Having recently seen the powerful documentary Earthlings, which is a painful reminder of the animal abuse that goes on to bring us food, clothing, and entertainment, today’s Veggie Pride Parade in NYC was a joyful celebration of why I became vegetarian 20 years ago. The Parade, organized by the Viva-Vegie Society, gives me hope that more and more people are awakening to the cruel facts, and making changes to improve their dietary choices, for their health, the animals, and the environment. It was colorful and fun, with great speakers, and free vegan food!
Mount Sinai Children’s Environmental Health Center event
The Mount Sinai School of Medicine’s Children’s Environmental Health Center (CEHC), run by esteemed environmental pediatrician Dr. Phil Landrigan, held its annual luncheon in Greenwich, CT on May 9th, 2011. Dr. Landrigan helped get lead out of gasoline in 1978, and also advised the EPA in the 1990s, leading to the Food Safety Protection Act. Several hundred activists and young mothers attended this event, and they were treated to an organic lunch and an expo with organic baby products. CEHC is at the cutting edge of knowledge about chemicals that can negatively impact a fetus or baby. They are gaining increasing knowledge about hormone-disrupting chemicals such as BPA (bisphenol A) which is used in some baby bottles, and tends to feminize male fetuses. New York State recently banned the sale of BPA baby bottles thanks to work of breast cancer groups. CEHC notes that BPA is also found in tooth sealants but in low quantities, as well as in cash register
receipt paper.
“Bag Lady” Event Supports Breast Cancer Group
The Huntington Breast Cancer Action Coalition (HBCAC) held its annual Bag Lady fundraiser on May 5th, 2011 on Long Island. Beautiful donated handbags were auctioned off to raise funds for the group’s ongoing work to help people with breast cancer and, more importantly, to raise awareness about prevention. It was a fun night that attracted hundreds. It also featured a young student who was given a scholarship by HBCAC to go do research with renowned scientists who are working on the effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals on breast cancer.
Urban Roots Film
I just saw the new documentary Urban Roots, about the growing interest in urban farming in the economically stressed city of Detroit, MI. It was made by a young film-maker from Detroit who wanted to tell the story of local people who are turning vacant lots into places to grow food and build back the community, where old and young alike can have a role. The most inspiring stories were of people in a drug rehabilitation facility who had to do community service hours. They worked at a local urban garden, and got so much out of it that they kept working there even after they completed the required hours. One said, “what I once took from the community I now am giving back.”
It also covered the obstacles faced by urban farmers in terms of cooperation from the city, even despite the benefits the urban farms bring. The city zoning laws aren’t necessarily keeping up with the will of the people to feel the empowerment of being able to grow their own food. See UrbanRootsFilm.com for ways to be involved.
Earth Day NYC 2011!
4/2//11 – Earth Day in NYC was fabulous this year, as always. There were celebrations in Times Square and at Grand Central Station. I’ll let the pictures tell the story! For more info see EarthDayNY.org.
There is also a “Re-green the World” campaign where by you text the word TREE to 85944 and you’ll be donating $5 for the planting of trees around the world.
The Long Island Small Farm Summit Inspires
The Long Island Small Farm Summit, run by a coalition including NOFA, North Shore Land Alliance, and Slow Food Huntington was held at SUNY Old Westbury on Friday. The best part was its surprisingly great success with over 400 attendees! The keynote speaker was Joel Salatin, the self-described “environmentalist capitalist lunatic farmer” of Food Inc. and Omnivore’s Dilemma fame. He delivered an inspiring and humorous talk on 10 urban myths about farming, that had the full auditorium in stitches. The goal of the event was to raise awareness about local food efforts such as community gardens, farmers’ markets, and school gardens and to promote action toward sustainable food policies. Exhibitors included local farms, Sustainable Long Island, tables with books about farming and gardening, and of course yours truly (Sustainability Institute at Molloy College). It was a very inspiring event and clearly showed that the empowerment of having access to local, healthy food is an issue that has struck a chord on Long Island and beyond. See: www.longislandsmallfarmcentral.com.