THERE IS NO PUBLIC HEARING *gasp*

So I had a meeting with Willy Hart, of Dining Services today and he was a really nice guy. We chatted about why the last attempt didn't go through and the possibilities that may be available in the future for a student run co-op. He also had insights as to Evergreen and the amendment to their contract with Aramark. So let's start there.

The co-op at Evergreen, according to Mr.Hart, makes no money. It's subsidized from fees, whatever the gap in money they make and cost of operation. The veracity of that has yet to be confirmed. If we were however, to accept this as truth, what would the likelihood of getting another fee in place for the co-op? On top of tuition hikes and a green fee already in place for awesome project ideas, would there be room? It may only be $5 from students but at a time like this, I think the mention of any extra money would be enough to make people wary. Something to think about and possibly present at the tabling session on Wednesday.

Next point; NO PUBLIC HEARING. This made me sad, I had been led to believe that there was such a thing and I was getting all fired up! However, there is not. It will be a closed bidding meeting and the notes of the meeting will be released after someone is announced to take over the new contract. This will be in April/May time frame. This actually doesn't affect this effort that much. Several reasons;
1. Holy mother of god, this is less work and since I'm up to my eyes in all sorts of school work, this is WELCOMED. There is less of a rush on trying to get everything and rally everyone.
2. We have more time! One point Mr.Hart made was that the movement at Evergreen was ultimately a University decision and that's what it would be here. So this really comes down to us being able to lobby the administration and show that there IS support.
3. More time. I feel like this is the biggest relief ever.

There are members of the AS that will be present and able to give questions to Aramark and Sodexo on our behalf. I am going to get in touch with them and ask that they look over a list of questions from those of us that are concerned with the outcome of this. I've got a few pertinent questions that I shall share here but I urge all of you to come up with some awesome ones and send them to wwufoodcoop@gmail.com or on the Facebook page; Western Student Food Co-op!

1. Do you knowingly use suppliers that use seed from Monsanto?
If so, how is that working with your ethical conduct idea that you've stated is central to your business?
(They could easily bluff on that one, so it's more me just being interested if I've unknowingly ingested GMO's
2. Would you be willing to work with students in a creation of a student run food co-op? Why or why not?
3. (To Sodexo) Can you tell us a little more about your supplier code of conduct and hot it addresses respect for people and more specifically, the environment?
4. (To Aramark) What would you bring to Western that you feel is lacking now? What sort of nutrition changes might you bring?

So, some of them are weaksauce but get some of the juices flowing for you other folk?

I know, long blog posting but it's meaty, right? A pastured, organic meaty-ness that is :D

JUST KIDDING ABOUT THIS WEDNESDAY

Ok, I've been known to jump the gun about a variety of things in the past. This is one. A few things still need to be worked out and planning before tabling happens, so it's been moved to NEXT WEDNESDAY. Everything else I said, still applies :)

Other than that, I would like to give a big THANKS to everyone who dined at my place on Sunday, the Raw Potluck was a success! In the future, I am going to call it Real Foods potluck to be more inclusive although there were a few dishes (or should I say fishes) that were cooked. But delicious and FLOSS-Y all the same. I think there were about 17 people there and all the food was really yummy!! Hopefully we can get an even bigger group of people next time! Pictures taken by the lovely Lauren will be up soon as well :)

Also, if you're so inclined, send me pictures of your food! And I will post them! Either with your name attached or not, just let me know ahead of time so we can marvel at your culinary masterpiece! But really, it could be scrambled eggs from a local dairy or bread you just made. But you made it. So it's really worth celebrating! :D

Hope your weekend was productive and fun, all at the same time!!

Copy of Email

Hey everyone! 

    Firstly, thank you for taking the time to put your name and email down and a brief interest point for the co-op. I think you all learned very quickly that the sooner you put your name down, the sooner I would go away. Also to those in my animal one, I apologize for threatening you. But only a little. I think my favorite interest point so far is "damn tasty food" so thank you Karsten for that :) 

Secondly (I can pretend I'm organized enough to put these all down numerically...) I would like to give you first few a heads-up on whats going with this whole idea. Because it's a nice one. 

So this weekend will be devoted to co-op planning and sorting as I stole the previous co-op box and it's living in my room. I have looked through everything and WOW, there is a lot of useful things in here and using what's here and what Cofed has given me, theres enough information to keep me busy till spring quarter! I found the old banner and the Western Front article on the co-op and in honor of the amazing organization and ideas put in this co-op box, the banner is so staying and becoming a part of this new effort. Plus it's pretty cute.  

PLEASE BE ON THE LOOK-OUT FOR INFORMATION ON THE PUBLIC HEARING! This public hearing is one between Sodexo and Aramark where they will be presenting their proposals in the bid for the new dining contract. This is where we go HEY YOU, WITH THE MONEY COMING OUTTA YOUR POCKETS, SHOVE IT AND LET US BE FOODALISCOUSLY FREE FROM YOUR CORPORATE INTERESTS. In our heads anyway. We stand up and say nicer things so they will be more likely to "allow" a co-op which I realize is a bullshit thing to say. We shouldn't be allowed to want healthy food thats sustainable and allows our generation to continue to eat.  

To end my ranting and shift to a positive note, if you would like to become involved and help out, I strongly recommend coming to the SSF (Students for Sustainable Food) meetings, Mondays at 4pm, VU 425. There is clearly no meeting this Monday, as we will all be sleeping late and savoring the last days of freedom before finals. Email the prez, Caley DeVries if you are interested in becoming a member; devriec@students.wwu.edu! 

Final thing to say; I am going to be tabling next week, Wednesday, allllll day lonnnggg in Red Square. So you should 

a) Come by so I can yabber at you and force you to yabber at other people with me 

b) yabber at other people with me 

c) yabber at other people in other corners 

d) show your support. unless it's just reddic shit weather, in which case...I expect you to yell over the wind 

But really, do come down, tell other people about it. If you have any questions/comments please don't hesitate to email. I really do appreciate the support thus far, the more numbers and voices we can get, the better chance this has at succeeding. Also, there may or not be hot chocolate there. You have to come by to know for sure. Bwha! 

Kalefully yours, 

Chelsea    

P.S I don't know how many of you have heard that I tell stories, but I do. I will tell you one if you come down and you have time to hear about crazy thing

In the spirit of love...

I LOVE food. And I LOVE this idea of a community food source! My enthusiasm could come from a real, deep seated appreciation for all things palatable and beyond, or it could be the coffee I just had. Oh yes, I'm aware that it's 11:30pm on a Monday night but the going rate to hire others to do your homework is outrageous. When my new global system of using purely produce to barter and pay for everything is established, I will pay them in kale.

ON to relevant subjects. The food co-op. At a lively meeting of SSF tonight, exciting ideas and collaborations were hatched and a general excitement for the next steps of this project were announced.

PETITIONS.

I have a goal of getting petitions formatted and printed by the end of the week. The petition would state that by signing, you are at least interested in seeing a student run co-op on campus. It would signal to the higher ups that it's not just fringe groups that have an interest in this. I would also like to segway in to how this adheres to the current plan of action.

With the mighty number of names that support this idea, I hope to form a partnership of sorts with Sodexo. I know, this may not be the ultimate ideal situation and believe me, there is nothing I would enjoy more than donning my tie-dye apron, whisk in hand to yell "ITS OUR FOOD AND OUR BODIES!" while feeding the masses with lentil soup and crusty homemade bread. However there are issues of practicality and baby steps. By showing whomever takes over the contract that this occurrence is not only happening all over the country in other universities (in areas less enviro-savvy than Bham I might add) they are better to support our endeavour then maim it with bureaucratic knives before finishing it off with a tome of law and policy. Things like liability insurance might be more accessible and there's always a chance for financial support, seeing as the university will be a wee bit cash strapped in the near future.

But all of this is a starting point, it's an idea that can take many directions and with the input of many and the support of more, I really believe in this idea and the strength of our community :) 

What is Real Food?

One of the current jobs of this new blog and FB page is to determine what we as a community want in a food co-op. Good food, real food is a priority but where do we start? What quantifies "good food" or even "real food" for that matter? Can't real food just be what's tangible and in front of you at the grocery store? 
Depends what store it is for me! 
Real food means something different for everyone. I wrote down a few things of what real food is and what it is not. See what you think; 

Real Food does not come with a list of ingredients longer than my hand.
Real Food does not have to announce there’s no HFCS
Real Food does not need to be individually wrapped
Real Food is not ready after a minute in the microwave
Real Food is not a package of seasoning labeled “ham”   
Real Food doesn’t come with chemical pesticides
Real Food doesn’t compromise health
Real Food doesn’t discriminate between rich and poor
Real Food doesn’t include GMO’s
Real Food doesn’t compromise your future environment

Real Food is choice
Real Food is responsible
Real Food is knowing where it came from
Real Food is the apple hanging on the tree to your left
Real Food nourishes and gives back to you
Real Food is what feels good to you
Real Food is fair to workers
Real Food is damn tasty
Real Food you can look in the eye
Real Food is pride

Real Food is that plate of zook noodles I have beside me

I bet there are many more out there, share yours with anyone and everyone! And here, of course! This space is for anyone to chime in about what you feel a student co-op should be about, what they should carry. The very definition of a co-op is community and cooperation! A student co-op should be a representation ourselves, as students and beings, trying to function in an often chaotic world :)

First Hello!

     As a first introduction post, let me say thank you for taking the time to read this and be as concerned/excited as I am! Looking forward to gathering a network of Western students to be a part of a campus change, moving towards having some student control over the food on campus. 

      Everyone is a secret foodie, it's just been hard to get excited about overly processed, chemical filled foods! We hope to bridge a connection between people and the food they eat; providing information on how to grow your own food, having good food to eat and saving the world, one tomato at a time. Good food should be for everyone, not just those who can afford it or who know more about it. It's easy to get to know your food! 

      I think a major objective of the WWU Student Co-op will be to get people excited and enthusiastic about their food. Maybe not my level, drooling non-stop at Farmers Markets and jumping up and down at the sight of a beautiful bouquet of kale (for future reference, this now should replace a bouquet of flowers), but enough to say "Hey, I want a change on campus, I want a place that represents my future interests". 

We can make that change, we have the voices and the power! Let's do something awesome :)

I look forward to meeting more people who are interested in food and want to help make this idea happen