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March/April 2013 Issue
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How to Succeed with the Co-op (by Really really trying) By John Leary
From time to time, one or
another of the Co-op constitu-
ency approaches me, asking
if it’s possible to change some
aspect of the Co-op’s work-
ings. I always welcome this
kind of question, because a
healthy Co-op should con-
stantly be looking for new ways
to improve itself. But people
are often surprised when I
can’t accommodate their ide-
as singlehandedly, or immedi-
ately, or even at all.
Democracy isn’t an easy
system, not by any stretch.
We use it mainly because eve-
ry other system is far worse, far
more likely to strip people of
their rewards in the name of
one person’s arbitrary dictates.
The price we pay for removing
that arbitrary “one per-
son” (whoever they, he or she
may be) is that the whole
group has to figure out what
their common cause is before
decisions can be made.
Letter from the
Manager
Food for Thought M A R C H ~ A P R I L 2 0 1 3
What’s
Inside...
89 Morris St. New Brunswick, NJ 08901
The George Street Co-op, Inc.
10
Weekend
Stress Bust-
ers
5
Healing
Medicine:
A
Preventive
Approach
12
Eat Choco-
late
14
Economic
‘Growth’ &
Real Estate
FREE
The Co-op is an ever-
evolving structure to
empower caring peo-
ple to take action on
matters they’re invest-
ing time to understand.
The Tech Committee
knows microchips but
not potato chips; but
vice versa for the Prod-
uct Committee. There’s
a group of specialists
empowered for every
aspect of the Co-op,
so if you think some-
thing should change
here, let’s assume you
have a point — but
there’s some people
you’ve got to talk to,
because there may be
some aspects you’re
not yet aware of.
Continued on page 4
P A G E 2
From The Editor
T H E G E O R G E S T R E E T C O - O P , I N C .
Food for Thought is published monthly by The George
Street Co-op, Inc. It is a communications bulletin, as there
can be no cooperation without communication. Opinions
expressed here do not necessarily reflect official policy of
The George Street Co-op.
Newsletter Staff
Jasmine Burroughs
Marilynn Winston Dean Fredrickson Barbara Glasgow
Editor, Layout /Artwork
Editor
Staff/ Back page Ad Manager
Stop and Breathe With many of us always on the go or busy, we forget to just stop and breathe. We tend to let the week get the best of us and soak up all of our time. We are always working or helping others that we for-get to put ourselves first and do what we love to do. It’s such a great feeling when you are able to do what you love. That feeling is a little bit like the one I have now, as I write my first editor’s note of Food for Thought. I am thrilled to finally be apart of the Food for Thought team as we prepare for big things this year. Thank you Marilynn for allowing me to take on the newsletter! It is a big job, but Marilynn has been helping me put together this issue for our readers. Although I have known Marilynn for only 4 months, she is such a phenomenal woman and a true artist. In this issue we learn about the benefits of consuming chocolate – dark chocolate to be exact. Virginia keeps us educated on how to make use of certain herbs. Morris does a great job at keeping us updated on real estate. And my article will give you great tips to help you relax on the weekend. Food for Thought will launch online March 9. Please check us out at georgestnewsletter.com.
Jasmine ❤❤❤
Advertising Rates (2 months)
Business card (3½″×2″ high) ¼ page (3½″×5″ high) ½ page (3½″×10″ high or 7½″×5″)
$30
$75
$150
Please submit ads to Barbara Glasgow: 732-422-0221 — [email protected]
Ad payments to Barbara Mastroianni:
732-247-8280 — [email protected]
Newsletter Contributions We appreciate short, non-political articles and let-
ters of 700 words or fewer. Longer articles of im-
portance will be printed at the discretion of the
editor. All letters and articles may be edited for
length and clarity. Email your contributions to:
deadline is the 20th of each month.
Store Hours
Monday – Friday
Saturday
Sunday
10 AM – 8 PM
10 AM – 7 PM
10 AM – 6 PM
Volunteer
Coordination Team
Nora Devlin
John Leary
732-993-VOLC
Board of Directors
John Leary President/Outreach, Tech Chair
732-850-6547 [email protected]
Marilynn Winston Vice President / Newsletter Editor
732-249-7509 [email protected]
Richard Menashe Treasurer/ Finance Chair
732-906-8866 [email protected]
Jenn Smith Mullen Secretary/Product Committee
732-354-4190 [email protected]
Jamie Balancia Membership Committee Chair
908-202-3539 [email protected]
Chad Hetman Product Committee Chair
732-485-6877 [email protected]
Jim Walsh Membership Committee member
732-979-6883 [email protected]
Joel Wattacheril Tech Committee member
214-734-8160 [email protected]
Other Committee Chairs
Jasmine Burroughs Newsletter Committee Chair
Joe DiFillippo Personnel, Meetings & Elections
Paid Staff
John Leary
General
Manager
Barbara Mastroianni
Office Manager
Sean Gallagher
&
Neal Treece
Floor Managers
Bob Wright
Produce/Bulk Closer
Arnette Phipps
Closer
Vision
Mission
The George
Street
Co-op is
creating a
place for
people who
value healthy
food, a
healthy
planet, and
cooperation.
P A G E 4
Member Orientation
Get Involved
This all takes time and patience, for though one person may have a life-time of experience that leads them to a rather well-thought-out opinion, so does everyone else. Even when you and I agree, there’s others who’ve invested just as much love and attention as we have. Those peo-ple deserve to be heard just as much, or we risk losing their investment in the cause. There is an art to disa-greeing with someone while truly listening for those precious places of agreement; to challeng-ing the unclear or con-tradictory parts of someone’s stated point, while giving them gener-ous room to clarify; to
knowing full well what you think, without seeing someone’s different thinking as a repudiation or threat. It’s a difficult art, and I don’t know an-yone who’s completely mastered it, but each minute invested in it gives a lifetime payoff of better outcomes and mutual goodwill. Goodwill and happi-ness are good for you — good for your digestion, good for your heart. Co-operation begets good health, and this is how we succeed and thrive together at the Co-op. And that’s why each of us, members and constituents of a beauti-ful and growing democ-racy, we each owe our-selves the luxury to take
time and listen to each other. We have rich and poor at the Co-op, we have every shade of col-or that skin can come in, we have a smörgåsbord of languages and dia-lects and shibboleths, and yet all of us share the love of good food, a healthier world, and each other’s kind com-pany.
We’re looking for a
few good candi-
dates for the Co-op
board.
Would you like to:
Earn a 15% dis-
count on pur-
chase?
Come to our Board Meetings!
The second Monday
of each month at
the Co-op in our up-
stairs meeting room.
Learn more about
retail cooperatives?
Do something for
your community
owned business?
If you would like to get
involved then contact
John or Marilynn.
Saturday, April 13
4:00 p.m.
Tuesday, April 16
6: 00 p.m.
Sunday, April 28
11: 00 a.m.
May
Saturday, May 11
4:00 p.m.
Thursday, May 16
6 p.m.
March
Saturday, March 9
4:00 p.m.
Wednesday, March 20
6: 00 p.m.
Sunday, March 24
11 a.m.
April
Letter from the manger continued
By Virginia Ahearn
I have exciting news every-
one! In the first week of March I
will be on the East Brunswick lo-
cal TV show called “This Week in
East Brunswick”. It is a short inter-
view, as a lead up to the
presentation I am giving on
Herbal Medicine at the East
Brunswick Library on March 11th,
7pm.
Herbal medicine can feel
both very accessible and mys-
terious. It is accessible in that
every drug store, grocery and
health food store has herbs on
the shelf for sale, and there is a
plethora of information on the
internet. But it can still feel
daunting to take an herb; ques-
tions come up around dosage,
whether studies have been
done on the herb and whether
it matters, how long you are
supposed to take it, when you
should start feeling better.
My passions in my work and
studies in herbal medicine, in-
clude, making it accessible to
people, giving them a starting
point, some guidelines, and
how to prevent information
overload.
Herbal medicine offers both
a preventive approach to
health, and many options for
treating long-term illnesses and
also short term symptoms, such
as tooth aches, sunburn and
the common cold. For exam-
ple, you can take aloe for sun-
burn, hyssop, sage (and a host
of others) for the common
cold, clove tea or oil for tooth
pain.
But there are often dozens of
options, which is both wonderful
and confusing!
One of my herbal medicine
teachers, David Winston says,
“A lot of people know a lot
about herbs, but they don’t re-
ally know about herbal medi-
cine”. Many people hear
about an herb that is ‘good for
them’ and they start taking it.
They have arthritis so they start
taking black cohosh, or they
are depressed so they start tak-
ing St. John’s Wort. It may or
may not help.
That is because this ‘gunshot’
approach does not work for us-
ing herbs for long term condi-
tions. For long-term illnesses, the
ideal approach is to use a
combination of herbs in specif-
ic proportion. Some standard
combinations are available with
names like “Stress Relief Combi-
nation”, and “Aching Joints
Compound”.
Again, these may or may not
relieve your stress or aches,
since everyone is built different-
ly, and you may need a formu-
la specific to your constitution
and symptoms; you may also
need an herbal practitioner to
figure out what is going to help.
Or these standard combina-
tions may help you just fine.
I would like to mention just a
few other herbs that can be fre-
quently helpful for mamas in-
fants and toddlers.
Fennel seed is great for tum-
my upsets, gas, colic, and indi-
gestion.
Herbal Medicine: A Preventive Approach
Continued on page 6
Healing Medicine: A Preventive Approach continued
P A G E 6
If your infant is breast-
feeding, Mom can drink
the tea, and it will pass
through the breast milk
to soothe colic. I have
had one family call me
after their newborn
spent the first two nights
screaming; after the
mom drank 2 cups of
fennel tea and breast-
fed the baby, their third
night there was no
screaming. They de-
clared fennel a
“miracle.”
Chamomile is good for
so many things. We
tend to pass it up, be-
cause it is so ordinary.
Chamomile is an anti-
spasmodic and can be
use for tummy upset,
cranky toddlers and
kids, menstrual or any
other type of stomach
cramps, and stressed
out adults. I have read
that it has a lot of calci-
um and magnesium
but that you must steep
it for at least 45 minutes
in order for the minerals
to infuse into the tea.
Oatstraw, Mother-
wort, catnip and lemon
balm are also for stress
and anxiety, and each
has some slightly differ-
ent attributes.
Motherwort is used for
PMS related stress, and
any stress or anxiety
related to hormonal
upset or imbalance.
Catnip is great for
stress related digestive issues, and great
for insomnia. I think of oatstraw as a
cousin to chamomile, although it is not
anti-spasmodic. These four are all great
additions to a family medicine chest.
Thanks for reading, everyone! Please see
my ad elsewhere in the newsletter for up-
coming classes, and visit my website as
well for more details! I will be teaching a
3 part series at Montclair Baby, although
a bit far to travel you could hop a ride
with me!
P A G E 7
New Members!! Welcome!
Sign up for our book club!! There is a book club in
progress!!
The first book up for
discussion: Eating
Animals by Johna-
than Safran Foer.
The book makes a
compelling argument
for how imperative it
is ecologically and
socially to get away
from the factory meth-
ods of farming current-
ly used in nearly all of
America’s meat indus-
tries.
It’s an engaging read,
supported by facts, and
could challenge you on
the question, “what
should I eat today.”
It’s a fun read, and may
inspire some good peace-
ful conversations, which
is what we need on a hot
button topic like the con-
temporary food industry.
If you are interested
please contact me by
email:
Arabelle Luke Tori Cobb Lira Skenderi Natalia Solano Cris Nierutko
Dana
Srebrenick
Victoria Meyer
Emma Boscheinen Norma Ramirez Binita Bhattacharya Sarah Martin
Food for Thought
The Co-op Seeks Proposals
From Interested tenants!!
The George Street Co-op is now accepting
proposals from interested tenants, business
owners to make use of our second floor
rental space.
Send an email to
P A G E 8
By Barbara
Glasgow
Membership Committee –
Goals are facilitating member
processes, increasing general mem-
bership and member labor, and
keeping materials current. If you
have renewed your membership,
your 2012-2013 membership card
is ready to be picked up at the reg-
ister, just ask a cashier.
The committee is coordinating a
calling program in an effort to in-
crease membership and enhance
participation to begin at the end of
March. These calls will serve as an
opportunity to check in, answer
questions, and solicit feedback
from current members as well as
recently lapsed members.
They are also working to create
guidelines to address the varied sit-
uations that arise related to mem-
bership status and data so con-
sistency can be maintained. These
guidelines will be added to the web
and the Membership Manual.
Facilities Committee –
Their goal is to maintain the
physical plant of the Co-op. The
thermostat was repaired, the boiler
was fixed, and the walk-in cooler
was adjusted to operate more effi-
ciently. They are still working to
finalize the separation of the café’s
and the Co-op’s electrical systems.
The committee is always hoping to
increase their workforce and mem-
bers can contact Richard Menashe
(732-767-0720) to help.
Outreach Committee –
Goals are recruiting volunteers
and organizing monthly and special
events to promote awareness of
membership in sales at the Co-op;
and updating Co-op literature. Be-
tween the Co-op’s 2 mailing lists,
there are now 2,124 promo email
contacts. We have 1,658 fans on
our Facebook fan page and 1,528
“friends” on our Facebook
“personal” presence.
The committee continues to use
Facebook to promote meetings,
events, and new products and
tweets several times per week to
announce product specials. If you
are interested in participating and
sharing your ideas for what the Co-
op can/should do to promote itself
or in hosting a potluck please con-
tact John Leary.
Finance Committee –
This committee’s goals include
increasing revenue, promoting
fundraising, and decreasing costs
by identifying and reducing finan-
cial waste. The committee has em-
ployed a new payroll company,
costing the Co-op much less mon-
ey. Tthey are continuing to pursue
reimbursement from the insurance
company for the losses due to Hur-
ricane Sandy. 2010 taxes are almost
done, with only one schedule need-
ing to be
completed for submission.
Technology Committee –
Goals include implementing a
Point of Sale (POS) system with
integrated UPC scanning, inventory
control and detailed sales statistics
reporting, maintaining the Co-op’s
website, and increasing Co-op reve-
nues by having online credit card
approval processes.
The Co-op has received three
desktop computers, generously do-
nated by Richard Menashe, and one
committee member is working on
developing a product database.
John continues to perform bug fixes
and improve the Co-op’s website,
while also recruiting and training
new members to this committee.
Product Committee – The
committee’s goals are determining
overpriced products with the inten-
tion of eliminating high prices that
turn off customers, minimizing
product waste, increasing member
participation in the Product Com-
mittee, and working to create a stra-
tegic product mix in the store. They have drafted surveys for
spices and product satisfaction
which will be used to determine
new product offerings. They are
finalizing pictorial education mate-
rials to be displayed in the store and
are aiming towards color coding
products for their particular benefit
(s) to each function of the body. so it is more succinct, realistic, and
actionable.
Committee Corner
Committee Corner Continued
A future goal is to re-write the mis-
sion statement for the Product Com-
mittee
Exploratory Committee – This is a temporary committee
whose goal is to explore options
available to the Co-op with respect
to the use of our space on the sec-
ond floor, currently occupied by
Namaste Café, whose lease is end-
ing. The committee has received
five proposals and has offered in-
terviews to all. To date, they have
conducted two interviews: one for a
community-oriented internet cafe,
and one for an establishment serv-
ing vegetarian/vegan and Central
American-inspired foods. Both meetings have been very
positive and informative. Upcom-
ing interviews include a cafe pro-
posal and a catering establishment.
The committee has committed to
completing all interviews by March
1 and documenting all interviews
by March 4, in preparation for re-
view by the Board of Directors.
Personnel Committee – Participants clarified the commit-
tee’s structure, as requested by the
Board of Directors, and discussed
ways they could support the store
manager with personnel responsi-
bilities. They also discussed strate-
gies for revising the Employee
Manual and the possibility of re-
suming confidential staff inter-
views. For future scheduled
meetings please consult the
Co-op’s calendar (online or in
the store).
To contact a committee
chairperson, please see
the inside cover of this
newsletter.
SPRING FLING TIME & CO-OP POT LUCK
You’re invited to MARILYNN WINSTON’S
24 Seaman St. New Brunswick SATURDAY
APRIL 20 8:30 pm until ?
Bring Friends & Food & Dancing Shoes [email protected]
732-249-7509
CELEBRATE THE SPRING
And dance the night away
With a great DJ!!!
Weekend Stress Busters
By Jasmine Burroughs
One of the greatest feelings is getting ready
for the weekend that quickly approaches us.
After working a long 9-5 day, you are ready for
some ‘me time’ on the weekends. For many
people, work can be mentally and physically
draining. It seems like after work is over, there is
not much time left to do what you enjoy –
watch tv, read a book or just relax with some
tea. And for people who like to sleep by 9:30
p.m., it seems like you only have about 2 or 3
hours to yourself. Unfortunately, we are cooking,
cleaning, reading required literature, or prepar-
ing for the next day to do it all over again.
Well, there’s no need to fret. The weekend is
almost here! There are so many things you can
do on the weekend to help you take that stress-
ful load off of your plate. The weekend is the
time for you to sit and do what you love; how-
ever, many people tend to use the weekends
to take care of personal business. Unfortunately,
these people tend to always be stressed and
complain about their brains being overloaded.
That is because they do not take the time to
settle down.
Here are some ways that will help
you combat stress:
Sleep early Friday night
Usually when Fridays come along, we tend to
stay up late watching Jay Leno or some other
late night show; we figure it is fine since we
have nothing to do on Saturday. Well, that’s ac-
tually not the best option. It is best to sleep early
Friday night so that you will be full of energy
over the weekend. This way you can get more
done---walking, exercising, yoga, reading, and
have mental clarity. But think about it. When you
sleep late on Friday nights, you tend to be ex-
hausted on the weekends even after you wake
up at 12: 30 in the afternoon.
When you wake up in the afternoon, there is
less ‘me time’ for you to take advantage of. So
when Friday night comes around, you need to
get your butt (excuse my French) in the bed by
at least 9:45 p.m.
Laugh it off
They say laughter is the best medicine. Well, it
truly is. Laugher allows you to forget about things
that were stressing you out; you then focus
mainly on the joke or whatever is cracking you
up -- It’s such a great feeling. You find yourself
much calmer and it allows you to loosen up a
bit. Sometimes when we are at work, we tend to
become tensed in our muscles due to the load
we carry or the quotas, deadlines or various de-
mands we must meet.
Laughter can be a remedy to many of your
problems from work. It is best to visit a comedy
club over the weekend or purchase a DVD with
all of your favorite comedians. That will surely
blow your socks off!
Meditate and Stretch it out
Both Saturday and Sunday mornings should
be devoted to meditating, stretching, and a
quick walk around the block. When you stretch
and do a brisk 30 minute walk, you are then re-
ducing your stress levels, increasing circulation
to your heart, and giving yourself more energy
to tackle the road ahead of you. You can easily
obtain a yoga mat from Wal-Mart or target with
a firm grip under it. Each morning, just whip out
your mat and start off with stretches. But don’t
stretch to hard, you may cause injury to yourself.
After you stretch, you then start your medita-
tions.
I recommend clicking on YouTube to find
deep mediation music to help you stay fo-
cused. The last thing you want to do is zone off
from your meditation thinking about the things
that stressed you in the beginning.
All in all, life can easily take a toll on our over-
all health. Don’t let it. It is best to go ahead and
have your time to yourself so that you don’t be-
come so overwhelmed. Life is so short and pre-
cious, so take the time now to invest in your
mental, spiritual, physical and emotional health.
Your body will thank you for it in the long run!!
Weekend Stress Busters continued
By Bonnie Camo, MD
I hope you all enjoyed some chocolate on Val-
entine’s Day, without feeling guilty. Science has
now shown that chocolate is actually very good
for us. According to the American Journal of
Clinical Nutrition, chocolate is an excellent
source of antioxidant polyphenols, also found in
red wine and tea. Polyphenols benefit the heart
in several ways, such as preventing blood plate-
lets from sticking together to cause blockages in
blood vessels. Studies at the University of Califor-
nia at Davis show that cocoa is a natural blood
thinner,( much tastier than aspirin).
Polyphenols also help prevent oxidation of low
density lipoprotein (LDL), the so-called bad cho-
lesterol, which contributes to heart attacks and
strokes. The best ways to enjoy chocolate’s
health benefits are in the form of hot cocoa, or
semisweet dark chocolate. Milk chocolate
doesn’t have enough cocoa to be of any use,
and is too high in sugar and fat. Look for brands
with at least seventy percent cocoa content.
Half of a ninety gram (three ounce) bar will
contain more than thirty grams of cocoa.
Chocolate also contains many compounds with
interesting effects on the brain. The most studied
are the methylxanthines, including small
amounts of caffeine, and theobromine, a softer
and more sensuous stimulant. The name theo-
bromine, meaning “food of the gods,” comes
from Theobroma cacao, the Latin name for the
cacao tree, source of cocoa.
Despite the similarity of names, there is no rela-
tionship between cocoa, coca (source of co-
caine), and coco, as in coconut.
Chocolate also contains phenylethylamine,
or PEA, which stimulates the nervous system to
release the brain’s natural opiumlike compounds
known as endorphins. PEA floods the brain during
orgasm and also when we are in love, produc-
ing a restless, giddy feeling. Chocolate’s reputa-
tion as an aphrodisiac goes back to the ancient
Mayas and Aztecs, who raised it and used it ex-
tensively. The Aztec emperor Montezuma report-
edly drank several goblets of cocoa drink before
retiring with his harem. The Aztecs forbade wom-
en to drink it because of its aphrodisiac effects.
The legendary Italian womanizer Casanova also
consumed chocolate before engaging in his
favorite sport.
Another very interesting substance found in
small amounts in chocolate is anandamide,
named for the Sanskrit word for “inner bliss”.
Anandamide, discovered in 1991, is a brain
chemical with similar effects to substances
found in marijuana.
Eat Chocolate!
Photo: Mother Earth News
Chocolate contains many compounds with
interesting effects on the brain.
Anandamide is an endogenous canna-
binoid, part of the newest brain neurotransmit-
ter system, both in terms of its recent discovery,
and also probably in terms of our evolutionary
development. The THC in cannabis fits the brain
receptors designed for anandamide. Anan-
damide produces a feeling of euphoria, which
may explain the bliss some people experience
when they eat chocolate.
Chocolate is particularly loved by women.
Fifty percent of women surveyed said they
would choose chocolate over sex. Even the fat
in chocolate helps raise endorphins, relieving
stress. Cocoa butter, the natural fat in choco-
late, prevents the sugar in chocolate from de-
stabilizing blood sugar levels and causing hypo-
glycemia. Indeed, dark chocolate consump-
tion may be beneficial in both type 1 and type
2 diabetes. New research from the American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition has revealed that
chocolate reduces insulin resistance. The re-
searchers looked at 42 acute and long-term
studies and found a 33% median reduction in
insulin resistance following chocolate consump-
tion.
Chocolate has also been shown to improve
cognitive performance in elderly men and
women, with the maximum effect at intakes of
ten grams per day, or 2 ½ ounces a week.
There is even research indicating that cocoa
can inhibit certain types of cancer. Prostate
cancer cells have been selectively inhibited
with cocoa polyphenols, and animal research
indicates that cocoacan inhibit chemically-
induced liver cancer. I don’t recommend eat-
ing sugar in general, but dark chocolate is one
of the healthiest ways to eat it, in moderation,
of course. One ounce a day, about a third of a
chocolate bar, seems a reasonable amount.
Always choose dark, bittersweet or semisweet
over milk chocolate. Buy a small amount of re-
ally good, organic, sustainably raised, fairly
traded chocolate from your health food coop,
and enjoy enhancing your own health while
you help save the world.
RECEPIE: Vegetable Spring Rolls with Chili Sauce
Ingredients
1 package spring roll rice paper wrappers; For the
Filling:1/2 avocado, julienned;2 carrots, julienned;1
red bell pepper julienned;½ package kelp noodles;1
(2-ounce) package sunflower sprouts; Cilantro leaves;
Chili Dipping Sauce:2 teaspoons tamarind paste;2
tablespoons low-sodium tamari;Juice of ½ lime; Dash
cayenne pepper;1 small clove garlic, minced;1 table-
spoon ginger, minced (about a 1 inch piece, peeled);1
tablespoon maple syrup; Chopped cilantro leaves;
Minced fresh chile pepper (such as jalapeno or Serra-
no) to taste
Preparation
Level: Intermediate
Servings: 12
Cook Time: 30 Minutes
-Peggy K. Veria.com
1. Prepare filling ingredients.
2. Fill a container that will accommodate the rice paper
wrappers with lukewarm water.
3. One at a time, place rice paper in water briefly, about
10 seconds making sure all edges are submerged.
4. Remove from water and place on cutting board.
Economic ‘Growth’
& Real Estate
By Morris Kafka
My whole life I’ve heard
news reports with measurements
of economic growth or stagna-
tion. I suspect that many of us
are so conditioned to hearing
these reports that we rarely look
deeply at who decides what
data is collected, how that data
is collected, what the signifi-
cance and limitations of that
data are and what subjective
decisions are made in terms of
what to count and how.
We hear so much about the
real estate market including is-
sues with mortgages and fore-
closures that it can be over-
whelming to sort out. A major
component of the “American
Dream” is home ownership.
Home may be where the heart
is, but the ideal home is also a
physical place that you can live
your life the way you want. For
those who want to buy a house
and need a mortgage, there
are many things to sort out in-
cluding if the real estate market
is going up or done.
One indication of economic
growth is the system of measur-
ing “Housing starts’. You will hear
on the news that housing starts
are up so much or down so
much in a given month. Obvi-
ously there is no perfect way to
count the actual gross number
of units being added to the
market – or removed due to dis-
aster, demolition, abandon-
ment etc. However, only ‘new’
units or units where building per-
mits are received and included
in this number.
Knowing how many existing
homes become abandoned
and how many that have been
written off are refurbished would
give a more complete picture.
In a similar vein, I am not aware
of any routine report on how
many acres of useful farmland
are being brought into produc-
tion, abandoned or turned to
other uses. I suggest such num-
bers are at least as important to
our future as the numbers that
are announced. So numbers
we have are incomplete; they
favor new construction and fail
to give a full picture. Is the un-
derlying assumption in the statis-
tics that new construction is al-
ways good for the economy?
When buildings don’t get fin-
ished or sit vacant they do
not provide any useful func-
tion or stimulate the economy
and leave investors holding the
bag. Too much construction
and we end up with is ghost
towns where we have squan-
dered the land, resources and
hard work that went into creat-
ing them. spcenters are there
in the nation? How many apart-
ments or townhouses sit unsold?
How many buildings in
useful condition go empty, get
knocked down or are just left to
decay?
How many abandoned
shopping centers are there in
the nation? How many apart-
ments or townhouses sit unsold?
How many buildings in useful
condition go empty, get
knocked down or are just left to
decay? Meanwhile, how much
is invested in essentially similar
structures built in close proximity
to such structures or even to re-
place them? Does any impartial
party routinely study the actual
needs of the community be-
forehand?
I know of a supermarket
chain that built an enormous
showplace store at great cost.;
within a year or so it had closed.
The building was torn down for a
home improvement center built
on the site. I understand the
value of a good location but
can’t quite rectify the wanton
demolition of a new million dol-
lar structure for another new
store. How can it be justified as
profitable as the bottom line of
business and at the same time
be such a waste of precious
resources and have a negative
impact on the environment?
Businesses write this off and the
cost is added to the price of
the goods we buy and to our
taxes.
Both of those construc-
tion projects presume a certain
number of new jobs are creat-
ed and some useful service has
been added and both may be
counted that way. But when
one is shuttered and demol-
ished and replaced by another
so quickly, does it result in a net
gain and if so how much? How
does this impact the community
where you live and the cost of
housing there? I don’t have the
answers, but I do want to high-
light the complexity of accu-
rately interpreting what we are
told about real estate and the
economy. More to come.
House and domestic
questions? Visit and ask at my
blog at
old-
houseresource.wordpress.com/
State of the Science of Endo-crine Disrupting Chemicals 2012 By Ake Bergman, Jerrold J. Heindel, Susan Jobling, Karen A. Kidd,
and R. Thomas Zoeller United Nations Environment Programme
and World Health Organization, 201
This document presents summary information
and key concerns for decision-makers on endo-
crine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) from the full
report entitled State of the Science of Endocrine
Disrupting Chemicals-2012. It is part of the ongo-
ing collaboration between the United Nations En-
vironment Programme (UNEP) and the World
Health Organization (WHO) to address concerns
about the potential adverse effects of anthropo-
genic chemicals.
We live in a world in which man‐made chemi-
cals have become a part of everyday life. Some
of these chemical pollutants can affect the en-
docrine (hormonal) system and interfere with im-
portant developmental processes in humans
and wildlife. Following international recommen-
dations in 1997 by the Intergovernmental Forum
on Chemical Safety and the Environment Lead-
ers of the Eight regarding the issue of EDCs, the
International Programme on Chemical Safety
(IPCS), a joint programme of WHO, UNEP and the
International Labour Organization, developed in
2002 a report entitled Global Assessment of the
State‐of‐the‐Science of Endocrine Disruptors
( Figure 1) (IPCS, 2002).
The general conclusions from this work were
that although it is clear that certain environmen-
tal chemicals can interfere with normal hormo-
nal processes, there is weak evidence that hu-
man health has been adversely affected by ex-
posure to endocrine-active chemicals. However,
there is sufficient evidence to conclude that ad-
verse endocrine‐mediated effects have oc-
curred in some wildlife species. Laboratory stud-
ies support these conclusions.
The IPCS (2002) document further concluded
that there was a need for broad, collaborative
and international research initiatives and present-
ed a list of research needs.
—organicconsumers.org
