Many people would rather go to the dentist than speak in public. I am not one of those people. Quite frankly, I really get a kick out of speaking about topics I am passionate about in front of an audience.Yesterday was no exception.
I was one of three “mommy activists” on a panel at the Canadian Organic Growers conference. One mom, Fran Murrell came all the way from Australia. She spoke about her group, MADGE -Mothers Are Demystifying Genetic Engineering. Check out her website www.madge.org.au.
Another mom, Susan Smith, is one of the founding members of a not-for-profit agricultural community land trust known as ROSE (Redeeming Our Soil Economically). ROSE is dedicated to caring for Sunnivue Farm northwest of London, Ontario.
The moderator of the panel Allison Savage a food blogger who created Radishes and Rhubarb, a blog that contains great recipes and beautiful photos.
As I promised during my presentation, to save trees, I am posting my resource links here on my blog. I know how it is at conferences, we all pick up loads of handouts. They either get lost in a pile or tossed. With my method, you’ll never lose the links, they’ll always be here!
Just click on the colored links and you’ll be directed right to the sites! Enjoy!
BSF Action Plan- this plan along with many other resources on the Better School Food website has stood the test of time. Check it out and get involved with school food in your community.
Nourish curriculum– this free downloadable middle school curriculum is fabulous. It can be facilitated by teachers or parents. I’m betting scout troops could use it towards a badge too.I gave a review of Nourish on the Better School Food blog.
Jeff Rubin- this Canadian economist is on the spunky side, which is good since most economists are pretty dull to listen too. Jeff’s message: your world is gonna get a whole lot smaller as the price of oil goes up and its availability goes down. Watch one of his talks on You Tube, I promise you won’t be bored!
The Alberta Tar sands has the potential to create massive damage to Canada’s water supply and environment in general. Greenpeace has been working hard to raise awareness of this problem.
In the USA, our big problem that is destroying watersheds Hydro fracking: the movie GASLAND tells the story well.
Gardens are the answer! What was your question? Kitchen Gardener’s International is a great garden resource for home, school and community gardens.
My Movie list Help your community to raise it’s Food IQ by setting up a film series at your local library, community center or other venue. Include a pot-luck and make it a regular community building event. Here’s a handful of my favorite films.
Ingreedients is an eye opening look into things you can’t pronounce on food labels.
Food INC this film is a must see for a wake up call about our food system.
King Corn is a great movie about corn in America. Filmmakers Ian Cheney and Kurt Ellis have gone on to do even more wonderful things. They are founding members of Food Corps and have a new movie out called, Truck Farm.
How to Boil a Frog is one of my most favorite new movies and it’s Canadian to boot! It was just nominated for the Writers Guild of Canada Screenwriting award. It’s a comedy about the environment, how’s that for different?
The World According to Monsanto is a tremendously important film for anyone who cares about the food they eat. You can watch the whole movie on YouTube or buy the DVD
The Real Dirt on Farmer John is a fun story about the history of farmland in America.
Additional movies
Tapped is a movie about the impact of bottled water.
And This is My Garden is a new film about school gardens that was created in Canada and has been screening there since 2010.
FRESH is a movie similar to Food Inc. but is a bit more sweeter and gentler.
Killer at Large is a movie about obesity. I have a cameo appearance in this film. You’ll get to see me raising hell in DC at a hearing for food advertising to kids.
2 Angry Moms is a movie about school food activism. I am one of the Two Angry Moms, I am not the filmmaker, I am the trouble maker.
My book list is another fun way to build community and raise the consciousness of food related issues. Work with your local librarian or your PTA/PTO to start a book club.
Food Rules is Michael Pollan’s lastest book. Its short, its sweet and very digestible. See how many of the 64 food rules you can adopt for your own.
Chew on This is a middle school version of Eric Schlosser’s classic book, Fast Food Nation. Well worth the read for kids and grownups alike.
How to Grow a School Garden: A Guide for Parents and Teachers book
The bottom line message of my presentation is this: STIR THE POT! Don’t be afraid to make some trouble. Don’t say silent in the face of our kids being poisoned. Even if your kid seems to eating good food, trust me, all of our kids are connected. Do something to raise the Food IQ in your community. The rewards are numerous.
