Thousands of Food Day Events to Push for Healthy, Affordable, Sustainable Food
Second Annual Food Day is Wednesday, October 24
October 18, 2012
Food Day, the nationwide celebration and movement for healthy, affordable, and sustainable food, will feature thousands of events in all 50 states. Coordinated by the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest and led by a diverse advisory board of food movement thought leaders, Food Day is a great opportunity for the news media to cover food-related issues such as health, sustainable agriculture, farmworker justice, and animal welfare.
Who: Thousands of parents, teachers, public officials, chefs, farmers, college students, activists, festival-goers, and others
What: Food Day events
When: On and about Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Where: All 50 states; details on the map at FoodDay.org
Why: Food should be healthy, affordable, and produced with care for farm animals, the environment, and the men and women who grow, harvest and serve it. But too often our food system falls short of that ideal. Food Day seeks to motivate Americans to change their own diets for the better and to take action for improved food policies.
Typical Events: All Times Local
Future of Food: 2050. Food Day's marquee national conference. Speakers include Food Day Founder Michael F. Jacobson, representatives of Walmart, Worldwatch Institute, Institute for Alternative Futures. Hosted by Rep. Chellie Pingree in the United States Capitol Visitor Center, Washington, DC, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Mott Haven Academy Rooftop Garden Opening. With the support of Bolthouse Farms, the New York Foundling, and cookbook author and chef Ellie Kreiger, the school will dedicate a rooftop garden and outdoor educational space. Ribbon cutting and cooking lesson. 170 Brown Place (South Bronx), New York, NY. 10:00 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.
Eat Real at Foley Square. The premiere public Food Day event in New York City is a joyful field-to-fork culinary festival, where some of the Big Apple's finest culinary talent creates sumptuous fare from seasonal produce. At noon, attendees will participate in the Big Apple Crunch, an initiative of Mayor Michael Bloomberg to set a world record for "Most Participants in an Apple-Crunching Event." Foley Square, 60 Center Street, New York, NY. 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Savannah Food Day Festival. With Well FED Savannah magazine and other sponsors, more than 10,000 people are expected in Savannah's Daffin Park for food, music, cooking demonstrations, exhibitors, pet-friendly fun, and children’s activities. 1198 Washington Avenue, Savannah, GA. This event is Sunday, October 28, from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Denver Botanic Gardens Food Day. With Denver Urban Gardens and Chipotle, 1,500 people are expected at a day-long festival and expo with classes, free food samplings, film screenings, hands-on cooking demos for adults and kids, and an appearance by Denver Mayor Michael Hancock. 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Los Angeles Food Policy Council will announce its new Food Day Resolution, including a "Good Food Purchasing Pledge," with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Public Health Director Dr. Jonathan Fielding, Los Angeles Unified School District Food Service Director David Binkle, and members of the City Council. Los Angeles City Hall, 200 Spring Street, Los Angeles. 9:00 a.m.
Food Days at Babson College will celebrate innovations in the food system with Babson Entrepreneur-in-Residence and Travel Channel host Andrew Zimmern, with a dynamic fair, expert panels, and an "action tank" to promote food entrepreneurship. Babson College, 231 Forest St, Wellesley, MA. October 23 from 2:00 to 7:00 p.m. and October 24 from 12:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Online Events
Eat Real Quiz. Participants can score their diet on the basis of health, environment, and animal welfare, and share their results on Facebook and Twitter.
Film Premiere. The Humane Society of the United States has teamed up with award-winning Aardman Studios to create A Pig's Tail, a short animated children's film about factory farming, featuring James Arnold Taylor and Catherine Taber of the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars and original music by Stephen Delopoulos.
Twitter Conference. Sustainable Table will host a Twitter conference from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. on October 24 at #FoodDayConf, with each hour addressing one of Food Day's 5 priorities. Food Day news and chats will also be trending at #foodday2012, #fooddaychat, and #FOF2050 (Future of Food: 2050) throughout October 24 and beyond.
Many more events are listed at FoodDay.org.
