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This is it! Join us at the May 28th General Meeting, because your vote matters! The General Meeting is at Middle School 51, 5th Ave & 5th St . at 7pm. Submit this form to receive work slot credit for attending the General Meeting or sign the sheet near Coop elevator beforehand. And please come vote YES to phase out the free distribution of plastic roll bags on the Coop's shopping floor by six months from the date of the GM vote. Read the full proposal and research  and please spread the word. Hope to see you there!

Our Coop (PSFC) opposes hydraulic fracturing— fracking—in New York State, and for good reasons. Fracking threatens NYC drinking water and upstate farmers’ ability to grow the healthy, affordable foods PSFC mem- bers have long relied on. What does this have to do with plastic bags? Many plastic bags are made from fracked gas! As fracking products, they contribute to the viability of fracking. Increased fracking will bring more frack-made bags. When we gobble up frack-produced consumer goods, we provide the excuse frackers need to expand their activities. Read more in the recent Environmental Committee Report on page 5 of the Linewaiter's Gazette .

The Environmental Committee of the Park Slope Food Coop is responsible for monitoring and assisting change towards more sustainable environmental practices.  It should also provide the fuel which keeps pushing the coop's environmental consciousness "envelope" and continue to set a visible example for coops, stores and our city.  It has done this since its founding and we hope will continue to do so.  This isn't the whole purpose of the coop, but it's one of it's stated missions.  The Environmental Committee will provide education where needed, and find answers to all the concerns which have been brought forth about the plastic roll bag phase out. With all of us working together for more real environmental change, we can make it happen, without the coop or its members suffering any ill effects. Please see the post on this blog about the coop's General Meeting on May 28th and vote to make the coop ever more responsible to the environment and to all...

At the General Meeting on Tuesday, May 28, Coop members will be asked to vote on the following proposal: "To phase out the free distribution of plastic roll bags on the Coop’s shopping floor by 6 months from the date of the GM vote. Shoppers are welcome to reuse plastic bags already taken from the Coop and elsewhere. Environmental Committee and other concerned Coop members will continue to work with our General Coordinators to educate our membership, provide a wider range of light-weight reusable bags for purchase, and determine the most equitable and sustainable adjustments for weighing produce and bulk products." The Environmental Committee has sponsored this proposal with the support of many concerned Coop members, in ongoing dialogue with our General Coordinators. We welcome the growing awareness and discussion of this issue in the Gazette, at General Meetings and elsewhere, and want everyone to understand the issues at stake. Our Mission Statement and Environmental Poli...

The Food Coop's Environmental Committee has enjoyed collaborating with other committees. Check out their blogs to learn more about some of the great work they are doing: The Animal Welfare Committee has only been in existence a short time, but has already surveyed several aisles of the Coop, to determine which products have been tested on animals. Their blog has a listing of their work, plus other useful information. The GMO Shelf Labelling Committee has been investigating which products on our shelves contain genetically modified ingredients, since US law does not currently require manufacturers to disclose this information. Their blog will keep you up-to-date on the latest in the quest for better labelling laws in this country and more.

Two chances this weekend to recycle your electronics! Sponsored by the Lower East Side Ecology Center, these events let you safely discard  unwanted electronics.   See a complete list of acceptable items .  Saturday, January 19, 2013  |  10:00am - 4:00pm   Flyer   Directions Tekserve, 119 West 23rd Street,  Manhattan  10011 Sunday, January 20, 2013   | 10:00am - 4:00pm   Flyer   Directions Prospect Park West and 3rd Street,   Brooklyn  11215 Can't make it to an event? You can also drop off your e-waste five days per week at the  E-waste Warehouse   in Gowanus Brooklyn.

The risk to the clean water and produce we enjoy from upstate New York, not to mention the beautiful land itself is at risk from hydrofracking. The time to comment on the latest plans from the NYC DEC is now— the deadline is January 11, 2013 . Please don't put it off—every comment helps. The easy-to-use form at the New Yorkers Against Fracking site will help you quickly construct a few comments and send them. Otherwise, New York State may look like this: Learn more about how hydro-fracking affects the food and water supply , as well as air quality and global warming. Farms in upstate New York: Photo by Keturah Stickann/John Menier Fracking image by J. Henry Fair