and society. Teachers, principals, pediatricians, family physicians, neurologists, and psychiatrists have all created a situation in which from 5 to 25% of the school population is labeled ADHD.
The years between 1991 and 1995 witnessed a 200 to 300% increase in the prescribing of Ritalin, Prozac and Clonidine in the two to four year old age group (JAMA, 2000). But not only have these drugs never tested on children of this age, in fact two year olds should have all the symptoms referred to as ADHA. It is normal two-year-old behavior. The safety of these drugs in young children are in questions: Clonidine is an adult high blood pressure drug and Prozac is an adult antidepressant. Just because a drug is prescribed by a doctor does not mean it is safe for your child. A recent FDA report stated that less than 1% of physicians actually know the side effects of the drugs they prescribe.
Though Ritalin has been used for close to fifty years, it was not used for long periods of time in the past. For most of those fifty years, it was thought that children outgrew the ADHD symptoms. Consequently, children are taking the drugs for fifteen years or longer. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the studies done with these drugs prior to their approval for use was very short-term, only up to three months. Studies also indicate that Ritalin produces pharmacological effects similar to those fomented by cocaine. Cocaine and Ritalin go to the same receptor sites in the brain and cause the same high when taken in the same manner. The two drugs have been used interchangeably in medical research (Archives of General Psych, 1995).
The NIH releases a consensus statement on ADHD diagnosis and treatment in 1998. This paper found no valid, independent test to determine who has ADHD. Certainly many children have behavioral problems and difficulty concentrating, but giving those kids a label and pill does not cure or fix their problems. Beware: psychotic behaviors are consistently mentioned by manufacturers of the psychiatric drug as possible adverse reactions. Young persons taking psychiatric drugs have been the perpetrators of many of the recent, shocking incidences of school mayhem. Some of these individuals were not known to be violent before taking these medications.
Many drugs used to treat ADHD list as common side effects: decreased appetite, sleep problems, tics and irritability upon withdrawal. Individuals who manifest the symptoms called "ADHD" do not have a Ritalin, Adderall or other pill deficiency. They do, however, probably have a nutritional deficiency.
Specific nutrients are needed in the body to make its biochemical processes work properly.
1. Dry and canned Natural Foods
2. Enzymes
3. Flax oil bone meal
4. Multi-vitamins
5. Minerals
6. Antioxidants
7. Flower essences
8. Probiotics
9. Joint supplements
10. Yeast & garlic wafers
11. Breath drops
12. Homeopathic remedies
13. Natural shampoos
14. Healing salve
15. Herbal dip
16. Ear wash
17. Eye wash
18. Healthy treats
19. Pet care books
Lately, more people realize that the quality of food and nutritional supplements we feed to our pets greatly affects their overall health. Our pet section here at the co-op offers a variety of quality animal care products, which are natural and ethical. New products are frequently introduced so let us know if we are missing something your animal companion needs.
