Our grocery store

An article on the Utne Reader describes a new series of maps highlighting “earth-friendly resources in cities around the world.”

Green Maps allow local communities to share their knowledge of their own communities:

Green Maps are locally created maps that chart the natural and cultural environment. Using adaptable tools and a shared visual language of Green Map Icons to highlight green living resources, Green Maps cultivate citizen participation and community sustainability.

Green Maps are a work in progress, and are available for many, but not all, major areas. A Green Map of New Orleans is under development.

In a recent article, Ralph Nader laments the government’s focus on large corporate builders in reconstructing New Orleans, and calls for the community to assert itself via cooperative economy.

New Orleans, the largest city devastated by two Hurricanes, lies in ruins. The reconstruction plans are forming and the usual commercial interests are in the forefront to receive large subsidies, federal overpayments and special immunities from having to meet labor, environmental and other normal legal safeguards for the people. The corporate looting of New Orleans is underway.

The full article outlines the nature of cooperatives and includes a number of interesting resources. Nader is both realistic about the obstacles NOFC and other efforts face, but seems optimistic about the opportunity:

It will not be easy for cooperatives, large and small, to pull together for the renaissance of New Orleans and other neighboring towns in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. But, oh, how important a contribution it could become for our entire economy, so gouged, so controlled by absentee multinationals, so inimical to community economics and control, to succeed in the wake of these Hurricanes.

The year’s crops at Pastime Farms were flattened by Katrina, likely bringing to an end the CSA deliveries for this year. Other farms in the area sustained varying degrees of damage estimated by AP at $900 million.

News about farm losses from Katrina can be followed from Google’s news service. Dar from the The Crescent City Farmers’ Market has posted two updates summarizing what she’s heard of market vendors: first post, second post. There is also a check-in forum at the message center they’ve set up.

Matt sends this report from Pastime Farms:

Hello Everyone,

I hope that everyone has made out alright through the hurricane. Unfortunately, the farm has been completely wiped out. All of the crops that we were harvesting as well as the ones coming up were completely flattened. We still had several crops in the ground that were spared from the storm, however, all of the power lines were destroyed, causing us loss of access to the wells. It has not rained a drop since Katrina and we are fearing that this will end our growing season for the rest of the year. There are also delivery route issues.

This pains me to say knowing that we could all use some fresh food. I have noticed that some of the local stores I’ve been to have hardly any produce. We are going to try to work with the Crescent City Farmers’ Market and other vendors/farmers who lost everything to get everything back in order. This will obviously put our focus on next year.

Jim and Pam out at Whispering Pines Farm in Loranger had quite a bit of damage, but they are still providing some of the North Shore with fresh pasture raised beef, pork and free range chicken. We had to cancel our first order of chickens, due to loss of communication with New Orleans. We plan on helping the local communities any way we can to get things back to normal. There are also still plans to have Free Range Turkeys for the holidays, as I’m sure we will all need to enjoy the family time this coming season.

Rus and I will be sitting down next week to see what we can do to help anyone in need.I hope this reaches everyone, I’ve received a dozen or so calls from members and have only been able to get through to a few. I’ve heard the phone/cable/internet lines would be down for a long while in certain areas. We just got our server up today for the first time. I will do my best to keep everyone informed with news from the farms.

Thanks,
Matt

The Crescent City Farmers Market has established a new message board.

Their main website is at best sporadically online, so for news and announcements please check the news topic of their new message board. There is also a forum to check in and tell the people you know from the market that you are OK, and another to discuss aid and relief efforts for farmers in the areas struck by Katrina.

The Business and Science Division of the Greater New Orleans Library will offer two grant-writing workshops in September and October. Quoting from their announcement:

On Saturday, September 10 the Business and Science Division of the Main Library will offer a workshop in prospect research for non-profit organizations. The class will be held from 10:30a.m. to 12:30p.m. in the third floor auditorium of the Main Library, 219 Loyola.

On Saturday, October 8 the Business and Science Division of the Main Library will offer a workshop to develop basic grant writing skill for non-profit organizations, taught by staff of the Greater New Orleans Nonprofit Knowledge Works (formerly The Center for Nonprofit Resources). The workshop will be from 10:15a.m. until 4:00p.m. in the third floor auditorium of the Main Library, 219 Loyola. Light refreshment will be provided, however, attendees are asked to bring a brown bag lunch.

Both programs will be free and open to the public, however, because space is limited the library is asking for RSVP’s, which can be made to the Business and Science Division at 504/596-2580.

Thanks to Daniel Winkert for passing this information on!

The Whole Foods Corporation presented a sort of choice to the Mid-City community this week: the finalists for taking over the Mid-City location are Matassa’s Grocery and Lakeview Fine Foods. There does seem to be some cynicism surrounding the issue as Robert of Fair Grinds (an open-minded and fair fellow as many would agree) writes:

Moving on from the disappointing way Whole Foods handled the “community review” aspect of the Esplanade store sale, I am hoping to focus on more constructive community building activities than the one we just participated in so disappointingly. As everyone seems to say around here, at least we’re getting a grocery!

One last attempt to be in control of our own voice in this decision is to complete yet another survey, this one a “vote” of sorts for a particular store and a take on some aspects of how it should run. Look for it in e-mail soon, or come by Fair Grinds for a hard copy.

So if you want to voice your opinion and participate in this survey, swing by Fair Grinds and have a look.

The Times-Picayune published a lengthy profile of the Terranova Brothers Superette, the corner grocery across Esplanade from the now-closed Mid-City Whole Foods Grocery. How will this store weather the opening of a new grocery across the street? Judging from their history, they could be just fine.

The Terranova family has owned and run that location since the 1920s, and in that time a host of stores has come and gone in the property across the street. Whether they can coexist with the (as yet undetermined) replacement for WFM will be influenced greatly by the kind of store that moves in. If the new tenant has a Whole-Foods-like feel, then the Terranovas will still have a niche where they can succeed. However, the family may face a greater challenge if the new store more closely resembles Matassa’s or LakeView FineFoods.