Delaware County Enviro Fair 2012

Join Co-op Board Member and Swarthmore Co-op Education Committee Member, Helen Nadel at the Delaware County Enviro Fair 2012.

“Cooking in the Sustainable Kitchen”

Helen Nadel will explore sustainable food choices and their impact on the environment, human health (both consumer and farmworker), and animal welfare, but won’t stop there.  Because it’s not just what we buy but how we use it that helps sustain the planet.  So we will connect to the joy of cooking and eating well, and figure out how – in the rush of our weekly lives – we can make kitchen activities a sustainable part our our lives.  Everyone will take away recipes and tips for menu planning.

This year’s EnviroFair will be bigger than ever! The themes will be A Taste of the Earth (from farm to table, eating in or dining out) and Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Expo (from alternative vehicles to alternative transportation systems. Sponsored by the Earth Care Council, it will feature dozens of vendors, agencies, and non-profit groups (including TTM & TBM!) who will be exhibiting their information and products. Don’t miss it!

The Delaware County Enviro Fair 2012 Saturday, April 14, 2012 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM Strath Haven High School, 205 S. Providence Road, Wallingford, PA

Themes This Year:  A Taste of the Earth Farm to table, eating in or dining out. Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Expo From alternative vehicles to alternative transportation systems.

The Co-op goes BYOB!

In January the Co-op rolled out their Nine Ideas Program.  Each Month Marc will be selecting the best idea proposed by a Co-op employee that supports one of the following nine ideas:

1. Be Distinctive – How can we set ourselves apart from the other grocery stores in this area?
2. Update the Store – Which areas can we expand or revamp to make better?
3. Capitalize on Publicity – What/How can we highlight to draw our customer’s focus to that area?
4. Create Personalized Relationships with Local Producers – Who can we visit, what can we do to increase the relationship with our local vendors and producers?
5. Support Other Local Businesses – What businesses can we support to increase our community connections?
6. Build Strength in Numbers – How can we build a collective local brand and engage the public through education and a unified voice?
7. Get to Know your Shoppers – How can we be better at cultivating our personal relationships with our customers and members?
8. Participate in Local Organizations – What local clubs and interests can we support that will show our customers we care about what they care about?
9. Make Pricing Competitive – How can we change or be sure we are active in changing the perception that our prices are too high?

 

Get the idea of the program?   With only two months in we have gotten an amazing amount of submission from our employees.  Marc has the tough job of picking which idea is the best and most practical for the store.  This past month (February) he selected an excellent idea submitted by Amanda Hunter.  Amanda suggested that the Co-op have a bag credit  to encourage members to remember to bring their usable bags.  Now, if you notice at the bottom of your receipt from the Co-op there is a reminder that the Co-op is now BYOB (Bring Your Own Bag).  So next time you go shopping make sure to bring your bags and you will receive a five cent bag credit per bag!   Check the blog in the next few weeks to see March’s Nine Idea winner, it’s going to be a good one!

Kitchen Harvest at the Co-op!

Have you ever wondered where all of our old/unsellable produce goes?  Well the answer is, twice week a local recycling business called Kitchen Harvest picks up our unsellable veggies and takes them back to their farm in Media to make compost.  Kitchen Harvest is a family run business that provides the local community with a variety of services including food and yard waste collection, compost producers, gardening and natural recycling.

The Co-op has also partnered with Kitchen Harvest’s Compost Cash program. “Compost Cash” is a currency used by Kitchen Harvest and can be used as actual cash here at the Co-op and several other locations.  For more information or to find ways to support Kitchen Harvest check out their website   http://www.mykitchenharvest.com/index.html

Check out the Swarthmore Co-op Conversation Wall!

The next time you are in the Co-op, be sure to check out our new interactive conversation wall in the back bathroom corridor.

Imagined and donated by the Swarthmore Employee Council this chalkboard paint allows creativity to run free.  Some of the missions of the Employee Council are to create a postive and pleasant work environment and to bridge the gap between the Co-op employees and the local community.

The Swarthmore Co-op Conversation Wall

The Employee Council’s next project is to give the employee break area a makeover.

Stay tuned for before and after pictures!

New Puddings from Harry’s Famous Puddings

The Bakery at the Swarthmore Co-Op has starting carrying a new company for their puddings.  Harry’s Famous Puddings is a local company from Glenolden.  They make homemade puddings such as Rice, Vanilla, Chocolate, Butterscotch and Bread Pudding.  The Bread Pudding has many different flavors, like French Toast, Cinnamon Raisin, Regular and many others.  So come out to the Co-Op, take some pudding home and let our Deli/Bakery Manager Jessica Haenn know what your favorites are so she can keep them in stock for you.