Rebuilding our Food System Infrastructure – Michael Conard
Michael Conard, Assistant Director at the Urban Design Lab, part of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, discusses the new distribution systems needed for changing the food system.
Good Food is Everybody's Business
Michael Conard, Assistant Director at the Urban Design Lab, part of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, discusses the new distribution systems needed for changing the food system.
Known primarily for its spectacular castles and fortresses—not to mention the legend of Vlad the Impaler—Romania is also a country abundant in arable farmland. Romania’s allocation of organically-farmed land may seem small but its rate of growth indicates that there is both interest and intent in adopting the practice.
Roger Dorion is plotting a revolution. He’s organizing Kitchen Gardeners; a special breed of subversives. By seeking an active role in their own sustenance, they are modern-day participants in humankind’s oldest and most basic activity, offering a critical link to our past and positive vision for our future.
Provender… the simple definition is food. From October 6-8, Provender meant a gathering of hundreds of people who grow, harvest, prepare, and love good, healthy, local food. There are few events with the energy level, connection, and camaraderie that Provender Alliance’s annual conference delivered.
Aside from meat products, there are no restrictions for other foods labeled natural. And, according to a new report by the Cornucopia Institute, the term is nothing more than meaningless marketing hype promoted by corporate interests seeking to cash in on the consumer desire for food produced in a genuinely sustainable manner.
I’m inspired in this moment to discuss the topic of cooking meals, as it’s one that’s near and dear to me. With Monday, October 24, 2011 officially having been designated as Food Day, the time is ripe. The focus is to bring cooking – not just anything, but real food – back into home and hearth across America.
Are we having a spate of “mid-life food crises” or are folks in their late 30s and early 40s simply realizing that the words “supermarket” and “good food” don’t seem to belong in the same sentence anymore? Annette Cottrell – self-avowed “extreme gardener” – and Joshua McNichols turned their love of whole, minimally processed, naturally grown food into both a passion and a book.
Who needs “Better living with chemistry” when you have “Better breeding with Monsanto?” If you thought that planting your own garden and growing and harvesting your own crops would keep you safe from the long arm of Monsanto, think again!