Danny Jensen
December 15, 2008 | 4:49 pm EST
photo: Atlantian5, Creative Commons
The chants of change and hope are becoming more and more faint to the Obama Administration as they appoint individuals who are hardly the visionary leaders we hoped for. I never expected to fully support all of the Obama Administration’s appointments or policies, but the latest ones have been a real punch in the gut to environmentalists. However, this is not the time for us to whince at the bad news, but to straighten up and continue our fight for national leadership that promotes sustainable environmental policies.
For those of you who happen to be like me–proud locavores and food activists–you are probably disappointed by the news of Obama’s choice of Tom Vilsack for Secretary of Agriculture. Yes, this is a huge bummer. Despite efforts by groups such as the Organic Consumers Association and activists such as Michael Pollan to press the incoming Administration to appoint him is a real loss to the sustainable food community. Rather than being a voice for change, Vilsack has been a proponent of CAFOs (industrial farming), ethanol and genetically modified crops. Yes, this sounds like the same policies as the Bush Administration because they are the same! Despite this disappointing news, it’s an opportunity, once again, to get active and local! takepart with Sustainable Table to learn how you can buy local produce and support sustainable agriculture in your community. And, takepart to sign the Organic Consumers Association’s “Stop Vilsack” petition today.
As President-elect Obama prepares to choose a secretary of agriculture, New York Times Op-Ed columnist Nicholas Kristof has proposed the renaming of the Department of Agriculture as the Department of Food. This call to shift from wasteful factory farms and outdated, unhealthy subsidies to a more sustainable and economically viable food policy is strongly reinforced by a circulating petition from Food Democracy Now.
The petition, addressed to Obama, proposes six sustainable choices for the Secretary of Agriculture, individuals who would help refocus the nation’s priorities to protect our health, the environment, our food supply and the economy, as well as supporting independent family farmers and a clean energy future. Supporters of the bill include chefs, writers, farmers, including the likes of Michael Pollan, Wendell Berry, Marion Nestle, Alice Waters, and many more.
The concerns of this petition touch on an array of challenges that face the country now, including health care, the economy, climate change and energy independence; issues that cannot be ignored. If Obama is to make good on his promises for change, food and agriculture are two of the most influential places to begin.
takepart by signing the petition and help guide Obama to a more sustainable future on the farm.
via indieWIRE
Robert Kenner’s documentary film “Food, Inc.” will open the 59th Berlin International Film Festival’s Culinary Cinema programme as a Berlinale Special. The screening will take place February 8th at Friedrichstadtpalast and conclude with a discussion and a “true culinary treat.” “Food” finds Kenner and the investigative protagonists Eric Schlosser and Michael Pollan exploring the depths of the food industry hidden from the consumer with the consent of governmental authorities. Following the presentation of “Food, Inc.,” a panel discussion with director Kenner, Schlosser, Pollan, and German food experts will take place. To conclude the event, Berlin top chef Tim Raue will indulge guests in a “delicious culinary alternative to ‘Food, Inc.’”
How awesome is that!? A good film and then food. I wish I was in Berlin.
But alas I’m not. Luckily I can still be involved with the film right here in the US. And you can too! All you have to do it takepart with TakePart’s social action plan for Food Inc. You can do a lot of cool things like, Say No to Junk Food and Soda in Schools and Support Safer Conditions for Farm Workers
If we had our way, here are 5 floats we would have included in the parade today:
1) Willie Nelson on a bio-diesel float singing “It Ain’t Easy Being Green”
2) Alice Waters, Eric Schlosser and Michael Pollan on a garden float launching locally grown produce into the audience.
3) Cheerleaders dressed as Tofu dancing to “Veggie Veggie Fruit Fruit”
4) A Wall-E giant balloon made out of plastic bags
5) A corporate bailout float in the shape of the Capitol Building with money pouring out of the windows. And CEOs running around to catch the falling cash.
takepart with City Harvest
Today’s Feeding the World Conference in London will address the hotly debated use of genetically modified(GM) crops to address the global food crisis (apologies to British readers who didn’t get the word sooner). While proponents of GM crops argue that the benefits of increased yields and nutritional value outweigh concerns over genetic manipulation, recent studies are reinforcing support for organic solutions to global food concerns. I fully believe that GM crops are not the answer, and that we can find ways address the problems of worldwide hunger through organic methods. There are too many risks involved with GM crops, which place control of food in the hands of a few multinational corporations and reduces food security. Many people argue that we already produce enough food to feed everyone and that the real problem lies in the politics of distribution.
Here is an excerpt from a panel discussion at the Slow Food Conference some of us attended over Labor Day weekend, with Vandana Shiva laying it down about GM technology:
takepart and learn more with Participant Media’s upcoming film Food, Inc.
Taking a bold and admirable stance, the U.N. has announced that subsidies and production of biofuels are contributing to increased food prices and food shortages. Echoing the warning call of environmentalists and many scientists, the U.N. argues that the recent mad dash to produce biofuels, has pushed farmers to plant commodity crops like corn to create ethanol, leaving little room for food people can eat, including wheat. Food supplies go down, prices shoot up, and more forests are cleared to plant biofuel crops. The U.N. report says that biofuel policies should be:
urgently reviewed in order to preserve the goal of world food security, protect poor farmers, promote broad-based rural development and ensure environmental sustainability,
We obviously want to end our addiction to fossil fuels, and while plants sounded like a very green replacement, the approach that has been taken is more like covering your body with nicotine patches to quit smoking:
Read the rest of this entry »
Have diets gone the way of jazzercising? According to yesterday’s New York Times an increasing number of people are steering clear of deprivation diets and instead savoring more fresh, wholesome foods. Disillusioned by the broken promises of weight-loss fads and tired of calorie counting, many consumers are discovering that they can enjoy a delicious home-cooked meals prepared with healthful ingredients.
Following the wisdom of writers and chefs, like Alice Waters, Michael Pollan and Marion Nestle, and organizations like Slow Food, the country is rethinking their relationship with food. We are walking away from the unhealthy confines of processed and refined foods, and making our way out into the wide-open fields, or at least the closest farmer’s market.
Yesterday I met an inspiring mother and her two children, overweight and battling diabetes who, fed up with impractical diets, have decided to add more vegetables and whole grains to their diet. Working together and with a nutritionist they are devising a meal plan that includes healthier versions of food they already love. And they aren’t eliminating their favorite treats, but instead scaling the portions down and keeping out of the house, so a nibble of chocolate includes a healthy stroll around the block . They are discovering that despite being time and cash strapped, they are able to enjoy healthier meals together, with some simple adjustments.
I just came back from Slow Food Nation in San Francisco. It was a delicious, inspiring, invigorating weekend. Anyone who has read the likes of Marion Nestle, Wendell Berry, Michael Pollan, Eric Schlosser and Alice Waters (to name a few) know that food politics is complicated. From organics and Monsanto to climate change and oil, and from GMOs and the Farm Bill to animal rights and human rights. Vandana Shiva, my hero and a true force of nature, eloquently said “Everything is food, everything is someone else’s food.”
Slow Food Nation is heating things up in San Francisco next week with the first-ever American gathering to unite the growing sustainable food movement
Food enthusiasts, chefs, bloggers, filmmakers, policy makers and change makers will experience tastings, panels and films to introduce people to food that is good, clean and fair.
Participant media is hosting a conversation and screening on Sunday August 31st. Eric Schlosser and Michael Pollan are joining us for a conversation with Food Inc director Robert Kenner. The discussion will be followed by a screening of Pressure Cooker.
Let us know if you will be at Slow Food Nation and takepart by sending us your healthy food tip!
See you in San Fran!
Related:
Hungry for Change
The TakePart Top 10 Weekly Roundup is a compilation of the week’s most notable stories from our entertainment-meets-social-action blogging network. Check out our most popular articles of the week on a variety of subjects, as well as a few TakePart blogger favorites.
Katie:
Helen Keller & Anne Sullivan Surfaces 120 Years Later
Hallelujah For American Idol, Jeff Buckley and Leonard Cohen
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Nicole:
Google Gives Free Voicemail to San Francisco Homeless
Gabriel Garcia Marquez Turnes 80
Patrick Swayze’s Cancer Battle
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Gina:
“Chop Shop” - Dreams In a Place of Despair
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Kerry:
Giulia:
