04/29/2009

Events to Focus on Local Foods, Sustainability

Writer:

Martha Filipic
filipic.3@cfaes.osu.edu
(614) 292-9833

Source:

Molly Bean Smith, Social Responsibility Initiative
bean.21@osu.edu
(614) 688-8798

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State University's Social Responsibility Initiative will kick off a week's worth of sustainability activities on Monday, May 11.

Rich Pirog, the associate director of Iowa State University's Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, will commence the week's activities with a talk about local foods at a Monday brown-bag lunch in 105 Agricultural Administration Building, 2120 Fyffe Road. The event is open to the public and is brought to you with support from the Center for Farmland Policy and Innovation and the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Sustainable Agriculture Program.

"Pirog has been at the forefront of research on consumer perceptions of local foods and on 'food miles,' or how far food travels from where it's grown to where it lands on the dinner plate," said Molly Bean Smith, research associate with the Social Responsibility Initiative and co-organizer of the program. "He leads an innovative research group that has explored extensively a variety of issues associated with local food systems. He'll share what they've been doing, what pitfalls they've encountered, and how others can use the Iowa case in their own communities."

Anyone interested in local foods issues is welcome to attend the lunchtime presentation. Desserts will be provided.

Other events sponsored by the Social Responsibility Initiative during the week of May 11 include:

• A presentation by community activist and former mayor of Berkeley, Calif., Gus Newport. Newport will speak on ways to promote community development, rebuild neighborhoods, and engage citizens of all ages to create a more sustainable society. With over 50 years of grassroots community organizing experience, his work has focused on transforming devastated neighborhoods in Boston and New Orleans, peace and justice issues, public policy, leadership development, and nonprofit capacity building. Newport will speak at the Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center, 2201 Fred Taylor Drive, on Tuesday, May 12 at 7 p.m.
• A student and faculty panel discussion on some of the sustainable food system efforts and opportunities at Ohio State. The panel discussion will take place on Tuesday at noon in room 111 Agricultural Administration Building. Students interested in learning more about these efforts are encouraged to attend.

The programs are part of the Social Responsibility Initiative's eighth annual offering of community events focused on sustainability and social responsibility. The programs are geared to help central Ohioans learn more about what's happening in those areas on campus, in the community, and around the nation.

For more information about the week's events, contact Molly Bean Smith at bean.21@osu.edu or (614) 688-8798.