Main Market Preview tour

Today the Main Market showed members and prospective members the new facility. Some of the features mentioned and shown during the tour:

• Edible landscaping or raised beds on the roof
• Rain water recycling/harvesting
• Food wastes composting
• Community building/learning area with deli
  
• Local suppliers and rentable freezer spaces
• Waste heat recycling
  
• Much of the building uses recycled construction materials
• Local food sourcing
• Green house on top of the roof
• Lockers for employees to encourage alternative commutes
• Besides the 20 or so dedicated parking spaces, the Co-op secured two city parking spaces for folks to use for grocery pick-ups or loading. The Diamond parking lots are also close by.
• Students can become (non-voting) members for only 35 dollars a year
• Employees get a living wage and health care
• Find out more http://www.mainmarket.coop/
  

It sure looks great so far, can't wait to see it stocked with the products of wellness and sustainability! Definitely consider voting with your wallet on this kind of future. And also consider becoming a member in the next few weeks!

Growing edible landscaping in and/or outside the office

If you work in a traditional complacent environment, you'll find it hard to convince people to grow edible landscaping on the building grounds. That will probably take time. So the next thing you can do is find less obvious spots, perhaps behind signage, or behind buildings, or on top of your building. Chat with the grounds keepers about it, they are closer to the earth, more likely to understand.

If that all does not work, how about right in your office or cubicle? This surely is your space, and you should be able to grow an edible plant in that location. Some of the things growing in my office currently..

Cucumber.
Bell peppers grow in northern climates in the winter in an office with south facing windows.
Cayenne peppers and chives.

Eventually even the stubborn people will start realizing it makes sense to swap ornamental petrochemical dependent landscaping for edible landscaping. Edible and beautiful, you can have both!