The Ethics of Food Speaker Series

Ian cheney (left) and Curt Ellis, the filmmakers behind King Corn, taste their harvest in Greene, Iowa. Photo by Sam Culman.

Change is afoot in the food world, and Austin is no exception. The deeper I get into the local food scene, the more I realize that something extraordinary is happening. People are waking up to what they put in their mouths and asking questions about how their food is grown and where it is from. Whether the food in question is locally and responsibly produced is on the minds of more and more people every day. This is no doubt a result of grass roots organizations, journalists like Michael Pollan, and simple human curiosity. The answers people are getting directly affect our healthy and community so much that people, like myself, are feeling the need to act. It’s hard to idly stand by when you realize that you are personally affected. For me, each event I attend and every person I meet who has something to say about responsible food and the current food industry, motivates me more and more.

Last Thursday, I attended the ethics of food speaker series at Monkey Wrench Books on North Loop. The talk was on building local food systems and featured Andrew Smiley of the Sustainable Food Center, two representatives from Urban Roots, and Skip Connet of Green Gate Farms, with Marla Camp of Edible Austin moderating.

Andrew Smiley explained what the SFC does and why there is a need. His talk was by far the longest simply because they do so much in Austin: run two farmer’s markets, support community gardens, and teach healthy cooking practices.

The Urban Roots program impressed me. They hire youths between the ages of 14 and 17 to work on an acre and a quarter of farm land. This teaches responsibility, leadership, hard work, and gets them involved in their own food production. They donate 40% of their crop to feed the homeless and then sell the rest at farmers markets and farm stands around town. One of the organizers of the program spoke about what they do and a junior in high school related her experience of going from having never been on a farm and to becoming a second-year team leader and teaching others how to work the farm. At one point she said she “had planned on being a doctor or a nurse but now doesn’t think she can ever work indoors” and will most likely go into Americorps to continue her work.

Skip Connet was the most entertaining with lessons learned from feeding piglets, herding 150 third graders, and why not to raise goats. He spoke of why he started farming and how he did it debt free by leasing his land and providing a community supported agriculture program (CSA) in order to provide financial security. Water issues for the urban farmer were also discussed. Water cost is a constant concern for him since he isn’t able to get agricultural pricing on the city’s water. Even though most of the water he uses goes into the ground, not sewer, he has to pay sewage on each gallon. After his talk, I will soon be visiting his farm and getting involved in the city’s water policy.

Tomorrow, Thursday May 7th, the final installment of the series will be held at the Center for Community Engagement (1009 E. 11th Street) at 7 p.m. The evening’s topic is environment, health, and food safety: exploring the impacts of the conventional food system. Charlotte Herzele of the School of Human Ecology at The University of Texas and Curt Ellis, filmmaker of King Corn will speak. It should be an informative evening. If you have any interest in your food and environment, I encourage you to attend.