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Changing The Way We Eat GrowFood Manager Sara Clow Reports from TEDx Manhattan A disclaimer: My name is Sara Clow, I have been a TED junkie for the last five years. I have no hopes of recovery and there’s a high probability of addiction for anyone who is an out-of-the box thinker and prefers creating solutions as opposed to dwelling on our collective past mistakes. Watching and sharing these videos can inspire the world to move in a better, more connected direction. If you don’t know TED already, I highly suggest you make some time to be introduced, but please do not blame me for lost sleep while watching the Johnny Lee video at 2am. You’ve been warned. www.ted.com/talks.
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iven my junkie status, being accepted as an attendee to an actual TEDx event was like Christmas and my birthday and winning an allexpenses-paid trip to Bhutan wrapped into one. 2012 is the second year of TEDx Manhattan – Changing the Way We Eat and included 350 food-focused attendees and speakers. They addressed topics ranging from human antibiotic resistance due to antibiotic use in factory-raised farm animals, to a school in the South Bronx that has gone from a less than 50% graduation rate to a 95%+ graduation rate simply by teaching students how to create urban gardens. The day was incredible, my brain is exploding with ideas, and I’m so thankful and excited to be part of an organization that is actually doing something to create a better food system. I spread the GrowFood word as loudly and often as I could. The amazing take away is that every single person with whom I had the opportunity to speak and share the GrowFood story said that this type of infrastructure – a local food hub – is the most crucial element in moving towards a more sustainable food system. Food connects everyone, which means the solution needs to connect everyone. These attendees included chefs, farmers and Chipotle executives, all of whom understand that local and regional aggregation for distribution of sustainably grown products is the missing link we need to help this generation wean itself from the factory farming and food production that’s literally killing us and our environment. Though GrowFood is still in its infancy, it has the potential to quickly make tangible impacts with your continued support. I encourage you to watch the TEDx Manhattan conference videos, feel the inspiration, and join me in this healthy addiction.
C OA S TA L C O N S E RVAT I O N L E AG U E
Every single person with whom I had the opportunity to speak and share the GrowFood story said that this type of infrastructure – a local food hub – is the most crucial element in moving towards a more sustainable food system.