Good Food for All

Daily Digest: Vertical farming in Chicago, Industrial Harvest Project, and Carbon Nation Celebration

Illinois celebrates National Farmers Market Week until Aug. 7.  Read the "Illinois - Where Fresh Is" Farmers Market Network newsletter.  The biggest growth in farmers markets is taking place in the Midwest. 

Illinois Stewardship Alliance is partnering with Industrial Harvest, a project to better understand the global commodities system through the purchase of a "wheat futures" contract from the Chicago Board of Trade. 

Sustainable Chicago magazine features Plant Chicago, a new project to combine industrial reuse with aquaponics to create Chicago's first vertical farm.  Another article highlights LEED-Neighborhood Development certification and Prairie Crossing Conservation Community. 

Chicago Tribune follows Growing Home's heirloom tomatoes from seed to the table. 

Chicago Garden features Chicago Botanic Garden's Green Youth Farm program. 

Spotlight on upcoming events: (Event Calendar is here). 

• North Lawndale Greening Committee Annual Garden Tour, Aug. 7 at 10 a.m. 
• Carbon Nation Celebration in Millennium Park, Aug. 10 at 7 p.m. 
• Locavore Dinner at StarGazer Cafe in Prairie Crossing, Aug. 20 at 6 p.m.  
• Corks & Crayons for Purple Asparagus, Aug. 29 at 4 p.m.

Daily Digest: Breaking Through Concrete, New Food and Agriculture PRI Fund and Upcoming Events

RSF Social Finance officially launched their Food & Agriculture Program-Related Investing (PRI) Fund.   

Breaking Through Concrete (BTC) is a nationwide tour of urban farms in America.   BTC recently visited Growing Home's Wood Street Farm in Chicago to learn more about Growing Home's job training program.  

A new USDA Economic Research Service study examines the potential obesity-reducing effects of soda taxes. 

Jewel Osco is looking to shift its product selection as Wal-Mart prepares to build multiple stores in Chicago.  

Good Food for All has an updated Event Calendar, with many more events thanks to ChicagoRegen.com. 

Daily Digest: Englewood Urban Agriculture Community Meeting and "Guaranteed Green" Restaurants

The Greater Englewood Urban Agriculture Taskforce (GEUA) is developing plans for agriculture and food projects within the community with the support of Teamwork Englewood, Growing Home and Kennedy-King College. The goal is to transform Englewood into a “food destination” within the City of Chicago. The public is encouraged to attend to learn more about the process and give input. Refreshments will be served. 

GEUA will meet this Monday, June 28 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at The Washburne Culinary Institute (located at 63rd & Halsted St).  For more information visit the Teamwork Englewood website or call 773-602-4507. 

The Green Chicago Restaurant Co-op will announce Chicago's inaugural class of "Guaranteed Green" restaurants tomorrow, June 22 at Sopraffina Marketcaffe at 222 W. Adams St. "Guaranteed Green" lets diners identify and support local restaurants that have taken significant, verifiable steps toward protecting the environment.  Rick Bayless, Paul Kahan, Helen Cameron, and other leading chefs, will be the first inaugural class of 20 environmentally sustainable restaurants. 

Daily Digest: Takin' it to the Streets, Local Food Jobs and June Events

Black Oaks Center for Sustainable Renewable Living is hiring through the Put Illinois to Work program. All applicants must be financially challenged, between 18-21 living with parents or 18 or older with children 17 or younger. Click here to see possible positions and here to download an application.  

There are now USDA People's Gardens in every state across the country. 

Chefs Move to Schools is a new initiative as part of the Let's Move campaign to combat childhood obesity.  Click here to view a map of participating chefs and schools in the Chicago region.  

Upcoming Events on Saturday, June 19: 

The Health and Wellness Fair at Takin' it to the Streets festival on Saturday, June 19 will have a Faith + Justice workshop session on healthy corner stores. Click here to learn more. 

Angelic Organics Learning Center will be hosting its Summer Solstice Celebration this Saturday, June 19 in Woodlawn.

Take a tour with Chicago Public Radio of Growing Home's Wood St. Farm. 

Daily Digest: Mobile food trucks in Chicago and Food System Conferences

More street food vendors may be coming to Chicago:  an ordinance allowing for mobile food trucks will be submitted to the City Council on June 9. 

Michael Pollan has an informative article on food system movements.  

CDC released a State Indicator Report on Fruits and Vegetables (2009), showing behavioral, policy, and environmental indicators for Illinois. 

Nominate a visionary farmer, organization or business for Glynwood Center's Harvest Awards. 

Upcoming Conferences: 

The Food System Economic Partnership Conference, focusing on improving the local food system in southeastern Michigan, will convene on Thursday, June 24 in Jackson, MI.  

Growing Power's National-International Urban & Small Farm Conference has released a Request for Proposals. 

For those looking to showcase community-based food work, Community Matters is seeking presenters for breakout sessions on citizen-driven examples of community building.  Deadline is June 11, 2010 to submit panel proposals. 

Daily Digest: Aquaculture in Milwaukee and Local Foods Week in Michigan

Sweet Water Organics, an urban farm based in Milwaukee, WI, is featured in the Wall Street Journal for selling fresh yellow perch and lettuce to local residents and restaurants.  

The Peterson Garden Project, a former Victory Garden during World War II, is offering community garden plots.  

The Mike Nowak Show will feature a live broadcast, "Growing in Austin", from the Third Unitarian Church in Austin on Sunday, May 16, where community members will be planting a vegetable garden. 

Governor Granholm of Michigan proclaimed May 16-22 to be Local Foods Week, in conjunction with the National Farm to Cafeteria Conference in Detroit May 17-19. 

Schools in central Ohio are banning processed foods in favor of local and fresh products to serve in cafeterias.

Daily Digest: Green & Growing Fair and Local Food Awareness Day

Celebrate Earth Day on Saturday, April 24 and attend the 18th Annual Green & Growing Fair at the Garfield Park Conservatory from 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. 

Highlights include: 

• Unveiling of One Seed Chicago for 2010 
• Exhibitors from NeighborSpace, Chicago Botanic Garden, Openlands, and many more
• Family activities and workshops on growing vegetables, composting, and beekeeping

Next week, Illinois Stewardship Alliance will host a Local Food Awareness Day in Springfield on Wednesday, April 28.  Click here to register. 

Daily Digest: National Healthy Food Financing Initiative, Chicago Honey Co-op, and Produce Trucks in Detroit

New legislation was proposed for the national Healthy Food Financing Initiative, which would invest $1 billion through loans and grants to build 2,100 new grocery stores in “high need” areas of the U.S. 

Peaches and Greens, a program of the CDC Community Development Corporation, operates produce trucks in Detroit, delivering healthy fresh fruits and vegetables to community residents.  View recent media coverage here.  

Five city-run farmers markets in Chicago will accept LINK cards for Illinois residents with EBT (electronic benefit transfer) this summer.  

A Walmart in Chicago’s Pullman neighborhood has received approval from the city’s Plan Commission.

Advocates for Urban Agriculture (AUA) Spring Members Meeting will take place on Wednesday, May 12^th (5:30-8:00 p.m.) at the Garfield Park Conservatory.

Chicago Honey Co-op co-founder Michael Thompson is featured in Grist.org this week.

The New York Times hosts an online debate of authors, farmers, and bloggers on how to scale up local food production. 

Daily Digest: Chicago Food Trucks, Green & Growing Fair and School Nutrition Classes

Chicago Tribune highlighted many of the programs encouraging healthy eating behaviors in Chicago area schools.  These include The Good Food Project, Seven Generations Ahead, and Common Threads.   Watch the video below. 

 

The 18th annual Green & Growing Fair will take place at the Garfield Park Conservatory on Saturday, April 24.  Download the 2010 brochure. 

TimeOut Chicago (TOC) is launching a Street Food Now campaign to raise awareness around increasing Chicago's food vendors. 

TOC also mentions Chicago Food Trucks, a group organizing to bring more mobile food trucks to the streets of Chicago.  

MyFoodshed.com and Purple Asparagus are organizing a series of screenings in Chicago of What's On Your Plate?, a documentary about two young girls who try to understand the origins of the food they eat. 

Daily Digest: Local Food Distribution Models, Fresh Food Consumption and Slow Money

The New York Times has a comparative infographic showing the amount of fresh food vs. packaged food consumption in the United States (via OrganicNation.TV). 

Join Illinois Stewardship Alliance in Springfield, IL, on Wednesday, April 28 for Local Food Awareness Day.  Activities will include legislative updates and a lobbying training.  Registration is due Monday, April 19.  

Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems in Wisconsin has a national map of local food distribution models.  View the map here. 

Secretary Vilsack visited RMH Foods, a meat processing facility in Morton, Illinois.  RMH is a recipient of a USDA Rural Development loan and the owners succeeded in maintaining the business and retaining over 130 jobs. 

To further its civil engagement, USDA released the Open Gov Plan, accessible here.  Anyone can register and submit ideas or feedback on the website. 

The Slow Money National Gathering "ISM" (Inspired by Slow Money) will take place June 9-11 at Shelburne Farms, Vermont.  Register and view the program schedule here.