We all have a need to feel at ease and in harmony with ourselves and the environment we live within. Many of us discover that it isn’t material things that provide this. In my own life, I have observed that well-being and satisfaction are achieved through compassion, the giving of oneself, serving others, and sharing. We aren’t material beings; we are filled with spirit. . . . Kikuyus used a gourd, in which they carried porridge or beer, as an offering or gift. Whoever received the gourd would polish it with oil before returning it. Over time, the gourd would become beautifully
varnished by this repeated polishing. The deeper the color of the gourd, the more generous you had been—and the more connected you remained to the world around you. . . .

These gestures of giving capture both the spiritual and the practical elements of gratitude and respect for resources. Our connections to the planet and each other are reinforced simultaneously. The spirit of not wasting, because we assign value to something, is found in many traditions, but not often expressed. We could benefit from spending more time polishing our gourds for each other.

Last weekend, I joined more than 30 people who braved blizzard-like conditions to assemble in a square across from Occupy Wall Street’s encampment at Zucotti Park to speak up about connections between big food and the Occupy movement. There was a food activist from Iowa, a farmer from upstate New York, students and professors from NYU, a union electrician, a nutritionist (who said she was there because “if the food system isn’t working, I can’t do my job”) and more.

Many carried plastic-covered signs with slogans like “Beat the System” and, my favorite, a line from Tom Philpott’s excellent article: “Our Food System is a Big Fat Monopoly.” As the rally ended—cut short by 30-degree temperatures, blinding snow, and 30-mile-an-hour wind gusts—I shared my commitment to do one, easy thing this week in support of the 99 percent: To move my money out of the hands of Citibank.

This week, tens of thousands of people are pledging to move their money out of the pockets of the financial institutions that got us into this mess and into the hands of credit unions and banks we can believe in.

When I first heard about this campaign, spearheaded by grassroots activists along with national groups ranging from the Rainforest Action Network (where I’m on the board of directors) to MoveOn.org, I thought—and I admit this with a good dose of embarrassment—“Good idea, but what a pain. I mean, I’d have to change all my automatic bill payments and open new accounts.”

But, of course, it’s probably a bit more than a pain to spend cold, wet nights—like last Saturday—sleeping on the hard cement of outdoor parks. If hundreds of people can make that sacrifice—all day, all week, for weeks—I think I can handle doing some busywork to move my money. And so I am. On Saturday, November 5, the national day of action to move your money, I’m closing my Citibank account, the one I opened 15 years ago on the same block as my first Brooklyn sublet. And I’m joining tens thousands of others when I do.

And it’s going to feel good. See, I’ve had twinges of regret for years, every time I heard about some new act of egregious Big Bank behavior. I just got used to turning a blind eye. But then the financial meltdown, the Big Bank bailout, and now this collective call to action and my attitude started to change and my eyes started opening.

Consider, for instance, that Citibank just agreed to pay $285 million to settle a lawsuit, essentially admitting to misleading investors about toxic mortgage-backed securities, although the bank officially neither admitted nor denied that it had done anything wrong. How convenient. Meanwhile, ProPublica, which has been digging into the machinations of Citi and other Big Banks, argues that the bank is on the line for much more and much worse.

But also keep in mind what Citibank has been doing with my, and our, money all these years and what it has to do with the food movement that turned out at Occupy Wall Street this past weekend. Turns out, Citibank has been busy. Here’s a taste. The bank has been:

– Investing in major agricultural projects in developing countries, what many critics call a modern-day land grab;

– Financing the leading Chinese agribusiness company and development of China’s chemical industry;

– Underwriting $300 million to finance expansion of “land grabs” in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Bolivia for agricultural commodities and livestock production.

Bank of America customer? Keep in mind the bank is one of the lead underwriters of the coal industry. Rainforest Action Network is encouraging people to close their accounts and let BofA know that the bank should be moving its investment dollars away from dirty coal and toward clean, green renewable energy. Says RAN:

The bank routinely underwrites hundreds of millions of dollars in loans to…two of the biggest coal mining companies in the Powder River Basin that are desperately trying to secure a… facility to ship coal overseas…

As if all this weren’t enough to push us over the edge, I got a letter from Citibank several weeks ago—maybe you got a similar one from your Big Bank?—in which the bank informed me that clients who keep less than a $6,000 account balance—that’s me—would start seeing a monthly $15 fee on their statements. In other words, if you’re not rich enough to keep a big balance, you have to pay Citibank to keep your money while they spend it in their bailout-resulting, environment-destroying financial decisions.

I haven’t even been giving $15 a month to my favorite social action organization, yet I was sitting quietly while Citibank informed me they were going to take it from me and my captive bank account? (If you think Citibank’s policy was egregious, Bank of America announced it would start charging $60 a year to use its ATMs, a policy, which, thanks to public outcry, the bank just reversed).

Enough. I am done. Done with Citibank, done with feeling guilty when I get my monthly statements in the mail; done with feeling bad when I see my ATM card in my wallet. So on November 5, I plan to join with others across the country as I walk into my local Citi branch and close my account. I’ll tell them why, add my voice to the pledges here, and cut up my card. Then, I’ll head home to check out my new bank accounts online at Amalgamated Bank, the bank of the labor union movement. (You can find community-oriented banks and credit unions near you here and tips about how to move your money and not mess up your finances here.)

Finally, I’ll commit to giving that $15 a month (which, mind you, Citibank was going to take from me) to one of my favorite groups working on behalf of the 99 percent. All this will take a little paperwork and a little time, but nothing I can’t handle. And then, I’ll be free—and it’ll feel great. I hope you’ll join me.

This blog post is written by Margaret Riche, our Hunter College Public Service Scholar.

On the evening of September 22nd, an eager audience filled the historic Great Hall of Cooper Union, where the stage was dotted with blooming flowers and potted plants. Addressing the crowd where Abraham Lincoln, the suffragettes and the founders of the NAACP had spoken before her, Francis Moore Lappé quoted Cezanne and told us: “The day will come when a single carrot, freshly observed, will set off a revolution.”

We were gathered to celebrate “four decades of the food movement” and among the foliage were good food legends Frances Moore Lappé and Dr. Vandana Shiva. The event, “Feeding Hope: Living Democracy,” marked the 40 year anniversary of the release of Lappé’s book, Diet for a Small Planet. This revolutionary work was the first of its kind to highlight the connection between human practices and worldwide hunger. Her startling statistics, which demonstrated the wasteful, unsustainable nature of current livestock production, often serve as my talking points in the “why are you vegan” conversations I seem to always be having. Lappé’s insights have proven critical to the movement for food justice and 40 years later, I was curious about what she suggested moving forward.
Vandana Shiva told us that “the agricultural tools of industry come from the mindset of war, where diversity is seen as the enemy” and she railed against the “false promises of GMO (genetically modified organisms).” She warned us that “if we don’t make change, there’s only one future. No future.”

The dynamic Lappé did not disappoint and offered up to the crowd a contagious optimism. Author of 18 books, co-founder of Food First, the Small Planet Institute and Small Planet Fund, Lappé is an eloquent, tireless advocate for the planet and its inhabitants. Standing before a crowd of supporters, she drew battle lines in the war for sustainability and equity, telling us “we can chose life or we can chose death.” As if reading my mind, she reflected on the recently executed death row inmate Troy Davis. She told us that “the dominant mental math of the day is fundamentally life-denying.” Her words rang true for several head-nodders throughout the crowd.

The concept of living beings as dispensable objects (where cows are referred to as “protein disposal units”) is just one example of the filter through which humans understand (or misunderstand) concepts of biodiversity and interconnectedness. Lappé refers to this lens as the “scarcity mind,” where relationships built on fear and distrust support a system of inequitable power distribution. It is exactly these power relationships which inform access (or lackthereof) to abundance. Lappé called on us to cultivate an “eco-mind,” where we constantly strive to understand the interconnected nature of social, environmental and ecological issues. She spoke of food’s ability to forge these connections and of the movement’s goals of equitably dispersing power through acts of creating and sharing. Lappé advocates for what she calls a “living democracy,” which includes a “culture of engagement, aligned with nature.” This living democracy requires that those in the movement “work on our backbone” in taking on influential institutions that monopolize power. According to Lappé, “nature abhors a monopoly.”

It is this nuanced understanding of power relationships that make Lappé and Dr. Shiva such vital leaders in shifting the dominant paradigms of consumption. A true legend and orator, Dr. Vandana Shiva‘s perspective is one of a philosopher, physicist and feminist. She is the founder of the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology in India. Born in the city of Dehran Dun, located in a valley at the bottom of the Himalayas, Shiva has advocated brilliantly for women throughout the Global South and for the thousands of Indian farmers disenfranchised at the hands of corporate agri-business. Dr. Shiva recalled organizing seed banks throughout India through a famers’ network she founded, known as Navdanya. She told us of her work preserving the much needed biodiversity of native Indian seeds, as well as reclaiming traditional agroecological practices.

Addressing the underlying issues surrounding food production, Shiva drew a similar parallel to Lappé’s between dominant psychology and perceived scarcity. Shiva warns against the “monocultures of the mind” that come from the “systemic flaws” that favor corporate control of resources. She told us that “the agricultural tools of industry come from the mindset of war, where diversity is seen as the enemy” and she railed against the “false promises of GMO (genetically modified organisms).” She warned us that “if we don’t make change, there’s only one future. No future.” As a researcher, author and pioneer, Vandana Shiva could say from experience that “food is the site of new freedom” but she warned that it is “also the site of new dictators.” In looking to the future, she reminded us of the power of the commons, where shared resources of food and knowledge could mutually benefit everyone. Even in the face of the current unbalanced concentrations of power, she assured us that life always triumphs over death.

In the question and answer portion of the evening, Lappé and Shiva addressed some issues of strategy. According to Francis’s daughter Anna, who moderated the panel, sifting through questions passed to the stage on notecards, many people asked if there are too many distinct groups and whether the movement needs a larger organization. Lappé took the mic and repeated one of the themes of the evening- the need for diversity. She warned us that a large organization would depend on outside support, as opposed to self-organizing power. This self-organizing power is emblematic of Lappé’s vision of democracy. She likened all of the different efforts to beads on a necklace, and said that all we really need is a string. What is the string, she asked? “The string is life. The string is freedom. It is the connection between the farmer, the chef, the butterfly and the earth worm.” When asked how she maintained her optimism, Lappé smiled and cryptically replied, “if we really are living consciously as an ecosystem, it’s not possible to know what’s possible.” I found myself smiling too as the evening began to wrap up, with Lappé making one last call for courage. Surrounded by flowers and illuminated by stage lights, she called on us each to be that “small flame in the dark room, where one lamp lights the next.”

Here’s to forty more years of wisdom and to a freer future of sustainable food.

We join millions grieving for Nobel Peace Laureate Wangari Maathai. She altered the course of our lives, and our one solace is in knowing that she has changed — and will continue to change — the lives of millions of others. She taught us about the work of hope.

In the early 1970s, Wangari — the first woman PhD in biological sciences in East Africa — saw the Sahara desert creeping south into Kenya. In just one century, the country’s forests had shrunk to less than five percent of what they once were. Wangari knew that Kenya’s entire ecosystem was threatened, with devastating results.

So Wangari decided to take action. On Earth Day 1977, she planted seven trees to honor seven women leaders in her country, and with that act, launched the Green Belt Movement. When she began, the Kenyan forestry service, established under the British, scoffed at her. “What? Untrained village woman planting trees to reverse the encroaching desert? Oh no, that takes trained foresters!”

“The foresters were not amused,” Wangari told us, with her signature grin, when we met her in Kenya to learn about her movement firsthand in 2000. “I told them, ‘We need millions of trees and you foresters are too few, you’ll never produce them. So you need to make everyone foresters.’ I call the women of the Green Belt Movement foresters without diplomas.”

In the intervening decades, the Movement’s tree-planting village women turned Wangari’s seven trees into 45 million across the country. And the Movement’s “kitchen garden” campaign brought greater food security, too. “When you go home,” village elder Lea Kisomo, told us, looking straight into our eyes, “tell your people that we Kamba people had lost our culture, especially our food security, but now we are going to regain it. What we’ve lost, we’re getting back.”

But as we talked with Green Belt Movement members in their homes, we realized that our first impressions of Wangari’s real impact was wrong — or not wrong, exactly, but not big enough: Yes, the Green Belt Movement was about reforestation, but as Wangari engaged further in the work, she realized that in order to protect forests, a transformation was needed in the minds of the members: In this way, the true battle is not about the environment, as such; the real battle takes place inside, when “ordinary people” make that internal shift — as terrifying as it might be — to realize their power.

“We broke the code,” Wangari told us as we sat with her in a Green Belt Movement guesthouse. “We told the women: ‘Use the methods you know, and if you don’t know, invent.’ They would use broken pots. They would put the soil and seeds there and watch as they germinate. If they germinate, well and good; if not, try again.”

In other words, she told the women to trust themselves.

As the result of her work, tens of thousands of village women who had been taught to defer to chiefs, husbands, colonial authorities, multinational corporate marketers, and to disparage their own traditions and common sense gained courage. They learned to say: We have the solutions. We can take responsibility. We can transform our villages and our nation — and our world.

Saying good-bye to Wangari as we left Kenya in 2000, we were inspired, but worried: her movement’s resources were shaky, a big international donor had just pulled out and she and her leadership were under threat from government retaliation. Shortly after we returned home, Wangari was jailed — not for the first time — for her resistance to illegal logging.

We could never have imagined, let alone predicted, the changes that just a few years would bring: In 2002, Wangari swept into Parliament, out-polling her nearest opponent 50 to 1. Soon, she was named Deputy Minister of the Environment, and women danced for joy in the streets of Nairobi. And then, in 2004, we heard the remarkable news: Wangari had been honored with the Nobel Peace Prize.

In Kenya we met many women wearing the Green Belt Movement’s simple t-shirt adorned with the slogan: “As for me, I’ve made a choice.” So simple, yet so powerful, are those words: To create the world we want, Wangari always embodied, we must choose to act, even if there is no evidence assuring success — even if we face ridicule, oppression, and loss. Hope, she taught us, is not for wimps. It is not what we find in evidence, it is what we become in action.

And so, as we grieve along with countless others around the planet, we remember these simple words of the Movement and what the planet calls us to do: Not to be assured that we will succeed, but that as Wangari did with those seven trees in 1977 — and for the rest of her life — that we make the simple, profound choice to act.

Bring your friends and family for:
- Workshops
- Film Screenings
- Games
- Art
- Children’s Musical Story Time and March
- Live Music!
- Hourly rabble-rousing in front of Trader Joe’s featuring a musical hoedown, free samples of justice, children’s march, balloon blast and customers revolt!

The event is based at The Commons, in Brooklyn, from 10am to 6pm, with regular visits to (actions at!) the local Trader Joe’s, just three blocks down. The Commons is at 388 Atlantic Avenue (btw, Bond and Hoyt Streets). For a full schedule, visit the Community / Farmworker Alliance website.

The event will culminate with our biggest action of the day at 4pm – a Spectacular Brooklyn Trader Joe’s Rally!

The CIW’s Campaign for Fair Food improves wages and working conditions for Florida tomato pickers by calling on major buyers of tomatoes to pay one penny more per pound-which would nearly double farmworkers’ wages-and to implement a code of conduct in the supply chain.

All across the country, Fair Food activists have been urging Trader Joe’s to ensure that their tomatoes are picked by workers who earn a decent wage and work in humane conditions. Trader Joe’s continual refusal to sign onto such an agreement has disgusted customers nationwide, leading many to criticize Trader Joe’s usage of the “Wal*Mart Model” of low price and low wages.

If you have any questions or would like to get involved, please contact CFA at: farmworkersolidarity@gmail.com

Check out www.cfa-nyc.org for Community/Farmworker Alliance news and events!

The event and day of action is hosted by Community / Farmworker Alliance and co-sponsored by NESRI, East New York Farms, ROC-NY, Brandworkers, Small Planet Institute, South Bronx CSA, Brooklyn Food Coalition, Bed-Stuy Farm Share, Prospect Park CSA, Just Food, Domestic Workers United, the Poverty Initiative, and Workers United.

The following morning, we’re speaking with the amazing folks who run co-ops around the country – the National Cooperative Grocers Association.

I had a great time participating in the film—talking with the girls in front of the camera and hanging out behind the camera on the advisory team—and can’t wait to watch the national screening on Sunday, February 7th.

Check it out and join us in the “What’s on Your Plate?” Family Cook-In! to accompany the screening.

Here’s a great toolkit to help you plan a screening and cook-in event:

CookInToolkit

Here is some of what they had to say:

“Anna Lappé’s message is timely and empowering. Instead of waiting for politicians to do the right thing, we can make simple changes to our diet, enjoy it, and help change the world.”
—Eric Schlosser

“Nothing is more important than connecting the way we eat to global warming. After all, food is an everyday need for everyone. Anna Lappé shows us that eating with intention is our responsibility and our pleasure.”
—Alice Waters

“In this tour-de-force, Anna Lappé provides readable, lively, and much-needed answers to question that all too few of us understand: how does our food affect the planet?”
— Raj Patel

I’m excited to hit the road this year, with daughter Ida in tow, to share stories and lessons learned from DHP, including ideas for what we can do to make positive changes for the environment and our diets. We’ll be posting event information as it becomes available, so check back frequently for updates. If you’d like to host an event in your community, email Kate at kate[at]smallplanet.org.

To view a brief, 8 minute trailer of abUSed: The Postville Raid, please visit the website. You can also stay up-to-date with developments by joining the abUSed Facebook group.

Hope to see you there!

We wanted to share an e-mail from one of the volunteer organizers, Winton, who’s heading up the social networking outlets of the upcoming Brooklyn Food Conference:

Hi All,
Wanted to introduce myself to everyone. My name is Winton and I’m heading up the Facebook and YouTube promotional efforts for the conference. If you have yet to visit either of the sites (the YouTube site is new…) the links to them are below. Please feel free to send me feedback and if you want to help manage content that would be great also. My information is listed as well in case you need to reach me. Looking forward to interacting with you all.

Facebook Group (must sign up to join the group): http://tinyurl.com/cr24cj
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/bfconference

E-mail wintonw@gmail.com for more information, and reserve your place at the conference now!

See photos from the event here.

The Fund supports grassroots organizations around the world addressing the root causes of hunger and poverty, including this year’s special guests from the Coalition of Immokalee Workers.

Among the people profiled (including Bryant and me) are my dear friends who started Maverick Farms in North Carolina. The crew of Maverick Farms have created one of the most special spots in the country, and the weekend I spent there on the Grub tour was one of the highlights of my whole book jaunt. After a delicious dinner made with freshly picked everything, a reading from passages in Grub, and a rousing tour de force by Molly on the old baby grand in the corner of hte living room, we all nestled down to watch Garlic is as Good as Ten Mothers on a sheet hanging down the wall. I remember falling asleep full of wine, good conversation, and sore muscles from time down on the farm: a formula for a good night’s rest.

Other profiles include workers from the Coalition of Immokalee Workers who we’re excited to be bringing to New York City for our special end-of-the-year fundraiser on the 60th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights.

Also, Severine, the awesome force behind Greenhorns, has a great pic and the most impressive fridge.

Check them all out here.

An outtake from our photo shoot on Added Value’s Community Farm in Red Hook, Brooklyn.

Elizabeth, Latham, Bryant, Ludie, and me at the What’s On Your Plate? documentary film wrap dinner.

With colleagues from around the country, we’ve created a series of workshops on food and climate change and invite you to check them out: conference schedule.

Specific workshops include:
Climate Change and Food: What are the problems, and what’s at stake?
Monday, October 6 11:15am
An overview of how the predominant global food system is contributing to climate change; how climate is in turn impacting agriculture; and why the problem won’t be solved by more of the “same old thing” (industrial-scale monocultures for agrofuel production, etc.).
Moderator: Molly Anderson, Food Systems Integrity and CFSC Board. Presenters: Peter Mann, WHY; Molly Anderson, Food Systems Integrity and CFSC Board; Marluce Melo, Pastoral Land Commission, Via Campesina, Brazil; Leticia Galeano, Popular Agrarian Movement, Paraguay

Climate Change and Food: What are community solutions?
Tuesday, October 7, 11am
How can we tackle climate change and build sustainable food systems at the same time? What models and tools exist for building food and energy sovereignty, starting at the community level? How do we spread the word that community food security is part of the solution to climate change? Participants will hear about a diversity of approaches and models from the U.S. and around the world and will leave this workshop empowered to take action.
Presenters: Maria Aguiar, Grassroots International; Deb Habib, Seeds of Solidarity; Ken Meter, Crossroads Resource Center; Marluce Melo, Pastoral Land Commission, Via Campesina, Brazil; Jac Smit, Urban Agriculture Network

Taking a Bite out of Climate Change: Campaigns Addressing the Food and Climate Change Connection
Tuesday, October 7 2:15pm
With concerns about global warming escalating, movements around the world are embarking on creative campaigns to address the links between climate change and food. We’ll hear from leaders from some of these innovative campaigns who will engage us in spirited conversation and ideas or action. Among the questions we’ll talk about: What are strategies and entry points for action? What can we learn from the successes and setbacks of these campaigns to date? How can we better work together to promote a just and climate-friendly food system?
Moderator: Anna Lappé, Small Planet Institute. Presenters: Ben Burkett, National Family Farm Coalition, President, and Via Campesina Food Sovereignty Commission; Stephanie Demmons, Oxfam America; Danielle Nierenberg, Humane Society of the United States; Meredith Niles, Center for Food Safety; Andrea Samulon, Rainforest Action Network

Climate Change and Food: What are the next action steps for CFSC?
Wednesday, October 8 10:30am
A facilitated discussion among plenary speakers, participants from prior workshops in the climate track, and additional participants (all are welcome). Representatives of all CFSC committees are strongly encouraged to attend.
Co-facilitated by Stephanie Demmons of Oxfam America and Christina Schiavoni, WHY

If you can’t join us at the conference, please e-mail info@takeabite.cc and we’ll be happy to send you a write-up of the panels.

Panelists included: Carl Pope, Executive Director of the Sierra Club; Wes Jackson, Ph.D., author and President and Founder of The Land Institute; Aaron (Ari) Bernstein, MD, co-author of Sustaining Life with Eric Chivian, MD; Patrick Holden, Director of the Soil Association; and me — Anna Lappé. Check it out and let me know what you think by writing to me here at Take a Bite.