*Community Sustainability Festival*

Come and celebrate the season on Fall Equinox at the Co-op's Community Sustainability Festival - there will be music, kids' activities, door prizes, demonstrations, information tables, samples, .... all day long! See "www.durhamfoodcoop.org/CSF":www.durhamfoodcoop.org/CSF for performance schedule and details on the day's activities. We'll have the block of Carroll Street adjacent to the Co-op blocked off; and our next door neighbors from the Islamic Center will have a bazaar at the Ingold Tire parking lot across the street in the morning and early afternoon.

Come out and bring a friend - the Co-op aka The People's Intergalactic Food Conspiracy No. 1, Inc. will soon turn 35! If you'd like to help out or volunteer at the event, please contact Sarah at 286-1092 or "mushiko_99@yahoo.com":mailto:mushiko_99@yahoo.com.

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*Weekly Produce Specials*

* Local Organic Red Cabbage $1.59/#
* Local Organic Red Bell Peppers $3.99/#
* Local Organic Eggplant $1.69/#
* Local Organic Sweet Dumpling Squash $1.59/#
* Organic Macintosh Apples $1.99/#
... and more - while supplies last.

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*Weekly Co-op Update* - Celebrate Organic Harvest

During September we're celebrating the bounty of the season at the Co-op. There are now over 2 million acres of crop and pastureland in the United States dedicated to organic production, and the majority of that farmland is owned by small or family owned operations. Our Co-op is proud to support the local organic farms that have striven for environmental sustainability and stewardship of our land. As we celebrate the organic harvest, we owe our shoppers and our farmers "thank you" for all you've done to support the values of organic food production.
What better way to enjoy the bounty of the season than to have a great meal of fresh foods in season? Here is an idea for launching an organic celebration of your own:
Host an Earth Dinner for people of all ages using an eco-friendly deck of cards to encourage inspirational conversation about food and the earth. For a free download of Earth Dinner cards, go to "www.earthdinner.org":www.earthdinner.org.

This week is an exciting one at the Durham Food Co-op. We are thrilled to present the first Community Sustainability Festival. We are revamping our product selection in order to have a wider variety of products and would love to have your input. Please sign up for a product focus group in one of the following areas; bulk goods, HBA (health & beauty aid), dairy, general merchandise (cleaning products), or grocery. Feel free to sign up for more than one focus group. Most communication and feedback for the focus groups will happen via email with meetings to sample products if necessary. Please email Denise at "injira@yahoo.com":mailto:injira@yahoo.com if interested.

Other volunteer opportunities include becoming a sustainer or participating in one of the Co-op's committees (Marketing, Finance, Personnel, Facilities) or the Board of Directors - see "www.durhamfoodcoop.org/member":www.durhamfoodcoop.org/member
for details.

As always, please let us know what you think of the Co-op. Your comments and Feedback are part of what makes the Co-op the dynamic organization that it is. Our next Board meeting is Sunday 9/24/06 at 4pm and members are welcome to attend.

Sven Rinke

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*Upcoming Events*

* Community Sustainability Festival @ the Co-op. Autumn Equinox: September 23, 2006, 10 am to 8 pm --Visit "www.durhamfoodcoop.org/CSF":www.durhamfoodcoop.org/CSF for details. Volunteers are needed to help with the event. Please contact Sarah Palmer at (919) 286-1092 or email "mushiko_99@yahoo.com":mailto:mushiko_99@yahoo.com
* Yoga @ the Co-op, Sundays 9:00am-10:30am -- This week: Traditional Shivanada style yoga taught by Ajay Bhatt. Please "RSVP":mailt:sven.rinke@gmail.com, for more details visit "www.durhamfoodcoop.org/yoga":www.durhamfoodcoop.org/yoga
* Movie @ the Co-op, Friday 9/29 -- Potluck at 7:30pm, and at 8:30pm we'll show Kilowatt Ours: A Plan to Re-Energize America, a documentary revealing the consequences of our coal-powered economy. Visit www.durhamfoodcoop.org/movie for details. Come and meet old and new friends!

Upcoming Meetings:

* Marketing Committee, Friday 9/23 6pm-7.30pm
* Board meeting, Sunday 9/24 4pm

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*CSC - Community Supported Co-op Produce Program*

If you live in the neighborhoods listed below you can get a bag of fresh produce delivered to your door. The produce is chosen based on the availability of seasonal, local and organic produce. Each bag will contain a variety of produce including greens, root vegetables and fruit. You don't have to be home to receive your delivery. For details on how to sign up, visit www.durhamfoodcoop.org/CSC .

Downtown Durham, Duke Central Campus, Duke East Campus, Duke Forest, Duke Park, Duke West Campus, Forest Hills, Lakewood, Morehead Hills, Old West Durham, Old North Durham, Trinity Heights, Trinity Park, Walltown, Watts, Watts-Hillandale, The West End

Denise VanDeCruze, BoD & CSC Initiator

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*Researchers Tout Tea's Health Benefits* - British researchers proclaim tea the healthiest beverage.

Source: "www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/08/tea_health.html":www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/08/tea_health.html

Tea has long held mystical appeal for its health benefits. Now science agrees. A new study in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that drinking tea is a healthier choice than almost any beverage, including pure water.

"Water is essentially replacing fluid," saiod Dr. Carrie Ruxton, the lead author of the study. "Tea replaces fluids and contains antioxidants, so it's got two things going for it."

The antioxidants in tea are called polyphenols and they prevent damage to cells.

The research team concluded that drinking three to four cups of tea per day reduces the risk of heart attack, protects against cancer, strengthens bones and even protects against tooth plaque and decay.

The study says caffeine in tea is not a health detriment. Despite the widespread belief that the caffeine in tea is dehydrating, Ruxton says that's not the case.

The British study comes at a time when demographic shifts have knocked tea from its perch as Britain's traditional drink. Younger people in recent years have abandoned tea for sugar-laden soft drinks.

More inspiration for tea lovers can be found here:

* "Lower Mortality Found Among Japanese Green Tea Drinkers":www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/09/green_tea_mortality.html Japanese who drink more green tea have lower death rate from heart disease.
* "Tea May Help Combat Alzheimer's, Canadian Researchers Find":www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/03/tea_aging.html
Findings could lead boomers to abandon that morning latte.

[Fair Use Notice: The material in this newsletter is provided for educational and informational purposes. It may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. It is being made available in an effort to advance the understanding of scientific, environmental, economic, social justice and human rights issues etc. It is believed that this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law.]

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*Bonus* - Haiku

Last week I received an email from Mort Malkin, whose Gadfly columns you might have read in earlier newsletters or on the Co-op's website. Here is what he said: "I recently returned from the North Woods of Maine. The poetry just flowed. Here are two Haiku from the many poems I wrote. The one entitled "Last of August" must hold true for most of small town America." Without further ado:

p=. The oneness of all
colors - reds to treble blues -
the oneness of white.

Mort Malkin

p=. Last of August
Safe from religion,
from politics, folks speak of
trees starting to turn.

Mort Malkin