Wagner Food Policy Alliance

Survey volunteers needed

lselim — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 04:52:19 +0000

A Wagner Capstone team is looking for a handful of volunteers to help administer an in-person survey. This should be a valuable opportunity for anyone looking for some experience in survey administration and/or learning more about issues of food security and criminal justice involvement.

Surveys, structured as 15-minute interviews, will be administered at the offices of the capstone client in Long Island City, Queens, over a period of four days in February (4 to 5 hours per day, during work hours). You do not have to be available for all four days to participate! Surveys cover a variety of issues relating to the household food security of men and women who were once incarcerated or are currently enrolled in an alternative to incarceration program at the client’s office.

If you are interested, please email Sarah Martino (sjm273@nyu.edu) for more information.

TEDxManhattan: “Changing the Way We Eat” | Official Viewing Party on Saturday, January 21

lselim — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:36:38 +0000

On Saturday January 21, 2012, the Columbia Society for Food Policy and Obesity Prevention in conjunction with NYU’s Wagner Food Policy Alliance will host an official viewing party for the upcoming TEDxManhattan event called, “Changing the Way We Eat.” So far, our event is one of only two official viewing events to be held in New York City. The live webcast will include food and farming experts from a variety of disciplines. They will highlight the accomplishments of the sustainable food movement, while explaining what is still being done to shift our industrial-based food system to a more healthy and equitable one. A full list of speakers can be found on the TEDxManhattan twitter feed.

The conference will be split up into three sessions with breaks for lunch and activities in between. We encourage everyone to attend any or all of the three sessions. Light refreshments will be provided. We look forward to seeing you!

When: Saturday, January 21, 2012
Time: 10am – 5:30pm
Location: Hess Commons, 1st Floor of Rosenfield Building, Columbia University Medical Center, 722 W 168th St, NY, NY 10032

Please RSVP if you plan on attending: cu.fpop@gmail.com

Schedule:
10:00am-10:30am – Registration
10:30am-12pm – Session One: Issues
12:15pm-1:15pm – Lunch
1:15pm-3pm – Session Two: Impact
3:00pm-3:30pm – Break
3:30pm-5:15pm – Session Three: Innovation

Compost for Brooklyn | Trash Talk: A Panel Discussion on Transforming NYC’s Waste, Thursday 12/8

cbronsing — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 01:53:22 +0000

C O M P O S T F O R B R O O K L Y N
presents
TRASH TALK: A Panel Discussion on Transforming NYC’s Waste

Thursday, December 8 | P.S. 217 1100 Newkirk Ave Brooklyn, NY | 7:30 – 9:30 PM

Tours of Compost for Brooklyn begin at 5:30 PM. The garden is located on Newkirk Avenue and East 8th Street.

How do we handle food scraps and organic waste on a large scale (think Whole Foods, or a hospital system)?
How does a community farm handle it?
What are innovative technologies for your home?

Come listen and discuss the future of waste management with experts in the field at this exciting Compost for Brooklyn event!

PANELISTS:________________________________________________________

Tristam Coffin | Green Mission Specialist, Whole Foods

Kendall Christiansen | Senior Consultant on Environmental Affairs, Gaia Strategies / InSinkErator

Maurice LaBonne | Senior Vice President, Facilities Services, North Shore LIJ Health System

David Buckel | Compost & Market Manager, Red Hook Community Farm

MODERATED BY:____________________________________________________

Miriam Garron | Vice Chair, Compost for Brooklyn

Volunteers are needed to greet guests and help set up. If interested, please email compostforbrooklyn@gmail.com.

All are welcome
WWW.COMPOSTFORBROOKLYN.ORG

COMPOST FOR BROOKLYN IS FISCALLY SPONSORED BY THE OPEN SPACE INSTITUTE AS PART OF ITS CITIZEN ACTION PROGRAM

Spring 2012: Food Policy Courses

cbronsing — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 22:25:36 +0000

Courses of interest related to food policy with Professor Carolyn Dimitri

___________________________________________________________________________

E33.2016 FOOD MARKETS: CASES AND CONCEPTS
Mondays at 6:45PM
Section 02, Carolyn Dimitri

The goal of the course is to develop an intermediate level understanding of the microeconomics of consumers, starting from the individual choice and moving up to market demand. After the first half of the course – in which the theoretical tools are developed – the focus shifts to applications of how the consumer functions, as an economic agent, in the food system. The course is designed for policy interested food studies students with little or no background in economics, or for those who have completed an introductory course that used a text on par with Krugman and Wells.

E33.2034 FOOD SYSTEMS II
Wednesdays at 4:55PM
Section 02- Carolyn Dimitri

This course explore organic agriculture from multiple angles, starting with a historical exploration of organic and finishing with policy approaches to organic. In the process, we study the organic food system from the farm to the table, and discuss (among other topics) the multiple environmental benefits of organic and the international trade of organic products. There are no prerequisites to this class.

Sweet Developments: Fair Trade Chocolate in Ghana for the 21st Century

WFPA — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 22:06:03 +0000

From left to right: Felicia Mensah, Amanda White, Fatima Ali, John Gershman

Kuapa Kokoo is the major farmer’s cooperative in cocoa, representing over 45,000 farmers in Ghana, the world’s second largest cocoa producing nation. Founded in 1993 as a response to new government policies that opened cocoa marketing, the cooperative soon received Fair Trade certification and created a three-tiered governance structure.

Two Kuapa farmers made the long trip from Ghana to New York City for the first time, taking time for a special stop at Wagner to speak about fair trade chocolate, cooperative farming and gender roles in Kuapa leadership on November 17. Fatima Ali is the youngest person the National Executive Committee, where she serves as General Secretary. Felicia Mensah is a 50 year-old farmer representing her region as District President, focusing on women’s empowerment issues. Felicia and Fatima described the Kuapa model as a holistic, sustainable endeavor built on principles of economic, environmental and social equity.

Ghanaian chocolate is held in high international regard, its beans are said to be some of the world’s best–Kuapa’s focus on human rights issues extends the conversation about cocoa production beyond issues of taste and content: as the only Fair Trade certified cooperative, Kuapa has transformed labor rights issues and community development. Felicia stated that Kuapa is the “only company in Ghana that has crated an awareness on child labor.” Cocoa farmers interested in joining the cooperative must invest into the structure–Fatima explained that farmers “must go through a one year training to join because of a very rigorous quality control program.” Commitment to the cooperative helps to build lives for farmers and their families: the Kuapa Farmer’s Trust invests in social programs in its communities, building schools and sanitation services, opening mobile clinics and providing education and empowerment programs.

Both Fatima and Felicia spoke to the power of their experience as women in leadership roles, Fatima said”we women have power now to talk in public and share ideas. We meet every week to share ideas, sitting around the cocoa. Sometimes we give advice about making a better farm.”

Fatima and Felicia were joined on-stage by Amanda White, Marketing Coordinator at Divine Chocolate, an international Fair Trade chocolate manufacturer. Kuapa partnered with Divine USA in 2007 and now owns 30% of the company shares and has two seats on its board. Amanda joked that the Kuapa farmers were “her boss.” Amanda listed the benefits of the partnership, where Divine commits to “investing two percent in producer support to sell cocoa and democracy development through community building, training and support.” She pointed out that Divine is one of Kuapa’s many clients, but they are the only client that Kuapa owns–Kuapa has gained reputation among international brands, now providing 100% of the cocoa for the Body Shop’s cocoa butter.

The night wrapped on a local note as Pamela Alimurung, Chairperson of the New York City Fair Trade Coalition, spoke about supporting Fair Trade in our own backyard. Pamela commented that issues with Fair Trade stemmed not from unwillingness to purchase more expensive products, but from a “lack of awareness” of Fair Trade products, which are popping up in clothing, flowers and coffee in addition to chocolate. Some local stores are leading the effort to put out the word about Fair Trade, including Sustainable NYC in the East Village.

For more information on Kuapa Kokkoo, visit their site.

Weekly Bulletin

cbronsing — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 16:53:16 +0000

Events and updates for the week of November 28 – December 4

W A G N E R F O O D P O L I C Y A L L I A N C E E V E N T S:_ _

SHIFTING SCHOOL LUNCH POLICIES

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30 | Rudin Forum, Puck Building, 295 Lafayette St. | 6-7:30 PM

Please join us for a discussion of the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act, USDA school lunch priorities, and ideas on how to shift student demand.

Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years
1 of 7 low-income, preschool-aged children is obese
On average, children will eat 2,300 lunches in school cafeterias
Much of a student’s long term nutrition is determined by school district lunch offerings
Congress recently rejected the first changes recommended by the USDA in 15 years to the school lunchprogram

Current Panelists:

Lisa Keise Miller, Revolution Foods, Regional Vice President New York/New Jersey.
Beth Dixon, PhD, MPH, Associate Professor and Director of the Public Health Nutrition concentration of the Community Public Health Program in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health at NYU.
Ian Marvy, Co-founder and Executive Director, Added Value.

MORE DETAILS AND RSVP HERE

N Y C E V E N T S:_______________ _

DEC PUBLIC HEARING ON FRACKING
WEDNESDAY, 30 NOVEMBER | Tribeca Performing Arts Center, 199 Chambers Street | 1-9 PM

The New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) released a draft environmental impact statement and issued draft regulations for fracking. Each hearing will have an afternoon session from 1pm to 4pm and an evening session from 6pm to 9pm. It is extremely necessary that we flood these hearings with supporters like you who are fighting for a ban on fracking. REGISTRATION AND MORE INFO HERE

MORE FRACKING ACTION: FRACKING LETTER WRITING CAMPAIGN
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1 | Town & Village Synagogue 334 E. 14th Street | 7-9 PM

Co-sponsored by the Lower East Side Coalition to Stop Hydodraulic Fracturing
With just two weeks left to submit comments about the proposed DEC guidelines that recommend ending the ban on hydraulic fracturing in NY State, it’s time we step up. Attend this quick session of letter-writing to express your concerns about the proposed regulations.
MORE INFO HERE

GRASSROOTS ORGANIZING AND TRAINING FOR PEOPLE OF COLOR
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3 | FUREE office 81 Willoughby Street, #701 Brooklyn | 9 AM – 5 PM

Co-sponsored by the Brooklyn Food Coalition, Bedstuy Eco-Mapping Center, Brooklyn Movement Center
REGISTER HERE

GREENMARKET’S WINTER WARM UP PARTY
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7 | The Bell House 149 7th St, Brooklyn | 7-10PM

Join GrowNYC’s Greenmarket and Harvest Home for an end-of-season party to wring out a soggy year and plant some hope for a strong harvest in 2012.
BUY TICKETS ONLINE

J O B S / I N T E R N S H I P S:____________ _ __

Wednesday: Shifting School Lunch Policies

cbronsing — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 21:07:06 +0000

Shifting School Lunch Policies | Wednesday, November 30th – 6pm

CO-SPONSORED WITH THE WAGNER EDUCATION POLICY STUDIES ASSOCIATION (WEPSA)

PLEASE RSVP HERE

________________________________________________________________

Shifting School Lunch Policies

Wednesday, November 30th | 6-7:30 PM | Rudin Forum

Puck Building, 295 Lafayette St.

Please join us for a discussion of the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act, USDA school lunch priorities, and ideas on how to shift student demand.

Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years
1 of 7 low-income, preschool-aged children is obese
On average, children will eat 2,300 lunches in school cafeterias
Much of a student’s long term nutrition is determined by school district lunch offerings
Congress recently rejected the first changes recommended by the USDA in 15 years to the school lunch program

Current Panelists:

Lisa Keise Miller, Revolution Foods, Regional Vice President New York/New Jersey. Lisa is responsible for building and leading a high performing team to operational excellence and quality school partnerships; driving business development; managing community relationships; and ensuring that the region remains fiscally viable. Since joining Revolution Foods, she has helped to grow the market from 9 schools to 24 partner schools in New York and New Jersey, and continues to lead efforts to bring healthy and delicious food to the students of the New York metro area.

Beth Dixon, PhD, MPH, Associate Professor and Director of the Public Health Nutrition concentration of the Community Public Health Program in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health at NYU. With colleagues at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the CDC, she is evaluating the nutrition and physical activity policies of New York City childcare centers in an effort to reduce obesity and improve the lifestyles of young children. With colleagues at NYU, she is also evaluating the role of school food policies on children’s body weight, how calorie labeling in fast food restaurants influences food choices, and whether financial incentives to build supermarkets in low income areas influence intake of fruits and vegetables by children and their families.

Ian Marvy, Co-founder and Executive Director, Added Value. In April 2001, Mr. Marvy and friend Michael Hurwitz founded Added Value to promote the sustainable development of Red Hook. In its first 10 years, Added Value has served more than 220 youth in a Youth Empowerment Program, more than 8,000 school children in a Farm Based Learning Initiatives and worked with almost 10,000 volunteers. Mr. Marvy and a team of wonderful staff, youth leaders and volunteers at Added Value developed pioneering efforts in youth empowerment, food and farm based learning and farm to cafeteria initiatives. Added Value’s work has been recognized locally, nationally, and internationally as a model program that links youth development, community development and economic development through the lens of food justice.

PLEASE RSVP HERE

Anna Lappé and Josphat Ngonyo: Why GMOs Won’t Feed the World | November 1

cbronsing — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 21:14:14 +0000

Faith, Food Justice and the Farm Bill: A Forum at the Riverside Church

lselim — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 16:18:40 +0000

This Sunday, join members of the faith-based food activism community for a free educational event highlighting the crucial role of the faith community in the food justice movement, particularly in reforming national food policy.

The event will answer questions such as:

How can faith institutions help combat obesity, hunger, and lack of access to healthy food?
How do religious principles suggest how our food system should be reformed?
How can religious leaders and their congregants take on corporate agribusiness to shape national food policy?

This forum will provide tools, resources, and opportunities to take action on the federal Farm Bill, the nation’s greatest influence on what eat. The Farm Bill is being taken up by Congress in 2012 – providing faith institutions with an extraordinary opportunity to improve our food system.

In addition to keynote speakers there will be several panels of leading faith and food justice advocates. These esteemed panelists will be outlining the local impacts of the food system on consumers, farmers, food workers, and the environment while discussing solutions that ensure New Yorkers have access to a healthy food diet.

Event details:
Sunday, October 23, 2011
2:00 pm – 4:30 pm

Riverside Church
490 Riverside Drive, New York, NY
Reception at 1:30 pm – Assembly hall

Please RSVP and register (at no charge) if you will attend this event at:
http://faithandfoodjustice2011.eventbrite.com

Speakers and Panelists include:
Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director of Food & Water Watch
Rev. Derrick Boykin, Associate for African American Leadership-Bread for the World
Rev. Richard Witt, Exec Director, Rural Migrant Ministry
Bill Ayres, Co-Founder and Executive Director, WHY Hunger
Karen Washington, President of NYC Community Garden Coalition
Abby Youngblood, Fresh Food For All Program Director-Just Food
Mark Dunlea, Hunger Action Network of NYS
Ana Aguirre, Exec. Director United Community Centers/ East New York Farms
Rabbi Kurland, Director of Educational Resources PURSUE/AJWS
Lisa Sharon Harper, Director of Mobilizing at Sojourners and former Exec. Director New York Faith and Justice.
Rev. Bob Coleman, Riverside Church

Sponsored by Riverside Church and Faith Leaders for Environmental Justice. Co-sponsors include Food & Water Watch, the Hunger Action Network of New York State, Bread for the World, Bronx Health REACH, NYC Coalition Against Hunger, and Interfaith Voices Against Hunger, American Jewish World Service/PURSUE.

World Food Day is October 16: How will you participate?

lselim — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 12:00:45 +0000

fao.org

This Sunday is the 31st annual World Food Day, a worldwide event established by the Food and Agriculture Organization as a platform for raising awareness about agricultural development, food security, poverty and hunger. In light of the rising cost of food, this year’s theme is “Food prices – from crisis to stability.” There are a number of ways to get involved in the city, from events centering on food justice to hosting your own Sunday dinner.

Below is a list of World Food Day-related events in our area. How will you celebrate? Please feel free to add your thoughts or additional event info in the comments section.

.
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World Food Day Film Screening of “Hunger in a World of Plenty”
October 16 | James Memorial Chapel at Union Theological Seminary | 4:00-6:30p
More info and RSVP

Millions Against Monsanto Rally
October 16 | Foley Square | 12:00-4:00p
More info

Food for Thought: 10+ Ideas to End World Hunger
October 19 | JPMorgan Chase & Co. | 6:00-8:00p
More info and RSVP

Slow Food USA: Host a $5 Challenge Meal
More info

Oxfam America: Dedicate Your Sunday Dinner to Farmers
More info