April Change for Good: ScienceWorks

ScienceWorks: Growing Sustainably, Connecting Community

At ScienceWorks Hands-On Museum, we believe that learning should be an adventure—one that inspires curiosity, fosters creativity, and brings people together. As we look to the future, our focus is on sustainable growth: improving our visitor experience, adapting to a changing world, and deepening our connection with the community. This April, we are honored to be the Ashland Food Co-op’s Change for Good recipient, giving our community a unique opportunity to support our mission. Your donation helps us create a more accessible, inclusive, and sustainable museum experience for everyone.

Building a More Sustainable Future

Sustainability isn’t just about the environment—it’s about building a resilient, inclusive space where everyone belongs. ScienceWorks is committed to making our facility more sustainable and accessible, ensuring that future generations can continue to explore, learn, and grow. Through strategic partnerships and innovative projects, we are taking steps to improve our infrastructure and minimize our environmental footprint.

One excitig initiative is our collaboration with Wheel the World, a program dedicated to assessing and improving accessibility for travelers with disabilities. This effort will help make ScienceWorks, as well as local businesses and attractions, more inclusive and welcoming. By participating in this initiative, we are strengthening our commitment to providing a space where all visitors can fully engage with hands-on science exploration.

Engaging, Hands-On Learning

Education is at the heart of everything we do. This year, we are expanding our hands-on workshops, interactive exhibits, and special events to reach even more learners. One of our upcoming projects is the Vesper Meadows: Inspired Art traveling exhibit, which will highlight the Vesper Meadows Restoration Preserve, connecting visitors to the science of conservation and ecosystem recovery. Through exhibits like this, we aim to inspire a deeper understanding of our local environment and the importance of sustainability.

Additionally, we are growing our educational programs to better serve underserved communities. By expanding outreach efforts and offering new workshops, we can help foster the next generation of creative thinkers and problem solvers. Science should be accessible to all, and your support ensures that we continue breaking down barriers to science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM) education.

Join Us for Earth Day!

Mark your calendars for Friday, April 25, as we celebrate Earth Day at ScienceWorks! This special event will feature an afternoon of hands-on activities, local vendors, and interactive experiences focused on sustainability and environmental stewardship. Earth Day is a call to protect our planet for future generations, and we invite you to join us in learning, exploring, and taking action for a more sustainable future.

Why Your Support Matters

ScienceWorks thrives because of our community. Your donation is more than just a gift—it’s an investment in curiosity, education, and connection. It helps us create engaging exhibits, expand programming, and improve our facility to better serve visitors of all ages and abilities.

When you round up at the register in April, you are directly contributing to these efforts. Your generosity supports:

  • New interactive exhibits like the Vesper Meadows: Inspired Art traveling exhibit
  • Expanded educational programs for underserved communities
  • Sustainability initiatives to make our museum more planet-friendly and accessible
  • Inclusive experiences through collaborations like Wheel the World

We are all part of an interconnected ecosystem, and by lifting each other up, we create a thriving, vibrant community. ScienceWorks is proud to be a place where people of all backgrounds can come together to explore, discover, and grow.

Thank you for being a part of our journey. Together, we can shape a brighter, more sustainable future—one that sparks curiosity, fosters innovation, and strengthens our community. See you at ScienceWorks!

More Co-op News

Your Fruit. Your Cider.

How often can you browse the shelf at your neighborhood grocery store, see a bottle of hand crafted, local cider and say, “Hey, I help make that!” Well, at the Co-op you can.

Millions of Peaches, Peaches for Me

By Laura Pfister, Media Coordinator

Many of us wait all year for this moment. We spend the winter months dreaming of a certain fuzzy stone fruit, its sweet juices dripping from our face and the buttery golden pie crust those yellow-orange slices will inhabit.

Good news! The wait is over. That local, sweet orb of sunshine has finally arrived. That’s right. Rolling Hills peaches are here!

2017 Board Election Results

The Ashland Food Co-op Board of Directors is pleased to announce the results of the 2017 Board Election. There were five excellent candidates running for three Board positions. In total, 733 votes were cast, representing 9% of owners. 
 
Congratulations to the following candidates who will serve three-year terms on the Ashland Food Co-op Board of Directors.

We're Sustainability Stars!

Deep in our hearts we've always known we were sustainability stars, but now we have an award to prove it.

We recently received a Co+efficient Sustainability Star award from National Co-op Grocers (NCG) recognizing our positive environmental and community impacts.

Co+efficient, NCG’s sustainability program, measures social, environmental and local economic impacts from participating food co-ops across the country.

Give Where You Live

It’s the most wonderful time of year! Yes, we know that phrase is generally reserved for the holiday season. But for us, this truly is the most wonderful time of the year. It’s OUR season of giving.

Dine In and Bike Your Way to Savings

Did you know that approximately half of our landfill waste stream is composed of Deli trash? A significant part of that is “to-go” containers, which are sometimes used for dining in and don’t end up “going” very far at all.

Sustainability matters in everyday actions and we want you, our customers, to help us reduce unnecessary waste and make the most ecologically sound choices possible.

Participate in YOUR Co-op!

Meet Your Candidates
The Co-op Board is pleased to announce that we have 5 candidates for 3 open seats in the 2017 Board Election!
 
Join us for a social "

Spring Picks

The sun is (mostly) out and the weather is finally getting warmer. That must mean summer is right around the corner, right? We sure hope so. We’re ready to grill, soak up some sun and enjoy the many fruits and vegetables that are in season. Our Floral Coordinator, Rachel Chastain, shares some of her favorites.

Be the Sustainable Change

By Laura Pfister, Media Coordinator

Sustainability is not a new concept at the Co-op. It has always been part of our DNA. We’ve been using sustainable business practices before it was the “cool”, “responsible” thing to do. In fact, the Co-op was founded 45 years ago largely on the principles of sustainable, local organic food production as an alternative to modern industrial agriculture.  

A New Look

By Laura Pfister, Media Coordinator

For 45 years we’ve been loving local and fostering community. Throughout our almost half a century history, our identity and logo has gone through many iterations.

Some of you might remember the logo above from our newsletter in the early 1980s.

As we’ve done multiple times throughout our history, it’s time to refresh our brand and launch a beautiful, new logo to take us into the next decade.

Turkey and Sweet Potato Chili

Turkey and Sweet Potato Chili is one of my favorite Co+op Basics recipes. It is full of flavor, color and shatters the myth that a healthy meal has to cost a fortune and take all day to prepare. This recipe is also a clever way to use sweet potatoes, which are not only tasty but high in fiber and vitamin A.

Looking to Save Money at the Co-op?

By Laura Pfister, Media Coordinator

We hear from time to time that people feel the Co-op is higher priced than other stores. In the past, we may have earned this perception. But not anymore. We took a long, hard look at ourselves and we talked with other Co-ops across the country. Together, we are pooling our resources to bring you organic, household staples at everyday competitive, low prices. Welcome to Co+op Basics.

45 Years Strong

On Valentine’s Day, the Ashland Food Co-op turns 45 years old.

It’s hard to imagine we’ve been providing healthy, organic food to the Rogue Valley for almost half a century. From our humble beginnings as the Ashland Community Food Store to now a thriving Co-op with over 10,000 owners, it has been an honor to serve this community.

Let’s take a brief stroll down memory lane and see how far we’ve come in 45 years.

 

Saving Paper One Coupon at a Time

To further our sustainability efforts and to serve you better, we began offering Electronic Owner Coupons this month at the register.

No more forgetting to bring your owner coupons. No more waiting for your newsletter to arrive. Cashiers will simply ask if you want to use your owner coupons when you check out.

A few key points to remember:

Thank YOU For a Wonderful Year!

 

2016 had many notable moments. We hosted many successful family friendly events, added 150 more solar panels to our roof, and earned 25% of our sales for local products. We proudly donated over $24,000 to area nonprofits through our Community Grants program. We welcomed 482 new owners and averaged 3,500 daily transactions.

Whew! And that is just a small sample.