WHAT'S NEW!
July! Oh my!!
This one totally took me by surprise! Is it just me or is the summer sneaking past everyone?!
Above are some lovely pics of our friendly staff Micheal and Maaike, on dish duty and serving treats with a smile!! Micheal is our in-house music spinner responsible for the music selections that fill our days with some cool grooves. He is also a guy with great quips - just check what's on our birhtday cake!
And thanks go to all of you who contributed to Amnesty by purchasing our "Taste for Justice" full-city dark blend throughout the month of June. Twenty-five percent of sales of the blend were donated to the cause to a tune of nearly four hundred dollars! Sip loud and proud people! For more info you can check out the site www.amnesty.ca/tasteforjustice
At the Cafe..
In Our Artspace
This month we got a double treat for you art lovers and patrons of local talent!! In our backroom we are showing a collection of photographs by Michelle Wardman who has been happily snapping photos for over a decade using the same 35 mm Nikon Camera from the 80's. The photographs on display collectively tell the story of mental health survivors - people who have struggled with mental illnesses and disorders and have learned to
thrive in society. And in our patio we are happy to display the work of Patrick, who uses mixed mediumsto create expressive and versatile pieces that can placed both in and out of doors. Patrick's work is an exploration of the art spectrum - the simple & conceptual arts - and a demonstration that there is art in all of us: "We all have the ability to create, we just have to learn to look at those creations differently. We must bridge the gap. For we
are all artists, or none of us are."
And if you are interested in displaying work in the cafe, contact Catherine Mellinger at mellangearts@yahoo.com
Other fun stuff!
Bean Update! We are going au naturel during the summer months! We’ve got a treat for you coffee lovers: We have received 8 bags of delectable Natural Brazilian green coffee to roast for the months ahead. This is a special offering and we would love for you to enjoy it while it lasts. This organic and fair-trade treat offering comes from the Family Farmer's Cooperative Poco Fundo in Southern Minas Gerais and makes for a fruity, full bodied, bright, and clean cup! For more info on COOPFAM, visit our coop section or click here. Look for it on the bean wall!!!
Beautiful Bike Friday has ensconsed itself at A.G.! Be There or B-Square! That's the last Friday of every month. The whole point is to encourage biking as a healthy form of transportation and to mingle with like-minded folk. So ride your bike to work and enjoy a much-needed cup of fairtrade joe on the house. There is no excuse now that the ice-road has all but melted! See you Friday July 25th @ 8am!
We are always looking for Winners! Submit a brilliant idea for the re-use and recycle of our paper, valve and burlap bags and we shall reward your creativity with a pound of our freshest roast. For details on other tried, tested and true ideas submitted by previous winners, visit the Greenstuff section.
Out and About...
(news, announcements & upcoming events)
* Sunday June 8th is the Hort Garden Tour* It runs from 10am - 4pm and is your legitimate excuse to snoop in people's gardens!! It is a great way to spend a day - inspiring and increasing your appreciation of beauty. Tickets are available at Another Story Bookstore, 315 Roncesvalles Ave. for $15. The day of the tour they are also available at the South end of Sorauren Park.
Educate/Advocate!
Interested in learning more about Fairtrade, Organics and Social Justice? Make sure to check our Resources page for more info and great links!
Are you looking for news and updates from the frontlines of the struggle towards a more ethical and fair trade system??! Check the most recent edition of Coop Coffees Newsletter here. It's a good read!
Noticed fairtrade items on the shelfs of large chain supermarkets and retailers lately?? Wondering how significant this action may be? Is corporate involvement good or bad for fairtrade? Here's an article that will shed some light on this topic and how it may affect small-scale farmers and fair-trade initiatives in general. And if you have any comments, thoughts or burning questions, send them our way care of info@alternativegrounds.com. Read the full article here!
Our friends at Zatoun have pointed out for us a great audio documentary on their history! "Zatoun, a life story in 4 parts" is a great way to learn about this great initiative which is supporting the development of fairtrade opportunities in Palestine and helping olive farming cooperatives connect with the North American market. So do check it out at at www.zatoun.com/audiozatoun.htm!
Fellow Coop Coffees member and coffee roaster Dean Cycon has published a great book titled Javatrekker: Dispatches from the World of Fair Trade Coffee. This is a wonderful exploration of the world of social justice and good coffee from someone who has been there and done that! The book focuses on struggles with globalization, women's rights, environmental concerns, war, responsible business practices and more! So if you are looking for a good read or a great gift idea, drop by the cafe and pick up a copy of Javatrekker! Or follow this link www.youtube.com/watch?v=mD8EBiQZs3M to a short video produced by Dean featuring Tadesse Meskela, General Manager of the Oromia Coop in Ethiopia.
Also available online is the well-researched radio doc, Building a Just World, produced by local writer Asad Ismi and radio producer Kristin Schwartz (CKLN 88.1 FM). This 3-part series focuses on fair and ethical trade. We have purchased a couple of copies to add to our stock of resources. Contact us if you would like to borrow a copy. And while you are at it, make sure to listen to their newest production The Ravaging of Africa, a four-part radio doc about the destructive impact of U.S. imperialism on Africa, featuring voices of African activists interviewed at the 2007 World Social Forum held in Nairobi, Kenya. And for more info, you can email aismi@can.rogers.com.
Interested in learning more about fairly traded and sweatshop free apparel? Do visit the following websites: Nueva Vida Women's Sewing Cooperative (producers of our swanky organic tshirts!) and Just Shirts Canada (suppliers of the lovely t's we sell at the cafe manufactured by the Single Mothers Cooperative of El Salvador).
Remember, if you want to become better acquainted with our fairtrade pricing policy, check out the "fairtrade" section of the website. We are always on the look-out for great ideas - things that partner well with us and what we are trying to accomplish through Alternative Grounds. So feel free to drop us a line and share suggestions with our staff.
Our Solidarity Corner
Our new canvas AG bags are in! This time they are black (which is great for those of us who tend to get dirty) with a longer handle and snazzy orange (of course!) lettering. They are made by the Single Mothers Cooperative of El Salvador and are just the ticket for carrying pretty much anything! The bags are $10.00 plus tax, with profits going to "Survivors of Domestic Violence Foundation" (Fundacion Sobrevivientes) in Guatemala City. This foundation and its director Norma Cruz came to our attention through the film "Killer's Paradise" co-produced by the NFB and Amnesty. You can learn more about the foundation through their website at www.sobrevivientes.org/apy
Many of you will be familiar with Los Cuchareros, a spoon making cooperative venture we have been supportive of since I learned of them at the Coop Coffees AGM in Xela (Guatemala) several years ago. Brenda, our cafe manager had a chance to visit the workshop on a recent Coop coffe tour. Check out some great pics and a report of her visit on the Co-ops section of our site or click here. We have a lovely selection of their work for sale at the cafe.
Before we forget, the Maquilla Solidartity Network has put out a discussion paper entitled "Is Fairtrade a good fit for the garment industry?" It is well written and researched and can be downloaded at www.maquilasolidarity.org
And heads up! A really great magazine has come our way: Briarpatch: fighting the war on error. Published in Saskatchewan, this monthly mag tackles some tough issues, thoughtfully (and with humour), www.briarpatchmagazine.com
More Good Stuff!!
Curious about where our cafe specials come from? Meet The Local Café! a small for-profit social enterprise and an experiment in local street food, an initiative begun by Carole Ferrari. The Local Café sources locally grown, high quality, environmentally sound, ethical, and fair trade produce and other goods to make really good meals and snacks that are affordable and accessible. You can find them at a wide variety of community events. They provide many of the yummy specials at Alternative Grounds. You can contact them for your event at 416-534-0454 or thelocalcafe@gmail.com.
Need a good Caterer? For those of you who don't know, the folks at Lemon and Allspice who make our yummy gingerbread and chocolate chip cookies (yes they use real butter) also do catering.The company which is run by and for folks with a developmental handicap, does a mean lunch! The shortbread is my personal favourite. You can contact them at lemonallspice@bellnet.ca or 416-686-1906 (yes, I have a vested interest as I am on the board and love what these guys do!!)
We have lots of coffee bags! (burlap and jute) I think there are more uses for them than meets the eye (I know folks have used them for craft projects, carry bags, myriad garden and compost activities). In fact, I'll bet your compost could use a little of our coffee chaff to lighten its load after a long winter!!If you can use chaff or bags give Linda a call at 416-534-6335
We're Passionate About Fairtrade and Love to Share Our Passion! Over the years we have gathered a good collection of articles, books and videos about different aspects of Fairtrade and coffee. These are available for your perusal at the cafe or on loan. We're also available to do slide shows and presentations. Give Linda or Kevin a call, 416-534-6335.
And thanks to...
Gerry for bringing a quotation from the late Tommy Douglas to our attention: "Courage, my friends. It is not too late to build a better world." Words to live by!