Ain’t No Meeting Like a Park Slope Food Co-op Meeting

Rivaled only by its reputation for cheap kale, Brooklyn’s Park Slope Food Co-op is famed for its occasionally controversial and always disputatious monthly members meetings. Back in 2012, Chadwick Matlin live-tweeted a discussion about whether to eliminate plastic produce bags, resulting in such classics as a silent film PSA with a member protesting, “But my collards won’t fit!” There was no vote, just a discussion. (This was a month before members voted about whether they should or should not vote about something else.)

Tuesday night, members met in Bishop Ford Central Catholic High School for what promised to be yet another epochal debate. On the agenda was, finally, the vote on a proposal to reduce plastic roll bag use by charging 20 cents per bag. We’re not talking about shopping bags (those are already out of the picture), we’re talking about the clear plastic bags you put your fruits and vegetables in. The best part? This is the second such meeting. The first, back in 2013, had to be pushed back because the space wasn’t large enough and angry members were left banging on the doors for access. As a responsible co-op member, I attended both. As a responsible journalist, I also live-tweeted tonight’s showdown.