Seward Community Co-op will be a co-sponsor for a special event Aug. 16, 4-8 p.m., to celebrate the reopening of the 38th Street Bridge near the Friendship Store.

The hope is that family, friends and neighbors will gather and celebrate the reopening of this cornerstone bridge and to reconnect the neighborhoods and rebuild community divided by the bridge construction.

This will be a sit-down dinner on the bridge with kid-friendly activities, live music and more. The goal of the event is for neighbors from both sides of the bridge to meet in the middle for dinner and conversation.

The conversation, facilitated by Marnita’s Table, will furnish space for open dialogue and healing.

The dinner will be catered by Eat for Equity and will include halal, vegan and gluten-free options.

The event is FREE and open to the public. Please RSVP on Facebook.

Come explore local businesses, sample food and enjoy live music during Open Streets Franklin Aug. 26, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Seward Community Co-op will be celebrating good food and community at Seward Co-op Creamery Café. Join us!

We’ll have our usual brat stand and a beer garden featuring brews from Fair State Co-op . We’re working with Springboard for the Arts on a vendor/artist pop-up with musical performances and other programming.

Seward Community Co-op is one of the sponsors of Open Streets Franklin 2018. Franklin Avenue will be blocked off from Portland Avenue to 28th Avenue South, opening up the roadway for people walking, biking, rolling and playing.

Meet with the Board

Visit with the co-op’s Board of Directors at Open Streets. Members of the board will be at the Creamery from 11 a.m.–1 p.m. We look forward to seeing you!

Support our community—and your workout—at Seward Co-op Creamery Café in Minneapolis. Vegan or omnivore, avoiding gluten or all about wheat, you can fuel up for the YWCA Women’s Triathlon on Aug. 12 with our fresh, local and organic menu or celebrate with a beer post-race.

We’re a café by Seward Community Co-op. That means we’re focused on cooperative values as much as we are on offering seasonal dishes made from ingredients we purchase daily. We’re committed to sustaining a healthy community that has equitable economic relationships, positive environmental impacts and inclusive socially responsible practices.

Seward Co-op Creamery Café works with small-scale farmers and producers, especially those whose production may not yield the volume demanded of the co-op’s two grocery stores. Café employees earn a living wage once they have worked 2,000 at the co-op.

Spend time with neighbors or friends on our patio or brightly lit community space. Happy Hour is 2-6 p.m. every Wednesday through Saturday. We serve a rotating Happy Hour menu, a $10 burger special made with Peterson’s Craft Meats that includes fries and a pint, and $1 off beer, cider and wine. Try our summer menu, including our beet Reuben, lamb and pesto melt, farmer salad and so much more. Follow us on social media and visit us at 2601 E. Franklin Ave.

Seward Community Co-op wants your feedback. Starting Friday, July 27, co-op shoppers may be randomly selected via their receipt to take a quick survey about the co-op. If you complete it, you’ll save $5 on your next shopping trip.

Saving is as easy as 1, 2, 3! If you are selected to take the survey:

1. Visit the website printed on your receipt.
2. Complete the survey within the next three days.
3. Write the provided five-digit code on your receipt to be used as a coupon.

Complete the survey on your own computer/device or on the iPad at our customer service desk.

Seward Community Co-op has several open positions, including entry-level opportunities.

Visit us at the Job Development Career Fair 9 a.m.-2 p.m Aug. 6 at Hennepin County Library in Minneapolis. Learn more about our benefits, apply in person and complete a pre-screening interview, all in one place!

Be sure to bring your resume and prepare to answer a few questions. The event is free and open to the public. Everyone is welcome!

The co-op is committed to hiring a diverse staff that represents the communities we serve. We create living-wage jobs with great benefits, and we invest in the training and growth of our employees.

Available entry-level positions include:

• Cashier/bagger
• Stocker
• Housekeeper
• Deli Counter Staff
• Cheese Counter staff
• Meat & Seafood Counter Staff
• Front of House Staff
• Cooks

Click here to view all open positions, learn about the benefits of working at Seward Co-op and apply online today.

In the spirit of #PlasticFreeJuly, Seward Community Co-op is taking steps to improve environmental impacts in our delis. Want to step up your sustainability habits? Please consider using your own utensils or dining in with our reusable dishes. Taking your meal to-go? Plastic utensils are available—if you need them—on the way out the door or by request at the Deli Counter.

Similar efforts have boosted conservation at the co-op. Since the introduction of the bag charge, we have used 24 percent fewer paper grocery bags year over year. That’s 139,400 fewer bags that left our stores June 1, 2017 to June 1, 2018, compared to the previous year!

Why Not Compostable Utensils?

Seward Community Co-op staff puts a lot of thought into purchasing decisions. We rely on a set of priorities to determine the kind of utensil, container or wrapping to buy and consider an item’s functionality, cost, environmental impact and appearance to shoppers.

Reusable items are the most sustainable option, though we recognize our customers have diverse needs and often value convenience. Our second best option to help serve shoppers are recyclable materials. While the plastic utensils we offer are recyclable, we cannot ensure they are being recycled. According to the city of Minneapolis, plastic utensils don’t make it through city recycling facilities and end up as garbage.

Our third best option: compostable items. While composting is an important part of diverting waste from landfills, compostable products are used only once before being processed into soil. That’s a lot of energy and investment to manufacture and break down a single-use item. Compostable products also have limited uses and are often made of genetically modified corn.

More Ways to Conserve

The co-op provides many opportunities to improve your environmental impact while you shop. Consider bringing your own reusable shopping bags, dishes and containers. We offer an extensive bulk section, bulk wellness products, bulk kombucha on tap, unwrapped produce, a discount for using your own coffee mug and more. We also work with many farmers and producers who value environmental stewardship.

Please note that while the Minnesota Health Department does not permit Seward Co-op to allow folks to use their own reusable containers for the hot bar, salad bar and soup, people are welcome to make their food on the plate provided by the coop and then transfer it to their own container after paying.

Try #PlasticFreeJuly. Pledge to focus on reusable items or go completely plastic-free at plasticfreejuly.org.

As co-op shoppers, we are presented with a multitude of choices in the grocery store—we have choices around fresh or frozen, we have dietary choices, sourcing choices and choices around ready-made or raw ingredients.

What I learned participating in Hennepin County’s Zero Waste Challenge is that as we choose which products are best for our households, we also choose the packaging our food comes in. Rice, for example, can be purchased in a cardboard box, plastic bag, in bulk, or even cooked at the deli counter.

If you find yourself wrestling with how to cut down your household waste, here are a few things to consider as you shop grocery aisles that are full of choices.

Remember containers—Consider keeping a stock of reusable bags and containers in several places to never miss the opportunity. Keep some by the back door, in the car or in your desk at work. It’s harder to forget them when they are everywhere! And remember, “reusable bag” does not mean you have to buy something new to serve this purpose sometimes “reusable” is last week’s plastic bag, rinsed, dried and used again for today.

Stick to your list—Shop your cupboards first and then make a shopping list. Sticking to it minimizes impulse purchases or overbuying and cuts down the likelihood of wasted food. There are some great shopping list apps, like Google Keep, that allow you to collaborate with other household members as well!

Shop bulk aisles first—Seward Community Co-op offers bulk oils, nuts, clays, spices, beans, household cleaners, teas, dried fruit, shampoo, grains, pasta and baking ingredients galore! Did you know you can buy laundry detergent in bulk? You can use your own containers for all of these items, and if you do need a bag, take a look at your options first. In addition to plastic bags, our staff stocks paper bags for dry ingredients and hard plastic tubs for wet ingredients that can be reused or recycled through residential collection. Shopping in bulk also allows you to buy recipe ingredients in exact amounts. Trying something new with unfamiliar ingredients? Bulk offers a great way to test a small amount before committing to a large container’s worth and reduces the potential of wasted excess ingredients.

Ask yourself:

• How many different ways can I buy this product?

• Is there a waste-free option?

• Or is there an option that uses recyclable packaging?

Produce strategy—Resist the temptation of using a plastic produce bag. That melon will be OK loose
in the cart. If you forget your reusable bag and need something to put a pound of cherries in, think of all
those container options we stock in the bulk section and choose the best material for the job.

Consider packaging material—Glass, paper and aluminum are easily recycled curbside. Plastics are tricky. Some plastics are not recyclable (chip bags
or vacuum seal) and others require special handling (plastic bags). When able, opt for packaging that can be recycled or reused. Glass tomato sauce jars make excellent food storage containers, for example!

Check the math—Buying products in the largest possible container not only reduces waste, but often it also saves you money. The price per unit can
drop as volume goes up. Run the numbers on your favorite yogurt for the different sized options. The cost savings may surprise you.

While there are a lot of different ways to reduce waste, take comfort in knowing there is no “right way” to go about it and we don’t have to be perfect each and every time we shop. Picking and choosing the efforts that make the most sense in our lives and performing them some or most of the time can all add up to significant environmental impact.

Watch our fall class schedule for a Low-Waste Grocery Shopping class. Check out Hennepin County’s Zero-Waste Challenge program: www.hennepin.us/zerowastechallenge.

For tips to reduce food waste, visit www.savethefood.com.

Taking part in #PlasticFreeJuly? Visit www.plasticfreejuly.org for more information and tips.

Mary Phelps is a Hennepin County Master Recycler/Composter. This article appeared on pages 9-10 of the Sprout! Summer 2018 issue.

Seward Community Co-op’s Board of Directors is seeking candidates for the 2018 board election. If you feel committed to the cooperative business model and want to ensure the long-term success of our co-op, please consider being a candidate. The election will be held in October, ending at the Annual Meeting on Oct. 30. In order to receive a Board Candidate Application, attendance was required at a board meeting and a candidate information session this summer. Applications are due Wednesday, Aug. 29.

Prior to each of the summer meetings, the board held a Candidate Information Session beginning at 5:30 p.m. Board meetings officially call to order at 6:15 p.m. The last opportunity to attend and receive an application was Tuesday, Aug. 28.

Aug. 28: Sabathani Community Center, Target Banquet Center, 2nd floor

Click here for more information about the board of directors generally. Please email board@seward.coop for further information about the upcoming meetings and this year’s election.