Products


Earth's General Store believes that one of the best things that people can do to change the dominant paradigm is to support local independent stores. Stores that do more for the community than just sell product - they are part of the community, supporting activism and change, and they reinvest their "profits" (whether this is money, time, resources, or energy) to further their goals back into the community - our community!
I cannot speak for the founding and ongoing philosophies of similar stores in Canada but I have listed below some other stores some what similar to ours across Canada.
If you have one near you please support it.
I like to think of my store as Edmonton's Eco store that offers an eclectic retail experience.
Earth's General Store is more than a store - we are an instrument for change.

Consume less! Consume wisely! Consume locally! And Love Lots More!

======================================================================
Our new location is be 9505 - 82nd Avenue.
We are evolving to become a full service 'Health Food Store' offering organic, local, and sustainable foods, organic groceries, organic diary, bread, bulk foods, herbs, and eventually a cafe where we will offer beverages and food for sale (vegetarian and vegan of course).
Unlike many "Health Food Stores" we do not carry much in the way of suppliments though this is a more lucrative aspect of the business.  We are trying to carry healthy food.
This month I expect to spend some time with Conrad overhauling this website since it has been ignored for far too long.

New Items

Daiya Cheese (Mozzarella/Italian and Cheddar flavours), Artisana Raw nut butters, Kaia Raw Kale Snacks, Bulk Red Quinoa, Bulk Mango Slices, Honey Bunny Raw Organic Honey in 5 pound pails, Koyo Organic Ramen Soups, Tubi's Organic Licorice,  Greek Gods Plain & Honey Yogurts, Baker's Supply Organic No Aluminum Baking Powder and Organic Corn Stach (I have been looking for this for many years),Turtle Island (Tofurkey company) Breakfast Links, Hickory Deli Slices, Italian Deli Slices, Oven Roasted Deli Slices, Peppered Deli Slices, Franks, and Chiptle Franks, Prana Amandin Maple Almonds, , Go Nuts Maple Mix, Sumsum Sesame Sancks, Chia Seed oil, Black Chia Seeds, Mighty Trio Organics Organics Canola Seed oil and Flax Seed Oil, White Chia Seeds, Bulk Organic Whole Cumin Seeds, Sundhed Himalayan Salt (Fine and Coarse), and Golden Flax from Grainworks.

Recently I added dead sea salts and regular culinary salt to our bulk offering.

With the plugging in of our coolers and freezers we have greatly expanded our offerings of products - milk, cheese, tofu, analog hot dogs and burgers (soy protein based), yogurt, sour cream, cream cheese, and pizzas.

Whew! - so many new products - bulk grains - oats, wheat, rice, rye, popcorn; bulk flours; bulk beans; bulk chocolate chips (Fair Trade Certified and Organic); bulk granolas (Nature's Path), bulk hot chocolate - milk and dark - (Fair Trade Certified and Organic); Thomas Utopia tomato products; Eden Foods beans, tomato products; Aunt Gloria tomato products; Prairie Harvest pasta and past sauces; Simply Organic spices, flavouring extracts, seasoning mixes, salad dressing mixes; Chickadee Farms herbs and teas (these products are produced locally at Flatbush, Alberta – only 155 km from Edmonton), Orchard's vanilla (bottled and bulk- yes bulk vanilla), Organic Food Bar, Navitas Cocoa beans and Maca Powder – so many items!

Rain BarrelRain Barrels (Rain Water Harvesting) have been very popular this spring. Our rain barrels are made by a Hutterite colony in southern Alberta. They repurpose standard sized (205L/45gallon) white food grade barrels, put a hole in the top and cover it with a metal screen, and put two bungs on the side of the barrel complete with taps (the lower one is for filling up buckets or attaching a hose to and the upper is for overflow redirection). We offer these barrels for $79.00 plus GST. Best to phone ahead to ensure that there is stock. This dry spring remember to -

CONTAIN YOUR RAIN!

PLEASE bring in your own containers when you come to the store.

You can refill:

  • personal care bulk products:

  • shampoo – Infinity (Rosemary and Chamomile); Nature Clean (Herbal); Pure & Natural (Daily Moisturizing,;Anti-Dandruff Flake Removal; Daily Light; Extra Gentle Body; Extra Body; Extra Gentle Baby No-Tear Shampoo & Body Wash); Earth Safe (Clean Air and Clean Water)

  • conditioners – Infinity (Rosemary and Chamomile), Nature Clean, Pure & Natural (Daily Light, Deep Treatment – Scented and Unscented),

  • creams – Pure & Natural (Scented and Unscented), Earth Safe (Clean Air and Clean Water)

  • body wash – Earth Safe (Clean Air and Clean Water)

  • hand soap – Nature Clean Pure Liquid Soap

  • household products:

  • dishwashing liquid – Nature Clean (Unscented, Lavender & Tea Tree), BioVert;

  • laundry liquid – Nature Clean regular, High Efficiency (HE), and triple concentrate (3X); BioVert High Efficiency laundry liquid;

  • laundry powder – Nature Clean;

  • Miscellaneous cleaning products: Nature Clean Window & Glass Cleaner, Cream Cleanser, Kitchen & Bath Spray Cleaner, Toilet Bowl Cleaner,

  • concentrated vinegar – 25% acetic acid (normal vinegar is 5% concentration);

  • Borax;

  • Washing Soda;

  • Baking Soda.

Gluten Free and/or Wheat Free:

I don't know why many of these companies figure it is okay to make their gluten free products not using organic product but it seems that it doesn't seem to matter to them.

Raw Food Items:

  • Organic Food Bars – Active Greens, Omega-3, Vegan, Chocolate Chip

  • Navitas – Cocao beans and powder, Maca powder, Goji berries, Golden berries;

Sprouting items:

  • Passion Sante sprouter and tofu maker

  • Mumm's sprouting seeds

  • Sproutmaster sprouting seeds, stainless steel sprouting screen lids (screws onto a standard mason/ball type jar), Food Pantrie, “Easy Sprout”

  • The Sprouting Book by Ann Wigmore

Yogurt/Yoghurt and Kefir Making – make your own fresh and healthy yogurt or kefir at home:

  • Yogotherm yogurt maker

  • Yogourmet yogurt maker and yogurt and kefir cultures

  • Wild Fermentation book – learn how to make naturally fermented cultures.

Extracts/Flavourings, Herbs & Spices:

  • Simply Organic/Frontier Natural Food Coop – herbs & spices – we are working on getting the bulk versions of many of their products into the store (I have several of the products already but working on a way to display/dispense them)

  • Chickadee Herb Farm – less than 160 kms from Edmonton. They make excellent dried organic culinary herbs and wild crafted herbal products. Wonderful to have these herbs available locally. I am working on a way to display/dispense the bulk items.

  • Orchard's Organic Vanilla Extract – we have this in bulk and has proved to be quite popular. People are not used to being able to obtain this in bulk. The other week I was at the Real Canadian Wholesalers on 99th Street picking up some worm bins and checked out the price of their No Name vanilla. The price comparison with our bulk organic product was less than 3% percent more. This is an excellent comparable price. Most people would pay more for organic certified products. I love it when the price is as close as this.

Bulk food items (all Certified Organic):

  • Flours

    • Whole Wheat Flour

    • Unbleached White Flour

    • Fine Grind Corn

    • Rye Flour

    • Kamut Flour

    • Spelt Flour

  • Rye kernels

  • Wheat Kernels

  • Red Star Yeast

  • Regular Rolled Oats

  • Quick Rolled Oats

  • Oat

  • Brown Flax

  • Popcorn – Yum Popcorn

  • Lundberg Rice – California

    • White Jasmin Rice

    • Brown Jasmin Rice

    • White Long Grain Rice

    • Brown Long Grain Rice

    • Rice Short Grain Brown

    • Rice Short Grain Brown

    • Rice Short Grain White

    • Rice Arborio

    • Rice Sushi White

    • Rice Basmati Brown

    • Rice Basmati White

    • Rice Golden Rose

    • Wheat Hard Red

    • Wheat Soft White

  • Oats Kernels

  • Kamut Kernels

  • Artesian Acres Kamut Pasta (Prairie Harvest owns Artesian Acres and their web presence is quite pathetic – even worse than mine)

    • Spaghetti

    • Linguine

    • Rotini

    • Penne

    • Vegetable Rotini

    • Lasagna

  • Prairie Harvest Durum Wheat Pasta (made in Edmonton):

    • Spaghetti

    • Linguine

    • Rotini

    • Penne

    • Vegetable Rotini

    • Lasagna

    • Elbow Macaroni

    • Small Shells

  • Seven Grain Cereal

  • Nature Path's Granolas

  • Whole California Almonds

  • Thompson Raisins

  • Amano Tamari (in stock but not set up to dispense

  • San-J Tamari Wheat Free (in stock but not set up to dispense

  • Bragg's Liquid Aminos (Soy seasoning) (coming soon)

  • Highwood Crossing Canola Oil (coming soon)

  • Honey Bunny Honey (in stock but not set up to dispense)

  • Legumes/Beans

    • French Lentils

    • Split Green Peas

    • Black Beans

We are well known for offering composting advice, a very large assortment of books on composting and being the only retail outlet for worms in Alberta (possibly Western Canada) but we have added another composting dimension to our offering -
the Bokashi Compost System.
We have received our shipment of KidsKonserve products. These products will compliment our offering of smart lunch packaging options.
We have pulled our remaining stock of aluminium metal beverage bottles (Sigg and laken). See below for explaination.
We offer the Very popular BumGenius 3.0, All in One, Organic diapers. We even have the latest colour offerings of Moonbeam, Ribbit, Zinnia, and Clementine.
Purica Stainless Steel Bottles - this is a less expensive version of the Klean Kanteen bottles.
Wholesome Sweetener Blackstrap Molasses (Fair Trade Certied and Organic) and the Wholesome Sweetener Raw Blue Agave Nectar.
I have expanded our offering of our Four O'Clock teas (Fair Trade Certified and Certified Organic).
Janet Baskets folding shopping baskets - with aluminum frame - very cool!
Stain Remover bar from Buncha Farmers, Ontario.
Vegan dog and cat food from Green Leaf Vegan Distributors:
AmiBog, AmiCat, AmiBone - Omega 3 and FOS, and Crocky (100% vegetable natural snacks).
I have received responses from many people that say that we should not be offering vegan cat food. Normally I would agree since cats need certain nutrients that can not normally be found in the vegan world. The people that have formulated this product have added the items that are needed, such as taurine. Recently a customer was in the store and informed me that her cats has been on a vegan diet for over 8 years now and her cats (two Siamese) are very healthy with fine coats.
These vegan animal food products compliment our offering of two types of cat litter - One Earth (corn cob granulas) and Here's the Scoop (clay). At present I am unable to obtain the "Clean" (wood waste) but I am always on the lookout for some products that are more local and ecological.
Excellent variety of bags and shopping aids.
We have received large shipments of candles and co-operative games from Family Pastimes for the upcoming season.
In October 2008 Helen Caldicott gave a presentation and during her talk she emphatically promoted the book "Carbon-Free Nuclear-Free by the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research. Earth's General Store now has this book in stock.


Cleaning products:

Bulk baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), borax (sodium borate), washing soda (sodium carbonate), hydrogen peroxide (natural bleach), soap flakes (vegan soap flakes from Eureka Soaps, Alberta and animal based flakes by Gateway Chemicals in Winnipeg), and 25% concentrated vinegar (can be used as a non-toxic recipe to kill weeds such as dandelions and Canadian Thistle as well as a versatile household cleaning product).

Nature Clean™ and BioVert™ - available in both packaged and bulk.

PACKAGED - Ecover™, Earth Friendly™, BioVert, Nature Clean, and CitraSolv™ - toilet bowl cleaner, window and glass cleaner, furniture polish, all purpose cleaner, fruit & veggie wash, bleach (hydrogen peroxide), fabric softener, laundry powder, laundry liquid, dishwasher powder, dishwasher liquid, and cream cleanser.

Personal Care:
Our offering of personal care products are made without animal ingredients (all cruelty free). We try and avoid products with methyl and ethyl (propylparaben) parabens, sodium lauryl sulphate (sulfate – SLS), sodium laureth sulphate (SLES), EDTA, and a wide variety of other common chemicals that I believe are not good to be in our skin, in our mouths, on our hair and in our waste water where it will pollute the environment.
We offer an excellent assortment of toothpastes and toothpowders, deodorants, toothbrushes with reusable brush heads, balms, creams, lotions, shampoo, hair conditioner and rinses, soap, menstrual products, body washes, hair colouring products, balm, ointments, salves, massage oils, aromatherapy oils, floss, skin toner, bath salts, cosmetics, nail polish remover, shaving products, bubble bath, etc. These include brand name products from:
Nature Clean™ Shampoo and conditioner packaged - only the shampoo is available in bulk;
Eureka Soaps made right here in Alberta. Some of the fragrances they offer are: Bayberry; Rose; Lavender; Forest; Tea Tree; Sweet Orange; Cranberry; Musk; Pennyroyal; Gardenia; Frangipane; Hyacinth; Jasmin. We also carry other products from them like bubble bath, milk bath, bath salts, hand milled soaps, bath and massage oils, their new line of hemp soaps, etc.;
Nature's Blends - Pure & Natural - A company out of BC that produces organic hair care products and skin creams;
Nature's Gate™ Organic Fruit Blend Deodorants (Mandarin Orange & Patchouli, Grapefruit & Wild Ginger, Persimmon & Rose Geranium, Asian Pear & Red Tea), Herbal Shampoo and Conditioner (in bulk and package), Jojoba Shampoo and Conditioner, toothpastes (Crème de Anise, Crème de Mint, Crème de Peppermint, Cherry Gel, Cool Mint, Wintergreen), and skin cream;
Infinity Shampoo and Conditioners;
Avalon Organic Botanicals™ - Lavender Renewal & Vitality Daily Moisturizer, Lavender Renewal Facial Serum, Vitamin C Renewal Facial Cream, Vitamin C Moisture Plus Lotion with SPF15, Vitamin C Vitality Facial Serum, Avalon shampoo, conditioners, deodorant, lotions, and shaving products;
Aubrey Organics™ - Egyptian Henna Shampoo and Conditioner, Evening Primrose Hand & Body Lotion, Pure Aloe Vera Gel, Relax-R-Bath Herbal Emulsions, B-5 Design Gel, GPB Shampoo and Conditioners, shaving products and many more
Curelle Hair Care products: Canadian Made; No Parabens; No SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfates or Sodium Laureth Sulfates); No DEA - sounds good to me! We are offering their Hydra Shampoo; Energe Shampoo; Treslite Conditioner; Riche Conditioner; Build-up Remover (removes hair product residues, also chlorine, copper, etc. from shower and pool water); and Styling Gel.
Soap Works - (Soapworks) is a Canadian company that makes affordable milled soaps. The majority of the soaps we sell from them are vegetarian and / or vegan - vegetable oil base. Our most popular soaps from them are the Tea Tree, Cucumber and Comfrey, Olive Oil, Creamy Clay and Ginseng. Soapworks soaps are unwrapped - NAKED! They also make soaps with Aloe Vera, Bee Pollen, Evening Primrose Oil, Pumice, Pure Vegetable Glycerine, Chamomile, Coal Tar, and Carbolic (brings back memories of the old Lifebuoy soap bar);
Burt's Bees: We have dropped this line! They were bought out by Clorox (yes the household bleach people) and I did not wish to have money from the store going to support a large multinational.
Colora natural henna powder: Mahogany; Black; Red Sunset (the most popular colour); Buttercup Blond; Neutral; Ash Brown; Wheat Blond; Gold Brown; Gold Apricot; Chestnut; Burgundy; Brown;
Light Mountain 100% Henna 'Natural Color & Conditioner' and their 'Color the Grey';
Nature's Blends™: Extra Gentle Shampoo; Daily Instant Conditioner; Deep Conditioner;
Earthwise: Deodorants (Aloe Vera, Baking Soda, Chamomile, Fresh Plus, Sport Plus, Tea Tree Plus, as well as their Ecowise Glycol Free Deodorants - Aloe Vera and Lavender);
Merry Hempsters Lip Balm with Organic Hemp Seed Oil (from Canada since it seems that the USA is quite paranoid about letting people grow industrial hemp). Two of the offerings are Vegan and they offer one of the lip balms with a SPF (Sun Protector Factor) of 18.
Dr. Bronner's liquid soaps made with organic oil: Almond; Eucalyptus; Lavender; Peppermint; Tea Tree; and Unscented and Mild for Babies or sensitive skin. We also carry Dr. Bronner's Sundog's Magic Organic Lotion (Lavender Coconut; Patchouli Lime; and Peppermint), Lip Balms and Tattoo Balms;
Weleda™ Calendula Baby Oil, Calendula Baby Cream, Calendula Baby Lotion, Children's Tooth Gel, Calendula Toothpaste, Pink Toothpaste, Plant Gel Toothpaste, Salt Toothpaste, Arnica Ointment, Calendula Ointment, Arnica Massage Oil (special order);
Druide (Certified Organic by Eco-Cert) Shampoo and Conditioner (Body & Shine, Frequence, Vitality, Balance, Dandrex, Purity, Tangle-Free, Nourishing, Leave-on), Citronella Insect Repellent;
Butterfly Weed Herbals - All-heal Salve, Jamaican Ginger Heat Rub, Earth Mama's Belly Jelly;
Nip & Yarrow (local balms and oils);
Tea Tree (melaleuca) oil from Newco and Treemenda™;
Lyrae's Naturals from the Good Life Collective;
Knotty Boy Dread Shampoo (bar and liquid), Dread Wax, Starter Kit, Dread comb (metal); Locksteady Tightening Gel, Conditioning Spray, Peppermint Cooling Moisture Spray and the ever important Emergency Dreadlocks Removal Kit.
Alba Botanica: (including some of the Hawaiian product line) Aloe & Green Tea Oil Free Moisturizer; Jasmine & Vitamin E Moisture Cream; Cocoa Butter Hand & Body Lotion; Kukui Nut Body Cream; Papaya Mango Body Cream; Clear Enzyme Deodorant Sticks (Aloe unscented, Tea Tree, and Lavender).
Green Beaver: Toothpaste (Zesty Orange, Frosty Mint, Anise, Cilantro Mint, Green Apple); Deodorants(Citrus, Lavender, Rosewood, Tea Tree, Wild Yam); Oil Free Blemish Mousee for Acne Prone Skin (with limonoids and bioflavinoids); Green Tea with Aloe Vera Anti-Oxidant Face Cream; Grapefruit with Aloe Vera Facial Cleanser Foaming Gel; Grapefruit with Aloe Vera Natural Facial Scrub with Bamboo; Gentle Body Scrub Bar with Grapefruit & Bamboo.
Dr. Ken's Toothpaste: With Fluoride - Spearmint; Wintergreen Clean. Without Fluoride - Wintergreen Clean; Spearmint Cool.

100% organic cotton Swabs; disposible facial tissues; and facial wipes - cosmetic cleansing pads.

Desert Essence: Green Apple & Ginger Shampoo; Green Apple & Ginger Conditioner; Italian Red Grape Shampoo; Italian Red Grape Conditioner; Bulgarian Lavender Hand & Body Lotion; Coconut Hand & Body Lotion; Spicy Citrus Hand & Body Lotion: Jojoba Oil Lip Rescue; Fennel Tea Tree Oil Toothpaste; Ginger Tea Tree Oil Toothpaate; Mint Tea Tree Oil Toothpaste; Wintergreen Tea Tree Oil and Neem Toothpaste.

Several of our shampoos, conditioners, soaps, and lotions are available in bulk.

The majority of our personal care products are animal free (no animal ingredients and not tested on animals). We are still labelling the shelves of the products that are vegan. Usually a quick read of the ingredient listing will give you, the customer, an idea whether the product meets your requirements.

Caveat Emptor when it comes to purchasing “organic “ personal care products they are not as organic as we are lead to believe – most of our personal care products that say they are organic consist mostly of organic floral water (hydrosol). Please visit the Organic Consumer Association website to read more about this practice. Why do I have some of these products in my store? Simple – I offer healthier alternatives to the conventional products out there. I also use it to educate the consumer. When something else comes along that is ‘better’ I will start stocking that product line. I suggest that you check out the "Guide to Less Toxic Products" annd/or "Environment Working Group" to learn about what products are best and find answers to your concern about some of the ingredients.

A word about reusable toothbrushes. When most toothbrushes come to the end of their useful life they are chucked in the garbage or maybe recycled. The only thing that has really worn on the toothbrush is the brush head. There are several companies that have developed toothbrushes that allow you just to replace this worn part. You click it out and click in a new head thus saving about 3 - 4 handles worth of plastic a year and not only would you have avoided all this garbage but you would have paid for the initial cost of the handle. We carry toothbrushes with replaceable heads from: Fuchs; Terradent; Fun Brushes; Radius and Smile Brite.

Toothpastes are supplied by: Vicco; Desert Essence; Green Beaver; EcoDent™, NewCo; Nature's Gate; Dabur - no longer available from our supplier), Peelu. I tend to favour the products that do not have fluoride or Sodium Laureth Sulphate (Sodium Lauryl Sulphate) in them.

Most people use some type of deodorant and we offer a wide variety of deodorants (some without propylenes and all without aluminum) from: Earthwise; Aubreys Organics; Earth Science Liken; Green Beaver; Avalon Organics. We also carry the deodorant stone (similar to the Thai Deodorant stone) which is a very economical deodorant with minimal packaging.

It seems everyone loves choosing from a large variety of lip balms. We carry lip balms from: Alba TerraTint (with SPF 18); Dr. Bronner's and Sun Dog's Magic Organic Lip Balm; Prairie Dawn (made in Edmonton); Luminus Lips; Alba Botanica Organic (with SPF 18); Merry Hempsters (Organic, Hemp oil and Vegan varieties); Green Beaver; Desert Essence Jojoba Oil Lip Rescue; and Badger Balm. Just in case your lips need something more we have Suncoat Organic Lip Shimmers.

Epsom salts (magnesium sulphate - sulfate if you spell it the American way) for aching muscles or a relaxing soak is available in bulk and packaged quantities. I am surprised by how many people use this product. It is a great product to use to enjoy a hot relaxing and healing bath. My son loves to soak his feet in a bowl of Epsom slats and hot water after we come home from skating or skiing.

Locally made natural 'Love Lube' (personal and sex lubricant - flavoured or unscented) by Nip & Yarrow complimenting our offering of the O'My and Sylk brands of lubricants.

Menstrual Products - the Keeper™ (the Keeper is a reusable menstrual cup that is made out of natural rubber - very popular); Mooncup - a silicone version made by the Keeper people; Natracare™ (disposable menstrual products made out of organic cotton in their tampons and non-chlorine bleached materials in their pads); Many Moons™ (reusable cotton menstrual pads); Urban Amor (by Blood sisters - reusable cotton menstrual pads); Luna Pads™ (reusable cotton menstrual pads): chlorine free menstrual products from Seventh Generation; and Goddess Moon pads. Many of the reusable cloth pads are available in organic as well as conventional cotton. The Keeper is a great product for travelling - especially to areas of the world where menstrual products may be difficult to obtain. The Keeper comes in two sizes: 'A' for AFTER vaginal childbirth and "B' for BEFORE vaginal childbirth.

We welcome back the offering of menstrual sponges from Jade & Pearl - very popular!

Insect Repellent (Alternatives to DEET) - Buzz Away; Pennyroyal (by Eureka); Nip & Yarrow; Druid Citronella lotion and Out of the Woods (formerly Matter Bug Dope). Many of the products are rated child safe (friendly) by the manufacturer.

Sun Care/Sunscreen: the best defense against sun damage (sun burn) is to avoid exposure to the sun - but I personally don't think this is healthy. We need exposure to the sun to be healthy and it makes us happier. When you do go out into the sun for extended periods it would be wise to wear a hat (full brim is prefered to a baseball cap), cover your body (darker colours tend to have a better sun protection factor -SPF - than light coloured) and put on a full spectrum (blocks UVA and UVB rays) sun blocker. Earth's General Store has a wide variety of sun care products from manufactures: Aubrey, NewCo, Heiko, Lavera, and Alba.

Gifts:
100% beeswax candles by Avalon Sunset and Pheylonian. Candles by Luminus made from vegetable oil (soy candles).

Co-operative games from Family Pastimes (Harvest Time; Princess; Grump; Max; Beautiful Place; Bus Depot; Community; Secret Door; etc). Cooperative games are great to help children understand that great things can be accomplished through cooperation and that we don't always have to be competitive. Family Pastimes is a small family Canadian based business. Co-operative games avoids a winner takes all strategy and conclusion. It also avoids the 'loser' and 'winner' mentality.

Make Poverty History and Wage Peace bracelets. As of September 2005 we generated $344 for Edmonton Coalition Against War & Racism (ECAWAR) with the Wage Peace bracelets and $300.50 for Make Poverty History.

Soccer (size #4, #5 and Match) and other sport balls (volleyball, beach volleyball, and ruby) that are made under certified Fair Trade conditions (each ball has a TransFair Certified label).

For Baby (and new parents): Reusable cloth Diapers; covers; wraps; and liners

by Dri-Line (Alberta made - Snug-to-fit, diaper liners); Mother-ease (Ontario made - All in one, One Size fits all, Sandy's, Rikki, Air Flow, diaper liners); Bummis (Quebec made - Snap, Aplix and Velcro - Whisper, Super Whisper, Original) and Kushies - Kooshies (Ontario Made - Classic, Basic, and Ultra). There are enough disposables items in our society so I am pleased to offer these non-disposable options. Most of our cloth diaper products are Canadian made. We now carry the organic diapers and liners from Mother-ease.

We are constantly told that we are the only place that people have been able to purchase metal diaper safety pins - just like the old days. We have recently started to stock the Snappi diaper fastener. This has proved to be very popular. To help people manage washing diapers we now offer diaper soaking pails.

We can only sell Mother-ease or Kushies in person and not over the Internet. If you wish to purchase these over the Internet you can click on the above links and deal directly with them.

Pool pants and sun hats by Gabby's.

Baby Trekker and First Journey baby carriers - check out their wearing instructions at http://www.babytrekker.com/.

Aristocrats wool diaper covers.

"Flushies" are flushable paper diaper liners that cut down on the scrapping of feces off into the toilet bowl and rinsing. These can also be reused by washing them (usually in the delicate wash bag).

Cotton nursing pads - some styles come with a waterproof membrane to protect clothing.

Baby gift packages from Erba, Druide and Weleda.

Baby care products like diaper ointments, talc free dusting powder, creams, shampoo, soap, balms, wet wipe solution, boob lube, special products for nipple care ('Boob Lube' and ' Nipple Salve') and lotions. Many of them with child friendly calendula in them.

EcoBaby organic jump suits, receiving blankets and shirts.

New Bamboo Diapers - Bamboozles and Organic Caboose prefolds. Soft and absorbent.

Kidalog organic fitted and flat diapers.

Baby slings by Peapod Baby Wraps Cuddly Wraps and Maya Wrap.

We just started to carry a new organic lines from Natracare (the same people that make the organic menstrual products), Druide, and Avalon Organis for your baby.

Glass nursing bottles complete with an offering of natural latex and silicone nipples. These products come from Evenflo.

Parents are becoming more active to protect their children from potential dangers posed by migrants (chemicals that leach out of plastics) in their infant's bottles. In the earlier part of 2007 we introduced the Born Free Bisphenol-A free line of plastic bottles and we have a glass baby (nursing) bottles from EvenFlo. (Lots of media attention on this issue of late - see article in the Edmonton Journal.)

We have just complemented our line of Bisphenol-A (BPA) Free plastic baby bottles and training cups from Born Free with their "Smart Glass Bottle". I love that they mention that it is Bisphenol-A Free (as far as I know ALL glass is Bisphenol-A free) but it is like those manufacturers that say they are cholesterol free, fat free, animal free, etc. on products that never had those ingredients in them in the first place. Maybe the consuming public needs this reassurance. The side panel says that 'with glass there is no left over odors [sorry USA spelling], less build up of bacteria, and no after-taste.' What a nice recommendation for glass bottles.

Maybe people could skip the plastic bottles all together.

Of course, we have the natural latex nipples, as well as the silicone nipples, that go with these glass bottles.

I believe that breast-feeding is still the very best - for the child, the mother, and the environment.
Breasts are the best milk containers and dispensers. Check out INFACT Canada.

Great books to get your child off to an excellent start in life: The Lorax; The Butter Battle Book; The Family Book; Our Community Garden; The Giving Tree; Hey, Little Ant; Wump World; Spinning Tales, Weaving Hope.

Clothing and Bedding:
Beautiful certified organic cotton bedding and bath towels from Coyuchi and Maggie’s Clean Clothes. Soft and comfortable certified organic underwear from New Organics and Organic Cotton Company (formerly Bastex Cloud Mountain) ‘Clean Undies’ (new style have recently been received - French High Cut, Bikini, Low Rise Thong, Boy Shorts, Cheekie Cut, Boy Teaser.

We also carry socks and tights by Clean Clothes - Maggie's Organic. These are made by a Nicaraguan women's co-operative called Maquiladora Mujeres.

Organic cotton bandannas, scarves, napkins, cosmetic cotton squares, face cloths, and handkerchiefs from Canadian manufacturer Hankettes.

Paper Products:
Toilet paper made from 100% post consumer recycled waste fibre; journals made from reclaimed materials from Jelly Parrot (locally made by Jan) and Re-Cover (from Nova Scotia); handmade paper (Select Imports from India) and an extensive offering of loose paper sheets made from 100% post-consumer waste fibre or non-tree pulp in a variety of colours and weights (such as: Sandpiper by Domtar; Speckletone by French Paper; Genesis by Nexfor - Fraser Papers; Quest. Some of the handmade papers that we get from India, Nepal, and Thailand are made out of a variety of tree products such as Sa (mulberry), Lotka (Daphne Bush), grass and jute. We even have some paper made out of old blue jeans and recycled money.

Earth's General Store promotes the use of reusable products over disposable options but there are times when people wish to use a disposable product for certain applications or events. In following our mandate to offer environmentally better options we are pleased to offer disposable plates and bowls made from bagasse (fibre residue left over from the manufacturing of sugar from sugar cane). These products are 100% biodegradable (can be composted since they do not have the plastic or wax film applied to most "paper" plates), 100% recyclable (can be put into all recycling systems), made from a renewable resources (sugar cane grows more fibre per year than trees do), microwave and freezer safe, leak and cut resistant, oil resistant, impermeable and non-toxic and is 100% wood fibre free. For more information about this product you can visit Stalk Market at www.stalkmarket.net. Please note that when we received these products we found out that they were made in China. I am still trying to balance this quandary.

Postcards from Global Aware, Syracuse Cultural Workers, and Adbusters. Greeting cards (solstice, seasonal and occasion) by Syracuse Cultural Workers, We'Moon, New Internationalist and a variety of handmade cards made by local artisans.

Calendars 2009:
We’Moon; Syracuse Cultural Workers Peace Calendars; Adbusters; Greenpeace wall calendar; New Internationalist; Sierra Club calendars and agendas are already in stock for the upcoming season. The We'Moon calendar is available in the wall, coil spiral and a flat laying format.

Oh yeah! The Organic Fair Trade Advent Calendar - a December treat for sure - is likely to arrive later in November.

We have received our first major order of calendars andwill likely need to do a smaller one later to fill customer requests.

Books:
Why spend your book and magazine money in the chain stores? Do you wish for your money to support large national and international corporations or did you wish to support independent local business? Does it make sense buying a book about anti-globalization from a chain store? In many cases we will have the largest selection of books on our core subjects in Edmonton.

The list of the books we carry would be too long so I will just mention some:

Subjects: vegetarian and vegan cook books; education; animal free cooking; composting; straw bale, cob, earth, earthbag, Earthship, rammed earth, earth sheltered, log, stone, stackwall, cordwood, natural building books; food security; Genetically Modified Organism (GMO, Biotech, biotechnology); organic gardening; biointensive gardening; permaculture; solar; wind, biodiesel, hydroelectric - renewable energy; plastering; grey water systems; sex education; Fair Trade; slavery; Just labour; environmental and social issues; sustainability; biodiesel; teacher resources; sprawl; urban planning; smart growth; food preservation (drying, canning, freezing, root cellaring, etc); self-sufficiency and self-reliant living; ecovillage; green choices; lifestyle; community; voluntary simplicity; globalization; anti-war; pro-peace; green design; roof gardens; green roofs; rainwater collection; end of oil; menstruation; coming of age; peak oil production…. I believe we have the largest selection (retail store) of alternative building and energy books in Canada.

Selected publishers: New Society; Chelsea Green; Centre for Appropriate Technologies; Real Goods; Storey; No-Nonsense Guides; New Press; Zed; New Press; Verso; AK Press and Seven Stories are just some of the publishers we focus on.

Authors include: Noam Chomsky; Bill Mollison; Masanobu Fukuoka; John Jeavons; John Robbins; Vandana Shiva; Derek Jensen; Linda McQuaig; Wendell Berry; Howard Zinn; David Suzuki; Jeremy Rifkin; Michael Moore; etc.

Titles (selected): In the Garden of Vegan; How it all Vegan; From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank; Vegan Taste of East Africa; Vegan Taste of North Africa; Vegan Taste of Thailand; Vegan Taste of Eastern Europe; Vegan Taste of Greece; Vegan Taste of France; Vegan World Fusion Cuisine; Wild Fermentation; Raw Gourmet; Dining in the Raw; Vegan with a Vengeance; Vegetarian World Fusion; 500 Greatest Ever Vegetarian Recipes; Cooking with Kurma; How to Shit in the Woods; Japanese Vegetarian Cooking; World Vegetarian Classics; Grub; Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian; Complete Vegetarian Cookbook; The Best Vegetarian Recipes; One Straw Revolution; Che; Biomimicry; NatureScape Alberta; Cradle to Cradle; Deal With It!; Dare to Repair; More Straw Bale Building; Clean House, Clean Planet; Biopiracy; Fast Food Nation; Build with Bales; Permaculture: A Design Manual; Encyclopaedia of Healing; Chasing the Sun; Worms Eat My Garbage; The Earth Care Manual; Basics of Permaculture (Mars); Permaculture Garden (Bell); Permaculture Way (Bell); Dragonslippers: This is What an Abusive Relationship Looks Like; Metal of Dishonour (about Depleted Uranium); Permaculture Plants (Nugent); Ecovillage Living; CoHousing Handbook; Green Remodelling; Let it Rot!; Darfur: The Ambiguous Genocide; Darfur: A Short History of a Long War; RAW: The Uncook Book; Humanure #2; Incredibly Delicious; Crank’s cookbooks; Moosewood Cookbooks; Vegan Planet; the Complete Book of Raw Food; One Straw Revolution; Lorax; Butter Battle Book; BioDiesel (Pahl); Biodiesel Power (Estill); Biodiesel: Basics and Beyond (Kemp); European Dream; Dark Ages Ahead; Book of Masonry Stove; Build Your Own Earth Oven; the Yurt Handbook; Long Emergency; Cooking with the Sun; An Anarchist Cookbook – Recipes for Disaster by Crimethinc; Earth Bag Building; Sacred Balance; Rebar; Killing Hope; That Take Ovaries; Slaves to Fashion; Little Earth Book; Fuelling The Future; Complete Idiot's Guide to Solar Power for Your Home; Nature of Design; Building with Earth; Have Fries Will Travel; The Green House; Practical Photovoltaics; Earthship Volumes 1, 2 an 3; Earth Construction; Septic Systems; Rainwater Collection for the Mechanically Challenged; Rainwater Harvesting (Volumes 1, 2 and soon #3); Sick House Survival Guide; Timber Framer's Workshop; Sticks, Stones, Mud Homes; Off the Grid; Bird Flu: What to Do; The End of the Line: How Overfishing is Changing the World and What We Eat; Bleeding Afghanistan; Good Green Homes; EcoNest; Green Remodelling; Thatch & Thatching; Building with Straw; Solar Water Heating; Girls will be Boys; Silent Spring; Home Work; Shelter; Radical Simplicity; Solviva; Passive Solar House; Photovoltaics – Design and Installation; Crossing the Rubicon; End of Oil; Crude; Bicycle Repair Manual; Building a Straw Bale House: The Red Feather Construction Handbook; Direct Action; You Grow Girl!; Organic Gardening; Weather Makers; Roberta’s Rules of Order; Solar Living Source Book (Real Goods); La Dolce Vegan; the Long Emergency; Microhydro; Building a Greywater System; Home House Project; When the Rivers Run Dry; Home Energy Diet; Please Don't Feed the Bears: A Vegan Cookbook by Abjorn Intonsus; Heat by George Monbiot; The Last Generation by Fred Pearce; Bitter Chocolate by Carol Off; Vegan Lunch Box (www.veganlunchbox.com); The Winds of Change: Climate, Weather, and the Destruction of Civilization by Eugene Linden; Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World; Vegan World Fusion Cuisine; Voluptuous Vegan; Eastern Vegetarian Cooking; Vegetarian World Food; 500 Great-ever Vegetarian Recipes. – plus over 500 other titles.

Magazines:
Adbusters (including past issues); Alternatives Journal; The Ecologists; Utne; Mothering; Permaculture Activist; Earth First; Earth Island Journal; Resurgence; Vegetarian Times; Bitch; Bust; E magazine; Dollars and Sense; New Internationalist; Yes!; Communities; Organic Gardening; Yoga Journal; Z Magazine; Green Teacher; Mother Jones; Shameless; Permaculture; Curve; Cultural Survival; Home Power; Private Power; Permaculture Activist; Ode; WorldWatch; The Onion; VegNews; Herbivore; Inspire Your World; Green Anarchy; World Pulse; Pride; Peace Magazine; Orion; Journal of Democracy; The Humanist; Corporate Knights; Mother Earth News; The Humanist; Acres USA; Natural Home & Garden; The Green Parent; Plenty; Pink; Geez; Organic Earth; Clamor; Tikkum; Colorlines; Planet; Yoga magazine; Yoga + Joyful Living; Yoga Journal; Yoga International; Highlights Magazine for Children; Landscape Architecture; Geist; Broken Pencil; Pink - plus over 50 more titles. We have been repeatedly told that we have the best selection of magazines that people have seen in one place.

Posters:
Earth - One Big Picture (www.theglobaleducationproject.org); Alternative Alphabet; Universal Declaration of Human Rights; We Can Do It - Rosie the Riveter; How to Build Community; Ten Myths about World Hunger; Peters Projection Map; Upside Down World Map; United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child; How to End Global Warming; How to End Violence Against Women and Children; and posters from Western Canada Wilderness Committee (WCWC or WC2) and Syracuse Cultural Workers.

Videos, DVD and CDs:
Future of Food and End of Suburbia are our two most popular titles but we carry others. A very popular title at the moment is Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Prices (www.walmartmovie.com) and these are now for sale for $18.00 (plus GST).

We have recently received copies of The Abortion Diaries (http://www.theabortiondiaries.com) and Dreams Die Hard (www.freetheslaves.net) for sale (as well as copies in the library for people to borrow).

If you get a chance, drop by the store and borrow the documentary - 'Stolen Childhoods'.I am sure once you have watched it you will understand why it is important that we privilege few that inhabit the "Have World" need to support social justice throughout the world. It is totally wrong that children are forced to take on the lives that are forced upon them as depicted in this documentary. It reinforces why Fair Trade Certified is an important practice to me.

We offer CDs (compact discs) featuring: Noam Chomsky; Howard Zinn; Jello Biafra; Michael Moore; and several others.

shoes, Sandals and Sneakers:
No Sweat and Blackspot Sneakers and Shoes in a variety of styles (Version 1, UnSwoosher, Black on Black, MoJo High Tops, Black High and Low Top, Olive High Tops, Brown High Tops, and Blue Low Tops). These are union made and therefore recognized as produced in a sweatshop free environment. They are vegan and manufactured with environmental friendlier material. We are selling off our offering of shoes since they will not be part of the new store until we get a better handle of what we wish to add to our basic focus. All shoes are 40% off!

Gardening, general household items and Composting:

Worms (red wrigglers) and vermiculture (worm) composting supplies (mostly used for people without access to an outdoor composter - apartment and condo dwellers or people that wish to make a fine soil fertilizer); Organic Green alfalfa based fertilizer; local organic seeds and Great States, American Lawn, and Scott Reel non-polluting push lawnmowers. Worm composting produces worm castings which make an excellent fertilizer for your indoor plants or outdoor garden. We also have an excellent selection of books on worm and outdoor composting which compliment our offering of organic gardening and agriculture books. I believe that we are the only retail store in Alberta that offers worms for composting.

We offer the worms by themselves or as part of a kit. Normally we order the worms on Wednesday and they are delivered to the store on Thursday. People that are interested in getting worms need to place an order before Wednesday so that they can ensure that worms are reserved for them. People should pick their worms up at the store over the next few days (Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday). The worms are sold in 1/2 pound lots (this is 1/2 pound of worms in a small bag of soil) and are sold for $42.00. A kit consists of a 53L Rubbermaid Roughtote with holes drilled out of the lid (for ventilation), 1/2 pound bag of worms, 50 litres of soil, a trowel and a marker. The kit is sold for $72.50. Please contact us at 780-439-8725 to order the worms and/or worm composting kit.

Alberta Education has incorporated a waste awareness module in their grade 4 curriculum. Each September we get many Grade 4 teachers coming into the store to purchase worms and kits. To help them in their education efforts we lend out the "Wormania" and "Worm Bin Creatures" videos and have worm-composting information supplied to us from the City of Edmonton. We want children going through this programme to understand that each and everyone contributes to the waste stream but there are components of this stream that we can easily recycle in our own home (or backyard if doing an outdoor composting system).

Diatomaceous earth (DE) that is used as a physical natural pesticide especially for cockroaches, ants, slugs and snails. It can even be used as a natural non-toxic method to de-worm animals (pets). Our concentrated vinegar (25%) acts as an effective natural herbicide (dandelions, Canadian Thistle, small saplings, etc).

EcoSafe biodegradable garbage bags (kitchen and yard wastes). I strongly suggest that most of you compost all your organic wastes instead of sending them off to a landfill. Composting is one of the "greenest" actions you can do and it is such a easy activity.

Expandable mesh produce bags - as seen on Oprah (April 20th, 2007 - her Earth Day Special). These are a great reusable product for putting in all your fresh fruits and vegetables.

Waspinator - a deterrent device that works like a wasp scarecrow. No toxic chemicals!

Free compost, grasscycling, and recycling information from the City of Edmonton. We also have resources for teachers (waste reduction and worm composting is part of the Grade 4 curriculum).

Bottles, plastic free living products, Travel mugs, bags & shopping aids:

It seems we are safe drinking container central. We have The Safe Sippy cups, Think Baby bottles, and Green to Grow baby bottles.

All the plastics used in the baby bottles is BPA FREE!

Adult drinking bottles: We stopped carrying Sigg and Laken aluminum beverage bottles (I let the inventory run out last year and never re-ordered). See above and below for more information. We only carry stainless steel Klean Kanteens and Purica drinking bottles (and once the Klean Kanteens are all sold we will only carry Purica (due to price point and design features).

As mentioned above the Sigg and Laken bottle are made with aluminum metal. As most of us know having aluminium in your body will cause problems. To stop the aluminium from being dissolved in the liquid contents the bottles have a water based resin liner. It is my understanding that this liner does not contaminate the liquid with any nasties. The preceeding sentence was what I wrote last year but now I know that Sigg, as far as I am concerned, mislead me and of course our customers. They have admitted that the liner did contain BPA up until August of 2008. After this they started using a new liner that does not have BPA. I am pissed of that a brand such as Sigg would do this. See the bulletin that Sigg released by clicking here.

The reasons why I stopped carrying the bottles were: I did not feel comfortable with the aluminium; I am always sceptical of a miracle liner that is perfect (according to the information that Sigg originally gave me); they began a status symbol and too much of a consumer product. Though I am not completely content with stainless steel I feel it is a safer product. Glass is always best but it has its own problems.

Bags! Bags! Bags! - We have carried cloth cotton bags for many years but due to demand and encouraging people to reuse bags we are bringing in more options for people - Chico Bags (ChicoBag), EnviroSax, Baggu Bags, Earth Rite, Bring Your Own Bags (BYOB - Made in Canada), Onya Bags, Basura (Bazura) bags (made from reclaimed beverage containers, rice bags and billboard material), and string bags from EcoBags (wide variety of colours). Produce bags from EcoBags and the green reuseable plastic mesh produce bags continue to be a big seller. Moukisac mesh produce bags have arrived!

New to the store - 'Shopping Trolley' and 'Shopping Caddy' in a variety of colours. These really make shopping easier since they are wheeled.

We continue to expand our offering of Plastic Free Living products from companies like: Sanctus Mundo, To-Go Ware, Stainless Seal, etc. who all offer some very nice and functional products.

We have recently brought in reusable mugs from Planetary Designs. One of the more popular items in their line is the double shot travel mug. This really cool design has a stash compartment in the base where you can store some coffee grounds or tea leaves so that you can have another hit will out and about. It also comes with a coffee/tea press so you can make a fresh beverage anywhere you go. We also brought in some thermoses from them so that you can carry some hot water with you to make your fresh pot of your favourite beverage.

We continue to expand our Fair Trade Certified (Certified Organic as well) offerings
(I believe we offer the largest selection of Fair Trade Certified products in Canada).
One of the founding philosophies of the store is to give people better options.

I believe that reusing an item shows a high level of respect for the energy and resources that were used to make the item in the first place. If I don't have a cup/mug with me then I don't get to have a tea to go.
But there are times or people that believe that a disposable product is needed for certain situations. It makes sense then that there are better options to offer these people. I have been offering facial tissue (that's Kleenex for many of you) in addition to the reusable organic cotton handkerchiefs. We have offered disposable plates made from bagasse which are 100% compostable for years - well now we are offering an extension of this philosophy. We will now offer disposable cups, spoons, forks, and knives that are 100% compostable. The cups have a polymer liner that keeps the liquid from soaking the paper is manufactured from corn, the shell of the cup is made from paper and the whole cup is completely biodegradable. The cutlery is made from potatoes and is also completely bridgeable.

In the next couple of weeks we will be getting in other products that will help people have less of an ecological impact when they choose to use disposables for an event or when they are out and about - reusable chopsticks, more travel mugs, bamboo flat ware and stainless steel containers to store leftovers or as a doggy bag.

But remember - Reduce is best!



Coffee; Tea; Chocolate; Hot Chocolate; Cocoa; Sugar and snacks:

Earth's General Store became Fair Trade certified as a coffee roaster in June 2006. This takes us to the next level of providing certified Fair Trade and Organic coffee in the Edmonton area. We are FIRST and ONLY Edmonton coffee roaster that uses ONLY 100% Certified Fair Trade green coffee beans that are also certified Organic! Yeah for us! Not only will people enjoy freshly roasted coffee with a sense of justice they will also be enjoying a cup of coffee that tastes GREAT!

We offer Organic Fair Trade Certified sugar - packaged and bulk.

The hot chocolate (both milk and dark) and cocoa powders are supplied by Cocoa Camino. Cocoa Camino has a chocolate chip product and we have these in the store.

Ambriel chocolates - the Orange Peel is much loved by our staff. La Siembra Cocoa Camino makes a large line of chocolate bars. We also carry some products from Dagoba: bars (Conacado); ChocoDrops (large baking chips); cocoa powder; and hot chocolate. I have heard some wonderful compliments of the chocolate bars this company produces but unfortunately only a few of their items are Fair Trade Certified. I assume that in time this will change. We ONLY carry their products that are Fair Trade Certified and Certified Organic. Their Hot Chocolates look great (Authentic, Xocolatl, and Unsweetened) and are very popular. The Xocolatl has traditional ingredients like chillies and cinnamon - interesting!

We stopped offering Endangered Species Chocolates since they are no longer Fair Trade Certified. They have decided to do a non-audited process called "ethically traded". I cannot support this.

Zazubean - Ego (Dark Chocolate with Matcha & Goji Berries), Luna(tic) (Dark Chocolate with Mint & Cocoa Nibs, Nakid (Dark Chocolate & Cocoa Nibs), Zing (Dark Chocolate with Espresso Chunks);
Cocoa Camino has added to their offering of chocolate bars - Los Intendos line - Chili & Spice Dark Chocolate (71% Cocoa), Cranberries & Almonds Dark Chocolate (71% Cocoa), Matcha & Green Tea Dark Chocolate (71% Cocoa), Panama Extra Dark Chocolate (85% Cocoa);

Equita - Bittersweet Chocolate (70% Cocoa), Candied Orange Peel Dark Chocolate (57% Cocoa), Milk Chocolate (34% Cocoa).

We also carry Milk and Dark Chocolate Easter Bunnies when the eating season for these begins again (these are not organic just Fair Trade Certified).

Just Us! has started to make their own chocolate and is now packaging it for retail sale. We have received our initial shipment of Chocolate Covered Almonds, Milk Almond Bar, Dark Almond Bar, Bittersweet Bliss, Golden Crunch, and Midnight Mint. Just US! has also produced some Freeze Dried Instant Coffee and yes - everything is Fair Trade Certified and Organic.

Many of the chocolates we offer are vegan and lactose intolerant friendly. Our chocolates are organic and therefore they are GMO free (many chocolates contain soy lecithin that are derived from GMO sources).

We offer teas from Choice Tea (Chai Spice, Dragon Well Chai, Green Tea with essence of Peach ,Black Tea, Earl Grey, Mango Ceylon, English Breakfast, and Irish Breakfast), Kicking Horse (Peppermint Herbal, Earl Grey, Indian Chai), Numi Monkey King Jasmine Green Tea, and Four O'Clock Teas (Green Tea Chai, Rooibos Chai, and Black Tea Chai). Please note we ONLY carry the Certified Organic Fair Trade teas from these companies since they also offer non-organic and non-Fair Trade products.

Caveat emptor regarding the term organic and fair trade! Several companies are throwing these terms about without the backing of what makes these terms good for the environment, the people producing the products, and society. There should always be a certifying organisations to back up these claims. I see the personal care company Lush is selling a product that they call "Fair Trade" but it is just a term without any justification for its use. As far as I am concerned this is misleading the public (lying) and does a great disservice to the term and the people offering real Fair Trade products. Watch out for the term fairly traded as well. Of course the term organic has been inappropriately used for many years. The term organic from a purely technically aspect just means that it contains carbon atoms in it - such as petroleum (gasoline, plastics, etc.) and all living matter. When the term organic is used to describe a growing and processed it is assumed by the consumer that it is actually adheres to some form of criteria. This is not always the case. There is nothing to stop a person using this term in a manner that misleads the consumer (either intentionally or through ignorance - more likely the former). Only when you purchase certified organic (or from a producer that you can trust and support like from a farmer's market vendor) can you ensure that the product actually meets a standard that is peer and socially accepted.

Earth's General store is Certified as a Fair Trade roaster of coffee beans by TransFair Canada - Yeah! We only purchase certified Organic and Fair Trade Certified green coffee beans and then roast them to provide you with a fantastic coffee experience.

People have responded very favourably to the excellent quality of the roasts we are offering - fresh roasted beans do add a dimension that people just aren't used to and they like it. The Colombian Dark roast and the Brazillian (certified by Cafe Femenino) medium roast blend have received much praise and rave reviews. Eric's (roastmaster) blended creations include the Bi-Continental blend (Ethiopian Yirgacheffee and Indonesian Sumatran), Black and Tan, Mexican Dark, PS475 (Peruvian Penachi and Ethiopian Sidamo roasted to 475F - really dark) and the Medium roast Ethiopian Yirgacheffee.

Earth’s General Store is roasting the green beans using a model YM-10 roaster from Ambex. Our roast master is Eric Filpula whose love of coffee is (well I think he is an addict but most coffee drinkers tend to be) and who is in pursuit of the ultimate cup of coffee.

Our Certified Organic Fair Trade green coffee bean selection will vary but we presently carry green beans from Mexico (Cafe Femeninio), Nicaragua (Matagalpa), Peru (Penachi), Colombia, Ethiopian (Yirgacheffee, Harrar and Sidamo) and Indonesian Sumatran (Takengon). A Swiss Water Process (SWP) decaffeinated green bean is available (Peruvian Penachi). We recently added Ethiopian Yirgacheffee beans to our offering and our roastmaster has done a batch on a medium roast which has been received very favourably by our customers.

Several of our Fair Trade Certified coffees are also produced through Cafe Feminino. You can find out more information about this programme at www.cafefemeninofoundation.org.

You can purchase any of our green coffee beans in their green state so that you can roast at home. This is becoming more popular as people are discovering the experience and pleasure of raosting at home.

We offer Rebar and organic Bumble Bars (gluten-free) for those that are in need of a healthy snack and licorice from Panda.

We offer a variety of coffee filters: reusable cloth; reusable metal; French press (sometimes called a tea or Bodum press) and disposable unbleached paper filters.

Many people are becoming concerned about the 'migrates' or leeching of chemicals from plastic containers into their beverages - most notably water bottles. Earth's General Store is now stocking 304 grade stainless steel beverage/water bottles manufactured by Klean Kanteen.

Last year we introduced to the Canadian market Laptop Lunches, bento style containers. They come in a variety of systems and have proved to be very popular with parents looking for a product to help them inprove the appearance and efficincy of packing a [healthy] meal for their children. Several people are using the system for themselves. We have had people from Ontario to Victoria order the product from us. It helps when your store is the only outlet in Canada.

The Vegan Lunch Box cookbook has also proved to be very popular and several people purchase the book with a Laptop Lunch system. I am always surprised by the number of people that come into the store that visit author Jennifer McCann's website or blog.

Lighting; Water and Energy Efficiency - CONSERVATION:
Full spectrum lighting (fluorescent and incandescent for people suffering from or are susceptible to Seasonal Affected Disorder - SAD) from Chromalux, Seventh Generation, Verilux and Hytron (all of the Full Spectrum fluorescent lights are rated at 5000 K); energy efficient compact fluorescent (CFL); toilet dams; low-flow showerheads and aerators; hot water heater insulating blankets; weatherstripg; reusable plastic (vinyl) storm window film (packaged and bulk) and information (this system lets people reuse the vinyl year after year instead of having to throw the film away every year).

We are offering solar ovens that allow people to cook their food using just the energy of the sun. I cooked several meals in the summer of 2005 in one of these solar ovens: beans; potatoes; carrots; rice; and even bread. I am quite excited about getting stock in of the book Cooking with the Sun and the new book from New Society - 'Solar Food Dryer'.

Toilets consume, or rather waste the most amount of water and therefore money, in the house. We offer the toilet dam that will silently allow a person to save between 15 to 25% of the water that they are needlessly flushing down the toilet. This product is very simple and will quietly pay for itself in about 2 months - based on a family of four. Great return on investment. In fact, legally I doubt there are very few other ways to get this kind of return on investment.

We offer the windup (crank) and solar powered products from FreePlay (radios and flashlights). We just got in a shipment of the latest products from FreePlay for the holiday season. Some of the new flashlights now have LED (Light Emitting Diodes) instead of the Xenon bulbs that they have been using. Some of the new radios offer a Weather Band frequency.

Many people like to have a filter on their showerheads to reduce their exposure to chlorine. We carry a filter that fits on the pipe coming out of the wall and then your showerhead (hopefully it is a good water efficient type) is attached to the filter housing. The filter medium is KDF-55. The filter cartridge is replaceable and should last about 1 year in normal use (2 showers a day - to me this would be very high use).

In addition to the largest selection of books on energy, house building, home retrofit, green design, etcetera we offer a plethora of free information from the government on energy and water efficiency and conservation.

SAVE WATER, SAVE ENERGY, SAVE MONEY

Buttons, pins, jewellery & Stickers:
In 2003 we started to offer the White Poppy (also known as the Peace Poppy because of the word Peace printed on a green disc in the middle of the poppy) to provide people an option to show their support for peace. In November 2006 the Royal Canadian Legion took exception to this and started with legal proceedings against our store and Edmonton Women in Black (who were also distributing the white poppies). This has brought the issue of how we, as a society, resolve conflicts and lots of healthy discussion has ensued. Earth's General Store will continue to offer the White Poppy to people that wish to obtain one throughout the year since peace should be pursued throughout the year.

Please visit www.whitepoppy.org.uk or www.ppu.org.uk for more information about this campaign of peace.

Hundreds of buttons and stickers (large for cars and book binders and small ones for bicycles; coffee mugs; etc) that challenge our paradigm. Some of the subjects covered by our stickers and buttons are: anti-violence; pro thinking; anti-dogma; pro rights; gender equality; anti war; peace; justice; honour; thought provoking; great quotes; organic lifestyle; vegetarianism; family; parent equality; sexism. Some of our most popular stickers and stickers are: Kill Your Television; Subvert the Dominate Paradigm; One More Bicycle; One Less Car; Tofu - the Other White Meat; A Little Anarchy goes a Long Way; Sprawl Marts Suck the Life Out of Your Town; I Love My Bike; Rebel with a Cause; Join the Army, Travel to exotic distant lands, meet exciting people and kill them; Fukenkarz.

Diversity and pride rainbow jewellery, buttons, and stickers for our gay, homosexual, bisexual and lesbian customers.

And we carry the Darwin Fish plaques; stickers; buttons and magnets. Some of the new ones from this series include: Science, Fish & Chips, Reality Bites, and Evolve.

Some of our most popular sew on and iron on patches are: "Put the fun between your legs" (with a bicycle graphic); "I love Tofu"; "Om"; "Peace symbol".

Tickets: Through out the year we are ticket outlet for a wide variety of events - music, speaking engagements, film festivals, etc.

Earth’s General Store produces an e-newsletter every so often and an Activist Agenda every week that lists events in the Edmonton, AB area. If you would like to receive these please email me at egs at shawbiz.ca. You can click Activist Agenda at the top of this webpage for the latest version if you want to access this through the web [thanks to Conrad]. I try to update the on-line version of the Activist Agenda on a daily basis so that it is current and relevant.

To help facilitate people recycling batteries (alkaline, rechargeables - Nickel Cadmium, Nickel Metal Hydride, Lithium, etc) we have a collection and storage area. When the buckets become full we take them to the local EcoStation where they are sent away and the toxic components of the batteries are recovered for reuse or proper disposal. We also offer Nickel Metal Hydrides (NiMH) batteries and chargers for purchase. In the fall of 2006 the City of Edmonton has decided that they will not accept batteries that we collect and divert towards them. I don't know whether I have the energy to challenge them on this and to take it to the provincial level (they fund the collection of alkaline batteries).

Earth's General Store has worked over the years with Ecology Systems Information Society (ESIS) to develop a Activist Toolkit to fill a need in our community. The toolkit consists of: megaphones; walkie-talkies; marshall vests; cups; mugs; plates; cutlery; glasses; coffee making equipment; coffee thermoses; and sign making supplies. We also do a lot of media work for a wide variety of organisations. The store helps a variety of organisations by being a ticket outlet for their fundraising events (Earth's General Store allows people to charge or use their debit card for these tickets and typically we charge 50 cents extra when a customer uses on of these charge options).

Also, in cooperation with ESIS a fairly extensive video, DVD and book library has been developed. We have available copies of a variety of subjects and titles: Iraq for Sale; Global Gardener (Permaculture with Bill Mollison); Java Jive (National Film Board - NFB on the coffee trade and Fair Trade); Fed Up! (GMO - Biotech); Wal-Mart: The High Price of Low Cost; Is Wal-Mart Good for America? (a PBS Frontline production); A Crisis of Faith; Future of Food (food security and GMO - Biotech); End of Suburbia (end of oil and urban planning); Affluenza (Consumerism); The Abortion Diaries; Escape from Affluenza (Consumerism); Culture Jammer's (Adbuster video adverts); Building with Straw; Hormone Copy Cats; Damaged Care (about the corrupted HMO health care system in the USA); Return of the Scorcher (bicycle transportation); Reclaim the Streets; Slavery; Manufacturing Consent (Chomsky); Fahrenheit 9/11 (Michael Moore's documentary); Peaceable Kingdom (Animal Welfare); Stolen Childhoods (children in slavery throughout the world); The Next Industrial Revolution (industrial ecology); Wormania; True cost of Food (by Sierra Club); Green Building (five hours of really excellent information); Comprehensive Guide to Building with Straw Bale; Building with Awareness; plus over 30 other videos-DVDs.

In conjunction with Vegetarians of Alberta we house their library of books, cookbooks, cassettes, videos and DVDs. Membership for VOA is available at the store.

Earth's General Store also contributes money on a monthly basis to the following non-profit organisations:

Over the years Earth's General Store has been involved with or had a presence at many events:


Our Location

Please come visit us at:

9605 - 82nd Avenue (after February 1st, 2010 - but phone first)
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
T6C 0Z9
Phone: 780-439-8725
egs@interbaun.com

www.egs.ca

categories [ ]