Sustainable Life Radio Show

Sustainable Life Radio Show Montgomery Norton
Napa Valley Life Magazine March 22, 2011
Introduction

Sustainability – Whole Systems Approach (If people are suffering, we are suffering)
Healthy, Functional, Integrated, Cooperative Systems

‘Basic Needs’ – The Ecology Center http://www.theecologycenter.org/
Food | Water | Clothing | Shelter | Community

Food Security – Municipal, County, and State Police Power (10th Amendment): The authority conferred
upon the states by the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and which the states delegate to their
political subdivisions to enact measures to preserve and protect the safety, health, welfare, and morals of
the community. – The Legal Dictionary http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Police+Power

‘Food Insecurity’ & ‘Food Injustice’

Food Systems in City, County, State, and Institutional sustainability policies

Transition Towns
Resilient Communities in the face of the threats that Peak Oil and other modern insecurities (i.e. Climate
Change, Civil Unrest, Environmental Pollution, Natural Disaster)
http://www.transitionnetwork.org/

Justice?

“Social work is a practical profession aimed at helping people address their problems and matching them
with the resources they need to lead healthy and productive lives.

Beneath this practicality lies a strong value system that can be summarized in two words: social justice.
Social justice is the view that everyone deserves equal economic, political and social rights and
opportunities.” – National Association of Social Workers http://www.naswdc.org/pressroom/features/issue/
peace.asp

Diet – Mental & Physical Health – Homelessness

‘Meritocracy’
Do we punish failure? Do we provide Social Services? Do we help those that are less fortunate?
What do we value in our society? Do we compensate the role of the social worker, the farmer, the mother,
the teacher, the nutritionist? Where is our value?

Food Sustainability

Not How? (Local Food Forum Discussions’ – Next Steps) http://www.countyofnapa.org/AgCommissioner/
NLFF/

But, Why?


Hunger Notes – 2011 World Hunger and Poverty Facts and Statistics
http://www.worldhunger.org/articles/Learn/world%20hunger%20facts%202002.htm

925 million hungry people in 2010 – UN Food and Agriculture Organization

13.6% of 6.8 billion world population
Children are the most visible victims of undernutrition. Children who are poorly nourished suffer up to
160 days of illness each year. Poor nutrition plays a role in at least half of the 10.9 million child deaths
each year--five million deaths.

The world produces enough food to feed everyone. World agriculture produces 17 percent more calories
per person today than it did 30 years ago, despite a 70 percent population increase. This is enough to
provide everyone in the world with at least 2,720 kilocalories (kcal) per person per day (FAO 2002, p.9).
The principal problem is that many people in the world do not have sufficient land to grow, or income to
purchase, enough food.

Mark Halle – Director of Trade & Investment, and European Rep. to the International Institute of
Sustainable Development – Presentation at UC Irvine for the Sustainability Speaker Series hosted by the
CUSA on Aug 12, 2010 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKolK-RRK3M

“Summer of 2007, Indonesia spending 40% of its Budget on Gas Subsidy (transport fuel) > Health +
Education + Infrastructure Development

Shift from Sustainable Development to Sustainability - Need a relaunching of the notion as a part of
everything we do. Low-Carbon Economy [Incentives (Taxes, Pricing, & Subsidies), Economic
Organization, Trade Policy, Consumption, Military & Foreign Affairs].

Mark Winne – “Food Rebels, Guerrilla Gardeners, and Smart-Cookin’ Mamas: Fighting back in an age of
industrial agriculture”, “Closing the Food Gap: Resetting the Table in the Land of Plenty”
http://www.markwinne.com/

“Cheap Food Policy in U.S. – lack of food security and healthy food
$300 B/yr. to treat obesity related illnesses.”

20 year food gap in life expectancy

Food = ideal Community Organizer, touches on so many sectors (Climate Change, Energy, Water,
Environmental Pollution, Health, Social Justice, Local Governance, Economic Justice)

Identify and rehabilitate ‘Food Deserts’ and ‘Food Swamps’
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/all-we-can-eat/food-politics/food-deserts-vs-swamps-the-usd.html

“Too Fat to Fight: the ironic outcome of our military-industrial food complex” - My Book
27% of eligible recruits for the military are obese – DD interest in Michelle Obama’s

health & fitness program.

Food, Inc.: Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser in Conversation – USC
http://web-app.usc.edu/ws/eo2/calendar/32/event/879135

Wal-Mart largest grocer = 40% of America, mostly low income

Brittle system of few very large factory farms and food processors and monoculture – Make a more
resilient system based on local, regional, sustainable farms, biodiversity, urban farms & gardens

Even fast-food chains won’t use the meat bought by the Fed and dumped on our school children.

Genetic drift through deregulated GMO alfalfa (RoundUp Ready) – Organic Meat and Dairy contamination

World yields would go up 40-50% if we moved to Organic, Sustainable food production

75% of US food goes to feed lifestock. ½ of food produced is wasted. Thus, we only eat 12-14% of all
food produced.

Farm Subsidies to Corn & Soy = $20 B/yr.

‘Farm’ Bill to ‘Food’ Bill – Does it positively contribute to Public Health

USDA considers fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, and nursery crops = ‘Specialty Crops’

Cheap food to the political class = social stability

“Feeding the hunger for sustainable food system in Napa” – Napa Valley Register, April 24, 2010
Dave Whitmer, Agricultural Commissioner – County of Napa http://napavalleyregister.com/news/opinion/
mailbag/article_bd59d4ae-4f62-11df-902e-001cc4c002e0.html

“All of these efforts are commendable, but many have been ‘siloed’ or are taking place without a lot of
coordination or cooperation with other similar or associated efforts. We must work together as a
community to ensure our local food system is socially equitable, environmentally sensitive and
economically sustainable, and that it supports the local economy while at the same time providing equity
and access to fresh, local produce to all residents of Napa County.

We have urban areas where we could be planning more community gardens. Even as individuals, we can
expand our gardens for our own consumption as well as sharing with others (the Napa Valley Food Bank,
the Table, Salvation Army and others would thank you).

I would like to challenge Napa residents: Not everyone in Napa County has enough healthy food to eat, and
we individually and collectively can do something about this and make a positive change.

This is my hope and dream for this process: that we begin to take care of those in our community who have
needs, that we make sure we’re addressing not only the equality and access issues, but we’re doing more to
educate people about nutrition and a healthy diet while keeping the resources local and in so doing,

benefiting our local economy.
My staff has begun to identify some key issues: access, nutrition, agricultural land preservation through
greater agricultural diversity, reducing our carbon footprint, food security and the need for better food
planning.”

Napa Local Food Forum
• Enhancing agricultural opportunities in Napa County
• Small-scale food production
• Sourcing local and sustainable food
• Distributing food locally
• Matching local foods to our institutions

Local Food Advisory Council – Chair, Karen Schuppert, Cook 4 Seasons: Promoting a healthy appetite
for a thriving planet.
(Special Meeting – Friday, March 25 1:30-5:30pm UC Extension Office meeting room 1710

(The Napa County Local Food Advisory Council advises the Agricultural Commissioner and Board of
Supervisors regarding the development and promotion of a sustainable local food system, and works to set
priorities, plan and implement initiatives to improve the environmental, economic and social sustainability
of food production in Napa County. If you would like to receive information about upcoming Advisory
Council meetings and events, please contact the Council liasion, Sommer Woolley.)

Cooking Matters – Bay Area, CA
Teaching children and their families how to shop, cook, and eat healthier.
(Cooking Matters’s collaborative program model connects families with food by teaching them how to
prepare healthy, tasty meals on a limited budget. Professional chefs and nutritionists volunteer their time
and expertise to lead hands-on courses that teach adults, teens and kids how to purchase and prepare
nutritious foods in healthful, safe and tasty ways. In each class, participants prepare and eat a simple,
healthy meal. At the end of each class, they take home a bag of ingredients to prepare that day’s recipes at
home.)
http://oflsanfrancisco.com/

Food Matters – Film
Nutrition in our Medical/Health System (Where is the Profit?)
“The primary way that we are interacting with the planet is through agriculture.”
http://www.foodmatters.tv/

Sustain: The Alliance for better food and farming – London, UK
(Sustain advocates food and agriculture policies and practices that enhance the health and welfare of
people and animals, improve the working and living environment, promote equity and enrich society and
culture.) http://www.sustainweb.org/

CA Food and Justice Coalition – Oakland, CA
(The California Food and Justice Coalition (CFJC) is a state-wide membership coalition that promotes the
basic human right to healthy, affordable food while advancing social, agricultural, environmental and

economic justice. We achieve our goals through education, advocacy and by collaborating with
community-based efforts in California.) http://www.cafoodjustice.org/

Center for Food and Justice – Los Angeles, CA
Urban & Environmental Policy Institute – Occidental College
(Welcome to the Center for Food & Justice (CFJ), a division of UEPI. With its vision of a sustainable and
socially just food system, CFJ engages in collaborative action strategies, community capacity-building, and
research and education.)
http://departments.oxy.edu/uepi/cfj/

Just Food – New York, NY
(Just Food tackles deficiencies in food access and security by increasing the production, marketing and
distribution of fresh food from community gardens and urban agriculture sites, on the one hand, and
promoting Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) initiatives (food-buying clubs), on the other. Our aim
is to turn “food deserts” (i.e., neighborhoods underserved by supermarkets and other food retailers) into
“islands of sustainability.” In the countryside, we are addressing the rapid decline of family farms and the
loss of agricultural land by linking small and medium-scale producers to new markets in New York City.
In both town and country, Just Food fosters new marketing and food-growing opportunities that address the
needs of small and medium family farms, urban gardeners, and NYC neighborhoods. Through training,
leadership development and organizing efforts, we build diverse partnerships to advance dialogue and
action on farming, hunger and nutrition.)
http://www.justfood.org/food-justice

The OC Food Access Coalition – Orange County, CA
(OC Food Access was founded in August 2010 with the intent to develop unprecedented collaboration and
coordination among Orange County's business, government and non-profit organizations to create the
conditions under which healthy, locally sourced food can make its way into the hands, kitchens and mouths
of people who need it most in Orange County.)
http://www.ocfoodaccess.org/

CA School Garden Network
(CSGN is a collaboration of state agencies, private companies, educational institutions and non-profit
organizations all dedicated to the mission of creating and sustaining gardens in every willing school in
California. The Network serves as a central hub to distribute school garden resources and support
throughout the state. The Network's mission to create and sustain California school gardens to enhance
academic achievement, a healthy lifestyle, environmental stewardship and community and social
development.)
http://www.csgn.org/

Community Food Security Coalition – Portland, OR
(Dedicated to building strong, sustainable, local and regional food systems that ensure access to affordable,
nutritious, and culturally appropriate food for all people at all times. We seek to develop self-reliance
among all communities in obtaining their food and to create a system of growing, manufacturing,
processing, making available, and selling food that is regionally based and grounded in the principles of
justice, democracy, and sustainability.)
http://www.foodsecurity.org/

Food Justice Project - Community Alliance for Global Justice – Seattle, WA
(Food Justice is the right of communities everywhere to produce, distribute, access, and eat good food

regardless of race, class, gender, ethnicity, citizenship, ability, religion, or community. Good food is
healthful, local, sustainable, culturally appropriate, humane, and produced for the sustenance of people and
the planet.)

Growing Food and Justice – Milwaukee, WI
(The Growing Food and Justice for All Initiative is a new initiative aimed at dismantling racism and
empowering low-income and communities of color through sustainable and local agriculture. This
comprehensive network views dismantling racism as a core principal which brings together social change
agents from diverse sectors working to bring about new, healthy and sustainable food systems and
supporting and building multicultural leadership in impoverished communities throughout the world.)
https://www.growingfoodandjustice.org/Home_page.html

Growing Power – Milwaukee, WI
(Growing Power is a national nonprofit organization and land trust supporting people from diverse
backgrounds, and the environments in which they live, by helping to provide equal access to healthy, high-
quality, safe and affordable food for people in all communities. Growing Power implements this mission
by providing hands-on training, on-the-ground demonstration, outreach and technical assistance through
the development of Community Food Systems that help people grow, process, market and distribute food
in a sustainable manner.)
http://www.growingpower.org/

People’s Grocery: Healthy food for everyone – Oakland, CA
“Healthy, affordable food is a basic human right.”
(Our mission is to build a local food system that improves the health and economy of West Oakland. West
Oakland is a community with the highest joblessness and chronic disease rates in the city—its residents
also have limited access to healthy and fresh foods. Our work involves increasing local supply of fresh
foods; advocating for living-wage business and job opportunities; and developing strong relationships and
community leadership.)
http://www.peoplesgrocery.org/

Real food Challenge - National
(The Real Food Challenge serves as both a campaign and a network. The campaign is to increase the
procurement of real food on college and university campuses, with the national goal of 20% real food by
2020. By leveraging their purchasing power we can catalyze the transformation of the larger food system.
The network offers a chance for students and their allies (those working on the campaign along with those
who've yet to sign on) to make connections, learn from one another, and grow the movement.)
Food and Justice Summits http://realfoodchallenge.org/summits2011
http://realfoodchallenge.org/

Food Justice Forum: Cultivating University-Community Partnerships for a Healthier Society
Sustainability Solutions Institute – UCSD – San Diego, CA
http://ssi.ucsd.edu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=434&Itemid=2

Ripe for Change: Rethinking CA’s food economy – International Society for Ecology and Culture
(In recent decades, the efforts of countless individuals, organizations, and government agencies
have been devoted to addressing the problems in California’s food system.Though many small
victories have been won, the overall picture continues to deteriorate.The food system remains
heavily dependent on toxic agricultural chemicals, fossil fuels, and food crops with an extremely narrow
genetic base. Irradiated and genetically engineered foods line the shelves of supermarkets, even

though neither technology has been proven safe.The number of small and medium-sized farms continues
to decline, and farmworkers are still impoverished, their working conditions abysmal. Giant
corporations are consolidating their control over every segment of the food system, pushing out
smaller producers, processors, and retailers. Despite a growing obesity epidemic, many Californians are
unable to put enough food on the table.)
http://www.localfutures.org/publications/books-and-reports/ripe-for-change-report

Local Food Co-op?

Sustainable Life Radio Show

More Related Content

Sustainable Life Radio Show